Now for some good news

Introducing "MAKE things better" - a new series from J ROBERT CLARK - Makes

Happy Friday, all. Big changes plus new maker stuff on the way! ~JRC

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It’s hard to find a good news story these days. Between the never-ending pandemic and the erosion of Western democracy, it feels as if there's not much room left for anything positive. But there is good out there, I know it, and I see it.

One area that truly amazes me is all the positive things creative people - makers - do with their minds and hands.

Sure, Big Tech, Big Med, and Big Pharma are doing a lot to change our world - for good (and not so good). But there are a surprising number of ingenious individuals out there - working in small labs, homes, apartments, and garages - tinkering away on big problems. Yes, the little guys are making a huge difference - by making. And I want to convey their narratives to you in a new series I’m calling:

MAKE things better

In short, I'll be sharing stories on how makers find inventive solutions to many of humanity's most pressing challenges.

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Here are a few that might soon become MAKE things better stories:

• Strapped for cash, scientists in Latin America are creating low-cost DIY drones to survey - and save - vanishing rain forests.

• Materials engineers handed over the plans for a simple hyper-absorptive mask that sewers are now making to prevent the spread of COVID-19.

• Fed up with the glacial pace of regulation in diabetes treatment, tech-savvy diabetics have DIY’ed their own artificial pancreas systems that deliver around-the-clock patient-specific insulin dosages.

• Conservationists have created a cheap open-source wildlife camera that is easy to build and even easier to use - so that citizen scientists can help monitor and save species.

• Concerned by habitat loss affecting our feathered and furry friends, woodworkers are making simple, quickly produced wildlife shelters - and then providing these, along with DIY plans - to conservation organizations and the public.

• Environmentally-minded homeowners are taking smart-home technology to the next level, hacking proprietary systems to manage water, electricity, waste - and even their gardens - more efficiently.

Yes, from low-fi ingenuity to high-tech wizardry, people everywhere are getting their hands dirty cleaning up our messy world.

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I hope you’ll read along each week to learn about these handy folks and their do-gooder efforts. The first installment is coming your way next week, so stay tuned.

Until then,

JRC

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P.S.: Know any good makers out there making for good? Have an idea for a story for this series? Please let me know! ~JRC