21. The Makers

Makers: The New Industrial Revolution

1. The general theme of the book was how we are currently in a time when anyone can be a part of the "making" in society.  One of the primary examples that the author uses is his grandfather who invented the automatic sprinkler unit.  He describes how he needed to patent it, license it to a manufacturer, and play by the terms of development and creation of the 20th century.  However, he uses this anecdote to contrast it to contemporary society when anyone can do.  There are fewer barriers to entry today than ever before.  The digital age, 3D printers, and open sources have made it possible to compete with large manufacturers.  Not to mention, the old analog version is only profitable in large sums.  Today, we can serve niche markets that only require a few hundred.  We are living in a time when children now have the opportunity to build in a new way.  They are going to be swept into this digital age.  Rather than learning shop or home economics.  They are going to be coding, creating design, and developing products that they can see the fruition of.  Overall, there is still time to be one of the pioneers of this period that will ultimately drastically change how we consume.

2. A lot of the book speaks to many of the topics that Dr. Pryor has spoken about.  For example, the idea that we no longer live in the time of patents.  There is a community to technology now and these open sources are ways that you can promote what you are doing.  There are still ways to protect what you are doing without the expensive processes of the past.  Another one of the things that I will speak about later is our ability to solve the issues that are bigger.  I think that many of us fall into a belief that we do not have the resources to do something grand for many people.  I think the novel and Dr. Pryor have argued the opposite.  Especially in this time, we are at an advantage to be a maker.  We need to just go out and do it.  Rather than talk about what we can do or what we should do, we NEED TO DO.  There are other topics such as a companies ability to use social capital to your advantage, use open innovation to get feedback and better develop your product, or how you thrive as you develop.

3. I think that this activity is far from possible with the amount of people who take the class, but I think that it would be incredible to partner with the 3D printers on campus and create something.  The exercise would require looking at these open sources and based on what you see create something.  From the idea, to the plans, to the design, to the final development and creation.  After that, the final step could be the sale.  I think an exercise like this would show how easy it is to enter markets today.  Not only is is promoting a new skill, but it is getting us out of a small-growth mindset.  There is something empowering about an exercise like this.  It also promotes the DO IT attitude.

4.  What I learned from the book is that I need to think on a greater scale.  Where I am now is stuck.  Business does not need to be about the profit (well it does eventually), but I think there is something about a business that is close to what Steve Jobs believed.  We need to be worried about creating value for consumers.  The book speaks about being committed to the open source and how with some items you should let others manufacture them cheaper.  The example the book uses was a commodities design.  If you're not passionate about it, let it go.  Do something that has a greater value for people.  I think that any of us can change the way the world functions, but we need to think bigger.  We need to look for ideas that are crazy and impossible to many.  We like comfort, and unfortunately, this is not how you change the world.  That needs to be the underlying driver.  We are at a time when punctuated innovation is due.  The last revolutionary device was the iPhone and things haven't changed since.