Preview
Woah!! Apparently, I got the wrong impression from the Goodreads reviews... I have thoroughly previewed Makers and this is a fictional novel! So much for wanting facts and figures and non-fiction, inspirational, real-life accounts of innovative entrepreneurs. Not what I was expecting, however, that's okay and I'm willing to try it! The book is pretty big and it's broken into three parts. I'm assuming the parts cover Perry and Lester's inventions taking flight and the conflicts their new economy "The New Work" start to face. I can definitely see how Doctorow will fit in moral conflicts that arise with the economy in a digital, DIY world.
Early Social Proof
No comments yet from my social network posts. In talking over the maker movement with my husband, I explained the plot of Makers to him by saying, "It's basically two fictional characters taking the concept of DIY and making things that revolutionize economic industry." To be honest, he didn't really find any interest in the subject and concluded that he believes there will always be a demand to pay people for doing things for them. His comment is relevant to the world of DIY, but probably not so much to the plot of Makers based on my preview. But our conversation did get me thinking about the concept of the plot relating to Apple. Jobs invented a computer that then inspired a wave of technology that has revolutionized not only the computer industry, but the music and cell phone industries as well. Unfortunately my social proofing experience overall was rather discouraging but I'm going to hang in there and hopefully enjoy wrestling with Doctorow's digital controversies.
Similar Books
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| It's even by our favorite, Chris Anderson! |
1. Makers: The New Industrial Revolution - this is the book I actually want to read for my project!! I read a few pages and really like it much better than Makers.
2. Fabricated: The New World of 3D Printing
3. The Innovator's Dilemma: The Revolutionary Book That Will Change the Way You Do Business
I see that 3D printing is a really hot topic within the Maker Movement, which makes sense considering that it literally makes objects. It's also clear that the Maker Movement is really leaving a footprint in the economy. I previewed the first few pages of Chris Anderson's book to the left and really want to swap out my current choice. It is much more along the lines of the research I'm looking for and it's f-wordless (the other book swears like a sailor)!! Two bonuses! I need to talk to Dr. Burton about that.
Who Cares?
The social context for this book is definitely among the techies of the digital world. I found a recent guest blog Doctorow did for Citizen Science Quarterly and found his interest in copyright laws and ownership rights of digital literature. As I downloaded the eBook, I found that Doctorow has a deep interest in copyright laws and will be on the lookout for that theme in Makers. I also found that those who posted about Makers by Doctorow directly referenced 3D Printing, even explaining terminology that was used in the novel to tell her friends about what 3D printing is. Makers was also promoted on a tech blog to provoke thinking about the digital impact of a technologically advancing futuristic society. The blogs that referenced the book were actually pretty interesting and I enjoyed their articles because they all referenced the impact of the advancement of technology.
Formal Reviews
I used BYU's library to find two formal reviews of Makers. Douglas C. Lord formally reviews Makers and highlights Doctorow's themes of "sabotage, intellectual property rights, and lawsuits." These are interesting themes if you can get past the cynical tone of Doctorow's style. I appreciate Lord's reference to the book's lens of "obesity, social politics, and loneliness" that are products of such futuristic technological advancement. Paul Marks focuses on Doctorow's illustration of "electronic waste" and the possibilities that can come from basic neglected technologies in the dump. These are all interesting concepts to further delve into considering the availability of basic technology available for the "making." These formal reviews focus on the futuristic world that Doctorow has created while simultaneously agreeing that this world is not so far off although it may seem radical.
Informal Reviews
Using Google blog search, I found this blog, which was a blessing in disguise because it alerted me of an unknown "far too descriptive sex scene, which felt like it was cut and pasted out of some steamy erotic romance novel." I had already scanned and counted more than 4+ f-words so I think this is my last straw and will hopefully switch my book to a more uplifting piece, if that's okay with Dr. Burton. Another blog focused on Doctorow's overall presentation of "a cautionary tale as a speculation on what the future will bring." This post led me to believe that Doctorow is concerned with the pitfalls that digital culture and the Maker Movement encompass.
Courses Using My Book
I didn't find any courses referencing my book, however, I did find an introduction by Cory Doctorow posted by Duke Law School discussing intellectual property. I'm interested in intellectual property because I think it's hard to draw the line of what's "too far" in claiming those rights.
Multimedia
In Doctorow's short interview, it's interesting how he is trying to emphasize the spirit of making and changing the world by creating things with your own hands. It's interesting that he wants his readers to take away the overall amazing way that profiting off your own creations is so accessible in the digital age.
First Impressions
Within Part I, I'm definitely most interested in Doctorow's not-so-subtle implication that economic growth and innovation means real work. For example, Kettleworth, the CEO starts talking about the way to help people is not to give them money, but to give them the skills and innovative techniques to harness their creativity into business in profit. This is especially appealing to me because I am rather conservative when it comes to economic policy because I firmly believe it's necessary to work to sustain yourself rather than receiving funds to spend. Doctorow clearly celebrates the talent of creation and making something extraordinary out of the seemingly ordinary. This is a main draw for my interest in the DIY movement in general because I think, like Dr. Burton has explained, there is an innate human desire and satisfaction in producing something, especially something of worth.
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