Book Review- Makers: The New Industrial Revolution by Chris Anderson

 

As I began reading Chris Anderson’s newest book- Makers: The New Industrial Revolution, I knew Chris had written another masterpiece. It wasn’t based on the fact he was a best-selling author of The Long Tail or the former Editor of Wired Magazine. No, the title and opening story was all I needed to know this is a ground-breaking book. The title relates to the new Industrial Revolution and the opening story is also something my Dad modernized after Chris’s grandfather invented- the automatic sprinkler system.

Chris Anderson’s grandfather; Fred Hauser invented the underground sprinkler system and the patent in 1943. Within the book Chris discusses modernizing the sprinkler system with sensors to measure the moisture in the soil. My Dad designed and tinkered until he modernized this product around 1980. He just couldn’t find a source to license the idea.

This was before the Internet and like Chris’s grandfather; Dad was great at tinkering, figuring out how things worked, re-designing and inventing. He just had no idea how to seek the right sources to bring a product to market. If Dad were alive today, odds are, after reading Chris Anderson’s new book, he could have done it all.

Chris points out one of the most exciting facts of this new revolution: anyone with a credit card and a laptop can start their own company or manufacture their own products. The days of mass are going the way of the old Industrial Revolution. We live in a generation that can produce unique products cheaply and compete with the West. The DIY (do-it-yourself) movement began in the 1980’s with the music industry and has progressed using technology to allow any inventor to become an entrepreneur. (Above left-photo used coutesy of: Pop!Tech).

This book gives you the details on how to start your own movement and gives you the tools and information to get involved at the ground floor of the New Industrial Revolution. Chris Anderson calls this movement the Maker movement.  

The Maker movement is:

·        About being small and global.

·        Its high-tech meets low-cost.

·        The power of being innovative by using the Web to spread ideas.

·        Collaborating with others on ideas and projects that could develop entire industries or movements.

Makers: The New Industrial Revolution focuses on the techniques to bring a product to life such as 3D printing. The world of 3D printing is a fascinating technology. Anyone with CAD software, a file and a 3D printer can design and create a product using plastic, or metal. Other raw sources will be developed as technology keeps advancing.

Chris Anderson covers the basics of 3D robotics and desktop 3D scanning, the Arduino platform which eliminates the need for a middle man in the entire process. He writes about Web-based manufacturing featuring on-demand products to alleviate the need of a physical inventory. Open-source hardware and software is also an exciting progression of the Web initiative.

Mr. Anderson gives us examples of new open-source companies such as: Local Motors, Tesla, Sparkfun, Arduino, and Hibaba. Buying stock in these businesses may be a lucrative investment. The phenomena of “crowdfunding” are presented through discussions of Kickstarter, RocketHub, Crowdfunder and Lancht.

Whether you are an inventor, designer or ever had the idea of starting your own company, Makers: The New Industrial Revolution is bound to open your eyes to an exciting world of technology never dreamed possible, where anyone can be a manufacturer merely with a credit card and laptop.

Chris Anderson has given us the tools, power and assistance to enter a new era. It’s up to us to take the blueprint of Makers: The New Industrial Revolution and bring America back to being the leader in the manufacturing industry, once again!

Until We Meet Again,
 Jim Carver

Author: The Legacy of David A. Wells- The Lexington High School “Band of Gold”
Something Meaningful that Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com

http://jimcarver.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer- Books and links on this website contain affiliate marketing sources between Jim Carver and third party companies. I only recommend products, brands and businesses that I strongly support. Photos used on this site are used courtesy of the original authors and in no way endorse The Rust Belt Chronicles or my work. Thank you.

Are You a Cog in the Wheel?

The Cog in the Wheel

A week-long series by a local paper concerning poverty has led me to observe and re-iterate a few things.

1.     The Rust Belt built its core foundation on manufacturing.

2.     The manufacturing era has been over for some time.

3.     People have not been able to grasp the concept of line #2.

4.      Consequently, many of the people lack the tools necessary to be productive in this environment.

Boomtown

Years ago, cheap labor was the solution to a factory owner’s success. Many of those people were from Olive Hill, Kentucky and moved to Mansfield, Ohio. Working hard to be a “cog in the wheel” meant receiving a decent paycheck and retiring comfortably.  

Performing a repetitive task quickly and effectively was all that mattered. Increasing employee’s pay and marketting to the massest  permitted the factory owners to sell more products resulting into expanding production facilities and increase in revenues.

Corporations and unions maintained the status quo and continued to protect their own best interest. Everyone profited for decades.

Greed

We bought into all the marketing ideas to purchase stuff that wasn’t necessary. Employees never realized they were being slowly duped by buying into the overall concept of the manufacturing era.

We kept up with the status quo going deeper in debt to appear rich. We lived beyond our means mortgaging our future.

Greed within- unions, employees, corporations and government opened the doors to cheaper labor- overseas. Suddenly mass jobs disappeared. Debt replaced our ability to live comfortably. The global economy slowly replaced the need of the local economy.

The global recession, bailouts, and national debt deepened our concern for stability.

The Rust Belt Era

Mansfield, Ohio suffers the same fate as any “rust belt city”. Civic leaders failed to plan ahead and were unable to fill the void with a new industry. Former factory workers continued to long for the “good old days”. They’re gone!

We will never see a large factory open with hundreds of jobs paying $100,000 a year with overtime in our lifetime. The premise has always been about cheaper labor. Once your job is written down in a manual someone else, somewhere else- will do it cheaper.

Where do we go from here?

While attending school is a viable option, many people with college degrees are unable to find work in their chosen field.

Photo used courtesy of: Ralph Bijker.

The trick in today’s workplace environment is to find a void and fill it with a passion and sincere desire to be successful. Merely being a “cog in the wheel” guarantees failure. Multiple skill sets will be needed to standout and be unique. Discovering available options allows you to “get in the game”.

Eliminating and avoiding debt is paramount for surviving and succeeding in the years ahead.

Being able to provide a service or a need at a higher quality verses the mass produced goods from overseas is the best option for success in this new economy!

The question is- when will we as a community and individually decide to become a free agent and move past yesteryear?

Only then- will we begin to prosper again!

Until We Meet Again,
 Jim Carver

 Author: The Legacy of David A. Wells-The Lexington High School “Band of Gold”
Something Meaningful that Matters!
www.successthroughmusic.com

http://jimcarver.blogspot.com/

Disclaimer- Books and links on this website contain affiliate marketing sources between Jim Carver and 3^rd party companies. I only recommend products, brands and businesses that I strongly support. Photos used on this site are used courtesy of the original authors and in no way endorse The Rust Belt Chronicles or my work. Thank you.