[Freeshadow]

Originally Posted by Maggie Leung

I can solder, do basic plumbing and and wiring, thanks to him, though I don't want to do any of them nowadays.

understandable. But apart from not wanting, when not in need you are "tinker" enough yourself (thanks to your wise and forseeing dad) to be able to help you out, when actually in need.

One possibility you might consider: You could teach kids basics

True, but as the development goes the way i pointed to it' l left said tought nowdays kid, in a position where the futures adult will notice that the problem he or she has with a device is trivial or even idiotically simple to fix but for a normal mortal now unfixable because of the devices housing.

I don't think most consumers want control (or complexity)

Allow me a little correction there: the devices are complex inside, wanted or not, (they need to becomplex to be able to fulfill their complex tasks, unless we speak about most simply tools like a saw or a hammer.
I'll go accord with you, that nowdays peoople don't want to be confronted with the complexity of the stuff they use. I'm ok with that. what nags me is, that it is made needlessly difficult to do so if someone wants to.
I'm fine with everyone telling me he never wants to open the equivalent of the engine hood of his gadget. what pisses me on is to find said hood better secured than crash-in trapdoors of a pharaohs tomb.

I can understand having it done with devices containing dangerous parts for the unsavvy, or even everyone without a detailed plan of the inertia, such as old CRTs/TVs, which had and have quite powerful condensators inside. one wrong move/touch and you re history. OK this 'd be a special case

But this doesn't justify sealing every device...

Originally Posted by malligator

Consumer electronics keeping people in a cage.

nope, but the manufacturers.
Imagine you have something already out of warranty so you d'have to pay shipping in both directions + "repair". Trough a vent openiong you see, the only problem, isa small cable that got loose... trivial, but nevertheless unreachable. if you think its funny - well our sense of humour clearly differs.

@Donnageddon: Cars - maybe, dunno.
Computers and similar certainly not - not more reliable and longer lasting.