Creative Class Gym – that’s what a new start-up, TechShop, is building according to this Forbes report:
TechShop in Menlo Park, Calif., is 15,000 square feet of carbon fiber bending, welding, sand-blasting stuff to build with. One room is devoted to four hulking milling machines, another has a graphics computer hooked up to a 3-D printer that pours plastic models, and next door are three industrial sewing machines. In the rear of the building, a king-bed-sized woodcutter sits next to an even larger foam cutter that works with blocks the size of large refrigerators. This is Jim Newton’s $350,000 playground, and what he hopes is the launch pad for a nationwide fitness club for geeks. “Your brain is a muscle,” says Newton, who had a stint as the science adviser on the Discovery Channel’s hit series MythBusters … TechShop charges members $125 per month and is open from 9 a.m. to midnight. There are perks to pay for: locker space, small offices, the “Maker Shed” where members can buy supplies, and classes on such topics as food etching, soldering and circuit board design.