Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World by Mark Frauenfelder

Made by Hand: Searching for Meaning in a Throwaway World, the latest book by Boing Boing founder and Make Magazine editor-in-chief Mark Frauenfelder, has just been published. In it he explores the world DIY culture, which fueled by the Internet has allowed people are able to share their ideas and projects around the world.

DIY is a direct reflection of our basic human desire to invent and improve, long suppressed by the availability of cheap, mass-produced products that have drowned us in bland convenience and cultivated our most wasteful habits. Frauenfelder spent a year trying a variety of offbeat projects such as keeping chickens and bees, tricking out his espresso machine, whittling wooden spoons, making guitars out of cigar boxes, and doing citizen science with his daughters in the garage. His whole family found that DIY helped them take control of their lives, offering a path that was simple, direct, and clear. Working with their hands and minds helped them feel more engaged with the world around them.