Maker culture

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The maker culture is a contemporary culture or subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture. Typical interests enjoyed by the maker culture include engineering-oriented pursuits such as electronics, robotics, 3-D printing, and the use of CNC tools, as well as more traditional activities such as metalworking, woodworking, and traditional arts and crafts. The subculture stresses new and unique applications of technologies, and encourages invention and prototyping.[1] There is a strong focus on using and learning practical skills and applying them creatively.

Contents

Hackerspaces [edit]

Main article: Hackerspace

The rise of the maker culture is closely associated with the rise of hackerspaces, of which there are now over 100 in the United States, and many around the world.[2] Hackerspaces allow like-minded individuals to share ideas, tools, and skillsets.[3][4] Some notable hackerspaces which have been linked with the maker culture include Noisebridge, NYC Resistor, A2 Mech Shop, Pumping Station: One, Artisan's Asylum,[5] and of course the original: TechShop. In addition, those who identify with the subculture can be found at more traditional universities with a technical orientation, such as MIT (specifically around "shop" areas like the MIT Hobby Shop). As maker culture becomes more popular, hackerspaces are becoming more common in universities.[6]

Media [edit]

Some media outlets associated with the subculture include MAKE (a magazine published since 2005 by O'Reilly Media) and the popular weblog Boing Boing. (Boing Boing editor Cory Doctorow has written a novel, Makers, which he describes as being "a book about people who hack hardware, business-models, and living arrangements to discover ways of staying alive and happy even when the economy is falling down the toilet".[7])

Maker Faire [edit]

Since 2006 the subculture has held regular events around the world, Maker Faire, which in 2012 drew a crowd of 120,000 attendees.[8] Smaller, community driven Maker Faires referred to as Mini Maker Fairs are also held in various places where an O'Reilly-organised Maker Faire has not yet been held. [9][10][11][12] Maker Faire provides a Mini Maker Faire starter kit to encourage the spread of local Maker Faire events.[13]

Everything old is new again [edit]

Hobbyists have made custom things for a long time. Evidence is in ham radio and RC modelling where very early innovation came from the garage, the shed or the loft. Similarly, the evolution of hobbies into for-profit businesses has a long history. A famous recent example is in the relationship between the Homebrew Computer Club and Apple Inc.

"Maker-Culture" re-brands pursuits and processes that extend into prehistory -- making things and communicating how. That re-branding helps shift focus onto the new pursuits and processes enabled and reshaped by recent innovations: Internet, open-source memes & means, and the growing ubiquity of computing tools in smaller, faster, cheaper, more flexible forms.

Greater emphasis on some memes distinguishes the newer "Maker-Culture":

  • If it can be imagined it can be made.
  • The first step in making a thing, even a non-physical thing, is visualizing it.
... and computers can greatly aid that visualization, including sketching, drawing, simulation, analysis, and prototyping.
  • A most effective step in refining/developing a thing is collaborating with others on it.
... and Internet can greatly aid that collaboration
... and digital repositories are especially useful where data is used to directly reproduce objects and their derivatives.
  • Begin with the end in mind.
  • Making things always combines form with function; the art of making should be appreciated and celebrated.

References [edit]

  1. ^ Thomas MacMillan (April 30, 2012). "On State Street, “Maker” Movement Arrives". New Haven Independent. 
  2. ^ Justin Lahart (November 13, 2009). "Tinkering Makes Comeback Amidst Crisis". The Wall Street Journal. 
  3. ^ Kalish, Jon (November 21, 2010). "DIY 'Hackers' Tinker Everyday Things Into Treasure". NPR. 
  4. ^ Minsker, Evan (March 09, 2009). "Hacking Chicago -- Pumping Station: One brings the hacker space movement to Chicago". The Columbia Chronicle. 
  5. ^ http://artisansasylum.com/
  6. ^ "New student club inspired by maker subculture". ics.uci.edu. Retrieved February 25, 2013.
  7. ^ "Makers, my new novel: free downloads, donate to libraries and colleges, signings and tours," http://boingboing.net/2009/10/28/makers-my-new-novel.html
  8. ^ "Maker Faire Bay Area 2012: Highlights and Headlines" http://on3dprinting.com/2012/05/20/maker-faire-bay-area-2012-highlights-headlines/
  9. ^ "East Bay Mini Maker Faire" http://ebmakerfaire.wordpress.com/
  10. ^ Ken Liebeskind (April 28, 2012). "Mini Maker Faire Brings Innovation to Westport". The Weston Daily Voice (Westport, Connecticut). 
  11. ^ Molly McGowan (May 01, 2012). "Burlington's first Mini Maker Faire a success". Times-News (Burlington, North Carolina). 
  12. ^ http://www.reuseum.com/2012/06/maker-meetup-saturday-july-14th-2012/
  13. ^ "Mini Maker Faire Starter Kit" http://diy.makerfaire.com/wiki/index.php/The_Mini_Maker_Faire_Starter_Kit

See also [edit]

External links [edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Maker subculture
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