Re: [i3Detroit] Wall Street Journal: the economy of tinkering

[Edward L Platt]

Also, tinkering on NPR:

http://www.onpointradio.org/2009/11/tinkering-and-innovation

-Ed
--
Edward L. Platt
http://elplatt.com/portfolio
http://newbitdesign.com
248.320.5061





On Mon, Nov 23, 2009 at 1:01 PM, Brad <bradm...@gmail.com> wrote:
> interesting
>
>
>
>
> Sent to you by Brad via Google Reader:
>
>
>
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> Wall Street Journal: the economy of tinkering
>
> via Arduino Blog by dcuartielles on 11/12/09
>
> The Wall Street Journal looks into hackerspaces, prototyping, tinkering …
> and even Arduino in an article published today:
>
> Mr. Smith, 25, studied computer science at the University of Iowa, and
> worked as a Web developer. But a few years ago, he started playing with an
> “Arduino” — an open-source microcontroller. These are used as the “electric
> brains” for everything from wall-avoiding robots to a hat that pokes the
> wearer’s heads if the person stops smiling. “I was hooked,” he recalls.
>
> Intrigued by the idea of making a machine than can build its own parts, Mr.
> Smith got interested in “rapid prototyping machines” — 3D printers that lay
> down layers of materials like plastic to form objects. The technology is
> used by manufacturers to make prototypes, with industrial machines typically
> costing tens of thousands of dollars.
>
> Mr. Smith’s NYC Resistor friends Mr. Pettis and Adam Mayer joined the
> project. Using off-the-shelf electronics and parts, along with a laser
> cutter, they came up with a machine. Now they’re selling kits to make 3D
> printers.
>
> Their company, MakerBot Industries, has shipped 350 of the $750 kits so far.
> They hired two employees, started paying themselves, and are building
> another 150 kits for their next shipment.
>
> The article is worth reading, looks into the alternatives to corporate jobs
> that tinkering is generating during the current economic crisis. You should
> also give a look at the article’s comments, priceless.
>
>
>
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