rif#82
Makers
In the last few days I started and then rapidly consumed Makers by Chris Anderson. This does not happen to me often. I don't sit and read books. I listen to a few at a time mostly at 3x speed. I "read" this one.
Do I think you should read it? Yes. Was it all brand new. No. Am I more fully convinced that we're at a turning point, dare I say a revolution, in manufacturing and industry and making? Yes. Do I think you and I can both easily capture and exploit the opportunity? Yes.
After reading I now know part of the reason why, at min, SpaceX can beat NASA at building rockets and $tsla can crank out crazy cars for the seemingly low prices they do. I want an open source and local weather report connected automated sprinkler system. I want to build my own open source car. I want automated drones in my life. I want to make more. I want to blog more. Etc. Etc.
The links below are some of the things mentioned in the book with a little intro to each from me.
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Read this book.
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How do we know Chris is not simply blowing smoke and theory? He recently quit is job as a big time editor at Wired to go full time with the drone company he started with a 19 year old (at the time) from Mexico.
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These robots from the German Company KUKA are amazing! They don't do just one thing. They can now turn on 6 axis and learn many tasks. The $tsla plant is full of them.
I've watched a pile of You Tube videos about them now. Here is just one. I am mesmerized. -
A fully open source vehicle! You build more than 1/2 of it over 6 or so days in the desert and leave with a tool box full of what you need to fix it (minus the parts). Dang! I want one!
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It only waters the parts of the lawn that are dry and only if the weather in the area is not going to be rainy soon. Once it's set up... it's automatic. #want
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I had no idea this existed. I would have used this in my crazy lego days of 1st-3rd grade! #dreamy
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Just because Lego (or another company for that matter) does not make something you want does not mean you can't buy it from someone. Note, you could find a niche of similar impact and scale in nearly any vertical and build your self a company and a community of buyers/customers.
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Excuse me, was that cookie printed?
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What a completely crazy and wonderful tag line! "Your Bay Area hackerspace for biotech."
Yes... this is a hackerspace for biology! -
In case you thought the bio hacker space was only a fruit cake west coast thing, there is an east coast equivalent.
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I just printed one! It's 3 years old. Open Source hardware now influencing the bio sciences and is bringing down prices dramatically!
Check the description on this post as a way to instigate your imagination. What can you hack or turn Open Source? -
More open source CNC tools!
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My Replicator2 arrived last week. It's so much more stable and quick and precise than it's predecessors. Now the pressure is on modeling skills. Can you build the 3D files you can imagine in your mind? It's easier and easier to get them printed.
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Go here to get your things made from an assortment of materials. You don't "need" a shop... just upload your files!
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Another "cloud" manufacturing source. Get your files going. Time to upload!
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The major marketplace for getting quotes from suppliers world wide that want make your things.
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The massive online marketplace for sourcing all sorts of things.
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Get your design on!
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Free. 3D. Software. Start modeling folks!
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Chris on Twitter
