This article on The New Atlantis website talks about the loss of craftsmanship, and what it means to work with your hands (as, for instance, when you build something, repair a motorcycle, etc.) and produce something tangible vs. the more typical, 'information economy' intangible stuff such as software.

Given the intrinsic richness of manual work, cognitively, socially, and in its broader psychic appeal, the question becomes why it has suffered such a devaluation in recent years as a component of education. The economic rationale so often offered, namely that manual work is somehow going to disappear, is questionable if not preposterous, so it is in the murky realm of culture that we must look to understand these things. To this end, perhaps we need to consider the origins of shop class, so that we can better understand its demise.