About this item
What if you discovered by accident that you could change the world? Mick Ebeling - a film producer by trade, optimist by nature - set out to perform a simple act of kindness that quickly turned into a lifelong mission. In the process he discovered that he could, indeed, change the world - and this fascinating new book shows how you can, too.On the cutting edge of the new "Maker Movement" - an outgrowth of the "hackers" of a decade ago - Mick Ebeling has found ways to create new, simple, do-it-yourself technologies to help people surmount seemingly impossible odds. With a bunch of nuts and bolts, a few jimmy-rigged web cameras and a coat hanger, he got a paralyzed artist drawing again; for less than a hundred bucks, he made prosthetic arms for a boy whose arms had been blown off in the war in Sudan.
About the Author
Mick is the founder of The Ebeling Group (TEG) , an award-winning, international production company and creative think tank that represents some of the world's leading design/director collectives. TEG's most well-known projects include the main title sequence for the James Bond 007 film, "Quantum of Solace" and the ever-referenced Will Ferrell film "Stranger than Fiction" graphics.
Mick's reputation for consistently producing groundbreaking work stems from his unwavering ability to identify and nurture innovators in production, design and innovation.
Raised in a family of visionaries and philanthropists, Mick is also founder of the Not Impossible Foundation, a nonprofit organization that develops creative solutions to real-world problems. He firmly believes that ideas that once seemed impossible are always possible - when the right people are connected and empowered. The Not Impossible Foundation's mission is to take seemingly impossible ideas and transform them into useful applications that redefine the boundaries of possibility.
With no technical background in ocular recognition technology, Mick simply asked himself the question: "If not now, when? If not me, then who? " and thus embarked on a journey to create Not Impossible Foundation's Project 001: The Eyewriter. The Eyewriter is an open source, low-cost, DIY device that enables individuals with paralysis to communicate and create art using only the movement of their eyes. Time Magazine named it one of the "Top 50 Inventions of 2010."
Mick's aim to raise public awareness and inspire change through global collaboration led him to produce the feature film "Getting Up: The Tempt One Story" that documents the creation of the Eyewriter and the powerful story of paralyzed graffiti artist Tony "Tempt One" Quan's journey to draw again for the first time in eight years, using the movement of his eyes.
"Getting Up: The Tempt One Story" won the 2012 Audience Award at The Slamdance Film Festival earlier last year. The film also won Best Director at the Downtown Film Festival Los Angeles and was an official selection at Urban World Film Festival, Bend Film Festival, Hawaii International Film Festival, Napa Valley Film Festival, Other Venice Film Festival, St. Louis International Film Festival and Reel Abilities Film Festival.
