Great Pursuits: Electronics

The power of the electron is the essence that moves the world.

It can be said that the current prosperity of mankind was founded upon the natural laws of electricity and magnetism. Electronic technology is held by many to be the single greatest advance of the twentieth century. What is less well known, is that the number of domains of electronic investigation has greatly diminished in recent decades, especially within the Western world. A cursory investigation of curricula and guidebooks for amateurs show a pronounced narrowing of scope to a small set of commonly used digital circuits, to the exclusion of such pursuits as radio or the analysis of scientific data. This can be attributed to various factors, among which the outsourcing of electronic manufacturing to the Oriental nations features prominently. As has become disturbingly clear in the wake of the recent tariffs, this degradation of industrial capabilities has progressed to such a severe extent that the West has lost the ability to manufacture a wide variety of electronic goods altogether. For this reason we are currently in a place little different from those early tinkerers and inventors in the waning years of the nineteenth century. Therefore, we must think as they did, and rebuild the electronic might of America from the most barren of foundations. As was in those days, this will require the efforts of innumerable inventors and hobbyists, solving a myriad of seemingly intractable problems under the most challenging of conditions. Therefore, due to the recent economic dislocations, electronics will soon regain its rightful place as the first and foremost of the Great Pursuits.

Electronics need not be a costly endeavor. Microchips, resistors, capacitors and other common components are at the time of this publication available in large quantities and can often be purchased for less than a dollar apiece. The neophyte need not invest in equipment more expensive than a solderless breadboard, available online or in stores for less than twenty dollars. Perhaps the best aspect of this pursuit is that functional projects are within the reach of the layman. A simple circuit involving a microcontroller and a sensor can serve as the data gathering apparatus for a plethora of different experiments, thereby providing the would be gentleman scientist with very affordable tools.

There are limitless vistas of mathematical intricacy available to the electronics hobbyist. The construction of filters with resistors and capacitors is an excellent introduction to the fundamentals of calculus. There is no better way to learn the fundamentals of logic than with digital circuits. A familiarity with electronics is critical to further investigation in robotics, avionics and even some amateur biotechnology. In short, electronics lies at the foundation of virtually all of the Great Pursuits.

The imposition of de minimis tariffs came as an unpleasant surprise to many Americans, who suddenly saw an age of cheap Chinese goods come to an end. Very few firms and corporations have really considered the possibilities and opportunities in this vastly changed state of affairs, and have therefore frozen any potential actions. Therefore, there will likely be large opportunities for new inventors in the fields of electronics manufacturing and design. While the shortage of some components might discourage some potential electronics hobbyists, this need not hold true. Regardless of how scarce new components become, the skilled hobbyist has the tools and the knowledge to create new machines from scavenged parts, and therefore is already set to found business. In time, I fully expect a new model of distributed manufacturing to arise. It is hard to foresee what this will become, but there may very well be a Hot Circuits in every town.

Electrical engineering will almost certainly be the cornerstone of the next Heroic Age of Invention. The problems that arise in the coming era of shortages will necessitate the creation of new inventions on a scale not seen since the beginning of the twentieth century. Another impetus, which has been grossly underestimated will add to this effect as well. The growing number of citizens seeking to avoid the effects of digital involution will demand new forms of electronics. To this end, I predict that there will be an enormous demand for purpose-built computers running open source software, and designed for the goals of specific societies, rather than those of the large corporations. Examine the electric machines that surround you. It could very well be within your power to surpass them.