Clive Thompson on How DIYers Just Might Revive American Innovation

• April 8, 2008
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Thompson interrupts his "steampunk clock" soldering project to deliver this surprisingly personal take on Americans' increasing inability "to build, maintain, and repair the devices we rely on every day." But don't be so fast to mourn America's mechanical ineptitude; our shift from a mechanical to an informational economy may make us more passive consumers, but there's still a growing Do-It-Yourself trend. The rise of publications like Make magazine and homemade gadget building indicate a DIY revolution, Thompson writes, which spells good things for both American innovation and his own homemade clock. But while he may be on to something, his argument floats more on enthusiasm than evidence.