Episode 04: The Way Things Work

On this way back archive edition of B-Side we take a look at the way things work, everything from vacuum cleaner repair to broken parking meters. We’ll also get a lesson in dumpster diving and meet a dad who takes tinkering to a new level. Plus, fearless B-Side crew members crawl under a 1991 Honda Accord and attempt to change the oil without professional help.  Hosted by Lyssa Mudd.

Liner Notes:

Dumpster Diving: Dave Gilson:
The Bay Area is one of the country’s most expensive places to live. But you can save and even make some money if you don’t mind sneaking around in the middle of the night and picking through trash. B-Side’s Dave Gilson presents: the art of dumpster diving for fun and profit.

Vacuum Cleaners: Claudine Zap
Vacuum cleaners are one of the great conveniences of modern life. Until they stop working. Claudine Zap finds out how – and why – vacuum cleaners suck.

Parking Meters: Tamara Keith
Anyone who’s parked in Berkeley has seen them – meters flashing fail, fail, fail. No matter what the problem, if there’s a malfunctioning meter south of campus, there’s one man who will end up fixing it. B-Side’s Tamara Keith talked with him and brings us this glimpse at what makes parking meters work – and not work.

Mr. Fix-It Dad: Mia Lobel
B-Side’s Mia Lobel went home to New York over the holidays to talk with her dad, who can fix anything, about his obsession with tinkering.