If you’ve ever stopped by the "basement sanctuary" here in Raymond, you know things can get a little crowded. Between the soldering irons, the rows of salvaged monitors, and the occasional wagging tail of a rescue dog, there’s a lot of life happening at Second Wind Sales and Services.

I’m Cody Woodman, the guy behind the bench, and I usually spend my days elbow-deep in modern laptop hinges or trying to convince a stubborn motherboard to give up the ghost and start working again. But lately, I’ve been thinking a lot about why I do what I do. It’s more than just fixing bits and bytes; it’s about a philosophy that seems to be disappearing in our "throwaway" culture.

Today, I wanted to pull back the curtain a bit. I recently sat down (with myself, mostly) to answer some questions about the weirdest things I’ve fixed, why I’m so obsessed with "stray" electronics, and why I’m ready to go to bat for your right to actually own the stuff you buy.

The Most Unexpected Guest: A 1960s Time Traveler

When people think of a computer repair shop, they think of iPhones, MacBooks, and maybe the odd gaming rig. They don’t usually think of a 1960s Mattel "Chatty Cathy" doll.

But there she was, sitting on my bench. Now, I’m used to circuit boards that are thinner than a credit card and components so small I need a microscope to see them. Chatty Cathy? She’s a different beast entirely. She’s 60 years old, and her "tech" is almost purely mechanical. Inside her is a tiny, primitive record player driven by a pull-string and a series of gears.

Working on her is a lesson in patience. Her talk box is finicky, mechanical, and honestly, a little haunting when it starts to stutter. But I’m determined to give her a new lease on life. Why? Because she represents a time when things were built to last, or at least, built to be understood.

Fixing her feels like a bridge to the past. It’s that 90s nostalgia (or in this case, 60s nostalgia) that drives me. There is something deeply satisfying about taking something that has been silent for decades and making it speak again. It’s the ultimate "second wind."

Of Stray Dogs and Broken CRTs

People often ask me how I ended up with so much "junk" in my shop. I prefer the term "future treasures." I’ve always had a fascination with the weird, the mundane, and the discarded.

Some people have a soft spot for stray dogs (and believe me, I do too, if it has four legs and needs a home, it’s probably going to end up in my yard). But I have that same empathy for electronics. I’ll see a stray CRT television with a cracked screen sitting on a curb and think, "I can save that."

It sounds goofy, I know. It’s just plastic and glass. But to me, every piece of discarded tech represents a failure of our current system. We’ve become so accustomed to replacing things that we’ve lost the art of appreciating them. Whether it's an old Atari console or a vintage gaming console that just needs a little TLC, I believe everything deserves a shot at a second life.

Pro-tip: If you’re ever tempted to toss an old device because it "feels" slow, don't! Often, a simple internal cleaning or a cheap part swap can make it feel like a brand-new machine. Don't let the "stray" tech end up in the rain!

The Wake-Up Call: The iPhone Cycle

The specific moment I decided to make Second Wind a reality wasn't because I loved soldering (though I do). It was a moment of clarity, or maybe a moment of frustration.

I woke up one day and really looked at what companies like Apple were doing. They release a new iPhone nearly every single year. Just think about that for a second. Why? Does the technology really move that fast? Not really. But their business model depends on you feeling like your current phone is "old" within twelve months.

Then comes the "planned obsolescence." Suddenly, the software updates make your perfectly functional phone feel sluggish. Parts become "serialized" so you can’t swap them out. Support is dropped. It’s a manufactured crisis designed to get you back into the store to spend another thousand dollars.

It’s scary, honestly. All this "old" tech has nowhere to go but landfills. We are destroying our planet faster than ever, all for the sake of a slightly better camera lens or a rounded edge on a screen.

The Mission: Fighting for Your Right to Repair

This brings me to the core of why I’m here in Raymond, doing what I do. I believe strongly in the Right to Repair.

In the modern tech world, there’s a growing "You Don't Own Anything" model. You buy a device, but the manufacturer still controls what you can do with it. They lock the software, they restrict the parts, and they tell you that "unauthorized" repair, which is basically me, is dangerous or wrong.

I say that’s nonsense. If you bought it, you own it. Period.

I’m a huge advocate for legislation like Bill C-244, which aims to protect our right to fix our own stuff. If Apple or any other tech giant wants to keep making money, that’s great, they should sell us the parts and manuals to keep their old devices ticking!

Imagine if your car manufacturer told you that you weren't allowed to change your own oil or swap a tire. We’d be outraged! Yet, we accept it with our phones and computers every day. My mission at Second Wind is to push back against that. I want to provide an Apple Store alternative that values your wallet and the environment over corporate profit margins.

Why Keeping Tech "Ticking" Matters

When we fix a 2011 MacBook or perform an A1369 repair, we aren't just saving a customer money. We are keeping lead, mercury, and plastic out of the soil here in Alberta.

The environmental impact of electronic waste is staggering. Every time we choose to repair instead of replace, we’re taking a small stand against a global problem. It’s about being responsible neighbors and stewards of the land we live on.

I’m not a miracle worker (though I do have some wizard-like tendencies with a soldering iron), but I am committed to giving your gear a fighting chance. Whether it’s a shattered phone screen or a 60-year-old doll that won't talk, I treat every project with the same respect.

Join the Resistance (The Quiet, Neighborly Kind)

You don't have to be a tech expert to join the Right to Repair movement. You just have to change the way you think about your "broken" stuff.

The next time your laptop starts acting up or your tablet screen cracks, don’t look at it as an excuse to go shopping. Look at it as a challenge. Can we save it? Can we give it a "Second Wind"?

Most of the time, the answer is a resounding yes.

If you’re in the Raymond or Lethbridge area and you’ve got a piece of tech that’s acting more like a "stray" than a useful tool, bring it by. We’ll take a look at it, give you a straight answer (in plain English, no jargon), and see if we can keep it out of the landfill together.

After all, if I can spend my weekends trying to get a 1960s doll to talk again, I can definitely handle your slow PC.

Stay curious, stay neighborly, and remember: You bought it. You own it. Let’s fix it.

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Need some affordable tech support or looking for some affordable electronics that have been saved from the brink? Swing by our shop or check out our latest projects right here on the site. We're always happy to help a neighbor out!