Make

This is my column that appeared in the June 16, 2010 edition of the New Hamburg Independent...

Makers build what they build for many reasons. Some feel that it is the “green” thing to do, saving discarded items from the landfill. Some create because there are no stores that sell the one of a kind item that they are dreaming up. To some makers, it’s all about experimentation and innovation, pushing the envelope and doing things seem impossible. Others will tell you that they are keeping alive a craft or art that is slipping away from us in modern culture.

I’ve been a fan of makers and the maker movement for some years now, but to be honest I would have to admit that I’m still a novice maker. I have an overactive imagination that dreams of putting together things that are not, or should not, be put together, but I’m really only handy to a point. I preach the maker ideals of “build instead of buy” and of “if you can’t open it you don’t own it”, but in the end I’m just as prone to impulse purchases as the next consumer. I have the desire for my community and our region to become powerhouses of maker creativity, but I still find it a struggle to get things done.

Thinking about why my attempts at spreading the “maker fever” have been less than effective, I was reminded of the words of Mahatma Gandhi, “You must be the change you want to see in the world.” It is an inspiring quote that you could interpret in many ways, and it got me thinking about changing myself to being more “makerish”. There are two things to note about change. Change is easier to manage in small steps, and small changes can often have huge impacts. So, I set about to think up some “small step ideas” to get myself moving in the maker direction.

Idea Number 1: Deviate from and perfect a new recipe. My cooking skills are less than legendary, just ask my family. Putting some thought into planning and executing a meal might not be a challenge for many, but it is for someone who usually combines several canned or fried ingredients together at the last minute. Here’s to hoping my family survives, or at least doesn’t go hungry that night.

Idea Number 2: Attempt a repair. We have a vacuum that has been sitting in the basement. It was a hand-me-down appliance and we got at least a year’s worth of work out of it, but when it “lost it’s oomph” it got replaced by another second hand machine. Investigating why something is not working instead of sending it out with the trash is a good way to build my internal maker’s problem solving skills.

Idea Number 3: Embellish something. I’m not the most artistic person on the block, so this doesn’t come naturally to me, but I think taking some ordinary item and making it extraordinary is one way to make an artistic statement. Makers are artistic, and they don’t have to start all their projects from scratch. Taking a drab, everyday object and spicing it up makes it original and one of a kind.

Idea Number 4: Try using a new tool. I’m not tool crazy, but I know that in many cases, when you have the proper equipment making things can be a lot easier. After attacking some steel fence posts with a hacksaw, a family member helped me out by using a grinder/cut off tool to make short work of them. While this is a better example of deconstruction than making something, knowing when and how to use tools can make you bolder when thinking of about your next project.

Baby steps to a brighter maker future for the world, that’s what I’ll be thinking when I’m embroidering my laptop bag with some binary code. How will that sound to my boss when he’s trying to figure out what happened to the bag, who knows?

I finally got around to finishing of a Minty Boost case... something I started back in October. I've had the circuits for three kits (bought from Adafruit) all soldered up and tested, but not packed into the cases. Getting a Dremel as a gift this Christmas gave me the perfect excuse to get back at the project.

If you don't know, a Minty Boost is a battery-powered charger for devices that charge from USB ports.

Here's the circuit before packing, pretty small:

Here's the Altoids tin in the process of having the hole cut:

I overcut the hole a bit, but it worked out OK since I had to enlarge it a bit to make the USB port fit anyway. Note the strip of cork I'm using to prevent the vice from scoring the case (compliments of a repurposed Ikea placemat). I had to use a grinding bit to smooth out the edges left by the cutoff wheel, and had to make sure the tin was free of debris before putting in the circuit.

I wanted to be sure there were no shorts, so I applied some electrical tape to the bottom of the tin:

Once done, everything fit in nicely... and it even worked :)

Check out the photo album for more pictures

I'm thinking about writing a mobile application for makers. Why you ask? A few reasons come to (my) mind. Because I'm seeing a need and I'd like to fill it. Because I think stretching myself beyond my current level of geekery is fun. Because I can (and you likely could too).

The first problem I'd like to solve is the "Oh my gawd I can't believe someone is throwing that out I could so use that in a project I need someone to help me fish it out of the dumpster" problem.

Consider this... iPhone (or Blackberry, or Google phone, or whatever) in hand, you snap a picture and click the "Sound the Alarm" button. The application sends out notifications to all your maker friends (in the method they prefer). Maybe it checks their location to see if they might be around. Maybe it sends out an e-mail or tweet or Facebook post calling for help. The notes flying around tell them that you'll stick around for the next 10 minutes, and that you've got time later in the night (say 2:00 AM?) if anyone would like to help.

Maker friends... can you think of something else to add along this line, or even some completely unrelated mobile app that might be handy to have? Would you use this application? What other social networks sites would you want to connect with? Is there already an application like this, so I don't reinvent the wheel?

Bre Pettis has a mission. Awhile back he tweeted:

"My mission in life is to develop infrastructure to support people who want to make things and meet people who make things and make things."

I've been thinking about Bre's mission for a week or so, wondering what my mission in life is... and especially how it relates to supporting people who want to make things.

Reading the Make: Magazine blog for over a year and following Bre with his posts there and his more recent development of Makerbot Industries had me all juiced up and interested in how hackerspaces (NYC Resistor in this case) can spur on great ideas and technological creativity. I've made my attempts to get hackerspace setup in our area. At this point though, a number of competent people have taken that ball and are now running with it where I have fallen behind... and that's OK. I think I need to get my maker groove on before I can play an active part in a hackerspace just yet.

The Make: KW maker group is a more likely target for my "supporting maker energies" these days. From what I've seen so far, we've got a large group of extremely talented makers in our region, and I think having meetups and events where makers can mingle is a good thing. Who knows what inspired collaborations might be spawned across the table? Who knows what problems can be solved when people bring in their half-finished projects for a demo? Who knows what we will learn from each other when workshops are held and skills are shared? Who knows?

I love meeting makers and hearing their stories. I love seeing connections made and projects take form. I would love to see the maker movement spread across our region and make a difference in our communities. So for now my mission... well maybe not my life mission but more of a life resolution at this point, is to support the maker movement in the Region of Waterloo in any form I can figure out.

Are you a maker? If you are interested, check out the Make: KW website where you can blog about your projects and sign up to the mailing lists of your choice. Or you can send ideas my way and we'll see if we can make things happen.

Here's a quick and somewhat silly make. It's the middle of June and my 2 1/2 year old thought that his sippycup of milk was too cold to hold. His older brothers are always wearing out their socks. So I went through the (clean) laundry basket and found a sock that had the heel and toes worn through. I cut it off at the heel and slipped it over the bottom of the cup, pulled up just enough so it would still sit flat.

I just watched a video created by Dave Jacob Hoffman over on the Dave Makes site. It's a 15 min interview with Eric Michaud, president of Pumping Station: One a hackerspace starting up in Chicago.

Eric is echoing many of the ideas that I've been having for our area... the desire to provide a space equipped with the tools and supplies necessary for geeks and artists to work on projects of their own design. It's a place where people can teach each other and reach out into the community to teach as well. I really appreciate Eric's enthusiasm for hackerspaces as an alternative form of education.

Watch the video and leave a comment letting me know what you think.

Update 2009-03-11: Pumping Station: One got a great mention in The Columbia Chronicle, and the article was also republished on the Hackerspaces Blog.

The new year arrives with the birth of some new television programming from O'Reilly Media. Following in the footsteps of the successful Make: magazine, Make: Television chronicles DIY projects, profiles makers and looks at tools and skills.

If the first offering is any indication, the shows will be polished, informative and entertaining. Make: Television is being made available for free on public television, YouTube, Vimeo, blip.tv and iTunes. I prefer to watch it via Miro.

Looks like this series will be lots of fun!

What is a maker you ask? A maker is a person imbued with the do-it-yourself (DIY) spirit, someone who would rather create than buy. A maker is bold and creative when blurring the lines between technology and art.

O'Reilly Media has been capturing the maker spirit for awhile now with their Make: magazine. I've been an avid follower of the magazine's blog. It's full of more-than-interesting accounts and pointers to how-to instructions for projects that boggle the mind.

This post is a call out to makers in the area. Are you out there? Are our numbers strong? Should we organize, uprise and bring our knowledge of art and technology into our community?

Leave a comment here or drop me a note at onecog2many@gmail.com if you're interested. More importantly, spread the word... blog it, tweet it, facebook it, call your friends, whatever. Let's see who's out there and what we have to offer each other and the community.