Makers

Dale Dougherty believes: “All of us are makers…we are born makers.”

I second Dougherty’s belief.

Dale Dougherty defines the maker category: “[M]akers are enthusiasts, they’re amateurs, they’re people who love doing what they do. They don’t always even know why they’re doing it.”

I like Dougherty’s definition, mostly because I often find myself doing things simply because I enjoy to. I also often find myself being questioned for lacking an immediate agenda. Why are you doing that? What is the purpose? Questions to which I often respond: Because I want to and I enjoy it. My questionnaire usually responds with a huff-and-a-puff, of course this has become less pronounced as I have grown older.

The Sashimi Tabernacle Choir is both impressive and comical. That car, with those electric fish and the music they play reminds me of the experience of getting caught in summer rain and the moment when you have to decide whether to run for cover or start splashing. It might be an odd connection but a connection nonetheless. I do often opt for the ‘start splashing’ option. It is by far more entertaining.

Hackerspaces as defined on Hackerspaces.org: “[C]ommunity-operated physical places, where people can meet and work on their projects.” There is even a very nice list of Hackerspaces established worldwide.

Dougherty speaks of Arduino: Wonderful open-source tool to mention! The site has been furnished with some nice TLC. :)

3D Printers: Entertaining and possibly quite messy. I hope these become part of grade school, students would surely enjoy learning certain subject matter if they were provided 3D models they had to construct (fun) and explain (to demonstrate understanding).

Oh Yes! The beauty of having a place to go where you are able to be any whacky version of yourself you please, free to share ideas and ideologies, free to do what you love knowing full well that those around you are on the same boat.

“I just love going down to the Homebrew Computer Club, showing off my ideas and designing neat computers. I was willing to do that for free for the rest of my life.” - Steve Wozniak

The name of the place you go to does not matter, it is the people and the environment that do. If you have a place of your own, make sure to nurture your connections and environment, and share the wealth-knowledge of your place with others.