Kestral

Normalise DIY. We don't need to buy pre-built monolithic tech solutions that feed scarcity and corporate greed. Build your own digital photo frame. Manage your own smarthome. Stick a tablet to your fridge and call it smart.

It doesn't matter if it doesn't look as slick.

It's all just trends. Making your own clothes was once normal. Then frowned upon because capitalism, only 'poor' people did it. Now? It's trendy and artisan and cool.

Apr 30, 2025 at 7:49amWeb
Show threadBerdan Sarıgöl 🏳️‍🌈🏳️‍⚧️Apr 30, 2025
@kestral DIY HRT for the masses?
Show threadPiotr Sowa   Apr 30, 2025
@kestral also: fix it yourself if you can or ask/pay for someone to fix what is broken, instead of throwing it away and/or buying new. As long as it can serve its purpose well, why should you throw it away? If you no longer need it, maybe you can find a new purpose for it? If no, perhaps there is someone who would want it?

An old tablet can become a smart home command centre. An old phone can become a monitoring camera. An old laptop or PC can become a homelab/home server. There is more to it than what was originally planned for it.

Don't overconsume. Enjoy what you own.
Show threadcuan_knaggsApr 30, 2025
@sowa @kestral also, fixing is a fantastic gateway drug to diy
Show threadStoneface VimesApr 30, 2025
@kestral yes. And when it's no longer trendy you can take the tablet off again.
Show threadRichardusApr 30, 2025
@kestral Manage your own ssmarthome. Well use Home assistant ! No internet required then.
Show threadDanApr 30, 2025
@1024Bytes @kestral this is where I am headed. I've been putting off home automation bc I didn't want to deal with big tech (Google just keep getting creepier). Then I saw how mature Home Assistant was. Now I just need time 😂
Show threadShambolic MatterAug 22, 2025
@bruisedthumb I've been super happy with my home assistant setup. The automated lighting seems to help everyone here maintain a reasonable daily schedule
Show threadHam AdamsApr 30, 2025
@kestral or better yet, consider whether you need things like smart homes at all!
Show threadAntonio RibeiroAug 22, 2025
@HamAdams @kestral 👆
Show threadPhil Thane ✅Apr 30, 2025
@kestral
I saw someone with a credit card taped to the back of their phone so they could pay by phone without involving Apple or Google.
@Maker_of_Things
Show threadmcSlibinasApr 30, 2025
@kestral redneck sounds not good in US (i guess) but for big part of the world rednecking things is just fun way to make fun. Add some knowledge into rednecking - get amazing results.
I guess it's because redneck memes, like this one, fun for fun in funny way: https://www.iwastesomuchtime.com/socialistbuttonabolish
Redneck engineering is a form of genius.

iwastesomuchtime
Show threadCrystal Huff (they/them)Aug 22, 2025
@kestral also normalize fixing stuff when it's mendable. Save shit from going to the landfill. All the cool kids are doing it.
Show threadShotgun SeamstressAug 22, 2025
@crystalvisits @kestral We just fixed our laundry machine and our dishwasher. Each just needed one small part replaced and the replacement was pretty straight forward. Unscrew the old part and unplug, plug in new part and screw back in.
Show threadcalendsAug 22, 2025

@shotgunseamstress I am waiting right now to see if I have successfully fixed my dishwasher! (Running the first load of dishes.) It was indeed a simple fix.

And the laundry machine is on the to-fix list. (It works, but makes a new noise that sounds... not good.) The internet tells me that fix is probably not too complicated either.

Awesome to hear that your fixes turned out well.

@crystalvisits @kestral

Show threadjarkmanAug 22, 2025
@kestral I am hugely in favour of making things, but also making your own clothes is generally more expensive than buying them now. It's not just trends, factories and their economies of scale are actually a very economical way to get stuff built.
Show threadTheolodianAug 22, 2025

@jarkman @kestral yeah, I’ve spent more up-cycling old IKEA this month than it would have cost to buy new IKEA instead!

My real frustration is the big stuff. For instance there is no practical way to do my own solar and have someone else sign it off, etc. I don’t have 3-4 years (full-time) to get the necessary qualifications myself, therefore we have no plans for solar.

Show threadShotgun SeamstressAug 22, 2025
@theolodian @jarkman @kestral There’s a middle ground here. I always say “It’s DIY not DEY (do *everything* yourself). Sometimes it makes more sense to purchase a product or services from an individual or company that has expertise and efficiency in that area.
Show threadTheolodianAug 22, 2025
@shotgunseamstress @jarkman @kestral yeah, I do a bit of everything but not everything everything. Unfortunately others aren’t always reliable, even if you throw money at them. 😒
Show threadTheolodianAug 24, 2025

@shotgunseamstress @jarkman @kestral

The YT algorithm was listening to us and gave me this:

https://youtu.be/oPI6w_Z2iYs

DIY Cabinets might be a LIE!

YouTube