5 ms·

Makerbook – A directory of free resources for creatives

116 points by CraigJBarber 11y ago

hberg 11y ago
Neat site! Bug report: Broken link from the "Tools" sidebar links to this page http://makerbook.net/?page_id=292 http://makerbook.net/?page_id=292
- CraigJBarber 11y ago
  Thanks, yes picked that one up. It is a 'Tools' section which I'm still working on. Cheers : )
Nervetattoo 11y ago
I was dissapointed to find that this site was not about resources for "making", as in Maker Movement. I was expecting a good library of things like "How to make an armchair", "How to build your own 3d printer".
- michael_h 11y ago
  I though the same thing, but we kinda-sorta already have that with http://www.instructables.com http://www.instructables.com [1] http://www.instructables.com/id/Ramified-Armchair-bending-plywood/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Ramified-Armchair-bending-pl... [2] http://www.instructables.com/howto/3d+printer/ http://www.instructables.com/howto/3d+printer/
  - cwyers 11y ago
    Not free, but the most recent Humble Books Bundle has a bunch of stuff targeted to the Maker crowd: https://www.humblebundle.com/books https://www.humblebundle.com/books
- CraigJBarber 11y ago
  Yes, the term maker is quiet broad these days. There's no reason I can't expand it to the different types of makers I guess. Thanks for the feedback.
  - melling 11y ago
    In 2009 how was the term used by pg? http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html
BrunoJo 11y ago
Wow, great resources. I really like http://www.pexels.com/ http://www.pexels.com/ to find free photos
- CraigJBarber 11y ago
  Yes, Pexels is awesome. Such high quality of photography and video.
state 11y ago
As was once told to me: "The first rule of design is 'use your own material'. The second rule of design is 'use your own material'. The third rule of design is 'use your own material'."
- CraigJBarber 11y ago
  Yes, use things like good photography and video, maybe some icons and make something awesome. It's the ingredients that make a good cake right?
daheza 11y ago
Nice site, it would be cool to add a section for free 3d model sites.
- CraigJBarber 11y ago
  Thanks for the suggestion. Will look into it : )
spiritplumber 11y ago
I like the idea, but it looks like one of those domain squatted spam sites right now.... "The best sites to get free, high quality $THING" over and over looks a bit... bot-generated.
Jun8 11y ago
Speaking about maker books, check out the Humble Make Book Bundle: https://www.humblebundle.com/books https://www.humblebundle.com/books. For $14 you can get 13+ really good books.
oska 11y ago
I have a little bit of a problem with the word 'creatives' used in this way to describe a category of people (and often as a self-descriptor). It implies that some people are creative and some people are not. Because if everyone was creative then why use the word? Further, it is talking only about a supposed quality of a person and not what they actually do. Otherwise it would be 'creators'. And if you are using these resources, surely it is to actually do some 'creating'?
- gregpilling 11y ago
  I asked a friend who is a preschool teacher (and became friends when my kid was in her class for 2 years, 4-5 year olds) if she thought that all children were creative (regardless of talent), or if she thought that only some kids were creative and other kids were not really - just doing what they were told. Her answer was unequivocal - "all kids are creative. Not all are talented, but they all create" I love sci-fi, and I was asking her the question because the future utopian dream is that the 3-D Printing cornucopia machines deliver to humanity all they want, and the only task left to do is to create. So to me it seems settled. All people are creative as children and somehow that goes away as they become adults. I suspect people just adapt to the best way for them to get by, creative or drudgery, whatever it takes. The modern school system can probably take some credit, as well as human's normal tendency to adapt to whatever the herd is doing - ie if all your adult friends stop playing with LEGO maybe you would too. (I did not stop playing with LEGO) So I hope all humans are once more makers, and we can stop with silly labels. I have been making stuff for 40 years+ and it seems odd that the world now has a word to describe what I was always doing.
  - davemel37 11y ago
    Not all are talented?! You mean not everyone's talent is understood and appreciated :) Napolean Hill postulates that there are two types of creativity. 1. One is analytical and is the intuition that comes from turning over a topic and examining all the angles. 2. the other is a flash of insight that comes from outside the person. As someone who considers himself exceptionally creative (but not so humble) I can tell you that most of my ideas come from seeing a pattern in something and applying that pattern to whatever I am working on. Most of the universe is fractals and when you see interesting relationships between random things it gives you a new way to think about whatever you are considering.
eccstartup 11y ago
Only a few links there?
jameshart 11y ago
The existence of a directory of sources for 'free color swatches' suggests that there might be such a thing as 'proprietary' color swatches. I mean, I know there's Pantone, but are there sites out there in the same vein as these free resources but which charge?

116 points by CraigJBarber 11y ago

hberg 11y ago

Neat site! Bug report: Broken link from the "Tools" sidebar links to this page http://makerbook.net/?page_id=292 http://makerbook.net/?page_id=292

CraigJBarber 11y ago
Thanks, yes picked that one up. It is a 'Tools' section which I'm still working on. Cheers : )

Nervetattoo 11y ago

I was dissapointed to find that this site was not about resources for "making", as in Maker Movement. I was expecting a good library of things like "How to make an armchair", "How to build your own 3d printer".

michael_h 11y ago
I though the same thing, but we kinda-sorta already have that with http://www.instructables.com http://www.instructables.com [1] http://www.instructables.com/id/Ramified-Armchair-bending-plywood/ http://www.instructables.com/id/Ramified-Armchair-bending-pl... [2] http://www.instructables.com/howto/3d+printer/ http://www.instructables.com/howto/3d+printer/
- cwyers 11y ago
  Not free, but the most recent Humble Books Bundle has a bunch of stuff targeted to the Maker crowd: https://www.humblebundle.com/books https://www.humblebundle.com/books
CraigJBarber 11y ago
Yes, the term maker is quiet broad these days. There's no reason I can't expand it to the different types of makers I guess. Thanks for the feedback.
- melling 11y ago
  In 2009 how was the term used by pg? http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html http://www.paulgraham.com/makersschedule.html

BrunoJo 11y ago

Wow, great resources. I really like http://www.pexels.com/ http://www.pexels.com/ to find free photos

CraigJBarber 11y ago
Yes, Pexels is awesome. Such high quality of photography and video.

state 11y ago

As was once told to me: "The first rule of design is 'use your own material'. The second rule of design is 'use your own material'. The third rule of design is 'use your own material'."

CraigJBarber 11y ago
Yes, use things like good photography and video, maybe some icons and make something awesome. It's the ingredients that make a good cake right?

daheza 11y ago

Nice site, it would be cool to add a section for free 3d model sites.

CraigJBarber 11y ago
Thanks for the suggestion. Will look into it : )

spiritplumber 11y ago

I like the idea, but it looks like one of those domain squatted spam sites right now.... "The best sites to get free, high quality $THING" over and over looks a bit... bot-generated.

Jun8 11y ago

Speaking about maker books, check out the Humble Make Book Bundle: https://www.humblebundle.com/books https://www.humblebundle.com/books. For $14 you can get 13+ really good books.

oska 11y ago

I have a little bit of a problem with the word 'creatives' used in this way to describe a category of people (and often as a self-descriptor). It implies that some people are creative and some people are not. Because if everyone was creative then why use the word? Further, it is talking only about a supposed quality of a person and not what they actually do. Otherwise it would be 'creators'. And if you are using these resources, surely it is to actually do some 'creating'?

gregpilling 11y ago
I asked a friend who is a preschool teacher (and became friends when my kid was in her class for 2 years, 4-5 year olds) if she thought that all children were creative (regardless of talent), or if she thought that only some kids were creative and other kids were not really - just doing what they were told. Her answer was unequivocal - "all kids are creative. Not all are talented, but they all create" I love sci-fi, and I was asking her the question because the future utopian dream is that the 3-D Printing cornucopia machines deliver to humanity all they want, and the only task left to do is to create. So to me it seems settled. All people are creative as children and somehow that goes away as they become adults. I suspect people just adapt to the best way for them to get by, creative or drudgery, whatever it takes. The modern school system can probably take some credit, as well as human's normal tendency to adapt to whatever the herd is doing - ie if all your adult friends stop playing with LEGO maybe you would too. (I did not stop playing with LEGO) So I hope all humans are once more makers, and we can stop with silly labels. I have been making stuff for 40 years+ and it seems odd that the world now has a word to describe what I was always doing.
- davemel37 11y ago
  Not all are talented?! You mean not everyone's talent is understood and appreciated :) Napolean Hill postulates that there are two types of creativity. 1. One is analytical and is the intuition that comes from turning over a topic and examining all the angles. 2. the other is a flash of insight that comes from outside the person. As someone who considers himself exceptionally creative (but not so humble) I can tell you that most of my ideas come from seeing a pattern in something and applying that pattern to whatever I am working on. Most of the universe is fractals and when you see interesting relationships between random things it gives you a new way to think about whatever you are considering.

eccstartup 11y ago

Only a few links there?

jameshart 11y ago

The existence of a directory of sources for 'free color swatches' suggests that there might be such a thing as 'proprietary' color swatches. I mean, I know there's Pantone, but are there sites out there in the same vein as these free resources but which charge?