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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/03/reminder_maker_faire_detroit_-_comm.html
Dale Dougherty and Sherry Huss would like to invite you all to a Maker Faire Detroit - Community Planning Meeting, Wednesday, March 10, 2010, 6:00 PM to 8:00 PM. The meeting will be held at the Main Branch Detroit Public Library, 5201 Woodward Ave., Detroit, MI.
In addition to providing updates on the event, the goal of the meeting is to continue to generate ideas, form working groups, and continue to connect with people and organizations that would be interested in bringing Maker Faire to Detroit.
If there are others that you know would like to get involved, please feel free to invite them. This event is open to the public and we'd love to connect with people, groups, and organizations that should be involved with Maker Faire.
If you've attended a Maker Faire Community Meeting in the past, and want to talk about specifics of your curated area, we'll have our Maker Faire team onsite to work with you. Otherwise, we look forward to receiving your submission to the Maker Faire Detroit "Call for Makers" which will go live on March 15th, 2010 at www.makerfaire.com
For more info, see the event page on Socializr.
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March 9 2010, 3:31pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/world_maker_faire_community_meeting.html
Last night many NYC makers, doers, and shakers met at the Martha Stewart Living offices in New York to talk about World Maker Faire, which will take place in September in collaboration with the New York Hall of Science in Flushing Meadows, Queens. Bridgette Vanderlaan from the Maker Faire team posted up some photos to the Maker Faire Facebook page.
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Digg this!February 25 2010, 1:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/02/chiptune_marching_band_and_maker_fa.html
I just got back from an awesome Dorkbot DC meeting, with two very inspiring artists' presentations, one by Andy Holtin, and one by Atau Tanaka. While the presentations themselves were fascinating, beyond that, one thing that struck me was the two presenters' associations with Maker Faire and how the Faires are a great incubator of ideas and projects that go on to have lives beyond these single events.
We met Andy originally through Maker Faire Austin, when he was teaching at UT and put together a student art show for us. Atau teaches at Newscastle University, and is the Digital Media Chair of the Culture Lab there. When he and the Culture Lab heard that Maker Faire was coming to town, they knew they wanted to do something special. They put together a workshop and collaborative music performance piece called the Chiptune Marching Band. It was a great success at the Faire and they've now gone on to do it at six different festivals and events (and plan to continue). It's a perfect example of taking a simple, clever electronics circuit (it uses two LM386 chips, one to oscillate, one to amplify) and some crafting supplies, cobbling them all together in the context of an educational and social event, and then immediately turning the objects-made into a fun performance piece, a maker's marching band. All sorts of win!
Above is a video of the Chiptune Marching Band (which we've covered here before) -- the Chiptune Marching Band even has a website.
I look forward to seeing what innovative, wondrous, and wacky things sprout from the heads and hands at this year's Newscastle Faire... and all of the US Faires.
Maker Faire, Newcastle
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February 5 2010, 12:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2010/01/young_makers.html
Maker Jon Sarriugarte of Oakland, California raises his daughter Zolle in the air at the 2008 Maker Faire in the Bay Area.
At a higher education conference (dgree.org) last week, I met Marie who told me the following story about her young daughter, Annika.
"I have a son who is a whiz at math. I've kind of understood what he needs and where he's going. My daughter was different and I didn't really understand who she was and what she did. Then I became familiar with MAKE. I recognized that she's the kind of kid who's always off doing something, making something out of parts she finds around the house. I realized she's a maker. I was so happy."
When I wrote Marie asking if it was okay to write about Annika, she responded with a quote from her daughter: "Did you tell him that if you turn your back on me for one minute, I start making?" What a great kid!
I can't tell you how much that means to me. I feel fortunate that we produce a magazine that helped a mother discover her own daughter in a new way. I don't think it's the only such example out there. I wonder how many kids there are that could benefit from being seen as makers.
Young Makers Program
Last summer, Tony DeRose, of Pixar, talked to me about an idea for developing a program for young makers. He and his kids built a Potato Gatling Gun and brought it to Maker Faire last year. They had such a great experience, taking an idea and developing it in their garage shop, and bringing their work to share with others at Maker Faire. Tony felt that more kids should have this kind of experience.
In addition to talking to me, Tony had been talking with folks at the Exploratorium in San Francisco about what he thought then were "two different things: 1) how to use Pixar's cachet to promote science and math education, and 2) his family's love of making." Tony was introduced to Karen Wilkinson and Mike Petrich who have run the Learning Studio at the Exploratorium for years. (They've organized the Exploratorium's participation in Maker Faire each year.) The Learning Studio is dedicated to the idea that science and math education can be advanced by tinkering and that places like science centers should encourage more creative ways of making and doing. They saw Tony's interests as a way to try out some new ideas at the Exploratorium and work more closely with us at MAKE.
We talked about getting kids to meet makers and demonstrate different modes of making. We wanted to explore projects in areas such as circuit-building, soft circuits, music, and mechanics. Mike and Karen want to have making become a regular part of the Exploratorium experience. We also want to find places where kids can work with mentors to make things. So, we also brought Jim Newton and TechShop in as partners. Together, we've come up with a Young Makers program for the Bay Area, which is now ready for a trial run.
I'll use Tony's words to give an overview of Young Maker program:
People learn in many different ways, but many learn best by building things. Building toys such as Lego blocks offer powerful and open-ended experiences for younger children. Unfortunately, as shop classes have closed over the past few decades, there remains very little infrastructure to nurture older kids and teens who want to expand beyond construction kits.
The Young Makers program is intended to create such an infrastructure. The idea is to create a community, both online and physical, that brings together like-minded kids, adult mentors, and fabrication facilities. Mentors help young makers define a project vision if they don't already have one, and then guide the kids in realizing that vision. Along the way, both kids and their mentors will expose the underlying math, science, and engineering principles behind the projects, explore tool usage and safety, and collectively create a collaborative culture of innovation and experimentation. Maker Faire becomes the deadline, and offers a stage for the resulting projects to be exhibited and explained.
In my view, we'd like to help develop young makers and encourage them to participate in Maker Faire. We'll be creating a special kids area at Maker Faire this year and we will invite kids to exhibit their projects. Our initial focus is on teens from middle school through high school.
Kickoff of Open MAKE at the Exploratorium
As part of the Young Makers program, the Exploratorium will host "Open MAKE" on the last Saturday of the month, beginning January 30th, continuing on February 27th and March 27th and concluding on April 24th.
The goal of the program is to encourage kids to make, show them different things they can learn to make, and work with kids who'd like to bring some of their work to Maker Faire.
On each Saturday, we will start with a "Meet The Makers" program in the McBean Theater from 11am-12pm. From 12:30-3:00 pm, we'll be "In the Studio" where kids can do projects and learn from other makers.
For our first program on January 30th, our theme is making simple circuits for small robots. Our featured makers will be Ken Murphy, maker of Blinkybugs, and Windell Oskay and Lenore Edman of Evil Mad Scientists Labs, who created Bristlebots. Kids will be able to make Blinkybugs and Bristlebots in the studio.
(We're still firming up the list of makers for future dates.)
If you have kids (or can borrow some), please join us at the Exploratorium, January 30th. I'll blog about what we learn from creating this program. We'd hope to see Young Maker programs develop in other communities as well.
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Digg this!January 15 2010, 11:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/maker_faire_gets_sustainability_nom.html
We just found out that Maker Faire Bay Area has been nominated for a "Sustainable San Mateo Award." From the press release:
Sustainable San Mateo County is happy to announce the nominees for the 11th Annual Sustainability Awards. This year's list is comprised of a diverse array of businesses, government agencies, non-profit organizations and individuals who are all making positive contributions to the County's economy, environment and social equity. We would like to thank those who submitted nominations as well as wish the nominees the best of luck.
The winners will be announced in January 2010. Congrats to everyone who works so hard to make the Faire happen, both internally, and to all the makers and attendees.
2010 Sustainability Awards Nominees
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December 14 2009, 6:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/12/maker_faire_detroit_2010.html
Last summer, after our Maker Faire in the Bay Area, I had a couple of speaking engagements in the Detroit area. One was at a Go Tech meeting in Ann Arbor, at the A2 MechShop. I had many people asking about a Maker Faire in Detroit and insisting that it would mean a lot to a region that was going through hard times. On the same trip, I met with curators at The Henry Ford Museum in Dearborn and they too were interested in seeing a Maker Farie happen. Walking through the museum, I saw not just the creations of American makers, but the workshops of people like Thomas Edison and the Wright Brothers, not to mention Henry Ford. I couldn't help but think what inspiration today's makers would find in the 100-year old legacy of the Model T, along with so many other important examples of how technology has changed our lives.
I'm happy to announce today that we have partnered with The Henry Ford Museum to create a Maker Faire in 2010 in the Detroit area. The dates will be July 31-August 1, 2010.
I look at it as a wonderful opportunity to showcase the technical and creative talent of the region, which was once the most productive city in America. Detroit needs to retool and rethink its opportunities, and quite frankly, I find this an exciting opportunity to be part of. If the manufacturing skills and design prowess of Detroit can be married to the tools for communication and expression that the Internet provides, something big will come of it. Already today, you can see the seeds growing. There's the emergence of hackerspaces like I3 Detroit and All Hands Active, co-working spaces like A2 MechShop and the Tech Brewery, and a thriving craft scene around Handmade Detroit. Add to that initiatives such as the tech incubator known as TechTown at Wayne State University and the excellent higher education system in Michigan.
We have come up with a tagline for Maker Faire Detroit -- From Motor City to Maker City. (Thanks, Diana). We hope as part of this process of organizing Maker Faire to create a Maker City that is a year-round guide to the amazing resources and talents to be found in this region. In short, stay tuned for more.
To keep track of developments for Maker Faire Detroit, check out makerfaire.com. You can send mail to detroit@makerfaire.com to be added to our mailing list and to receive notices about our Call for Makers and other event details. Please let me know if you have suggestions and ideas for Maker Faire Detroit (dale at oreilly dot com). We'll need lots of help and support but I'm sure that makers across the Midwest will participate and we'll be able to create an amazing event.
Whether you live in Detroit or not, Detroit's problems are our problems and Detroit's opportunities are ours as well.
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Digg this!December 4 2009, 1:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/10/christina_and_forest_at_maker_faire.html
At Maker Faire Rhode Island, I saw Christina waiting near the AS220 Fab Lab for her son Forest. She was holding some of the replacement parts that he had made for his MakerBot. We talked a bit about what making means to her and Forest. They're already looking forward to Maker Faire 2010.
MAKE subscribers, watch your mailboxes for Volume 20: Kids, which should be arriving very soon.
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October 4 2009, 6:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/09/eye_on_the_bay_coverage_of_maker_fa.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
San Francisco's KPIX/Channel 5's "Eye on the Bay" program did a decent, lengthy, and enthusiastic piece about this year's Maker Faire Bay Area. The piece covers everything from the R/C warships to Russell the robotic giraffe and "Hand of Man" to the steampunk offerings to art cars, the Coke and Mentos show, and the bicycle-powered stage. Definitely a nice, satisfying slice of what Maker Faire has to offer (though they don't mention anything about this year's ReMake America theme, all of the amazing food makers we had, or any of the crafts). Several times during the piece, the reporter insists you have to plan to go next year. He's right!
Maker Faire - 9/17/09
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Digg this!September 21 2009, 6:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/09/kipp_bradford_describes_maker_faire.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Here's Kipp Bradford talking about the planning behind Providence's DIY Maker Faire Rhode Island, which concludes this weekend!
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Digg this!September 16 2009, 11:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/ann_arbor_mini_maker_faire_recap.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Congratulations to the Ann Arbor Mini Maker team for a successful Faire! Over 1100 attendees blew smoke rings, rode the worlds largest (claimed) bristlebot, piloted robots, made music, silk-screened t-shirts and had a great time! Missed it? Be sure to check out the Flickr pool, or read the excellent writeup at the Ann Arbor Chronicle!
Photo credits: Matt Mets, Dug Song
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Digg this!August 31 2009, 9:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/maker_faire_africa_video_compilatio.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
The folks over at AfricaNews put together a nice compilation video about Maker Faire Africa, including a chair made from plastic bottles, electric cream used for food preservation, and many other fine projects!
Did you miss the Faire this year? Don't fret, an even bigger version is being planned for next year! In the meantime, be sure to check out some of the other coverage of this year's Faire.
(Thanks, Daniel Carter!)
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August 28 2009, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/maker_faire_africa_update.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
So you couldn't get a visa to Ghana, misplaced your tickets to Accra, didn't have an up-to-date yellow fever shot or for some other reason couldn't make it to Maker Faire Africa...Well lose that sad face, the feed is just beginning. It always seems that during amazing events like Maker Faire, the online coverage doesn't really get rolling until people get back to their home base and upload their photos and videos and write up their reflections.
Here are a few of the feeds that are worth watching regarding Maker Faire Africa. Afrigadget has had some great coverage of the lead up and goings on of the event. They are tagging their stories for easy retrieval with MFA09. Over at Twitter, the same tag turns up some great results.
Adam pointed us to the Maker Faire Africa pool on Flickr, and has picked out some great projects worth checking out.
Amy Smith's research group from MIT has an annual month-long international conference, which this year coincided with Maker Faire Africa. You can check out the IDDS blog for more day to day info on their gathering.
Erik Hersman who usually blogs on White African, has been writing on Afrigadget during Maker Faire Africa, also has a great collection of photos from the event on Flickr.
If you see something else, please mention it in the comments. If you went to Maker Faire Africa, drop a line with more stories of the great work that you saw and did and of course, the MAKE Flickr pool is hungry for your photos and video of the event.
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August 18 2009, 6:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/maker_faire_rhode_island.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
www.makerfaireri.com
My first visit to Rhode Island was in 1990. I vividly remember getting off I-95 at the downtown Providence exit and being confronted by a multi-story pile of dirt at the end of the ramp. I became lost as I wandered beneath the highway overpasses, challenged to find the heart of the city. After moving here for college in 1991, my quest expanded beyond Providence. Over time, I became captivated by the diversity of people and ideas that I discovered wandering through so many small towns mostly by bicycle and occasionally by car. Almost twenty years later, that pile of dirt is long gone, replaced by revitalized buildings and newly invigorated community, but I have found what I had been looking for. A spirit of creativity and fostering innovation, what Bert Crenca, founder of the local community arts organization AS220, has described as the "compost heap" of art, design, technology, science and more, has come to define my experience in my adopted home.
Maker Faire RI , for me, is a celebration of this innovative spirit and the impact it has on peoples' lives. In addition, it is a showcase for the cool projects people are working on in their garages and gardens, kitchens and basements, workshops and community centers. As an affiliate of MAKE Magazine and part of the larger Maker Faire community, we are bringing an event to Rhode Island and New England to gather together local Makers, Innovators, and Creative Thinkers. Our goal is to catalyze sharing of ideas, make connections between those with varied interests, and create opportunities for teaching and learning.
Maker Faire Rhode Island consists of a series of events organized by a dedicated team of volunteers and coordinated with other partner organizations. We begin with a kickoff party September 6th, during the Rocktucket Block Party, part of the Pawtucket Arts Festival.
The second event is a fundraiser for The Steel Yard in Providence, on September 12th. Come enjoy a family barbecue while watching local welders and artists compete for the title of Iron Chef Steel Yard.
From September 14th through the 17th, we have hands-on D.I.Y. workshops in Pawtucket at the Slater Mill, the birthplace of the American Industrial Revolution. An historic mill building and working museum steeped in the history of industry and innovation in this country, the Slater Mill workshops are a great opportunity to connect the history and future of innovation in America. We'll wrap up the workshops with a celebration at the art gallery and recording studio Machines With Magnets in Pawtucket.
Moving back to Providence on September 18th, we'll meet the Makers at JTJ Investment's Eco Office, at 27 Walcott St. This is the only "Net-Zero" office building in Rhode Island, and is the new home to a leading regional renewable energy concern, Alteris Renewables.
Finally, Makers will showcase their projects, gadgets, inventions, products, designs, technologies, fancy foods, and much more at the Maker Faire at Waterfire. With an audience ranging from 10,000 to 100,000 attendees, we expect to have a fantastic family friendly event.
The Iron Chef fundraiser requires a ticket purchase. All other events are free to attend. Workshop instructors may provide kits for sale at the Slater Mill D.I.Y. workshops.
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August 17 2009, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/radio_maker_faire_africa.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Hayford Bempong, David Celestin and Michael Amankwanor from Accra Polytechnic set up a local Maker Faire Africa radio station. The group announced upcoming activities, broadcasting at 101.7 FM, and could be heard up to a couple thousand meters away using gear they designed and fabricated from scratch.
[via AfriGadget]
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August 17 2009, 9:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/mini_maker_faire_summer_series.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
MAKE's most wonderful editorial assistant, Laura Cochrane, has been helping us host a series of Mini Maker Faires this summer. Here she files a little report about last weekend's event, held at Copperfield's Books in Petaluma, CA. The video was shot by Brian Rawson for Copperfield's. - Gareth
Last Saturday, I helped out at the Mini Maker Faire that was held in a local bookstore in Petaluma, CA. This was one in a series of Mini Maker Faires that we've held this summer in and around MAKE's hometown of Sebastopol, CA.
I was making toothbrush bristlebots and LED throwies along with one of the Make: Labs engineering interns, Eric Chu. Other makers that came out on Saturday included David Nutty, working with basic electronics; Elaine Barr, cranking out some sweet t-shirt stenciling; Terry Reilly with High Tech Bikes, showing solar and dual motor bikes; Peggy Jo Ackley crafting collage greeting cards; and Brad Prather with his fun, quirky solar gadgets. All in all, it was a stellar lineup, and the day was a huge success.
The bristlebots project was probably the most involved, and I'll be honest - this was my first time making one. The step that I (and seemingly everyone else) found the most challenging was making a solid connection between the end of the stripped wire and the contacts on the pager motor. We weren't soldering, so we used conductive tape instead, which unfortunately, isn't very sticky! That fact, combined with the fine motor skills required to manipulate the wire and tape on the tiny motor contact, made this step a real challenge. I ended up making two bristlebots, and I used regular tape on my second generation, which seemed to be a better option, given what we had to work with.
The final Mini Maker Faire is this Saturday, Aug. 8, at Copperfield's Books in Montgomery Village, Santa Rosa, CA. It runs 11am to 1pm. Stop by if you're in the area!
Featured makers: Bob Peak from Beverage People with a cheese making demonstration, David Nutty demonstrating the basics of electronics, Brookelynn Morris with needle felting, the MAKE team making bristlebots and LED throwies, Francois Cordesse with astronomy gadgets, and Community Bikes, showing you how to fix your bike.
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August 7 2009, 3:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/08/the_boy_who_harnessed_the_wind.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Here's a charming, inspiring little intro to the documentary about William Kamkwamba, the Malawian teen who got a book out of the library on windmills (which had pictures of the them, but no tech details) and figured out how to build his own to bring electrical power to his family.
William will be participating in Maker Faire Africa.
William Kamkwamba is Coming to Maker Faire Africa
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August 4 2009, 7:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.craftzine.com
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/07/vote_for_swap-o-rama-rama_in_t.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954
Maker Fair's own Swap-O-Rama-Rama has been nominated for a grant in the Grant for Change program. Your vote for it is needed! The founder of Swap-O-Rama-Rama, Wendy Tremayne is also a writer for Craft and Make. Please cast a vote today!The way you vote is to log in, and rate it by clicking the stars at the bottom right. Five stars is the highest rating.
As you may well know Swap-O-Rama-Rama is a creative commons, non-profit that offers cities around the world assistance in producing Swap-O-Rama-Rama events in which communities are engaged in artist lead workshops, silk screening and sewing as they repurpose used clothing into new goods. The essence of the event is the transformation of consumers into creators through experiential play. The event, now in over 60 cities world wide, has recycled hundreds of thousands of pounds of clothing.
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July 17 2009, 1:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/07/multimachine_at_maker_faire_africa.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
We've posted about the MultiMachine before, an open source, all-purpose machine shop uber-tool, designed with the developing world in mind. Pat Delany, the 74-year-old designer of the MultiMachine, is hoping to make it to Maker Faire Africa to demo the device.
There's a piece on the MFA Blog offering a vision of what the MultiMachine could mean to under-industrialized regions:
Wikipedia describes the MultiMachine as:
"...an all-purpose open source machine tool that can be built inexpensively by a semi-skilled mechanic with common hand tools, from discarded car and truck parts, using only commonly available hand tools and no electricity. Its size can range from being small enough to fit in a closet to one a hundred times that size. The MultiMachine can accurately perform all the functions of an entire machine shop by itself."
Lets think about this for a minute "an all purpose machine tool that...can accurately perform all the functions of an entire machine shop" built from discarded parts by semi-skilled mechanics (replace with jua kali workers, suame magazine fabbers etc.) What may be missing? A power source of sorts with the necessary torque and availability even in the most rural of areas. Perhaps coupling it with a system like the multifunctional platform would solve that problem.
(Maker Faire Africa will take place on August 14-16 in Accra, Ghana.)
The MultiMachine as a Roadmap
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July 17 2009, 6:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/07/maker_faire_africa_august_14-16_in.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Just a reminder that the Officially Unofficial Maker Faire Africa is scheduled to take place August 14-16 in Accra, Ghana. We hope to have some people on the ground there and will be covering it here on Make: Online. If you want to keep abreast of Faire happenings, they have a blog on the MFA website. They're also looking for donations to help make the fair happen. There's a donation widget on the main page.
Maker Faire Africa
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July 16 2009, 3:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/07/maker_faire_on_brink_tonight.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Set your DVRs, VCR cat feeders, and Arduino-controlled doggie dish dispensers for 10:30pm tonight. The Discovery Science Channel will be running a segment about Maker Faire on their Brink program.
Brink: Science Channel
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July 6 2009, 3:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/07/run_for_your_lives_its_the_maker_fa.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Look what happens when you go to the check out the Life Size Mousetrap...Some crazy beaste comes galumphing through the place.
Yikes. Anybody got details on the build?
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July 5 2009, 6:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/heads_on_fire_at_maker_faire.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Heads on Fire hosted the Bay Area Maker Faire Fab Lab. At Maker Faire Austin, the Fab Lab has been hosted by the Boston Fab Lab at the South End Technology Center. Wikipedia has a decent list of the various Fab Labs around the world.
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June 29 2009, 2:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/rodney_brooks_at_maker_faire.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Rodney Brooks, of MIT's AI Lab and iRobot, is one of my all-time heroes. His work has had a huge impact on how I look at technology in general, robotics in specific, approaches to problem-solving, and more. So I was bummed that I missed his talk (and meeting him) at Maker Faire. Thanks to FORA.tv, I didn't miss it, nor did you. His 33-minute talk is a fascinating look at the coming "age wave," the need for robots to help/subsidize an aging population, the role of makers in industrial and technological innovation, discovering where the exponentials are in technology and manufacturing and exploiting them, and much more. Good stuff.
Rodney Brooks: Remaking Manufacturing With Robotics
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June 24 2009, 3:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/boingboing_video_at_maker_faire.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
BoingBoing video visited Maker Faire!
In today's edition of Boing Boing Video, Mark Frauenfelder and Boing Boing Gadgets editor Lisa Katayama profile three cool things found at the recent Bay Area Maker Faire: The Yudu personal screen printer, an interactive, collaborative, musical Tesla Coil, and a candy-fabbing device from Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories.
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June 13 2009, 6:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/techshop_post-maker_faire_open_hous.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
There's a big Open House at TechShop, Menlo Park, this Saturday, 6/13/2009 from 10 AM to 6 PM.
There will be a presentation and workshop by Bob Johansen (Fellow from the Institute for the Future) discussing points from his book on leadership skills for makers.
They're also offering TechShop Maker Faire Membership Specials, going on until 6/15. These are memberships for $75 per month, $375 for 6 months, and $675 for a year. They're apparently selling fast, so get while the gettin's good. Jim Newton tells me they might be full by the end of the week.
TechShop Post-Maker Faire Open House #2
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June 10 2009, 7:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/nathan_hicksons_maker_faire_video.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Nathan Hickson made this short montage of some fun things he saw at Maker Faire. I missed most of these things myself!
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June 9 2009, 12:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/go_home_and_make_your_own_maker_fai.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
[Photo by Scott Beale]
Dan Chiles is a member of Springfield City Council in Missouri. He visited Maker Faire and wrote about it in the Springfield News-Leader. I think he does a fine job, in a brief piece, of capturing the wonder and inspiration (and the delightful wackiness) of a Maker Faire:
I saw a fire truck that belched fire, and a mammoth mechanical fist powered by shrieking diesel motors and controlled by two guys who sent us colorful hand signals, and a skating Barack Obama robot pulling a human in a cart.
I saw hundreds of homemade rockets hissing into the sky and parachuting to earth, and giant mechanical cupcakes motoring between weird mutant bicycles, and a guy building round aquariums to display gently undulating jellyfish. I saw a $700 machine that reads your computer design and makes an object out of plastic ... or sugar!
I saw Star Wars technology morph with Jules Verne Victorian imagination into an alien art form known as "Steampunk." There were Steampunk belly dancers in a magic show and they drove a car shaped like a giant mechanical copper snail. Teams of young blacksmiths hammered out Steampunk artifacts for wide-eyed kids.
The two guys who made jetting streams of Mentos and Diet Coke famous were there spewing on legions of laughing spectators.
There were buildings full of kids assembling robots, electronics and gadgets. There were buildings of kids tearing apart electronics, gadgets and appliances to see what was inside.
Art cars covered with ink pens and pinwheels or shaped like a shark prowled the parade grounds.
Human beings rode on human-powered amusement rides and listened to rock bands powered by ranks of laughing men and women pedaling bicycle generators.
And I love the Dale Dougherty quote he ends with:
"Do you like what you see here? Then go home and make your own Maker Faire."
Are you ready to remake America?
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June 8 2009, 8:30pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/prong_your_prius.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
If you have a prius, and want to go more than a mile in battery mode, then you might want to check out 3 prong power
3Prong Power is delivering enhanced Toyota Prius Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles (PHEV) conversions for our customers. Our goal is to meet and expand the demand for PHEVs that has been seen nationwide, starting in the Bay Area.
This technology enables using two distinct power sources and enhances fuel efficiency. Take it to the next level, make your car a true Hybrid...Plug it in.
This sounds like a neat system. Certainly it is not free, and the conversion costs fall in a lump onto the consumer's bank account, but in the long term, it appears to save fuel costs and have environmental benefits as well. Refueling with electric takes a few hours, and costs about as much as the equivalent of $1 a gallon of gasoline.
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June 7 2009, 6:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/adam_savage_at_maker_faire_talking.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Here's a video excerpt of Adam Savage's wonderful talk at Maker Faire. He's telling the story of a life-changing experience that's helped form his character and how massively screwing up can sometimes end up as a positive.
MythBuster Adam Savage's Colossal Failures
[You can see additional clips from Adam's talk and watch the entire hour-long presentation on the link above.]
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June 6 2009, 2:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.craftzine.com
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/06/fluid_sculpture_dress_at_maker.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954
Here's one of the pieces I was looking forward to seeing at Maker Faire this year. Rachel Hobson managed to snap a few photos, and I got to meet the creator of this fluid-pumping dress made from surgical tubing. From the Casual Profanity site:
There was one question I got frequently that is worth answering, and that is: “how did you think of this”?
Forgetting for a second that we’re talking about a dress made with tubes and a pump and not, for instance, something useful. I would like to propose that the origin of this, and most any idea, is a bit absurd and mostly irrelevant.
What is vital though, and of greater influence on any project, is how it perpetuates.
The Maker Faire is what motivated me. The receptive, forgiving, and care-full group of people represented there and on the internet is of much greater consequence to my project than whatever random elements fused at its conception.
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Knitted Plastic Tubing makes Fluid Sculpture
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June 3 2009, 7:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/maker_faire_diet_coke_mentos_in_3d.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
It's the closest you'll come to getting uncomfortably covered in sticky sugar water without actually being at the Faire for an Eepybird show. Grab your 3D glasses and check it out. This anaglyph 3D video was shot by Eric Kurland of Retinal Rivalry. Thanks, Eric!
Eepybird.com
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June 3 2009, 9:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/maker_faire_epiphanies.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Every year, at Maker Faire, I have one or more "epiphanies," transcendent moments where I feel joyously overwhelmed by the wonder of what's happening at the Faire -- where it dawns on me how truly amazing this event is and how lucky I am to be a part of it. This year, my epiphanies were smaller, subtler, but I thought they were still worth sharing:
Moment #1: After my robotics panel on Sunday, I went over to finally meet Michael Brown, creator of the amazing Bluerain scrolling LED light installation (seen above). He was talking to an elderly gentleman (I think he said he was in his '80s) who obviously knew something about the technology Michael was discussing. The man was also with a little boy, maybe 5 or so. "You seem to know something about this," Michael said. "I'm a engineer," the man replied, "I used to build robots." Michael looked down at the little boy and said, with enthusiasm in his voice: "Do you know this man?" The little boy said (with equal enthusiasm): "That's my granddad!" And Michael replied: "Whoa. You are SO lucky to have such a cool grandfather!" The kid had the most precious look on his face, like it was maybe just dawning on him that all of the amazing stuff he was seeing at the Faire -- like Bluerain -- his granddad might have had some involvement with similar "cool" stuff. And the look of pride on the grandfather's face was so tremendous it almost made me tear up. I thought about all of the older engineers and other makers of his generation at the Faire and how much joy they must get from seeing so much respect and attention finally being paid to engineers, whom James Kip Finch called "The great makers of history."
Moment #2: I was in one of the stalls of the men's room when a man came in with a very rambunctious small child. Immediately, he started saying: "Don't touch that! Leave that alone. Don't open the doors. Stop looking under there!" The kid was a whirlwind of chaotic exploration. Then I heard the kid say to somebody: "We're a family of makers." Very Ralphie Wiggums. Somehow the whole scene just cracked me up. I think that kid is going places (and probably a few where he "shouldn't").
Moment #3: The last one wasn't a moment, but many, and it wasn't at the Faire, it was on Twitter. As the Faire approached, you could see all of the tweets from people preparing their projects, or just enthusiastically getting ready to go to the Faire. Then, on Friday night, before bedtime, people tweeted before they went to sleep, excited for the coming day. It felt like the night before Christmas and everybody in Whoville was tucking themselves into bed getting ready for the magic that the morning would bring. Really a wonderful sense that we were all collectively getting ready to experience something truly special. Not surprisingly, the next day, somebody actually tweeted: "Maker Faire is the new Christmas."
If you were at Maker Faire this year, what were some of your "epiphanies?"
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June 3 2009, 7:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/maker_faire_tweets.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
I just started going through the @makerfaire twitter messages. Some of my faves already, even though I'm not even close to finishing to sort them:
@choklit: @makerfaire was brilliant, exhausting, magical, quirky and beautiful. The best was the many luminous lovelies I connected with. Now, to bed
@quellybeep: full day @makerfaire turned total sensory overload inspiration exhaustion. so many smart ppl brimming w/ creative energy making awesomeness.
@roxycraft: Winding day 2 at @makerfaire. My cheeks are sore from smiling...lol
@emora: At @makerfaire. So tired out from yesterday. But I'm still at it again. Awesome stuff. I want to be here forever http://twitpic.com/6cxm2
@SisterDiane: Pretty much ready to follow @makerfaire like the Grateful Dead. #mf09
Picture above is of the Flatulance-Twittering Office Chair by Randy Sarafan at Instructables. Photo by kentbrew.
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June 3 2009, 12:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/fatherdaughter_bonding_at_maker_fai.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
I didn't get a chance to take a ton of photos at Maker Faire, but I did catch this dad and his daughter working on this electronics kit together in the Sparkfun tent. I didn't catch their names, so if that's you, post in the comments! I think there should be an international "teach your daughter to solder" day; I didn't learn until college!
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June 2 2009, 8:17pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/pole_aerial_camera_photos_from_make.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Cris Benton writes in:
This year’s event was fabulous and my kite aerial photography group had a fine time. I took a break from the KAP exhibit on Sunday and made a circuit through the Faire with my pole camera setup. I was able to stitch an interior 360 degree panorama in the large hall from 19 images taken at shutter speeds less than 1/30th of a second. At 17,000 pixels wide, the original panorama would print over six feet wide at high resolution and also works well as source for a QTVR.
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June 2 2009, 7:55pm | More »
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I posted to blog.craftzine.com
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/06/more_views_from_maker_faire.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954
I just got back to Austin from Maker Faire at 1:00 this morning, so I'm going to let these pictures do the talking for how amazing our Maker Faire experience was. We met fantastic people, held hugely helpful demonstrations and got great feedback from people who are keeping up with CRAFT on the Internet. Stay tuned for more coverage this week, including a kid's point of view report of Maker Faire!
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June 2 2009, 2:00pm | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/bots_at_the_faire_via_botjunkie.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
The folks from BotJunkie and OhGizmo were at Maker Faire and did a nice job of Twittering it and posting on their sites. Here's a link to a brief gallery of robot pics on BotJunkie and a Tesla Coil video and some awesome pics on OhGizmo.
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June 2 2009, 9:30am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/syncomasher_maker_faire.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Moldover's SyncoMasher combines 5 distinct music controllers into one console - and looks as if it was pulled straight out of a DJ's TARDIS. While the device received plenty of play from faire attendees, I managed to squeeze in a quick interview with its creator.
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June 2 2009, 8:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.makezine.com
http://blog.makezine.com/archive/2009/06/postcard_from_maker_faire.html?CMP=OTC-0D6B48984890
Chris O'Brien over at Silicon Beat had a great time at Maker Faire. In answering the question "What is Maker Faire?," he ends up with an optimistic view of how we can use Maker Faire to take back our technology.
How do you boil down an event where someone spent 13 years building a life-size working version of the Mouse Trap game? Or a steam-driven motorcycle out of wood? Or a solar-powered recycling unit that processes fish poop to fertilize a vegetable garden? Or teaches people how to re-purpose their old clothes with its variety of sewing and craft techniques?
It's tech, but it's more than that. It's geeky, but it's for everyone. It's an overwhelming sensory experience that's still one of the most family-friendly events I've ever attended.
On a basic level, it's one of these events that reminds me why Silicon Valley is one of the most thrilling places on earth. It's easy to get cynical about this place sometimes when it seems everyone gets wrapped up in chasing money, status, and success. But strip that away, peel back the sometimes stifling hand of the corporations, and the heart of Silicon Valley looks something very much like Maker Faire.
If you went to Maker Faire and want to share your experiences, write about it, post your photos and video to the
MAKE Flickr pool, and tag your work with
Maker Faire,
Maker Faire 2009 or
#MF09 on Twitter and
Flickr.
If you were not able to get physically to Maker Faire, you can still join the fun by finding the most interesting photos, videos, and other info. Create your own Maker Faire mashup of the event and put it online. There is a complete list of all the makers. Many of the organizations and people have web addresses that can help you find out more. Let us know in the comments where to find your Maker Faire Mashup!
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June 2 2009, 4:00am | More »
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I posted to blog.craftzine.com
http://blog.craftzine.com/archive/2009/06/maker_faire_coverage_continues.html?CMP=OTC-5JF307375954
As our team recovers from Maker Faire, I just wanted to say a huge thank you to all the people who came by to say hi to us at the CRAFT booth! We love what you are making and that you are reading CRAFT online and following our tweets. It was an amazing and inspiring weekend for us. Give us a bit of time and soon we will have lots of post-faire coverage.
Here's some fun pictures from me in the meantime. (L to R, Top to Bottom) Rachel and me [ photo by Marie Kare ], Diane from CraftyPod doing the Button It Up! button hairclip demo, Bonnie from StarWars.com and Terri with the Ewok sock puppets and R2D2, "The Gang" Rachel, Matt, Becky, and Alex waiting in line for the amazing paella dinner on Friday, Becky after her awesome "Intro to Soft Electronics" demo with the winner of her giveaway, and finally, myself with Corrine and Rob from Threadbanger where they hosted the Threadbanger Twitter Scavenger Hunt. More pics and videos are coming!
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June 1 2009, 3:30pm | More »
