DIYLILCNC carves a model of a wind turbine blade in high density foam. Evidence of rough cut is erased as the machine runs its finishing pass.

Accessibility is a central goal of the DIYLILCNC project. We hope that this design balances a high degree of precision with a low cost and a desktop-friendly form factor. We’ve spent considerable time developing the assembly instructions in an attempt to make the project easier still for construction by beginners.

Mass customization glimmers like a golden ticket to companies dealing with a consumer base more diverse and demanding than ever before. But as shown by MIT Sloan Management Review in their article “Cracking the Code of Mass Customization,” there’s a lot more to consider when delivering on the promise of customized products.

More of Portland’s design community is rolling out the welcome wagon to IDSA — in this case, it’s local design and lifestyle mag Portland Monthly, with a half-glowing, half-cautionary article about the city’s fledgling attempts to morph into a global center of ID.

With a bit less than two weeks to go until IDSA2010 kicks off, we’re putting some extra effort into laying a groundwork for discussion about DIY-enabling technologies and their impact on the design professions. Fortunately, we don’t have to go it alone. Taylor Hokanson and Chris Reilly, artist/educators from Detroit and Chicago, respectively, have agreed to contribute a series of guest blogs outlining just such a technology: a sub-$1000 desktop CNC mill they call the DIYLILCNC.

More and more these days, companies are turning to crowdsourcing for everything from new product ideas to branding initiatives. While the combination of ”free ideas” and engaged customers can seem like a win-win, there turn out to be at least a few pitfalls to watch out for when turning your business over to the masses.

Long known for its vibrant cycling culture, Portland is not only a hub for bike enthusiasts but boasts a thriving bike economy to boot. Home to many bike builders and an estimated 20,000+ bike commuters, the Rose City has snagged the number 1 spot on Bicycling Magazine’s “Top Bike-Friendly Cities” several years running (though it took a narrow second to Minneapolis this year–much to the chagrin of local boosters).

As if Make Magazine hadn’t already done enough for the DIY community; as if Maker Faire, the hyperactive Make:Blog and the absolutely crucial quarterly print magazine wasn’t doing five times as much as necessary to encourage and enable itinerant hackers everywhere; as if the Maker’s Bill of Rights wasn’t a sufficiently ingenious document to justify a littl

For those unfamiliar with Make magazine, it’s a bit more than just a Popular Mechanics for the hacker set–it’s also something of an ongoing manifesto. All the way back in 2006, they put together one of the most coherent expressions of DIY technology to be found: a manifesto, directed at increasingly paternalistic electronics manufacturers.

Fight for your right to repair!

A: BECAUSE IT’S TURNING THOUSANDS OF PEOPLE A DAY INTO DESIGNERS, AND THAT’S BOTH SCARY AND AMAZING.
Do It Yourself is not a new idea. It’s not as if families in medieval Japan or colonial Virginia looked at their home made furniture, clothes and homes and decided they were part of a movement—it’s just what people did.