Chris Anderson, editor of Wired, has made quite a name for himself for his theory of “The Long Tail.”  This is an idea that deals more with the digital world—the world of bits—in that the argument is that nowadays there should be less emphasis on “hits” because if you aggregate all of the smaller things that are accessible toward the end of the Long Tail, then you’re better off.  Or, said another way: Instead of putting all your chips behind one bet, spread your risk among many.  Access to things of particular interest to each of us via the Internet makes this all possible.

Now Anderson has another notion, and this one has a whole lot to do with custom, individual manufacturing.  And, yes, CAD design software and things like additive technology machines have a role to play in this.  Here he proclaims “Atoms Are the New Bits.”

So in the video above—and in his Wired article that lays this out—you’ll see how he can achieve custom, individual manufacturing.

But there are a couple of concerns that I have with this.  For one thing, he has his circuit board made for him by some company somewhere that may not be familiar to him.  So, would you want that circuit board as part of, say, the electric steering control module for your make-it-yourself automobiles. . .or do you think you might want to spend more money to get a brand-name product?

And while in the car arena, he cites Local Motors.  Sure, you can get a car with a cool, somewhat individualized design—but the clean diesel engine comes from BMW.  The only companies that can afford to design, engineer, validate, and manufacture engines are large companies that make lots of the same thing, like BMW.  So where’s the custom, individual manufacturing there?

This variant of the Long Tail has a Long Way to Go before it is going to have credibility beyond making your own knicknacks and whatnots.