Make:

Posted by Matt Mets | Oct 14, 2009 05:00 PM
Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

October 13, 2009

Steampunk art exhibit opens today in Oxford

Here's by way of a can-we-still-be-friends for those annoyed by yesterday's steampunk toilet post. The Museum of the History of Science at Oxford's Old Ashmolean building is hosting an exhibit of contemporary steampunk art curated by Art Donovan. It runs from today until February 21, 2010. If you're interested in steampunk and you're anywhere near the UK during that time it's probably worth checking out.

Posted by Sean Michael Ragan | Oct 13, 2009 07:00 AM
Announcements, Events, Retro | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

Handmade Music Austin: workshop, jamming & more - this Sunday!

Austin area synthheads are in for quite a sweet treat - the Handmade Music Austin event series kicks off this Sunday (Oct. 18th) with a kit-building workshop and subsequent group synth jam -

4ms Pedals, Bleep Labs, Eric Archer, and Church of the Friendly Ghost have brought Handmande Music to Austin! Starting October 18th, we will offer monthly workshops at Salvage Vanguard Theatre where you can learn how to solder, build a synth kit, show off your own musical DIY project of any type, and jam with the new Andromeda Space Rocker synthesizer kits.

Free beginner classes! This free class is for anyone, even if they've never picked up a soldering iron or know the difference between a capacitor and a resistor. We'll show how to solder, discuss the basics of electronics and build an analog drum. Soldering equipment will be provided but if you have your own tools, bring them along.

In the upper division class, we'll walk you through one of our new modular, networkable synthesizer kits and discuss synth design. Each event will feature a different kit, starting with one of Eric's drum machines. Classes are $45 and include a kit and all necessary materials.

Each device can communicate with each other via an ir network. This means that when you place them next to each other they automatically sync and play at the same tempo. There will be 100% analog drum machines from Eric, a digital bassline generator with analog filters from Dann of 4ms, and an Arduino based synth with an analog VCO from Dr. Bleep. These kits will be available online after the first event.

Posted by Collin Cunningham | Oct 13, 2009 05:00 AM
Electronics, Events, Music | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

October 9, 2009

NYC big wheel race Saturday

With prizes for most original vehicle and best costume, I'm wishing I had heard about the NYC big wheel race a bit sooner...

Bring your big wheel, trike, skateboard, velocipede, or handmade contraption on wheels along with your superhero costume to race down the Great Hill in Central Park against the greatest front and rear axelers.

If you do manage to get a vehicle together, wear a helmet!

2nd annual NYC Great Big Wheel Race
Saturday, October 10, 3-5:30pm
Central Park Drive, 104th St east side

Posted by Becky Stern | Oct 9, 2009 06:00 PM
Events, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

October 8, 2009

The Petaluma Whiskerino

I think it's fairly clear that the maker/craft world is in the midst of a trend. A trend almost as big as bird silhouettes, almost as big as the skull and crossbones, almost as big as the octopus. It's the mustache, and it seems to be, ahem, growing on everyone. From 'Nifer's amazing pieces of nose decor, to the laser cut 'stache necklaces on etsy, nose neighbors and soup strainers are here to stay. And the Petaluma Whiskerino is celebrating with an old school exhibition. I will be at the event on Saturday, starting at 3pm at the Petaluma Farmers Market. I plan to be sporting my own colorful facial hair, and will have my felting supplies so that anyone who likes can join in the fun.

The Annual Bill Soberanes Memorial Whiskerino Contest has been around for longer than anyone I talked to could reckon. I got the details from Fred Abercrombie, who has been competing for the last 5 years. Last year Fred, his wife Melissa, and some of their neighbors created a campaign and took up the task of promotions. Their efforts included some clever material, including handlebar mustache stickers for the mirror, and a postcard that can transform anyone from clean shaven to hirsute in an instant. They've even made chocolate mustache lollipops! As a bonus, this year Fred created a time traveling video, of his face sprouting what I consider to be true art.

Time Lapse: My Hairy Commute from :: Fred Abercrombie on Vimeo.

Posted by Brookelynn | Oct 8, 2009 06:30 PM
Arts, Events | Permalink | Comments (3) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

October 7, 2009

This week in Maker Events

Coming up this week:
reMake Lounge (soft circuit workshop)
San Francisco, CA
Saturday, Oct 10, 2009, 12:30pm - 3pm

Nonsense NYC 10th Anniversary Show
Brooklyn, NY
Saturday, Oct 10, 2009, 7pm - 1am

Make:SF meeting
San Francisco, CA
Tuesday, Oct 13, 2009, 6:30pm +

Innovation Dublin
Dublin, Ireland
Wednesday, Oct 14, 2009 - Tuesday, Oct 20, 2009

Twin Cities Maker Monthly Meeting
Minneapolis, MN
Wednesday, Oct 14, 2009, 7pm - 9pm

Fire the Lazzzor! Learn to rapid prototype using the 35 Watt Epilog Laser.
Brooklyn, NY
Sunday, Oct 11, 2009, 2pm - 5pm

Start planning for:
Milton Keynes Science Festival
Central Milton Keynes, United Kingdom
Saturday, Oct 17, 2009 - Sunday, Oct 25, 2009

Manchester Science Festival 2009
Manchester, United Kingdom
Sat, October 24, 2009 - Sunday, Nov 01, 2009

Video Editing in iMovie '09
Pittsburgh, PA
Saturday, Oct 24, 2009, 2pm - 4:30pm

Mobile Art && Code
Pittsburgh, PA
Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend

Posted by Matt Mets | Oct 7, 2009 05:00 PM
Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

October 5, 2009

Dorkbot NYC this Wednesday

Dorkbot NYC is this Wednesday!

Featuring the pale green and salt-forming:

Torino:Margolis is a performance art team that crosses physical and psychological barriers, using invasive electronics and biomedical tools. They explore the idea that the self is transient, elusive and modular by playing with the notion of control and free will. In their new media/dance piece, Action Potential, they harvest a dancer's neuronal impulses using electromyography machines. Using Arduino and XBees, the signals are sent wirelessly to Pure Data open source software, which transforms the signals into sound. Sound/programming by Lee Azzarello and choreography by Dana Kotler.

Stefani Bardin: Chemical Proust: Remembrance of Things Pastiche I'm a media maker interested in the intersections of food, technology and science. By examining industrial food production alongside the media rich stylized presentation of food and using such tools as artificial smells (that "flavor" our food supply) and gastroenterology technology I look at food as both a mediating agent and phenomenological reference point within our society and how its role has changed through the modern influences of technology and corporate culture.

Lee von Kraus: cyborgs and cybernetics I will discuss the roborat, roboroach, and other cybernetics stuff I'm working on. The roborat is a rat that is trained to move in directions specified by electronic signals sent to its brain via electrodes. The roboroach is a cockroach that is tricked into moving in specified directions by using mechanically actuated antenna stimulation. The 'other cybernetics stuff' refers to a goal of augmenting brains via induction of new circuit formation.

What: dorkbot-nyc meeting

When: 7-9pm, 07 Oct 2009

Where: Location One, 20 Green Street, north of Canal

$$$: $$$FREE$$$

Posted by Becky Stern | Oct 5, 2009 11:00 AM
Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

October 3, 2009

Today is 24 Hour Comic Book Day

Doctor Popular writes:

Today is 24 Hour Comic Book Day, meaning artists all over the world will be attempting to write and draw their own 24 page comics in 24 consecutive hours. Nearly 40 artists will be attempting the challenge in San Francisco and we'll be live broadcasting the entire time... if you like watching people drawing.

To learn more about 24hcbd check out 24hourcomicsday.com.
Each SF location will have it's own stream, you can see them embedded on blog.missioncomicsandart.com and comicoutpost.blogspot.com

Posted by Gareth Branwyn | Oct 3, 2009 12:30 PM
Arts, Events | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

October 2, 2009

Yankee Steam-Up this weekend in Rhode Island

Continuing a great tradition, the New England Wireless and Steam Museum is hosting the Yankee Steam-Up, where you can see steam engines large and small, stirling engines, running antique engines and vehicles, and much more. There is also a Marconi-era wireless museum with fascinating equipment from the early days of radio, including a Massie Station spark gap transmitter.

Check out some great videos of running steam engines from last year's event here.

The Original Yankee Steam-Up:
For model makers, machinists, engineers & historians
Saturday October 3, 2009
8:30AM-4:00PM

1300 Frenchtown Road, East Greenwich, RI 02818
Steam & Compressed Air for Models.
Licensed Boilers & Licensed Engineers.
New Englands Largest Steam-Up Boiler.
Giant Working Steam Engines & Hot Air & IC.

Admission is $15.00 for adults, children under 12 are $5.00. All Steam-Up proceeds go to upkeep of the museum. Parking is free, and there is food at the event.

Posted by Kipp Bradford | Oct 2, 2009 05:00 PM
Events, Retro, Wireless | Permalink | Comments (1) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

Make:NYC Meeting October 7th

Check out the Make:NYC meeting next Wednesday!

Ready for some high-flyin' fall festivities??

Challenge: Airplane Battle

Makers will construct their most elegant of aeronautical designs in a head-to-head competition for ultimate performance. Basic construction materials will be made available!

Show and Tell

Meet your fellow NYC Makers and show off your creations! Bring your gadgets, gizmos, sketches, ideas, anything you'd like to put in the spotlight. We encourage NYC Makers to collaborate on and discuss DIY projects. If you're planning to bring a project, drop us a note at meetings@makenyc.org.

If you'd like to attend we have plenty of space for everyone, but please RSVP!

Make:NYC Meeting 15
Wednesday October 7th, 6:30PM
Bug Labs
598 Broadway at Houston
4th floor
New York, NY 10012

Do you have an event coming up? Check out the Maker Events Calendar and add yours!

Posted by Becky Stern | Oct 2, 2009 08:00 AM
Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

October 1, 2009

Ephemerisle floating festival

Based in the Bay Area, the Seasteading Institute's mission is to "further the establishment and growth of permanent, autonomous ocean communities, enabling innovation with new political and social systems." They just hosted their second annual Seasteading Conference, and this weekend, they host the first annual Ephemerisle Festival of Politics, Community, and Art, being held October 2-4, 2009 in the Sacramento River Delta. The entire festival will be in the water, with a large central community platform augmented by participants bringing their boats, rafts, and unique homebuilt floating structures. The goal is to "provide a fun and innovative venue for the public to get their first taste of seasteading." There will be music, dance, open mic performances, and even classes on how to build your own floating platform. One of the theme camps, named Apocaisle, is working on producing a how-to for modular floating platforms that are easily reproducible; they are also working on creating Ephemerisle's pirate radio station. Ephemerisle's wiki has lots more information, including attendees platform-building notes, like Matt Bell's DIY for building a floating camp platform for 2 for under $120.

Posted by Goli Mohammadi | Oct 1, 2009 06:00 PM
Events | Permalink | Comments (2) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

September 30, 2009

This week in Maker Events

Coming up this week:

DorkbotPDX @ On Gallery 1st Thursday!
Portland, OR
Thursday, Oct 1, 2009, 6pm - 10pm (then ongoing)

Arse Elektronika
San Francisco, CA
Thursday, Oct 1, to Sunday, Oct 4, 2009, all weekend

Noisebridge: Year 1 Open Hacker House
San Francisco, CA
Friday, Oct 2, 2009, 6pm - 11pm

Open Source Embroidery Exhibition
San Francisco, CA
Friday, Oct 2, 2009, 6pm - 8pm (then ongoing)

BALLS 18
Black Rock Desert, Gerlach, NV
Friday, Oct 2, to Sunday, Oct 4, 2009, all weekend

Southern Ontario Hackerspaces / Makers Mini-Conference
Hamilton, Ontario
Friday, Oct 2 to Saturday, Oct 3, all day

Introduction to Electronics
Brooklyn, NY
Saturday, Oct 3, 2009, 1pm - 4pm

i3 Detroit Open House and Party
Royal Oak, MI
Saturday, Oct 3, 2009, 12pm - 5pm, 7pm +

Circuit Bending Workshop, pt II
Milwaukee, WI
Wednesday, Oct 7, 2009, 6:30pm - 9pm

Start planning for:
Fire the Lazzzor! Learn to rapid prototype using the 35 Watt Epilog Laser.
Brooklyn, NY
Sunday, Oct 11, 2009, 2pm - 5pm

Video Editing in iMovie '09
Pittsburgh, PA
Saturday, Oct 24, 2009, 2pm - 4:30pm

Mobile Art && Code
Pittsburgh, PA
Friday, Nov 6 to Sunday, Nov 8, 2009, all weekend

Posted by Matt Mets | Sep 30, 2009 05:00 PM
Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

Chaos Communication Congress accepting submissions

The 26th Chaos Communication Congress is accepting submissions for papers, lectures, and workshops:

26C3 is the annual four-day conference organized by the Chaos Computer Club (CCC) in Berlin, Germany.First held in 1984, it since has established itself as "the European Hacker Conference" attracting a diverse audience of thousands of hackers, scientists, artists, and utopists from all around the world. We want you to join and be a part of this unique event which serves as a public platform for cross-culture inspiration and borderless networking. 26C3 is fun!

The 26C3 conference program is roughly divided into six general categories. These categories serve as guidelines for your submissions (and later as a means of orientation for your prospective audience). However, it is not mandatory for your talk to exactly match the descriptions below. Anything that is interesting and/or funny will be taken into consideration.

The categories are Society, Hacking, Making, Science, Culture, and Community. Further descriptions of these are outlined on the site. You might check out last year's event site and Flickr pool, too. (Thanks, Aram!)

26C3: Here Be Dragons
26th Chaos Communication Congress
December 27th to 30th, 2009
Berlin, Germany

CC-licensed photo above by Flickr user Angelo.

Posted by Becky Stern | Sep 30, 2009 08:00 AM
Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

September 29, 2009

Designing a better world

Following closely on the heels of Maker Faire Rhode Island is more big excitement for the littlest state. A better world by design is a conference focused on applying technological solutions to the needs and challenges of society. This year promises to be very exciting, with an all star-speaker line-up including Jan Chipchase of Nokia, Maker Faire Africa organizer Emeka Okafor, Emily Pilloton of Project H Design, architect Teddy Cruz, and prosthetics engineer Stuart Harshbarger.

The conference also boasts a range of panels on various issues, hands-on creative workshops, and a design challenge hosted by Core77.

I dig the grassroots nature of this event. Students from Brown University and Rhode Island School of Design conceived of, organized, and run the conference. In their own words:

A Better World by Design brings a global community of innovators to Providence, Rhode Island, to reach across disciplines and unite under a common goal. Presenters share engaging stories, workshops teach creative skills, and discussions reframe perspectives. A Better World by Design is an immersive experience that deepens our understanding of the power of design, technology, and enterprise to reshape our communities and sustain our environment.

I am very much looking forward to the Maker Meetup during lunch on Friday, October 2, where I'll be sharing my experiences organizing Maker Faire Rhode Island with other Maker Faire organizers from California and Ghana. I'm also looking forward to moderating a panel on the Future of Transportation. It is going to be a fun, interesting, and educational weekend!

Posted by Kipp Bradford | Sep 29, 2009 10:00 PM
Announcements, Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

September 25, 2009

Thennagin Bomber at Handcar Regatta

This weekend, a crew of MAKE folks (myself included) will be at the Handcar Regatta, right here in Sonoma County. We're excited because it's not everyday that there's a maker event in our own backyard. If you're not familiar with it, the Great West End & Railroad Square Handcar Regatta & Exposition of Mechanical & Artistic Wonders is centered on hand-built railcar races, complete with awesome rules like "Racers and builders are one. Those who would ascend a contraption upon the rails to compete shall too be the builders of said vehicle." The vehicles must be human-powered and teams are judged on more than just speed: "Ostentation, bewilderment, whimsy, beauty, ridiculousness, and capturing the fancy of a seven-year-old girl are all reasons to build calamitous contraptions upon the rails."

Today, I visited one of the teams in their workshop behind a little white house in Santa Rosa, home of Whiskeydrunk Cycles. The Thennagin Bomber crew were up to their elbows in grease, parts, and whiskey, and the Bomber is looking mighty fine. Pictured above is the core team (from left to right): Klaus Rappensperger, Joshua Thwaites, Neil Espenship, and Joey "B.A.M." Castor, in front of the Tandemonium, their build for last year's Regatta. A little healthy rivalry is fueling the Thennagin Bomber build, as the gentlemen recalled their reaction to seeing the Hennepin Crawler's transformation from railcar to street car last year. They were inspired by the Crawler and built the Bomber as the "upgraded, faster homage." The Bomber is also a nod to bootleggers of old, running illegal whiskey. Incidentally, the Bomber boys mentioned that their nickname for the Crawler is "Crank, Rattle, and Hum."

As for what's "under the hood" of the Bomber, the crew took apart the motor from Klaus' Honda XR100 and pulled the transmission only, so they could have four gears to play with. They also turned it backwards to keep the gearing sizes low:

They used the front axle from a 1917 Ford Model T, turned upside down to fit the camber of the wheels, which are 19" spoke wheels from a 1929 Ford Model A, outer flanges cut off. The Bomber has a second set of rims with tires for street runs. Basically, they were going for a Model T that's pedal-powered. Hot!!

The steering box is pulled from a Toyota Corolla and they employed a boat crossover steering system for the cables:

One of my favorite features is that they branded by incorporating metal whiskey bottle silhouettes throughout:

The Thennagin Bomber crew said they'd be sure to mount the gift that was dropped off for them from the Hennepin Crawler team:

When I asked them if they were going to win this year's Regatta, Joey piped in: "We already won." The joy is in the build, not the win. Well done, gentlemen!

The Thennagin Bomber crew thanks everyone who helped them along the way, in particular their Hype Man Buzz for providing liquid courage and mota-vation and of course the ridiculously adorable Whiskeydrunk Cycles shop dog Eleanor.

You can see more pics of the Bomber build in action on their Facebook page. See you at the Regatta!

Posted by Goli Mohammadi | Sep 25, 2009 07:30 PM
Events, Transportation | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site

September 24, 2009

Open Source Embroidery in San Francisco

I'm proud to announce the opening of Open Source Embroidery, an exhibition at the San Francisco Museum of Craft and Folk Art on October 2. It's a great show with lots of crafts intersecting technology, including my LilyPad Embroidery piece. The show has traveled all the way from Sweden and looks truly fabulous. You can check out pictures of what the exhibition looked like at the Bildmuseet in Umeå, or stop by in person when the show opens in SF; I highly recommend it!

Open Source Embroidery

October 2, 2009 through January 24, 2010
Museum of Craft and Folk Art
51 Yerba Buena Lane
San Francisco, CA 94103
(@ Mission between Third & Fourth)

More:

LilyPad Arduino Embroidery

Posted by Becky Stern | Sep 24, 2009 02:00 PM
Arts, Crafts, Events | Permalink | Comments (0) | Email Entry | Suggest a Site