So what 's a "maker "?

[G+_Mike Meyer]

So what's a "maker"? Another discussion raised that question, and at least one answer struck me as wrong, and my answer raised questions with other people, so I thought discussing it might be interest.

 

The obvious answer is that a "maker" is anyone who makes something. But that's uninteresting, as it includes every human being who gets old enough to make a mess in their diapers.

 

Personally I think being a maker is a social activity. Sharing with other makers is what makes you a maker. If you build stuff and what and how you share is a business decision, then you're an engineer. Makers might also be engineers, but you can be either without being the other

 

The answer that bother me was that "makers are people who enjoy working with their hands". Well, that's not me. I hate working with my hands, and would much rather work with my mind. That's why I love mcu's, SBC's and 3D printers - they replace a lot of work I'd have to do with my hands without them with work I can do with my mind! I don't see how anyone who builds stuff with those things could not be a maker, so "how" doesn't seem to matter.

 

Personally, I prefer that things be inclusive. The more makers we have, the more people building things, the more people working out new and interesting ways to do so, and the bigger the market for things of interest to makers. Which leads to my answer:

 

"A maker is anyone who says they're a maker". That shows you are aware of other makers, so can at least share with them. It shows an intent to actually make things. You might never actually make anything, which just means you're not a very dedicated maker (I have a shelf of unfinished projects...). You might never make anything that works, which just means you're not a very good maker. But to be a "not very XXXX maker", you have to be a maker!

[G+_610GARAGE]

I don't like the term maker. Its non descript. A welder and a programer can be both makers. And what about a professional welder, or a construction worker, are they makers? I guess one could say that a maker is somone who makes things as a hobby.

 

Also somone who builds a simple kit and some one who turns a chunk of steel are both makers. Even though the skill levels are miles apart. I think this not only doesn't give somone a goal to aspire to, but it frustrates people when they see a maker build something and they lack the skillset to make that thing, even though they are both makers.

 

But that is all just my opinion.

[G+_610GARAGE]

Steve Wolf I would agree which is my problem with the maker term. I think maker is more of a mindset then a action. But most of that list are just people working with their hands. I would bet that most welder don't care how their welder actually works apart from any knowledge that makes their job easier. Nor do they wonder how to build one from scratch. But I think makers have that mindset that looks at something and says "can I build that?" or "how does that actually work?".

[G+_Mike Meyer]

Well, most of these definitions would seem to fall under my definition of "anyone who calls themselves a maker".

 

The one thing I disagree with is the notion that you can declare someone else to be a maker. It's not your call, it's theirs. Otherwise, you have to put up with other groups declaring makers to be whatever-they-are. For instance, most of these definitions also fit the definition off hacker that was in use before the press decided to use it to describe juvenile delinquents who used computer tools. So all makers could legitimately be called "hackers". is that really what you want?

[G+_610GARAGE]

Wayne Hobbins Yea, this kind of stuff really exercises the brain. A lot of construction workers, at least the ones that I have worked with, do enjoy there field. They like making stuff. It is not the type of field one joins out of desperation. Most employers won't want to take the time to train you, and wear and tear on you body isn't worth the money.

 

So are they makers? Are gear heads makers? Am I a maker? I consider myself a home machinist/fabricator. I guess I could also be a maker, but where is the line? I think to have a category, there should be a well defined line of what it is and what isn't.

 

What about Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ He gets paid for what he does, but I would still say he is a maker.

 

Steve Wolf I don't agree with that. Yea, I got picked on when I was in school because I was fat. But I loved making stuff before then. All it really did was make me more antisocial than I was. But it never really drove me deeper into making stuff, or learning about science. I also think allot of geeks/nerds can say the same thing, but there not always makers.

 

Mike Meyer I consider myself a hacker at times. A hacker isn't always malicious, it's somone who want to break something to see what happens. A hacker is someone who would apply 220v to a 110v motor just to see what would happen. Or to see if they can make something do what it wasn't designed to do just to see if it is possible.

 

Is it just me, or does all of this seem like philosophy? :)

[G+_Mike Meyer]

610bob Yeah, the news media popularized the meaning of "hacker" as someone who is malicious - or as I said, a juvenile delinquent. We normally use the term "cracker" for such people, especially as many of them don't really have any hacker skills, but just used pre-packaged toolsets. But "breaking things" wasn't part of the earlier definition. A hacker makes "hacks". A hack could be something completely original, or it could be an unexpected use of an existing tool, or it could involve modding (aka "hacking") something into something else. The real difference - in my mind, anyway - was that "hackers" were exclusive. You weren't really a hacker unless the existing hacker community decided you were one. Which meant you had to share hacks that they were impressed by - which some crackers did, but most of the crackers calling themselves hackers didn't do.

[G+_610GARAGE]

Wayne Hobbins Fr. Robert Ballecer, SJ better get paid. He puts a lot of work in these episodes. Anyway, I think tinkerer is a better definition of of what we are. That's basically what we do. We tinker on stuff, we build, break, and fix stuff. The only problem is the internet is a 12 year old and tinkerer is too close to tinkle. :)

 

I don't necessarily agree that a maker works on his/her ideas. A Lot of us have built something that we have seen somone else build. Likely that we have seen on know how. So is that not considered making because it's based on other works? I think that would be a slippery slope because everything is based upon some project, if not multiple projects.

 

I kinda think you had it right with your previous post. A maker is somone who enjoys work that is not only cerebral, but also requires one to work with their hands.

[G+_610GARAGE]

Steve Wolf Ok, what did I miss?

[G+_610GARAGE]

Wayne Hobbins I don't know if I would call all of those people makers. Maby that's where my confusion is. I think some of those people are artist and others performers. I don't know if I would consider them makers just because they made something for their work.

 

Like this. I would consider an artist not a maker.

http://makerfaire.com/maker/entry/55057/

http://makerfaire.com/maker/entry/54757/

[G+_Ben Reese]

610bob I could see those as both art and "maker" projects. They're creative, but they also require some technical knowledge. In a sense, they may even be considered engineers. Looking at some of Leonardo Da Vinci's works, I'd consider him an artist, inventor, engineer, and maybe a "maker" of his day.

 

Does a "maker" have to call himself a "maker" in order to be considered a "maker"? Or does a hacker have to be vetted by other hackers to be considered a hacker?

 

"Tinkerer" seems to describe a person who likes to adjust or modify (tinker with) other things. Like turning a 5-speed bike into a 10-speed, or even just adding a headlight and turn signals.

[G+_Ben Reese]

As for Padré's pay, I thought I caught on one show that he doesn't get paid by TWiT directly, but that's really none of my business... It just caught my attention because I'm nosey.

[G+_610GARAGE]

Ben Reese Yea. I can see tinkerer being the wrong term. Maybe the organization part of my brain is being too stubborn here, but I think you can call yourself a hacker, or a maker if you fit into that category.

 

For example, I'm a nerd, not a geek. To me, a geek is somone who is really interested in something, but still sociable. A nerd is somone who is really interested in something, but isn't very sociable. Sometimes because there interest takes over. But you can usually point to a line that separates a geek from a nerd.

 

From the decision that we have been having here, the same cannot be said about makers. The "lines" (for lack of a better word) everybody has said in this discussion holds true for makers, but they can also hold true for non makers. It seems to be a sort of, you know a maker when you see a maker. And that's something that my brain's organization center can't grasp.

 

Which seems pretty laughable looking at my desk. :)

 

Leonardo Da Vinci was a renaissance man. He liked many fields. Maby a maker is just another term for a renaissance man/woman.