Instructables

http://www.instructables.com/index

Instructables are "how to" instructions on just about everything under the sun. This collection tends to focus on making useful things without having to spend a lot of money. Sometimes the things for which there are instructions are funny, such as a duct tape canoe. Other times they are useful, such as the creation of oogoo, as a substitute for the really expensive Sugru.

In many traditional communities where people don't have a lot of money or access to places that fix things, tinkering is something people do all the time. If you can't afford to get something fixed, then you either do without or you figure out a way you can make it work with the materials at hand. Some really well-known and handy tools for tinkering include duct tape, glue, string, cardboard, hand tools, and even leftover junk such as pop cans.

There is a deep pleasure to be found in tinkering--the process of looking at the function of something, surveying the materials at hand, and figuring out a "hack" that will get the job done. It's pride knowing that you do not have to be totally dependent on the good will of others or the ability to pay people to have good will. It's also joy that comes from focusing on something and imagining how it could be. As well, there is the process of putting something together, revising plans on the fly to deal with the unexpected, and testing out its function.

Tinkering skills are essential to almost any career one would have, particularly now that technology is such a central part of our lives.