Navarre Bartz – WindowsTechs.com

Apple’s Most Repairable Laptop is Thanks to Right-to-Repair

Posted on March 28, 2026 by Navarre Bartz

An upside down laptop with its cover removed on a grey surface. The inside of the laptop is a series of black modules connected to the frame with glorious amounts of screws and not glue!

The common narrative around device design is that you can have repairability or a low price, but that they are inversely proportional to each other. Apple’s new budget MacBook Neo …read more Continue reading Apple’s Most Repairable Laptop is Thanks to Right-to-Repair→

Electronic Waste Graveyard Immortalizes Dead Electronics

Posted on February 5, 2026 by Navarre Bartz

Electronic headstones. The first with an image of a circular lamp on a table. Text reads: "Halo Rise, Amazon, September 2022-August 2023, 0.9 years, Stopped offering cloud support (quick death)" Second is an image of a disassembled countertop appliance. Text reads: "Juicer, Juicero, March 2016-September 2017, 1.3 years, Change in business model/financial reasons" Third is an image of a black TV remote with the text: "Harmony Express, Logitech, April 2019-September 2020, 1.4 years, Stopped offering cloud support (quick death)"

Everyone here can think of a cloud-connected product that was killed because the company that made it stopped supporting it. While these corporations have forgotten their products, the US PIRG …read more Continue reading Electronic Waste Graveyard Immortalizes Dead Electronics→

Kei Truck Looks Like a Giant Power Tool

Posted on February 4, 2026 by Navarre Bartz

Kei trucks are very versatile vehicles, but their stock powerplant can leave a bit to be desired. If you need more power, why not try an electric conversion?
[Ron “Mr. G” Grosinger] is a high school auto shop and welding teacher who worked with his stu… Continue reading Kei Truck Looks Like a Giant Power Tool→

Silicone Bakeware Might be Bad for Your Liver

Posted on January 20, 2026 by Navarre Bartz

A red silicone cupcake pan sits on a black glass inductive stove cooktop. The word induction is written in white text on the glass of the stove.

Silicone bakeware has become a staple in many kitchens due to its flexible, yet temperature-tolerant nature. New research from Canada shows it could be causing trouble for your liver and …read more Continue reading Silicone Bakeware Might be Bad for Your Liver→

Handling Human Waste in the Sky

Posted on November 21, 2025 by Navarre Bartz

Have you ever wondered what goes into making it possible to use the restroom at 30,000 feet (10,000 m)? [Jason Torchinsky] at the Autopian recently gave us an interesting look …read more Continue reading Handling Human Waste in the Sky→

Hyundai Paywalls Brake Pad Changes

Posted on November 16, 2025 by Navarre Bartz

A baby blue hatchback with red accents drives down a road with blurry trees and a blue sky in the background.

Changing the pads on your car’s brakes is a pretty straightforward and inexpensive process on most vehicles. However, many modern vehicles having electronic parking brakes giving manufacturers a new avenue …read more Continue reading Hyundai Paywalls Brake Pad Changes→

Kei Truck Becomes Tiny RV

Posted on October 2, 2025 by Navarre Bartz

A forest green kei truck sits in an actual forest. In its bed is a dark grey box with a small window, wood trim, and a solar panel tilted on its roof. The headlights are on, hinting at the onset of twilight. You have a sudden urge to go glamping now.

Tent camping lets you explore places on foot you could never reach another way, but sometimes you want to camp with a bit more luxury. [Levi Kelly] decided to see …read more Continue reading Kei Truck Becomes Tiny RV→

Hovercraft Suitcase Gives Your Luggage a Smooth Ride

Posted on September 25, 2025 by Navarre Bartz

A suitcase made of two rectangular plastic crates latched together sits prone on a concrete floor. The top shell is a beige-ish grey with a navy check and the word "JerseyMaid" on it updside down. The navy bottom crate is navy with the letters "lsen" in large cursive font ant the letters "ORATION" in smaller print below it. Much of the text is covered by a large latch and a power tool battery mount. Bright pink tape affixes a blue tarp skirt to the bottom of the hover suitcase.

The wheels on roller suitcases are one of their primary failure points. After the destruction of the wheel mount on her DIY suitcase, [Laura Kampf] wondered if it would be …read more Continue reading Hovercraft Suitcase Gives Your Luggage a Smooth Ride→

A Deep Dive on Creepy Cameras

Posted on September 18, 2025 by Navarre Bartz

A man holds a license plate in front of a black pickup (F-150 Lightning) tailgate. It is a novelty Georgia plate with the designation P00-5000. There are specks of black superimposed over the plate with a transparent sticker, giving it the appearance of digital mud in black.

George Orwell might’ve predicted the surveillance state, but it’s still surprising how many entities took 1984 as a how-to manual instead of a cautionary tale. [Benn Jordan] decided to take …read more Continue reading A Deep Dive on Creepy Cameras→

Feathers are Fantastic, but Flummoxing for Engineers

Posted on August 30, 2025 by Navarre Bartz

An image of a pigeon on the left and a breakdown of six of the different kind of feathers on the bird. The bird's right wing is white with black dots and has an arrow pointing to it saying, "Developing wing with feather buds." The left wing is grey with one feather highlighted in pink with the text "Adult wing with feathers" at the end of an arrow pointing to it. The six feather types on the right side of the image are flight feathers, illustrated in pink with the text "enable flight, support aerodynamic loads, morph depending on flying style, building blocks for wing planaform." In green, we have tail feathers and the text "Maneuverability and controlability." In blue are the contour feathers, accompanied by the text, "streamline, camouflage, and sexual display. Found above filoplumes and semiplumes." A black floofy branched structure shows us the downy feathers next to the text "thermal insulation." Filoplumes and semiplumes look to be both thin and bushy feathers in black with the text "Sense underlying feathers, found above downy feathers." Finally, we have a black, stick-like bristle feather with the text "Protect face and eyes, sense surroundings."

Birds are pretty amazing creatures, and one of the most amazing things about them and their non-avian predecessors are feathers. Engineers and scientists are finding inspiration from them in surprising …read more Continue reading Feathers are Fantastic, but Flummoxing for Engineers→