Make and do
Hi all!
This week our Outriders are a combination of do it yourself and those who can help you do it for yourself. Do it yourself and design are becoming easier via digital tools and creative communities and on the podcast we chat with a number of people who can explain how.
To open with Jeff Kowalski the Vice President and CTO of showed me around the company Gallery to describe how one of the larger and older SF tech companies is making advances. When it comes to design, Autodesk aids clients who create almost everything from sustainable architectural design tools, rapid prototyping and even digital systems for films such as Avatar.
Elsewhere in the same city, hackers are making their own designs and working together in creative ways. Noisebridge is the hackerspace in the mission kitted out with machine tools, coders who teach and filled with multiple ideas and projects that encourage further creativity. spends time there working on his own projects with friends and he kindly took a moment to tell me more about it.
- friendly outrider, inventor and maker has been touring the Mid-West of America and parts of Canada checking out other hackerspaces and spreading the word. He was one of the founders of Noisebridge and shared the origins of the idea that turned into a community.
Here in the UK the hackerlab and hackerspace communities are also thriving. On Twitter the Manchester and Sheffield spaces chimed in with their very busy schedules of fun goings on. Check in there to find out more. In East London, is run by Jonty Wareing and provides all manner of support for its members.
That's all for this week, if you are up to something we should know about then you know what to do.
Email me at outriders at bbc dot co dot uk, come and say hello on or have a search on Facebook and join us there for various discussions throughout the week.
Until next week!
~ Jamillah
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Comment number 1.
At 19th Aug 2010, Ann Marie Shillito wrote:What is happening with 'do it yourself and those who can help you do it for yourself' is exciting. Hackerspaces though can be a bit daunting for the un-initiated especially as the emphasis seems to be on the electronics side and very male orientated. It would be good to be shot down on this with proof that this movement is VERY inclusive.
As an example of where I am taking this: to get access to facilities like 3D printing I now can use a company in Holland where 3D designs can be swiftly and easily uploaded to their website and the object posted back. This is a big improvement as it is also very affordable. But this leaves no opportunity to experiment and explore the possibilities. There is now a greater range of more affordable 3D printers, from desktops and kits - they all need technical know-how to get the best from them so open workshops such as Techshops are a way forward. Are there any in the UK yet?
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