Michael Baur

Sara & Arlen

Making Meaning Matter

14 October 2014

Token # 2

:: They’re not the sole supplier. That’s what an ecosystem is all

l:: about, creating value for a lot of players. All this competition

:: is great news for you and me, because it’s already driven the

:: price of Home Aware goods down by forty percent. That means that

:: Lester and Perry are going to have to invent something new, soon,

:: before the margin disappears altogether—and that’s also good

:: news for you and me

– Email between Kettlewell and Church in Doctorow, Cory. Makers. New York: Tor, 2009. 75. Print.

One of the cool things is that CNC production capabilities will begin to increase an artisan’s fabrication capabilities, allowing him or her to more effectively compete with the larger manufacturer by increasing the artist’s productivity, and when that happens, everything changes.

Watch for IKEA or Ethan Allen to try to compete with this new ecosystem and to open up a “local” section in their stores and online catalogs. Watch for them to add more customization, local artists, and DIY sections where you can participate in the build or design process. They have to evolve, or, like the dinosaur, they will go extinct

-Hatch on CNC production Hatch, Mark. The Maker Movement Manifesto: Rules for Innovation in the New World of Crafters, Hackers, and Tinkerers. 66. Print.

Our time on this planet has never been more scrutinized and calculated with larger banks of data and new trends to analyze information progressively shaping our understanding of the ‘future.’ We see now more than ever the interconnectivity of public governments and private firms across a pejorative amount of important works of human focus and consciousness, with some but not limited to: media, energy, pharmaceutical practices, banking and commerce.

The crooks still seem to guide the sheep though, and as our stock market of capitalism crashes again this week and fears of Ebola give more power to already entrench institutions; where are our watchdogs? At a time where a company’s value almost doubles as our government claims: “The State Department added that it was getting supplies from “multiple locations around the world, and there are many suppliers.” (Lake)

Operating at the current margins has left us defect of a liquid currency and our current coinage is nothing more than mythical doubloons, dubious as this might sound what is the Federal Reserve to the American Public? Our ability to micro-specific our demands in the future, tailored to our ever whim and careless specification will make a local section at every major corporation a must. Employees will be forced to engage in creative practices just to contribute to the stockpile of ever growing recycled ideas. As it only becomes cheaper to store and analyze this information our creative processes might too one day become predicated and predictable.

As creators our own real advantage in this supposed revolution is that we know what we want supposedly. Yet it won’t be just the falling costs of production or the rise of available usage and access to machines that will drive the force behind this uprising but rather the thoughts produced by our societal leaders that synopsize our global callings. Will our ‘put a bird on it’ mantra of the new maker cities such as Portland really inspire those globally or will those who rise out of poverty with their clever creations be the true idols to be put on our pedestals? Only time will tell, and boy howdy will that time be looked over some fine tooth combs.

Works Cited

Doctorow, Cory. Makers. New York: Tor, 2009. 75. Print.

Hatch, Mark. The Maker Movement Manifesto: Rules for Innovation in the New World of Crafters, Hackers, and Tinkerers. 66. Print.

Hazmat suit maker’s stock up 50% on Ebola fears (CNNMoney)

By: (LAKE), Lakeland.

http://money.cnn.com/2014/10/09/investing/lakeland-hazmat-suits-ebola/