That’s correct: James Turner at O’Reilly Radar has produced a list of what they believe to be the best (and worst) technologies of the past decade. Among the storied items on the list, “The Maker Culture” is prominently mentioned:
There’s always been a DIY underground, covering everything from Ham radio to photography to model railroading. But the level of cool has taken a noticeable uptick this decade, as cheap digital technology has given DIY a kick in the pants. The Arduino lets anyone embed control capabilities into just about anything you can imagine, amateur PCB board fabrication has gone from a messy kitchen sink operation to a click-and-upload-your-design purchase, and the 3D printer is turning the Star Trek replicator into a reality.
We agree with that completely. And we agree with this even more:
Manufacturers cringe in fear as enterprising geeks dig out their screwdrivers. The conventional wisdom was that as electronics got more complex, the “no user serviceable parts” mentality would spell the end of consumer experimentation. But instead, the fact that everything is turning into a computer meant that you could take a device meant for one thing, and reprogram it to do something else.
For reference, O’Reilly’s complete list of best tech includes:
- AJAX
- Ubiquitous WiFi (except where we seem to be, for some reason)
- Smartphones
- Open Source
- Hardware and Network availability
And their worst list includes:
- SOAP
- Intellectual Property shenanigans
- Scrum Cults
- The Ubiquitous Workplace (we ESPECIALLY agree with this last one)
A great list by James and the others at O’Reilly. But what might happen during the next decade? Remember, the 21st Century is now 10% over.
Via O’Reilly Radar
