An article in the New York Times entitled “The Case for Working With Your Hands” got me thinking about digital fabrication and just how many disciplines  this kind of work can involve. We all know that our public schools…at least in the US… have eliminated most of their shop and vocational classes to focus on “academics”. The catch phrase was that they would be creating “knowledge workers” to supply employees for a job market that’s getting more and more technology focused. Public schools  run on the assumption that everyone will go to college, leaving no place any more for people that enjoyed working with their hands…Makers.

But the kind of work we do as Fabbers and Maker…the work that 100kGarages focuses on…in many ways involves the subjects generally considered “academic”…math, physics, computer science, art…and the hands-on skills that are a part of traditional trades. We get to work with both our heads and our hands: we have the best of both worlds.