Manufacturing

Keynote
Open-sourced blueprints for civilization,
Marcin Jakubowski
B1–C2
Discussion
1 Discuss the questions in groups.
1 Imagine you were going to start a completely independent community of 50 people. What
knowledge and tools would you need to (a) feed everyone (b) provide shelter?
2 What other types of expert knowledge or equipment would you want to have?
3 Are there any devices that you often use now that you wouldn't need for survival?
4 How comfortable would you be living in an independent community? What skills could you
provide?

Key words
2 Read this summary of Marcin Jakubowski’s TED Talk, Open-sourced blueprints for civilization.
Match the words and phrases in bold with their definitions (1–7).
Marcin Jakubowski is a farmer and technologist. He runs an organization that produces open-
source plans for basic machines – tools that are necessary for modern life, such as tractors for
farms or ovens for making bread. Jakubowski’s mission is to design appropriate tools and
machines for small-scale farms. When he put his idea on the Internet, contributors from all over
the world began sharing their ideas. Jakubowski’s goal is to give more people the means of
production to make the things we need, without damaging the environment – and to bring an
end to artificial scarcity.
1 a situation where people don’t have enough of something even though the technology and
resources needed to create it are there _______________
2 an expert with machines _______________
3 information described this way is available to take, use and share for free _______________
4 of a limited size, involving only a few people _______________
5 people who give something _______________
6 right for a certain situation _______________
7 things necessary to make other things _______________

Comprehension
3 Watch Ron Marcin Jakubowski’s talk, Open-sourced blueprints for civilization on TED.com.
Complete the sentences with the correct option.
1 Open Source Ecology identified machines that make modern life ____ .
a comfortable
b possible
c less expensive

2 Jakubowski’s education ____ .

a was the perfect preparation for farming
b taught him to repair things
c didn’t give him practical skills

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 Manufacturing
Open-sourced blueprints for civilization
3 When Jakubowski decided to start a sustainable farm, he discovered that the tools he needed
____ .
a weren’t available
b were too expensive
c were easy to get in his town

4 Jakubowski’s designs for machines ____ .

a are for engineers who want challenging projects
b can be bought online
c are available free on the Internet

5 Open-source development has already worked well for ____ .

a software
b farming equipment
c manufacturing

6 Jakubowski believes that his designs will ____ .

a help humans survive natural disasters
b help a variety of people with many different goals all over the world
c be the most useful to farmers in the developing world

7 Some of Jakubowski’s designs have ____ .

a won design awards
b been impossible to actually build
c been built and tested successfully

8 Jakubowski thinks open-hardware technology may be important because it would ____ .

a provide people with enough of the things they need, without harming the environment
b bring an end to big industry and allow individuals to make more money
c allow everyone to build their own car, bicycle, computer and so on

The big idea

4 Discuss the questions in groups.
1 Farm machinery is an example of something many people need but do not have. What problems
do people have buying and maintaining farm machinery?
2 What does Marcin Jakubowski mean when he says open hardware could end artificial scarcity?
3 How does Jakubowski’s presentation support the claim that open hardware could end artificial
scarcity? Are you convinced by his argument? Why? / Why not?

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 Manufacturing
Open-sourced blueprints for civilization
Language focus – industrial design
5 Complete the sentences with these words. Use your dictionary if necessary. Then watch the
TED Talk again and check your answers.
low-cost modular optimized robust sustainable

1 Farm vehicles have to be __________ , because they are often used on rough roads and other
surfaces that can damage machines.
2 If we can’t find a __________ way to produce our product, the price will be too high for most
consumers.
3 These machines are __________ , which means that they all use the same type of battery, motor
and tool connection.
4 We work right through the winter, so our equipment is __________ for performance in cold
conditions.
5 We generate all of our power here on site from __________ sources: a combination of wind and
solar.
6 Identify one word or phrase in each group that does not make a collocation. Use your
dictionary if necessary.
e.g. friendly
environmentally sound
hardware

1 artificial
3D design
industrial

2 local
environmental materials
recycled

3 lifestyle
designed for obsolescence
use in cold conditions

4 machines
prototype designs
civilization

5 productivity
industrial manufacturing
DIY

6 lifestyle
consumer entrepreneur
goods

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 Manufacturing
Open-sourced blueprints for civilization
7 Choose the correct words to complete the summary.
Marcin Jakubowski’s view is that industrial 1productivity / manufacturing today often produces
machines that break sooner than they should. He believes that many products are designed for
2
obsolescence / a lifetime, so that manufacturers can sell more products to replace the broken
ones. Throwing away old things and buying new ones is a basic feature of the consumer 3goods /
lifestyle. Jakubowski has designed his own versions of 50 pieces of equipment and put easy-to-
understand 43D / consumer designs on the Internet, and has actually built eight fully functioning
prototype 5machines / designs, in some cases using 6local / recycled material such as steel.

Speaking
8 Work in groups. Discuss the questions.
1 What tools, machines or devices do you use every day? Which ones would be very difficult to live
without?
2 Jakubowski mentions a tractor, a bread oven and a circuit maker (a machine that's useful in
making tools, and other machines). What other things do you think are on his list of the fifty most
important machines for modern life? If you have internet access, check your ideas on the Open
Source Ecology website.
3 What specialized industrial machines can you name or describe? How do they make modern
manufacturing possible?
4 Large-scale, industrial manufacturing is the only way to make many consumer goods such as
televisions and computers. What products can you name that are still made by hand in relatively
small numbers? Why is it necessary or desirable to make them by hand?
9 In your groups, try to agree on one single most important invention or technology in the history
of manufacturing.

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