Make: Online: Maker Faire Archives

Archive: Maker Faire

February 4, 2010

Chiptune Marching Band and Maker Faire Newscastle

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

February 2, 2010

Young Makers at the Exploratorium

Last Saturday, we had the first Open MAKE day at the Exploratorium as part of the Young Makers program. The day's program focused on hands-on activities for building circuits.

The program also featured BlinkyBugs and Bristlebots and welcomed their makers, Ken Murphy of Blinkybug.com, and Windell Oskay and Lenore Edman of Evil Mad Scientists Laboratories.

January 25, 2010

Minne-Faire: a Twin Cities mini Maker Faire

While the planning has started for this year's official Maker Faires, Minneapolis's own Twin Cities Maker is plotting its own mini Faire at their Hack Factory hackerspace.

Already, eight makers or groups have signed on to exhibit, including a builder of cigar-box electric guitars and amps, a group specializing in replica props, and the Tripoli Minnesota rocketry club.

Interested in exhibiting? Send a note to twincitiesmaker at gmail.com forthwith.

January 21, 2010

Maker Faire 2010: Call for Makers!

It's here! We're 17 weeks away from Maker Faire Bay Area 2010! Our Call for Makers is now open; we want to see your projects at the Faire! If you've come to Maker Faire before as an attendee, consider getting more involved this year! Show off your projects to tens of thousands of hungry makers! It's our favorite time of the year, and we're so thrilled to be ramping up for it again. So head on over and submit your entry for participating. The deadline for submissions is March 31st, and space is limited.

Organized by the staff of MAKE magazine, Make: Online and CRAFT, Maker Faire is a newfangled fair that brings together science, art, craft, and engineering plus music in a fun, energized, and exciting public forum. The aim is to inspire people of all ages to roll up their sleeves and become makers. This family-friendly event showcases the amazing work of all kinds of makers - anyone who is embracing DIY and wants to share their accomplishments with an appreciative audience.

We encourage you to join the fun and enter a project to exhibit.

Get more info and enter at the Maker Faire site. We've also announced the dates for this summer's Maker Faire Detroit (July 31 and August 1) and this fall's Maker Faire New York (September 25 and 26). So exciting! If you're not convinced, we have plenty to share from past events in our Maker Faire archives on Make: Online and CRAFT, where we share the videos, photos, and more from on-site and around the web.

January 15, 2010

Young Makers

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.

January 14, 2010

Maker Faire Newcastle is March 13-14, 2010

We're excited to announce that Maker Faire is coming back to Newcastle this year!

Following the outstanding success of the first UK Maker Faire which was attended by over 7000 visitors, we are thrilled to announce Maker Faire 2010! Once again, Maker Faire will be heading to North East England as part of the Newcastle ScienceFest - a 10 day festival celebrating creativity and innovation.
New to Maker Faire? Maker Faire celebrates things people create themselves -- from James Bond-worthy electronic gizmos to homemade clothes. Inspiration is ubiquitous at the festival and there are surprises around every corner for people of all ages.

"We want people to experience more than just a weekend of creative entertainment, we want them to leave feeling inspired -- that they too can create things, express themselves, and engage the world around them. Our goal is to resuscitate the spirit of creativity and innovation." - Sherry Huss, Event Director

At Maker Faire, technology meets art, science meets fashion, engineering meets crafting and that's just the tip of the iceberg. This DIY festival features cool robots, clever gadgets, garden shed inventions, knitted wonders, renegade fashions, cars and bikes like you've never seen before, the occasional fireball, music-making and much, much more!

Maker Faire Newcastle
Saturday, March 13, 2010 - Sunday, March 14, 2010
The Centre for Life (inside) and Time Square (outside)
Times Sq
Scotswood Rd
Newcastle upon Tyne
Tyne and Wear
NE1 4EPT
UK

Other attractions will be displayed at
The Discovery Museum
Blandford Square
Newcastle Upon Tyne
NE1 4,
UK

More:

December 14, 2009

Maker Faire gets sustainability award nomination

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

December 4, 2009

Maker Faire Detroit 2010

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 Faire 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.

October 23, 2009

PopTech reimagines America

The PopTech conference is currently underway in Camden, ME. We sent some emissaries from MAKE, namely Zach and Kim DeBord, Mike Gould, and Stuart Gaines. Zach is an artist and BEAMbot builder. He did the awesome bots (and photos) for my "Pummer, Dude!" [PDF] piece in MAKE, Volume 08. Mike Gould has a project, "Lunchbox Laser Shows," in the upcoming "Kids of All Ages" issue, Volume 20, of MAKE. Stuart Gaines writes:

In Camden Maine this week, the annual PopTech conference has taken over the town's beautifully-restored 18th century opera house where an "A-list" of speakers contemplates the "re-invention" of America.
Just down the block, on Elm St., in a converted auto garage, two master makers are demonstrating how to take everyday objects, found in the techno-trash or commonly sourced on eBay, and re-invent them as high-tech gadgets with new purpose. It's a mini-Maker Faire amidst the dazzling fall foliage. All day long, a steady stream of PopTech attendees wander into the garage. In the first bay, they meet Mike Gould and learn how he embeds red, green, and blue lasers into lunchboxes and slide projectors. In the next bay, Zach DeBord and his wife Kim are fashioning buzzing, twittering toys, soldered together from junked calculators, spare motors, wires, and postage stamp-sized solar cells.

Just down Route 1, in nearby Rockland, a lucky group of PopTechies got a chance to pull a spoke-shave at The Apprenticeshop, one of the oldest traditional boat-building schools in the country. Lance Lee, founder of the Apprenticeshop, was on-hand to explain the joys of working with wood, and his boat-building projects, including a smaller version of Tremolino, a 19th Century lateen-rigged Mediterranean workboat used by Joseph Conrad.

Back at PopTech, speakers expound on the impact of new technologies with a thought-provoking mix of optimism and fear. A disturbing contrast to "creative re-use" was photographer Chris Jordan's photographs of seabirds brought down by plastic refuse. Jordan has just returned from Midway Island in the middle of the Pacific Ocean. His photographs were literally "breathtaking." The opera house audience was left speechless by his story of the destructive impact of these everyday materials. See "Midway: Message from the Gyre" on his site.

PopTech runs through Saturday, October 24.

October 4, 2009

Christina and Forest at Maker Faire Rhode Island

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.

September 26, 2009

Exorcising Billy Mays with the TV-B-Gone

Last week I was stranded in a waiting room. The old magazines didn't really bug me, but listening to infomercials did. However, what really bothered me the most was when Billy Mays tried to sell me from the beyond the grave. Right then, I made a solemn vow not to endure that sales pitch ever again.

Fortunately for me, Maker Faire Rhode Island was just a few days away. I knew that I'd be able to get my hands on a TV-B-Gone kit and build it at the soldering workshop. Maker Faire RI was a blast, and towards the end of the evening, I settled down with the iron and got to work.

Cigar box prototyping at Maker Faire RI

The other night at Maker Faire Rhode Island, I met up with Raphael. He had brought along these neat prototyping kits made from cigar boxes. I asked him about why he made them and what he does with these mobile prototyping platforms.

You may also want to check out Raphael's Twitchie kit, which people were passing around like mutant babies. Very disturbing indeed.

In the Maker Shed:

Arduino Family

Make: Arduino

September 22, 2009

Maker Faire on the Travel Channel tomorrow!

Set your DVRs for this awesome segment on the Travel Channel, filmed at Maker Faire Bay Area 2009.

Extreme Conventions, Travel Channel, "This ain't no Dental Convention!"

Wednesday, September 23rd at 8PM Eastern time (check local listings for your area)

September 21, 2009

Maker Faire Rhode Island: Success!

Congratulations to everyone who helped put on the Maker Faire Rhode Island, it was a smashing success! Attendees played mini golf, conversed over the latest tin can telephones, tried on monster costumes, soldered up their own gadgets, composed experimental music, and had a great time! Missed out on the fun? Check out the Flickr pool for more photos of the event, and be sure to follow the MAKER Events calender to find the next gathering in your area!

Photo Credits (clockwise from left): Phil Torrone, no_id_i_want, Matt Mets, David Nunez

Eye on the Bay coverage of Maker Faire Bay Area

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

September 19, 2009

Adafruit streaming live at Maker Faire Rhode Island

Every week, Limor and Phil from adafruit industries do a Ustreamed "Ask an engineer" live chat. This week, tonight, they're going to do it from Maker Faire Rhode Island. Here's what they said on their site:

Tonight is our weekly "Ask an engineer" live chat - 10pm ET tonight, we're going to attempt to "broadcast" LIVE from Maker Faire Rhode Island. We'll see how it goes, we might need to go text only if there isn't a good connection. Either way - stop by! Here are some handy details:
* Visit our new "chat" section on Adafruit at 10pm ET - 9/19/2009
* Or visit our Ustream page
* For old schoolers, you can use IRC, you'll need a Ustream log/pass, check out the Ustream IRC how-tos here and here
* We are #adafruit-industries6796 on IRC server chat1.ustream.tv
* There will be a trivia question at the end of the night as always!
* Lastly, if anyone can save a log we'd appreciate it

"Ask an engineer" live chat - 10pm ET tonight LIVE from Maker Faire Rhode Island (hopefully)
Maker Faire Rhode Island

September 17, 2009

Maker Faire on CBS's Eye on the Bay today

If you're in the SF Bay area, don't miss the segment on Maker Faire tonight at 7pm on CBS 5's Eye on the Bay!

September 16, 2009

Low-cost rice thresher

Check out this pedal-powered rice thresher at Maker Faire Africa, shown off by Hazwan Razak.

Kipp Bradford describes Maker Faire Rhode Island

Here's Kipp Bradford talking about the planning behind Providence's DIY Maker Faire Rhode Island, which concludes this weekend!

August 31, 2009

Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire: Success!

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