Remember Thomas Thwaites’s self-made toaster? In this TED talk, he overviews the incredibly laborious process of creating it. You’re gonna want your Eggos after the industrial capitalist system is overthrown, aren’t you? Sure you are. So pay attention! [TED]
Evan
Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 12:55 PMSeems to me a better question would be “Can A single 21st century man make bread?” because once made the bread could sustain him and could easily be toasted using an open fire and a forked stick, both far easier to make than a toaster.
I am not one to advocate a ‘simple life’ but trying to make a toaster in a post-industrial society does not seem to me a good use of one’s time and resources.
Atomsk
Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 1:20 PMI agree, but I do think it’s important that we have a general idea of how basic day to day products work. That is becoming incredibly difficult in an age where a good portion of products contain complex electronics and operating systems.
I am fascinated by how things work, and I have a bad habbit of pulling things apart to have tinker.
While most people don’t care how their TV makes the latest episiode of Dexter appear when you explain it to them in a bit of general detail they too seem to become fascinated.
I love seeing that spark of interest in another persons eye.
boc
Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 3:07 PMSure in a post-industrial society you could work towards making bread and you’ll live happily eating your bread.
Meanwhile the dude who builds toasters will be spending the money he makes from selling them.
A Rod H
Thursday, January 13, 2011 at 5:32 PMHmm, well for one he chose the wrong toaster to duplicate. He should’ve looked at one of the classic sunbeam toasters, the one element surrounded by a metal frame which only toasts one side at a time. A purely manual design, lasts for years.
Then, there’s his attempt at iron smelting. If he’d found a old UNICEF book from the 1950-60′s intended to instruct school teachers on how to set up a science lab on a shoestring, it has a nice section on how to make a carbon arc furnace.
As for the plastic outershell….he almost got it down pefect.
Now how long before someone submits the entire project to Mythbusters to see what toasters result.