{"type":"rich","version":"1.0","provider_name":"Transistor","provider_url":"https://transistor.fm","author_name":"Analog-ish: Seeking low-tech ideas in a high-tech world","title":"Joy Is Rebellion: Ava Carter's Vintage Radio Obsession","html":"","width":"100%","height":180,"duration":1995,"description":"Ava Carter never expected a school cell phone ban to turn her into a vintage electronics repairwoman, but here we are. In this episode, the graphic designer, single mom, and self-described \"green lady\" walks us through how a hand-me-down Discman spiraled into a house full of restored vintage hi-fi radios, cassette decks, and receivers. Ava talks about the meditative pull of tinkering with capacitors and transistors, why \"joy is rebellion\" is her mantra for 2026, and how a mostly-online Discord repair community became an unexpected refuge as a trans person living in a conservative, isolated area. She also digs into planned obsolescence (and France's new law banning it), the professional confidence she's rebuilt through hands-on problem-solving, and why listening to one album start to finish beats any algorithm-fed playlist.Topics Covered:• How her son's school going \"hard no\" on cell phones sent Ava from Discman to Walkman to cassette deck to a house full of vintage hi-fi gear• Why old radios are often shockingly cheap to fix (30–50 cent capacitors and transistors) compared to today's disposable, chip-based electronics — and how she taught herself with YouTube, a Discord community, and a little AI help• The meditative, almost therapeutic pull of tinkering — how repairing radios became her \"safe place\" and an escape from a world that feels \"horrible\" right now• Ava's 2026 words to live by, \"joy is rebellion,\" and why choosing joy on purpose feels like an act of resistance• Finding unexpected belonging as a trans person in an online radio-repair Discord — where the only thing that matters is whether you love the machines• Why '70s-era audio gear was built to be repaired, not replaced, and how that connects to France's new law penalizing companies for designing products to fail• Rebuilding professional confidence after a rough stretch in her career — and how the problem-solving skills from radio repair are bleeding into parenting, client work, and everyday...","thumbnail_url":"https://img.transistorcdn.com/fPW6xaQdObbHuGsU5vjZ9UAqm4t6N4aArny6duTpePk/rs:fill:0:0:1/w:400/h:400/q:60/mb:500000/aHR0cHM6Ly9pbWct/dXBsb2FkLXByb2R1/Y3Rpb24udHJhbnNp/c3Rvci5mbS9kN2E3/YWU0N2NiMGJlMjU5/ZmQ1OWRiODgyOWJk/YzRjYi5wbmc.webp","thumbnail_width":300,"thumbnail_height":300}