Tools You May Need

Placemaking Tools Intro Tools used in creating "place" projects, and place-related media projects, recommended. Placemaking Report gets a fraction of the purchase price of some of the tools purchased, without adding anything to the price. If a tool is good, and there's no affiliate relationship available, it's still recommended. 

Latex-dipped rubber gloves Before we consider the properties of these gloves, check out this price: $1. As in one dollar. Sure it's a coupon, but if you've ever patronized Harbor Freight, you know that coupons are part of the experience. These coupons come around and around. You just have to wait for them. And, what the hell, why wait? The list price is $1.99. So this is an endorsement for these gloves, and for Harbor Freight, a cheap glove mecca.

Cowhide gloves from Wells Lamont Simple, cowhide. Around $17. Someone might think, do I really need cow skin gloves? How about canvas or rubbery plastic? But what you've noticed about these gloves is how they break in. They start to conform to your hands, in a loose way, but in a way that causes you to think, "Hmmm, I guess there really are unique properties to animal skin."

Blink an LED It's the "hello world" of physical computing: blinking an LED. It's making the connection, seeing if it works. Rudimentary, yeah, but it brings together physical and digital computing in a vivid way.  Here's the quickest path to that adventure.

Self-Healing Mat You come across self-healing mats as you are creating your first sorta-crafty project.  They are amazing. A good companion to X-acto knives.  Put one on any surface, and go crazy. These mats can absorb the abuse. 

Gesture Sensor Your first touchless enabler is the APDS gesture sensor, the original trigger for the gachapon/gumball machine.  Later, after Covid's arrival, you circled back to it again. 

T-Slot, specifically MakerBeam T-slot is an accelerator.  If you need a structure, you can create one quickly using these strong, extruded aluminum beams and fasteners.  It's a prototyper's dream. You can create a T-slot structure quickly, and it looks tech-y and professional.

Reporter's Notebooks Forget Field Notes and Moleskines -- commodity Reporter's Notebooks are the best value for taking notes on places. When you buy them by the dozen, they cost just $1.75 each.

Blinky TikTok LED Lights It's not a maker project without LED lights. But you have... choices. Type "LED" into Amazon and prepare to be overwhelmed.

Magnifying Glasses A few of your Maker buddies have these. You always thought they were expensive. But $17? That's way cheaper than you expected, right? And this model comes with a strong recommendation from Make:'s Caleb Kraft.

Newspaper Club It's refreshingly high-touch, in the digital era: Newsprint broadsheets. And the crucial partner: Newspaper Club, based in the UK. 

Sony ZV-1 camera A new camera from Sony, aimed at "content creators" who are ready to graduate from their smartphones.  Not a bad marketing plan.  Lots of stuff you may not need, but a solid camera with a good-sized sensor. 

DJI Osmo Pocket You've been giving this camera a try to document outdoorsy places. At first you used it to smooth out long walking-around shots, as a relatively inexpensive, pocket-sized Steadicam.  But once you started using it, you discovered that it has all sorts of funny little features, like pre-programmed robot-like camera moves.

DJI Mini 2 Drone Doing more Place Reports, so you up your arsenal. This drone, selected by Max R., is just about perfect for the job. It's an easy way to get off the ground for more perspective.