New York City is often analogized as a “concrete jungle.” For me that might be very fitting, as I often find myself hunting makers, But unlike a machete-wielding jungle-clearing Amazonian, my approach usually involves asking questions such as “What does this do?” and “How’d you make that?” So earlier this week, I was out for a lunchtime stroll when I spotted this guy Tucker on his bike.
Anyone who’s tried it knows that “pipe” or “tube welding” is an art that takes a while to master. This outstanding phototutorial by Amy Qian won’t substitute for the hours of practice needed to draw a good bead around a fishmouth seam, but if you’ve got the chops…
Bike Fixation, run by Chad and Alex of Minneapolis, MN, manufactures Bike Fixtation, a bicycle repair kiosk consisting of a vending machine selling drinks, inner tubes, patch kits, and other stuff, a free air compressor and free tools connected by cables to a bike rack. [Via core77]
Learn to whip up some pants pocket reflectors to gain visibility for night cycling. Becky Stern shows you how: http://makeprojects.com/Project/Pocket-Reflectors-for-Cycling/755/1
Learn to whip up some pants pocket reflectors to gain visibility for night cycling. Becky Stern shows you how: http://makeprojects.com/Project/Pocket-Reflectors-for-Cycling/755/1
There’s a quiet revolution going on in Africa, and it’s a bright one, eclipsing the usual “dark continent” story. It’s creative business with a global attitude, and it’s inspiring, for both Africans and Americans. With your help, we can post the first ten stories on a new website about young innovators inventing change in East Africa. Will you help build a community for African/American innovation? Help us edit ten webisodes this year.
The big news this week was “Autodesk Acquires Instructables”. It’s taken me a few days of really thinking about this for my column. Autodesk is jumping in to the biggest DIY community online, it’s a huge risk – with likely even bigger reward. I think Autodesk knows how to make a thriving business for professionals, but what about the “makers”? That’s what this week’s column is about – Autodesk Acquires Instructables: What It Means For Makers.
