Zero to Maker: A Beginner's Guide to the Skills, Tools, and Ideas of the Maker Movement

by David Lang

Zero to Maker is part memoir and part how-to guidebook for anyone who is having thoughts like

I feel like all I can do is write emails. I wish I had more hands-on skills even though I don't know what I would build...

I have this one idea I've always wanted to make, but I don't know how to build it...

I keep hearing about the "maker movement" but I'm not sure what that means or how I can join in...

The book follows author David Lang's headfirst dive into the maker world and shows how he grew from an unskilled beginner to be a successful entrepreneur. You'll discover how to navigate this new community of makers, and find the best resources for learning the tools and skills you need to be a dynamic maker in your own right.

The way we make things has changed. A new generation of tinkerers have emerged through online communities and powerful digital fabrication tools, and their creations are changing the world. This book follows the author's personal journey of transformation into a maker-entrepreneur. It is everyone's guide to combining inspiration and resources to effectively navigate this exciting new world.

Lang reveals how he became a maker pro after losing his job and how the experience helped him start OpenROV, a DIY community and product line focused on underwater robotics. It all happened once he became an active member of the maker movement. Ready to take the plunge into the next Industrial Revolution? This guide provides a clear and inspiring roadmap.

Genres: Nonfiction

256 pages, Paperback

Published October 31, 2017

About the author

Librarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name. This profile may contain books from multiple authors of this name.

David Lang is a co-founder of OpenROV, a community of citizen ocean explorers and creators of low-cost underwater robots.

David is a contributing editor to MAKE: Magazine and the author of the upcoming book, Zero to Maker, where he chronicles his journey from under-skilled beginner to manufacturing entrepreneur and ocean explorer. The book is a guide for anyone-- regardless of experience level-- to get involved with the maker movement and digital fabrication tools, like 3D printing.

David was named a 2013 TED Fellow. Prior to underwater robots, David managed OCSC Sailing in Berkeley, California, where he helped hundreds of students learn to sail and led sailing adventures around the world.

Learn more at www.ZeroToMaker.com

Reviews

[Timeo Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Look into having a mentor at the hackerspace you join to teach you how how to utilize all the tools available and speed up your growth.

Advice for someone getting started is to read some and watch some. Ask questions. Then decide what you want to do. Start simply. Learn to sketch, measure, mark, cut, file, and sand. Learn also to drill, deburr, fold, and bend. Learn to rivet, bolt, and screw. Learn the metals and their applications. Then learn the hot stuff, after your shop skills are developed. (116)

Some resources:
Wildlabs
OpenExplorer
MakerShare

[Felix Dragoi · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a good book, filled with stories and examples that may help some people more than others. However, for me, it didn't really resonate. Probably because I did expect something more practical.

It could've had a better structure or at least more imagery to make it more engaging. As mentioned before, it might be a good addition to anyone looking for some stories and inspiration.

[Vi · Rating 3 out of 5]

maker-mindset book

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good intro into the world of Maker culture. Inspiring how the author went from knowing nothing to been able to help out on complicated projects.

[Anna · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was good! It provides a lot of really good resources on the Maker movement in manageable chunks.

[Hamza NANOUCHE · Rating 3 out of 5]

The book was good but it’s just a huge blog post. It nice a how to tutorial if you want to get into the maker mindset.