Maker Culture

Maker Culture And Cities

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Maker Culture isn’t just the spectacular gadgets we see from Maker Faire, there’s a lot of “quiet” things like crowdfunding city changes and urban engineering.

Citzens, Cities, and Makers.

I’ve been mildly funding things like Maker-scientists and citizen involvement in things like Little Free Library.  Curious to see how far this can go (and in many ways, this is kind of old school).

– Steve

Just Go Buy A Copy Of Make Magazine Already

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I would like to very strongly recommend you give a look at Make Magazine (http://makezine.com/).

I have a friend who’s into Maker culture.  He also is the reason I now lust for a 3D printer, and he got me to go to Maker Faire (http://makerfaire.com/).  One of my interests now is to examine the connections and possible connections between geek and maker culture.

In that spirit, trust me, go buy a copy of this and take a look at it and see if it’s you.

Essentially it’s a collection of projects, reviews, and interesting stories by Makers doing what they do – making, repairing, and molding stuff at home.  It’s science, imagination, engineering, cooking, and double-reverse Mythbusters fused together in what is essentially a publication of applied home mad science.  Decorative LEDs, books on fermentation, furniture from PVC, it’s all there.

Why you should check it out?

  • Well it’s pretty cool.
  • It’s pure geek culture, even if Maker culture is both geeky and it’s own distinct thing.
  • There are a lot of things you probably have not heard about that you bloody well should as a geek.  Programmers should know about systems like the Arduino.  Cosplayers can find amazing tools and gizmos.  Science geeks will just pass out with pleasure.
  • It’a an examination of an evolving culture – finding out about the Makers has taught me a lot about an evolving “literati” culture.
  • It’s a way to understand how people leverage and spread knowledge, and modern knowledge.  Just notice how a guy can make a toy with his understanding 3D modeling and a 3D printer, upload it to a site, then everyone can make it.  Now multiply that . . .

Now my “make” is books and cooking, not Quadracopters or coffee makers that turn on via the internet.  But it’s still valuable for me (and exposes me to a lot of fascinating tech).  Give it a shot.

And, yes, I plan to explore Geek/Maker/Career intersections more.  You’ve been warned.

– Steven Savage

Steven Savage is a Geek 2.0 writer, speaker, blogger, and job coach for professional and potentially professional geeks, fans, and otaku. He can be reached at https://www.stevensavage.com/