Maker Birthdays: Kevin Kelly

Maker Birthdays:  Kevin Kelly
MZ_MakerBirthday.gif

kk.jpgThis year, we decided, besides covering the birthdays of icons of technology and science who are no longer with us, we’d celebrate some of the living icons who’ve directly influenced our lives as makers.

When I started brainstorming my list, Kevin Kelly was one of the first people on it. Kevin was an editor of Whole Earth Review and the Whole Earth Catalog, publications that had a profound impact on me and helped set the course of my DIY life. He was also a founding editor of Wired and was instrumental in setting the tone of that hugely influential publication.

Kevin’s books include Out of Control: The New Biology of Machines, Social Systems, and the Economic World. This book was a big influence on my own Absolute Beginner’s Guide to Building Robots and my continued interest in biologically-inspired technology (e.g. behavior-based robotics). Kevin’s recent projects include the indispensable Cool Tools mailing list, Street Use (a site of folk technology and clever street hacks), and the Quantified Self (self-knowledge through self-data tracking).

Happy Birthday, Kevin. And thanks for decades of inspiration, thought-provocation, and “access to tools.”

Kevin Kelly’s website

4 thoughts on “Maker Birthdays: Kevin Kelly

  1. Phillip Torrone says:

    kevin kelly is one of my favorite writers – if it’s an article of his that takes 5 minutes or so to read – i build in an extra 15 to 20 minutes to just process the latest mind bomb he’s dropped.

  2. Gareth Branwyn says:

    I feel the same way, PT. He comes up with ideas, skews on things that, even I don’t agree with the arguments, I’m thrilled by the thoughtful journeys I go on, the discussions/arguments I get into, etc. And I love that he doesn’t paint inside of anybody else’s lines. He’s a true independent thinker, which is, sadly, all too rare.

Comments are closed.

Discuss this article with the rest of the community on our Discord server!
Tagged

Gareth Branwyn is a freelance writer and the former Editorial Director of Maker Media. He is the author or editor of over a dozen books on technology, DIY, and geek culture. He is currently a contributor to Boing Boing, Wink Books, and Wink Fun. His free weekly-ish maker tips newsletter can be found at garstipsandtools.com.

View more articles by Gareth Branwyn

ADVERTISEMENT

Maker Faire Bay Area 2023 - Mare Island, CA

Escape to an island of imagination + innovation as Maker Faire Bay Area returns for its 15th iteration!

Buy Tickets today! SAVE 15% and lock-in your preferred date(s).

FEEDBACK