Friday, July 18, 2014: 2:00 pm (Olson): High precision in fabrication is often required for building useful hardware and tools - including hardware and tools that can be used for dissent. Craftsmanship is valued for its precision and attention to detail, but mastering a craft is inherently slow. 3D printers evoke a Star Trek replicator-esque, hands-off solution for instantly creating precise tools, but in that image also become a transparent technology. However, digital fabrication technology as it exists today is anything but transparent, as digital fabrication tools are difficult to access, interface with, modify, and even use as intended. In a way, lack of access to precision fabrication is in itself a form of control. This talk will be about how digital fabrication enables personal fabrication, and how we are getting closer to being able to truly use digital fabrication in technologies for dissent.

Nadya Peek