Make:

MAKE and CRAFT friend Leah Buechley writes in about an awesome opportunity:

Daniela Rosner, Eric Paulos, Amanda Willams, and I will be holding a workshop called DIY for CHI (Computer-Human Interaction conference). The session will examine DIY communities & practices through a series of hands-on activities & discussions. Come spend some time with this great group of thinkers & builders! Apply to the workshop by submitting an instructable by October 23rd.

From the site:

People creatively repurpose and modify existing materials to produce new things. These techniques are sometimes codified and shared so that others can reproduce, reinterpret or extend them. This workshop will explore DIY as an important alternative design practice. Our investigation will serve to unearth design motivations and techniques that may inform innovative HCI design methods and new tools to support DIY activity. The workshop will provide a forum for participants and organizers to develop a community around DIY issues and support ongoing research on DIY practice. The one-day workshop will involve discussion periods and group design exercises. We will provide a range of craft supplies and tools that participants can use during the exercises. The discussion topics include: 1) DIY methods 2) DIY communities 3) DIY values and goals.

Topics include but are not limited to:

• Craft and handiwork
• Sustainable practices
• Reuse, repair and economic necessity
• Open source software
• Open source hardware
• Political implications of DIY
• Economic implications of DIY
• Social implications of DIY
• DIY and education
• DIY communities
• DIY and marginalized groups
• DIY in developing countries