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Archive: Maker Faire
May 13, 2008
Wall Street Journal video on Maker Faire!
Great video from the Wall Street Journal video called "Remaking making" all about Maker Faire!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 13, 2008 12:00 AM
Events, Maker Faire |
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May 12, 2008
Maker kits - Building a kit business, open source hardware and more..
@ Maker Faire MAKE's Phil Torrone and Limor Fried of Adafruit Industries talked about emerging opportunities for makers to create and sell their work - here are our slides and notes - ZIP (27mb). EDN also has a write up. Each year we've seen more and more makers do what they love (making) as a full time job, we put together some of the observations, trends and more on how you could go about doing this too. After our talk we met about a dozen kit makers, we hope to have their kits in the MAKE store soon!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 12, 2008 08:00 AM
DIY Projects, Electronics, Maker Faire, Open source hardware |
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May 10, 2008
Puzzlemation @ Maker Faire
Hack a day's write up of Puzzlemation @ Maker Faire...
Every time we look at computer screen, millions of pixels of light disappear into our work, our correspondence, or our entertainment. Imagine if you could capture those dots of light and scoop them up as you would grains of sand on the beach. Puzzlemation explores this idea, by dividing the digital display into pixels you're free to pick up and re-arrange. It can be used to create things as diverse as modular animated signs, to a uniquely challenging dynamic puzzle. It is a tool that lets you create animated light displays of any size and shape for whatever applications you can dream up.This project's display is made of a number of tiles, about 2" square with an 8 x 8 array of color LED pixels. Each tile is individually powered and animated, so your can freely pick them up and re-arrange them. To set up a display, the tiles are placed in a special tray. Animations are downloaded into the tray via Ethernet and stored locally on an SD card. The tray broadcasts the animation to each of the tiles, and then synchronizes them.
If the pieces are left in the tray, the animation can be updated continuously over the Ethernet connection. If the tiles are removed from the tray, they'll display the animation for several hours with their own re-chargeable battery power.
Once the animation is synchronized and running on the tiles, you can pick them up and place them anywhere. The display is completely reconfigurable. Need a tall thin display, a square one, or a long skinny one? No problem - re-arrange the tiles as you please.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 10, 2008 12:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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May 9, 2008
Steampunk Maker Faire wrap-up
The steam mechanics, oilpunks, contraptors, neo-Victorians cosplayers, retro-futurists, post-apocalyptic Playa pirates, New Dandies, and electric cowboys were all out in force at this year's Bay Area Maker Faire. There was the Victorian castle on wheels, the steam-powered runabout, the steam-effects scooter, the fire-spewing bar with vaudeville side-stage, the radio-tubed Theremin, and the outdoor Victorian sitting room with a disgorged cabinet of wonders of brassy computer mods, rayguns, clockwork guitars, and a light-spewing violin covering several tables. There were also at least three airship crews.
One of the coolest things about all this is that many of these artisans were already great virtual friends, even collaborators, but had never actually met in person. Seen above is a drawing, by the amazing Suzanne Forbes, of the inimitable Jake von Slatt (left) and Datamancer (right). This is the first time these two well-known steampunk makers had met in meatspace. Here they're seen building a special Maker Faire Contraptors' Lounge keyboard (which we'll likely give away here on the blog at some point). More of Suzanne's drawings from the Lounge can be seen after the jump.
Sitting in the Lounge: Crewmembers of the HMS Chronabelle, Magpie of Steampunk Magazine. In the background (left) Captain Robert of Abney Park and Jake von Slatt, (center) MAKE photographer Sam Murphy and me (the bald dude -- and I swear I'm NOT picking my nose), (right) David S. Dowling (black vest). Seen on the table is Molly Freidrich's Sinister Device and one of her rayguns.
One of the tables in the Lounge, this one mainly featuring work by Jake von Slatt, including his clockwork guitar, his copper-plated etched mint tins, his telegraph sounders, and a phone project he's currently working on. Also seen is the new Steampunk Anthology edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer and a portfolio of Molly Freidrich's work.
Tom Sepe's steam-assisted motorbike.
Jake von Slatt: You've just been "steampunked" (by Meredith Scheff).
Read full storyPosted by Gareth Branwyn |
May 9, 2008 11:05 AM
Maker Faire, Makers, Retro |
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DIY business @ Maker Faire
Forbes talked to some Makers about their businesses, good stuff. Do-It-Yourself Success - "Why sell your idea when you can profit from it on your own?"
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 9, 2008 11:00 AM
Maker Faire, Open source hardware |
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Combat robots, warring battleships @ Maker Faire
Combat robots, warring battleships @ Maker Faire with Boing Boing TV.
Boing Boing tv's embedded robo-combat reporter Xeni Jardin witnesses warfare inside Robogames and Combots at Bay Area Maker Faire 2008, where robots battle until death -- or at least 'til one competitor busts a sprocket.Next, BB-gun wielding battleships go BOOM!, with the Western Warship Combat Club. Participants painstakingly re-create historic battleships on small scale, and outfit each warboat with actual artillery. He who sinks last wins. The cameraman took a pellet or two in the pants, but the goofy safety goggles kept all eyes intact.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 9, 2008 10:00 AM
Maker Faire, Robotics |
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The Best of Maker Faire 2008
Check out all the fun and excitement at this year's Maker Faire in San Mateo, California. People from all over the world came to experience this amazing event. Take a look at some of the highlights and make plans to attend the next Maker Faire.
To download Maker Faire 2008 MP4 click here or subscribe in iTunes.
Posted by KipKay |
May 9, 2008 07:00 AM
MAKE Podcast, MAKE Video, Maker Faire |
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Maker Faire video from Oddistry
Maker Faire video from Oddistry!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 9, 2008 05:03 AM
Maker Faire |
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Maker Faire video
Curious inventor sent in their video from Maker Faire - It includes the destruction of Pleo (cute robot dinosaur) in the battle bot arena, powered recliners wheeling around (and cupcakes), cement and candy 3d printers, a dirt cheap multi-touch table, Tesla coils, lots of fire, and a bunch of musical interfaces.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 9, 2008 04:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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//Mukana - mobile system for visually impaired
/MUKANA (the Finnish for aboard, along, in, on, part, with and within) is a piece of cutting-edge smart clothing for the visually impaired. It connects technology with textiles and thus promotes new approaches to dressing up. Users were given the main focus in the design. A group of visually impaired participated throughout the process of development. The final prototype was thoroughly tested by them...includes a cell phone, a wireless headset, a Global Positioning System (GPS) module and voice recognition software. The system takes account of the special needs of the visually impaired. Users can ask //MUKANA to tell them their location, to give information on what route to take to their destination or on the timetables of public transportation.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 9, 2008 03:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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Maker Faire photos
atomicthumbs' Maker Faire '08 photo set - over 170 photos and videos.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 9, 2008 01:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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Maker Faire video...
The videos keep rolling in, here's one from Carlos - nicely done!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 9, 2008 12:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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May 8, 2008
Microfiche musical interface
Andrew Turley turned a microfiche viewer into a musical/MIDI interface simply by pointing a photodiode at the screen and feeding the light values into an MCU and out to a Casio keyboard. As you scroll through the microfiche content, the changing light values of the data make music.
Maker Faire Highlights: Making Music the Hard Way
Related:
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
May 8, 2008 12:10 PM
Arts, Maker Faire, Music |
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SWARM @ Maker Faire
Hack-a-day posted up one of my favorite projects @ Maker Faire, SWARM!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 8, 2008 12:00 PM
Arts, DIY Projects, Maker Faire |
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Maker Faire wrap up @ SparkFun Electronics and new stuff...
Our friends at SparkFun Electronics have a fun Maker Faire wrap up and have some new things in stock... At Maker Faire I joked with Nathan the CEO, that SparkFun should do a credit card with a loyalty program, I'd totally trade miles for transistors.
Here are some of their latest products that looked interesting to me...
The AVR-GSM.
Series 2.5 XBee module with Wire antenna.
The GPS stick.
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 8, 2008 10:00 AM
Electronics, GPS, Maker Faire |
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Fuzzy logic, McGyver, Fab Labs, and trippy glasses @ Maker Faire
Here's a video I did with boingboing.tv @ Maker Faire, we chatted with some of my favorite people and their projects from the Faire! Star Simpson's fuzzy logic, McGyver's creator, Fab Labs, and trippy glasses!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 8, 2008 07:11 AM
Maker Faire |
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Maker Faire photos
Another set of Maker Faire photos - these are from Doug!
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 8, 2008 07:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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May 7, 2008
Musical interfaces @ Maker Faire
Here's a vid showing just a few of the many musical interfaces on hand at Bay Area Maker Faire. There were so many cool instruments, yet so little time to play them all. It was truly awesome to see such a great turnout on the sonic front - big thanks to all who made it happen!
Posted by Collin Cunningham |
May 7, 2008 01:00 PM
Maker Faire, Music |
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Access the web via physical RFID icons
As John Park puts it: "I took the whole art of double-clicking on an icon and made it really complicated and brought it into the physical world." He made a conveyor belt that has an RFID reader underneath. When you place a wooden icon tile for a website (which has an RFID tag on it), it brings up that page on your web browser. Obviously, this is not the likely application for such tech, but it's a cool proof of concept. It and John's other project, the "God Shot" espresso puck tamper, featured in MAKE Volume 12, garnered John three Editor's Choice blue ribbons at Maker Faire.
John Edgar Park's RFID Conveyor Belt
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
May 7, 2008 12:00 PM
Computers, Electronics, Maker Faire |
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DIY R2-D2 is even better than the real thing (interview with the Maker)
Star Wars: DIY R2-D2 is even better than the real thing @ Gizmodo from Maker Faire!
Chris James' R2-D2 won four Make Magazine editors' choice ribbons at Maker Faire and it's easy to see why: not only it has every detail from the original—except having a little person inside—but this one is even more charming, capable of singing the Star Wars theme, and Indiana Jones sound bites. It only needs to have a built-in projector to be absolutely perfect. We asked Chris about the obvious next step: installing sensory inputs and artificial intelligence to make it truly autonomous. His take—and another video of R2 dancing with kids at Maker Fair...
Posted by Phillip Torrone |
May 7, 2008 10:00 AM
Maker Faire |
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Phillip Torrone
Senior Editor
Tel: 707-827-7311
Gareth Branwyn
Robot Maker
Kip Kay
Video Maker
Jonah Brucker-Cohen
Researcher
Natalie Zee Drieu
Senior Editor
CRAFT
Becky Stern
Culture jammer
Collin Cunningham
Sound Maker
Marc de Vinck
CNC Maker
Current Podcast
The Best of Maker Faire 2008
Check out all the fun and excitement at this year's Maker Faire in San Mateo, California. People from all over the world came to experience this amazing event. Take a look at some of the highlights and make plans...
More...
