Reviewed:
Discovering alien tech is an entertaining story to read if you enjoy science fiction stories.
On a technical point of view, there are several annoying mistakes like misused words or weird sentences, but overall it's well written and a good editor could easily fix that.
Plot wise there are interesting developments, but overall the story feels rushed and linear, while the plot never really excels. Ben goes through the motions in the story without having to overcome much difficulties or challenges. Some plot lines are started and would lead to interesting plot developments, but then are ended just as quickly again or simply not mentioned anymore. It's a pity since it would have added more depth to the tale. For the most part the story reads like a diary with a lot of telling, but not showing.
There are a couple of sub plots, but they tend to get snuffed out quickly. I enjoyed reading the hockey matches as well as how Ben accomplishes some of his inventions, but as stated in the intro, there is not much depth to the story or challenges to overcome, which limited character growth.
As far as my personal appeal goes, 'Discovering alien tech' is fine to read for a lazy Sunday midday and it did keep me wondering what would happen next. It's not one of the best stories on SOL, but I did enjoy it and as such I score it a good, which equals to a 7.