Clive Thompson on how making stuff makes you a better fixer

"[T]here are some interesting differences in the psychologies of making vs. fixing. I've found it's easier to be daring with fixer projects, because the emotional cost of failure is lower. If I've got a busted laptop, why not crack it open? What's the worst I can do? Break it? It's already broken! There's also a sort of puzzle-solving pleasure in fixing, a sense of grappling with complexity. You encounter a lot of mystery that you'll never solve and just have to live with, which is what makes repair a philosophically powerful activity. You learn humbleness in the face of intransigent reality."