build a CO2 generator, an electric
solar-power system, and motor-driven spiders, to name a few.
off the desktop-publishing page
with which we are all so familiar.
Currently based in New Zealand,
they are actively adding production resources in the U.S.
LED “throwies.”
A DIY portable
lighting project
organized by
the author in
Savannah,
Georgia, in May
2007, inspired by
New York–based
Grafitti Research
Labs.
starters, DIY publications and
community-driven resources
take the mystery out of tough
technical problems and can
inspire new projects. MAKE
[ 3] Dougherty, Dale,
“The Making of MAKE.”
Presentation at Dorkbot,
San Francisco, Cal. 14
September 2005.
( http://makezine.com) is a
monthly magazine published by
O’Reilly that seeks to embody
the weekend-inventor spirit that
once existed in ’50s geek classics such as Popular Mechanics [ 3].
Though the projects featured
may exist more for the pleasure
of their creation than their actual use (they include things like
solar-powered music boxes and
aerial photography balloons), the
spirit of tinkering and experimentation is one that will make
you look at a soldering iron in a
whole new light.
March + April 2008
[ 4] Dibbell, Julian, “DIY.
org: When a website
shows you how to build
it, why buy it?” Village
Voice, 10 March 2006,
site specific column.
While MAKE is slick, tightly
edited and published in a number of different formats (
including specially packaged collector’s
series), Instructables (http://
www.instructables.com), is the
wilder, freer version of this same
kind of content that The Village
Voice credits with being “perhaps
the most concrete case to date
of the Internet’s potential for
reshaping our material world...
[ 4]” This Web-based, community-driven repository of how-to documents maintains consistency
through its structure of “
step-by-step collaboration.” The content
includes instructions on how to
Access to Tools
All this clear instruction and
powerful inspiration is great but
won’t go beyond entertaining
reading without access to tools
and space to work. This is where
places like Techshop (http://
techshop.ws) come in. Techshop
is a fully equipped workshop that
gives members access to almost
every imaginable machine-shop tool such as welding stations, laser cutters, and milling
machines. A monthly or yearly
membership offers full access to
the tools, space, events, and low-cost skills classes and is a natural breeding ground for collaborations and creativity. Currently
based in the California Bay Area,
it is planning to open in 10 more
cities around the U.S.
At the same time, imagine if
you could dream up an object
and then use all your tools virtually without ever setting foot in
a machine shop. It sounds pretty
magical, but Ponoko (http://
www.ponoko.com) is an online
resource that does just that
by letting its members design,
produce, and sell physical products like jewelry, lamps, or even
furniture without ever leaving
a browser window. Seriously.
Aimed at anyone with access to a
vector program like Illustrator or
Freehand, the downloadable template kit lets users draw a design,
upload it, select materials, and
have the parts shipped directly to
them. Ponoko will even provide
sales and distribution. Though
the current focus on laser-cutting
techniques means that the forms
must be based on flat panels,
the service represents a 3D leap
Events and Happenings
The amount of information
about projects, processes, and
resources is so immense that it
can become overwhelming, but
local events offer an opportunity to contextualize the work.
Community gatherings combine
encouragement, vision, and good
old-fashioned schmoozing under
one roof on a regular basis. The
granddaddy of maker-community
events is Dorkbot (http://dorkbot.
org/), a monthly show-and-tell
club of artists, technologists, and
veritable mad scientists. Founded
in 2000 by Douglas Repetto in
New York City, Dorkbot events
now take place in more than 60
cities around the world. Though
its main focus is around the
self-proclaimed description of
“people doing strange things
with electricity,” its presentations
have included everything from
gourmet food hackers to bigfoot
hunters and something with
robot anatomies called “
teledil-donics.” Meetings are locally run
and organized by key volunteers,
and beverages are often available
for a small price, with proceeds
going toward future events.
On a much larger scale,
Maker’s Faire (http://www.
makerfaire.com) is the biannual
public event that is an extension
of the MAKE and CRAFT magazine community. A spectacular
display of contraptions, customizations, and maverick product
manufacturing techniques, it
will leave you championing the
little guy in the marketplace. The
Faires take place twice a year in