[sdiy] DIY Culture (was TI to buy NatSemi!!!!!)

[blacet at blacet.com]

Yes, it's too early to get out the "DOOM" signs.

For instance, this guy just bought a bunch of stuff from me. Never heard
of him but look at all the weird and not so weird stuff he sells.

http://www.geargasstore.com/

John


> [Sorry for being late in the conversation; I've been busy, but I've got
> something to say here.  I tweaked the subject line since the topic
> drifted.]
>
> On Apr 5, 2011, at 2:49 PM, David G. Dixon wrote:
>
>>> Things change...
>>
>> Sorry, but I just can't leave this alone.
>>
>> You know what else has changed?  The ability and the desire to build
>> things
>> for oneself.  Back in the day, there was Heathkit and the AARL.  You
>> could
>> build yourself a television or a ham radio from parts you could buy at
>> your
>> local Radio Shack!  The ability to build your own stuff was a big part
>> of
>> the joy of electronics for many people.
>
>
> I completely disagree, David.  Look around...
>
> Make magazine ( http://www.makezine.com ) started 6 years ago and is going
> strong.   As are Maker Faires ( http://www.makerfaire.com ).
>
> There's the enormous popularity of the Arduino chip, and friends, and the
> creative ways people are using them.
>
> There's the "Junkyward Wars" / "Scrapheap Challenge" and "Robot Wars" tv
> shows that were popular very recently.  And "Mythbusters", of course.
>
> Web-based commerce has allowed DIY-ers to easily locate and purchase a
> wider variety of more exotic components than ever before.  And in the
> other direction DIY-ers can more easily promoting and make money selling
> their creations.
>
> Modern CAD software and PCB houses can produce far higher quality and
> higher density boards for much less than ever before.  Passive components
> are far more precise and and a fraction of the cost they used to be.
>
> The Steampunk movement -- DIY is fashionable.
>
> There's a business near me called TechShop ( http://www.techshop.ws ).
> Check this out; these guys run the DIY equivalent of a health club.  You
> pay monthly dues, about the same as a health club, and you have access to
> a ton of shop equipment to build stuff.  Some of it pretty advanced.
> TechShop is a growing business, currently three locations, with four more
> opening up later this year.
>
> And looking in the mirror; there's been a tremendous renaissance in analog
> synthesizers over the last 15 years.
>
> So, while Heathkit is not coming back, and indeed there was a scarcity of
> DIY culture about the time Heathkit called it quits, I can't imagine a
> better time for DIY culture than now.
>
>
>> Do you see anybody building their own plasma flat-screen or iPad?  I
>> suppose
>> you could if you were a mad genius and really, really dedicated (or
>> crazy),
>> but back in the day, building your own electronic gizmos was within the
>> capability of people of normal intelligence and means!
>
>
> Nobody built plasma flat-screens or iPads back in the Heathkit days
> either.
>
> If home-building was a requirement, those products simply wouldn't exist.
> And DIY-ers wouldn't reap the benefits from the technological side
> effects.
>
> And why is building a TV your metric of choice?  What exactly is on tv
> that's so important?  :-)
>
>
>> I could say more, but this short video clip I came across about the
>> Future
>> of Electronics in Australia pretty much sums up my feelings on the
>> matter:
>>
>> http://www.nutsvolts.com/index.php?/blog/post/state_of_electronics_trailer
>
>
> Sheeshe, old people whining never comes off well.
>
>   -- Don
>
> --
> Don Tillman
> Palo Alto, California
> don at till.com
> http://www.till.com
>
>
>
>
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