The "bad" part is that the raw materials for innovation aren't as easily source-able here in the States.
While it can still be found to an extent, the abundance of surplus electronics is nowhere near what it used to be; things started to go downhill fast after about the mid-1990s - but it really started much earlier.
Today, you can get cheap new electronics (and other parts) from China and other sources, and there is still some surplus available - but no one can deny that it is anything like it was (and for Chinese sourced components, you may have to wait a while to get them - heck, I just recently received some parts I ordered on AliExpress back in December - and it wasn't the vendor's fault - it was stuck in customs in China for some reason).
It's frustrating from the standpoint of innovation and experimentation (not to mention learning on a budget), but there isn't anything that can be done about it (and maybe we shouldn't do anything about it, either)...
While it can still be found to an extent, the abundance of surplus electronics is nowhere near what it used to be; things started to go downhill fast after about the mid-1990s - but it really started much earlier.
Today, you can get cheap new electronics (and other parts) from China and other sources, and there is still some surplus available - but no one can deny that it is anything like it was (and for Chinese sourced components, you may have to wait a while to get them - heck, I just recently received some parts I ordered on AliExpress back in December - and it wasn't the vendor's fault - it was stuck in customs in China for some reason).
It's frustrating from the standpoint of innovation and experimentation (not to mention learning on a budget), but there isn't anything that can be done about it (and maybe we shouldn't do anything about it, either)...