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The American tradition of tinkering — the spark for inventions from the telephone to the Apple computer — is making a comeback, boosted by renewed interest in hands-on work amid the economic crisis and falling prices of high-tech tools and materials.
The modern milling machine, able to shape metal with hairbreadth precision, revolutionized industry. Blake Sessions has one in his dorm room, tucked under the shelf with the peanut butter on it. The Massachusetts Institute of Technology junior has been using the mill to make prototypes for a bicycle-sprocket business he’s planning. He bolts down a piece of aluminum plate, steps to his desk and, from his computer, sets the machine in motion.
“It’s kind of a ridiculous thing to have,” says Mr. Sessions, 20 years old. But “in today’s marketplace you can’t only offer a technical aptitude. You have to be able to provide something more.”
Read the full story by Justin Lahart on the Wall Street Journal website.
As you can probably tell, I’m going through a tinkering phase. - M
