Whilst reading a blog post by Seth Godin entitled The forever recession (and the coming revolution) with the line “When everyone has a laptop and connection to the world, then everyone owns a factory” it reminded me of the book ‘Makers’ by Cory Doctorow and in turn of the potential of Shapeways 3D Printing as New Work.
Seth’s post looks at the current employment recession as a long term revolution, where “The internet has squeezed inefficiencies out of many systems, and the ability to move work around, coordinate activity and digitize data all combine to eliminate a wide swath of the jobs the industrial age created.” This echoes elements of Cory’s Makers where an economic and employment revolution happens thanks in part to product hacks, access to 3D printing and internet notoriety.
If we look at the potential of Shapeways online 3D printing in the context of these visions which speak of ‘employment’ in terms of a series of projects you just do, whether they be self initiated, collaborations or by consultation for cash, a factory plugged into your laptop is an incredibly powerful asset.
Take a moment to read Seth’s post, set aside some time to read Makers which you can download for free in various formats and prepare yourself for New Work.
Copeland-Chatterson Company, loose-leaf systems factory composing room, Brampton, Ontario ca. 1905. By Toronto Public Library Special Collections
(via shapeways)
