9

SPARK

Letters

REGULAR

WHERE’S YER TOOL?

Maybe my cognitive faculties aren’t

quite what they used to be, but I’m sure

your [50 Essential Tools cover feature]

didn’t actually feature 50 tools. Clay’s

not a tool – it’s stuff you use to make

other stuff. LEDs aren’t tools – they’re

things that you stick on circuit boards

to light up. You’d use a soldering iron, a

pair of tweezers maybe, and some wire

clippers to attach them to the circuit

board – these are tools. Chisels are tools

• wood isn’t. Back to school with you!

James Edwards

West Bromwich

Ben says: Hey, we spoke to experts

in their field and reported what they

came back with. Maybe it’s a matter of

perspective: maybe clay is a tool, and

the medium is your creativity. That’s

how I like to think about it.

Letters

ATTENTION

ALL MAKERS!

If you have something you’d

like to get off your chest (or

even throw a word of praise

in our direction) let us know at

hsmag.cc/hello

SPARK

CUBERT

I laughed (out loud) and cried

(internally) at the adventures of your

writer and her LED cube [Lorraine

Underwood, issue 9]. I don’t mean

it in a malicious way, but there’s

something comforting about seeing

talented, hard-working people fail.

It’s nice to know it’s not just me!

Andrew Taylor

London

Ben says: The thing that gladdened

my heart reading that story was the

way a local maker company (the

ever-excellent Pimoroni), stepped in

to help with the custom PCBs when

things got tough. Makers want to

help, share, and learn. Be excellent to

one another!

SHINY THINGS

I’ve been an avid HackSpace reader

since issue 1. Now, after looking at

Rachel Wong’s wearables in issue 9, my

daughters are too. Fun times lie ahead!

Kevin McMahon

Boston, USA