I fixed mine by literally 'ironing out a glitch.'
In this case the glitch was a metaphor, and the cure symbolic. It seemed the refusal to move through the washing cycles was a representation of the human condition; specifically, the fluid nature of the construct of 'civilisation.'
I located the faulty timer within a postmodern framework. The dysfunctional relationship between humanity, self-image and self-worth seemed appropriate.
The sheer 'stuckness' of the device, its abject immobility in the face of 21st century progress, the contrived worthlessness of this most deliberate of mechanisms. Determinedly, deliberately, these things spoke:
'We are not so different, you and I. Yet with this one action, I deny your belief in a modern civilisation - that which you claim my existence affords you. The orbits of my drum and the orbits of my timer, celestial spheres spinning on their axes. Music falling heavy upon your deaf ears. The drum and the timer; the sun and the earth. In the winter I - conversely - cleanse delicate fabrics with cool water. The equatorial summer sees cotton scorched; 90 degrees leaves foreign fabric, synthetics and wool, rubbished and reduced. Yet you see none of this, preferring instead to perceive my missives of hot and cold as watery declarations of humanity, an affirmation of civilisation. To you, my gyrations are stability; a planetary dance of civility, Without my cycles, barbarism returns. A static blunder - dirty clothes and a helpless man. Though I am not broken, I merely defy you.'
A second hand replacement machine cost ÂŁ140 including delivery and a 1 year guarantee. This seemed to be the best option as the timer is the most expensive part of the machine as the machine was old, the parts were not readily available.
Incidentally, it was easy to work out that the timer was at fault because it refused to move at any point in the cycle. This means that it is unlikely to be anything else, unlike if the timer stops only at certain points in the 'orbit.' This often suggest a peripheral problem such as a stuck valve, faulty heating element, etc. All of which can cause the machine to stick at a particular point in the cycle.
Michel Foucault
October 2005
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