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Detroit Maker Faire Was Kinda Awesome
I was excited to have a chance to go to the Detroit Maker Faire this year. I've always wanted to
attend such a thing, but the stars never aligned. I saw an entire tent filled with DIY 3D Printers
making strange objects including the coolest polyhedral dice ever. Utilikilts held in place with suspenders! Haberdashery! Quilting! Blacksmithing! Books! A Cupcake Car! Gomp! Beer! Remote control turtles!
A giant hay bailer! Numerous strange pedal powered forms of locomotion, and an entire
garrison of Star Wars costumes... Besides, it's not often you have the opportunity to witness a giant steel dragon blow fireballs in a parking lot. I've shared a giant collection of photos if you want to see these things and more for a taste of the inspiring insanity I can't wait for next year... and between now and then I have some projects to tackle.
Regulation isn't the problem. Some degree of regulation is necessary, and it provides some very real benefits. The higher standards when it comes to the safety of manufactured products and the treatment of employees is what helped make America a first-world nation, versus the third-world shitholes that we find around the globe.
"Free trade" is as harmful as it is because it allows goods to be made in countries that have standards and regulations that are far, far below even the minimum standards in America. This is the only reason that China and Mexico, for instance, can produce goods far more cheaply than in the US. Their workers aren't any more productive than American workers would be, and are often much less productive due to using primitive manufacturing techniques that pre-date those used in America decades ago. They don't produce products that are better than those made in America (having used both, the third-world goods are far, far inferior, quality-wise). They aren't any more skilled than American workers were, even 30 to 60 years ago.
America should only trade with other first-world nations that have similar standards. We're basically talking about Australia, the UK, France, Germany, Canada and the Scandinavian countries. Every other nation should be shunned until they raise their standards to the level of the civilized nations.
Don't buy a TV...
"Science flies us to the moon. Religion flies us into buildings." - Victor Stenger
Yes let's do this. Let's have one of these imbecilic discussions in the face of someone who has found joy. This is a great idea.
So here we go. I know for certain what killed America- it was Obama. He did. All by himself. No wait, maybe it was the Tea Party... no... taxes, yes that was it, taxes punched America in the nuts. No, Kevin Smith. Cop Out FFS? No, it was Gingrich and Reagan- the original tax and spenders. No, it was dogma (not the Kevin Smith movie- well- wait, it could have been that...) Wait, it was religion. Religion killed the whole world and Obama is it's Rosicrucian overlord. Wait, George Bush- he is still killing America and in league with the Trilateral commission which is a Masonic plot to immanentize the eschaton.
What were we talking about?
Jesus Christ. Perhaps it was a bad fu$&ing attitude that is killing America?
The author found inspiration and hope in a place without a whole lot to spare. Let's, perhaps, for once, applaud and foster that.
I do remember my(the) first Maker Faire. It filled me with the same exuberance as the author- took tons of pictures, talked to people and got encouragement about a few ideas I had milling about in my brain, made some great friends, met the makers of the flame spitting serpent, saw kids engaging and creating in a way that I would hope they could in school. It all left that fire in me not just of self worth but of hope. It's still with me. It reinforced my belief that there are more people who want to do and share and be part of something than those who don't.
Rock the f#(k on CmdrTaco.
quis custodiet ipsos custodes