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Tinker with tech

MILFORD – The recipe for success among local "makers" is a simple one.

Take a dollop of "wonder-if," add a splash of "maybe-could" and blend in some gadgets connected to a circuit board awaiting computer-generated commands.

The process comes to life at the Wadleigh Memorial Library at a free program titled "Idea to Invention: Be a Maker." The next session will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26.

Jason Clark, 39, is the instructor. Clark is a computer professional and lifelong Milford resident.

Adults and youngsters had attended three classes as of Jan. 12. All are the newest members of the "maker" movement, folks who are a part of a worldwide, do-it-yourself culture focused on building, repairing and creating technological devices of interest.

Clark is a design manager for Digital Realty, a global information technology company based in San Francisco. He telecommutes to work.

He also is an insatiable explorer of new technologies. His home workshop is a maker’s haven filled with wires, connectors, tools and a compact 3-D printer. The printer uses a pliable plastic filament to replicate almost any computer-generated, three-dimensional object.

Librarian Kim Gabert said she met Clark when he volunteered to install the library’s 3-D printer. The maker program was established and has been well received, she said.

Clark’s wife, Sue, who is a teacher, and his daughter, Bella, 13, appreciate Clark’s yen to educate. He is assisted at the classes by the couple’s son, Dylan, 11, a student at Milford Middle School.

Currently, the makers are designing and building from scratch a 3-D printer. Upon completion, it may be available on loan to library patrons.

"The maker movement is bringing back some self-sufficiency to us," Clark said. "Nothing is built simply anymore. Now, with information getting more accessible, people are returning to fixing things again."

He said he laments the trend in today’s society to dispose of the broken. He said he has dismantled and revitalized dozens of damaged electronics, including those in the family’s washing machine and a neighbor’s refrigerator.

"As long as something doesn’t get hit by lightning, I can fix it," Clark said. "If it has its brain scrambled by lightning, there’s not a chance."

The maker class at the library has especially captivated two of the youngest students. Tucker Hall, 10, traveled with his mother, Elatia Hall, from New Ipswich to learn more about making things.

"I like it that we’re actually getting to help build a 3-D printer," Tucker said. "Also, we’ll learn how to make other cool things."

Nearby, Sami Juma-Stephenson, 10, and his dad, Omar Juma, both of Milford, looked through a box of aluminum rods, tiny screws, rectangular circuit boards and colorful, plastic-coated wires that will be a part of the printer. Sami said he enjoys being a maker.

"I like following technical instructions, finding mistakes and fixing them," Sami said. "It’s fun and challenging."

For more information about the program, call the library at 673-2408.

Tinker with tech

MILFORD – The recipe for success among local "makers" is a simple one.

Take a dollop of "wonder-if," add a splash of "maybe-could" and blend in some gadgets connected to a circuit board awaiting computer-generated commands.

The process comes to life at the Wadleigh Memorial Library at a free program titled "Idea to Invention: Be a Maker." The next session will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26.

Jason Clark, 39, is the instructor. Clark is a computer professional and lifelong Milford resident.

Adults and youngsters had attended three classes as of Jan. 12. All are the newest members of the "maker" movement, folks who are a part of a worldwide, do-it-yourself culture focused on building, repairing and creating technological devices of interest.

Clark is a design manager for Digital Realty, a global information technology company based in San Francisco. He telecommutes to work.

He also is an insatiable explorer of new technologies. His home workshop is a maker’s haven filled with wires, connectors, tools and a compact 3-D printer. The printer uses a pliable plastic filament to replicate almost any computer-generated, three-dimensional object.

Librarian Kim Gabert said she met Clark when he volunteered to install the library’s 3-D printer. The maker program was established and has been well received, she said.

Clark’s wife, Sue, who is a teacher, and his daughter, Bella, 13, appreciate Clark’s yen to educate. He is assisted at the classes by the couple’s son, Dylan, 11, a student at Milford Middle School.

Currently, the makers are designing and building from scratch a 3-D printer. Upon completion, it may be available on loan to library patrons.

"The maker movement is bringing back some self-sufficiency to us," Clark said. "Nothing is built simply anymore. Now, with information getting more accessible, people are returning to fixing things again."

He said he laments the trend in today’s society to dispose of the broken. He said he has dismantled and revitalized dozens of damaged electronics, including those in the family’s washing machine and a neighbor’s refrigerator.

"As long as something doesn’t get hit by lightning, I can fix it," Clark said. "If it has its brain scrambled by lightning, there’s not a chance."

The maker class at the library has especially captivated two of the youngest students. Tucker Hall, 10, traveled with his mother, Elatia Hall, from New Ipswich to learn more about making things.

"I like it that we’re actually getting to help build a 3-D printer," Tucker said. "Also, we’ll learn how to make other cool things."

Nearby, Sami Juma-Stephenson, 10, and his dad, Omar Juma, both of Milford, looked through a box of aluminum rods, tiny screws, rectangular circuit boards and colorful, plastic-coated wires that will be a part of the printer. Sami said he enjoys being a maker.

"I like following technical instructions, finding mistakes and fixing them," Sami said. "It’s fun and challenging."

For more information about the program, call the library at 673-2408.

Tinker with tech

MILFORD – The recipe for success among local "makers" is a simple one.

Take a dollop of "wonder-if," add a splash of "maybe-could" and blend in some gadgets connected to a circuit board awaiting computer-generated commands.

The process comes to life at the Wadleigh Memorial Library at a free program titled "Idea to Invention: Be a Maker." The next session will be held from 6:30-8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 26.

Jason Clark, 39, is the instructor. Clark is a computer professional and lifelong Milford resident.

Adults and youngsters had attended three classes as of Jan. 12. All are the newest members of the "maker" movement, folks who are a part of a worldwide, do-it-yourself culture focused on building, repairing and creating technological devices of interest.

Clark is a design manager for Digital Realty, a global information technology company based in San Francisco. He telecommutes to work.

He also is an insatiable explorer of new technologies. His home workshop is a maker’s haven filled with wires, connectors, tools and a compact 3-D printer. The printer uses a pliable plastic filament to replicate almost any computer-generated, three-dimensional object.

Librarian Kim Gabert said she met Clark when he volunteered to install the library’s 3-D printer. The maker program was established and has been well received, she said.

Clark’s wife, Sue, who is a teacher, and his daughter, Bella, 13, appreciate Clark’s yen to educate. He is assisted at the classes by the couple’s son, Dylan, 11, a student at Milford Middle School.

Currently, the makers are designing and building from scratch a 3-D printer. Upon completion, it may be available on loan to library patrons.

"The maker movement is bringing back some self-sufficiency to us," Clark said. "Nothing is built simply anymore. Now, with information getting more accessible, people are returning to fixing things again."

He said he laments the trend in today’s society to dispose of the broken. He said he has dismantled and revitalized dozens of damaged electronics, including those in the family’s washing machine and a neighbor’s refrigerator.

"As long as something doesn’t get hit by lightning, I can fix it," Clark said. "If it has its brain scrambled by lightning, there’s not a chance."

The maker class at the library has especially captivated two of the youngest students. Tucker Hall, 10, traveled with his mother, Elatia Hall, from New Ipswich to learn more about making things.

"I like it that we’re actually getting to help build a 3-D printer," Tucker said. "Also, we’ll learn how to make other cool things."

Nearby, Sami Juma-Stephenson, 10, and his dad, Omar Juma, both of Milford, looked through a box of aluminum rods, tiny screws, rectangular circuit boards and colorful, plastic-coated wires that will be a part of the printer. Sami said he enjoys being a maker.

"I like following technical instructions, finding mistakes and fixing them," Sami said. "It’s fun and challenging."

For more information about the program, call the library at 673-2408.