#making posts — Ben Crowder https://bencrowder.net/blog/tag/making/ Feed for blog posts tagged with #making. Fri, 17 Apr 2026 23:19:59 GMT en-US https://bencrowder.net/ A reminder for my future self: when the making well runs dry, it’s good to spend some time on learni... https://bencrowder.net/blog/2023/1424/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2023/1424/ Fri, 06 Jan 2023 12:00:00 GMT A reminder for my future self: when the making well runs dry, it’s good to spend some time on learning and studying. (Lately I’ve been feeling a little lost creatively, but I’ve started working through QGIS tutorials and reading up on Beziér curve algorithms and it seems to be helping. Thinking and journaling a lot also makes a difference.)

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]]> Links #15 https://bencrowder.net/blog/2020/links-15/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2020/links-15/ Thu, 10 Sep 2020 12:00:00 GMT
  • Ben Kuhn on your attention being your scarcest resource — thinking a lot about this lately since I tend to have too many plates spinning at a time (his blog in general is quite good, by the way)
  • Matt Webb on a countdown zine site — this countdown clock idea is intriguing and now I’m thinking about using this idea on some things
  • Jake Archibald on AVIF — a new image compression format I’d never heard of but which looks quite promising
  • Apocalyptic West Coast fires — whoa (“hot coals the size of marbles falling from the sky”)
  • Self-powered wireless keyboard made out of paper — though with electronics printed on it (still cool)

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    ]]>         Links #3 https://bencrowder.net/blog/2020/links-3/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2020/links-3/ Mon, 10 Aug 2020 12:00:00 GMT
  • Alice Bartlett’s weaknotes — really loving these
  • Marijn Haverbeke’s Lezer writeup — fascinating writeup on how he built CodeMirror’s parser (for syntax highlighting, autocompletion, etc.)
  • Wheelhouse — fascinating newsletter on making physical things
  • 3D printing on a diffraction grating sheet — cool technique
  • 3D plots out of paper — math made physical

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    ]]>         Also, the San Francisco fire department makes their ladders from wood by hand. https://bencrowder.net/blog/2018/589/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2018/589/ Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:00:00 GMT Also, the San Francisco fire department makes their ladders from wood by hand.

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    ]]>         This history of steel from Popular Mechanics is fascinating. Highly recommended. https://bencrowder.net/blog/2018/588/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2018/588/ Wed, 11 Jul 2018 12:00:00 GMT This history of steel from Popular Mechanics is fascinating. Highly recommended.

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    ]]>         The coffinmaker and the metalsmith https://bencrowder.net/blog/2013/the-coffinmaker-and-the-metalsmith/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2013/the-coffinmaker-and-the-metalsmith/ Mon, 15 Jul 2013 12:00:00 GMT Nice three-minute documentary about a guy who makes wooden coffins:

    And another one about a metalsmith facing blindness:

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    ]]>         Seb Lester calligraphy https://bencrowder.net/blog/2012/seb-lester-calligraphy/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2012/seb-lester-calligraphy/ Tue, 06 Nov 2012 12:00:00 GMT Some beautiful calligraphy work by Seb Lester:

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    ]]>         Gorgeous fountain pen demonstration https://bencrowder.net/blog/2012/gorgeous-fountain-pen-demonstration/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2012/gorgeous-fountain-pen-demonstration/ Wed, 03 Oct 2012 12:00:00 GMT This is so, so beautiful:

    My goodness. And now of course I’m aching to learn calligraphy.

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    ]]>         Using our hands as hands https://bencrowder.net/blog/2012/using-our-hands-as-hands/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2012/using-our-hands-as-hands/ Sat, 29 Sep 2012 12:00:00 GMT I loved this series of two short documentaries showing how a John Neeman axe and then chisel is made:

    The video description also has a great quote from Gandhi:

    It is a tragedy of the first magnitude that millions of people have ceased to use their hands as hands. Nature has bestowed upon us this great gift which is our hands. If the craze for machinery methods continues, it is highly likely that a time will come when we shall be so incapacitated and weak that we shall begin to curse ourselves for having forgotten the use of the living machines given to us by God.

    Now I want to go carve axe handles. And apprentice with a blacksmith.

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    ]]>         Why I give stuff away https://bencrowder.net/blog/2011/why-i-give-stuff-away/ https://bencrowder.net/blog/2011/why-i-give-stuff-away/ Fri, 27 May 2011 12:00:00 GMT Pretty much everything on here — ebooks, charts, software, you name it — is free, licensed under the Creative Commons. Why?

    Mainly, I have a full-time job and make more than enough to take good care of my family. This isn’t my livelihood.

    And that’s a good thing — I’m not a business person at all, and adding money to the mix usually just makes things feel icky to me. I’d much, much, much rather give my work away as a gift, no strings attached, hoping to make the world a better place. Having people use and enjoy my stuff is a greater reward than the money ever could have been.

    I think I’m this way for two reasons: first, I used Linux for eight years and was heavily immersed in the open source culture. Second, I promised the Lord that I’d help build the kingdom using my time and talents, and giving stuff away is one of the ways I feel I’m keeping that promise.

    When I give my work away for free, it’s accessible to everyone, including those who couldn’t afford it if I did sell it. And if even just one person benefits from my work somehow, that’s good enough for me.

    Let me make it clear that I don’t think it’s wrong for other people to sell their work. Everything I’ve said here applies to me and me alone as far as I’m concerned. Others can (and should) sell their work. I can’t.

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