DIY invention, ‘maker’ culture & building a toaster from scratch

Hour 2

THOMAS THWAITES was a graduate art student in London when he hatched upon a slightly crazy idea: He decided he wanted to see if it was possible to build, from scratch, an everyday household object. He settled on the apparently humble toaster, but looks can be deceiving. Thwaites’ new book, “The Toaster Project: Or a Heroic Attempt to Build a Simple Electric Appliance from Scratch,” details his nine-month ordeal building a simple kitchen appliance from “scratch,” including pulling the raw materials out of the ground. Then, we’ll discuss the culture of people like Thwaites who make things by hand, modern-day inventors – makers. We’ll talk to MARK FRAUENFELDER, editor-in-chief of Make magazine, and author of “Made by Hand: My Adventures in the World of Do-It-Yourself.” We’ll also talk to EVAN MALONE, founder of Philadelphia’s NextFab Studio, a West Philly high-tech workshop for artists, designers, inventors and “makers” that bills itself as a “gym for innovators.”

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[audio: 121511_110630.mp3]