Mark Frauenfelder on DIY Super-Humanism, Unschooling and the Future of Print Journalism

"You know, I studied mechanical engineering in school and I ended up becoming a journalist. I can name a dozen people right now that I think are amazing people who didn't go to college," says editor of Boing Boing Mark Frauenfelder.

He sat down with managing editor of Reason.com Tim Cavanaugh to talk about alternatives to public school and education in the real world.

Frauenfelder is also the editor of Make magazine, whose newest issue takes a look at do-it-yourself superhumanism, a way of modifying human capabilities through gadgets. Some of the gadgets include a device to play Guitar Hero only using the muscles in your arm and an ankle strap that directs you to where you want to go using cell phone vibraters and GPS.

Cavanaugh and Frauenfelder finally discuss the future of print journalism and why putting a magazine out in 2012 is still a good idea.

About 9:48 minutes.

Camera by Tracy Oppenheimer, Paul Detrick, and Zach Weismueller. Edited by Detrick.

Go to http://www.reason.tv for downloadable versions and subscribe to Reason.tv's YouTube channel to receive automatic notifications when new material goes live.

• Category

  News & Politics

[hoosierhiver]

DIY haircuts!

[Spazzboy911]

i'm all for the free market approach but i don't think it will bring about utopia, nor do i know anyone who thinks so. that is a strawman argument. in fact what they were talking about is exactly what a free market is; make your own market by producing something new. it doesn't even have to do with making money if it can also spread ideas around. It's how Apple got started. So yes, this is realistic in a free market, there's no magic to it.

[PissedFechtmeister]

The most important thing we learn in school is how stand in lines.

[Everylad]

Public schooling is, alongside the 21 drinking age, a quarantine to ensure a given generation is isolated from the previous one, and thus from thousands of years of advancements in various fields. Or compulsory schooling, rather, is intended for this object so the politicians have someone silly enough to vote for them. Unschooling, on the other hand, I've never thought of it till this segment, yet anything is an improvement when the US Gov schools kids into flash mobs & all around fools.

[mtanousable]

"the state paves our roads"

Have you ever been to Disneyland? Those roads are private - paved by contractors paid by Disney. And they are better than any State provided road. Further, the State doesn't provide roads *inside* a subdivision, which are also nicer. Private industry has a reason to make roads without the State, and more importantly, it has a reason to make BETTER and CHEAPER roads. (The same goes for parks, by the way. And arguments can be made about the law as well.)

[mtanousable]

It is not Utopian. In fact, it is quite clear that there would still be problems. But there are a whole host of problems *created* by State intervention to "fix" other problems (some of which are themselves caused by State intervention).

[morphhex]

Is it just me or does the interviewer look like a poor man's Jason Segel.

[5that1dude5]

I don't think Flock Of Seagulls could top that harido.

[starrychloe]

Dat hair!

[Max Moore]

As a college student currently fully aware of the extent to which I may be wasting both my mind and my life, I just want to say thank you to Reason for offering me, as always, some cool, refreshing and tempered advice on how the world REALLY is.

I was in deep need of some perspective.

[Tas von Gleichen]

He knows his hair styling thumps up for that. I think the iPad platform is the future. If you want to stay in business, you better create an app.

[mythmanjay]

"the hair is awesome" ... pshh, Yeah, maybe on a 4-year-old :-P