Maker Faire

Detroit Lives is a documentary about Detroit and the renaissance of art, culture, and outside-the-box re-development that's happening there. The film was done by Palladium Boots, the footwear company, and stars "Jackass" Johnny Knoxville. The cursing and rock n' roll posing may be annoying to some, but I think the film does a good job of surveying some of the more exciting and innovative things that are happening in the Po-Motor City. Nice to see Bethany Shorb, of Cyberoptix TieLab and OmniCorp Detroit, and some of our other Detroit maker pals in it.

Detroit Lives

More:

• Read some of our own Making Detroit stories
• See highlights from Maker Faire Detroit

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Making Detroit | Digg this!

With just over two weeks left to World Maker Faire New York, the countdown is on! Our first full-scale East Coast Faire will take place on September 25 and 26 at the New York Hall of Science in Queens, which was originally built as a pavilion for the 1964 World's Fair, the perfect location to showcase the newest maker-made art and tech. In the lead-in to the Faire, we want to showcase the Maker Faire's most important collaborators: the makers themselves. Today we chat with RuBot creator and Mechatrons director, Pete Redmond.

1. Tell us about the project you're bringing to Maker Faire.
RuBot II is the worlds fastest Rubik's Cube-solving robot, certified by the Guinness World Records and appearing in the 2010 edition of the Guinness Book of Records. It is a humanoid robot that solves a cube in about 25 seconds. I built RuBot to demonstrate a machine doing something regarded as clever when done by humans. RuBot is completely open so all the circuits and mechanisms can be seen working.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

Volunteers attend Maker Faire for free and many tell us it's more fun than coming as purely a spectator. We need help not just during the weekend but for set up and tear down too, every little bit helps!

World Maker Faire New York 2010 at The New York Hall of Science

September 25 & 26th

The World's Largest DIY Festival


Maker Faire is a two-day, family-friendly event that celebrates the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset. It's for creative, resourceful people of all ages and backgrounds who like to tinker and love to make things. So much to see, you will need 2 days to see it all!


Volunteer at Maker Faire for at least 4 hours and get a 1 Day pass to the Faire!


Volunteer at least 8 hours for a weekend Pass!

All volunteers get a Maker Faire T-shirt

We are also in need of core volunteers. Core volunteers are individuals that will be committing to more than 8 hours and can help manage certain areas, including the volunteer tent.

TO SIGN UP VISIT: http://makerfaire.com/newyork/2010/volunteer/

For Questions email: NYvolunteers@makerfaire.com

Photo by Matt Mets.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

Here's a delightful video of each of the presenters at the Kansas City Mini Maker Faire, by Roger Dodger Aviation. They write:

This was a first for Kansas City. Dozens of exhibitors displayed a wide variety of science, art, craft, DIY, and maker projects. We had stuff for kids like the paper rocket launch, mini-building blocks, soldering lessons, hacking happy meal toys, beginner robots and more. For big kids we had CNC (Computer Numerical Control) machines, an electricity-spitting Tesla coil, a replica working submarine, 3D printers, big rockets, big robots, a cable-climbing space elevator, 3D scanners, a thermal electricity generator and more. The event was held on August 22, 2010 and we're hoping for an even bigger event next year. Thanks to all the sponsors, exhibitors, businesses and volunteers that made the KC Mini-Maker Faire a success!

In addition to producing the above video, they also assembled a list of each of the presenters at the Faire. If you're interested in any of the above projects, you can check them out here:

Make Magazine
Make:KC
Cowtown Computer Congress
Main Street Parkville Association
HMS Beagle Science Store
Clayco Electric
Kauffman Foundation
Greater KC Chamber of Commerce
KC Space Pirates
Argonaut Jr.
Metro Homeschool Robotics
Hack Art Lab
Kansas City Robotics Society
Roger Dodger Aviation
I, Bioloid
Drink Bot
STEM (Science Technology Engineering Math) Society
Wii Labyrinth
Robotic Golf Table
Habitat for Humanity ReStore KC
KC Association of Rocketry
Orange Grapes
Glow Doodle
Github
SCOPE
Versonova
SprayPaintArt
DIY Security Screwdrivers
Hallmark Christmas Ornaments
Remote Control Nerf Turret

More:

• Scenes from the Kansas City Mini Maker Faire
• Announcing: Kansas City Mini Maker Faire 2010
• Playable Mini Drumset rocks out in cars, on roofs

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

The Rhode Island Mini Maker Faire is only a couple days away, and it looks like the weather's going to cooperate with us in a big way. We're holding the Faire in conjunction with Waterfire, and at latest count, we have 32 makers to show you a good time. We've got science makers, crafters, fabricators, artists, robots, electronics, vehicles, publications, housing, education, food and drink makers, sustainable tech, and more!

Rhode Island Mini Maker Faire
Saturday, August 28, 2010, 3pm-11pm
Bank of America Skating Center next to Kennedy Plaza
Providence, RI
Cost: Free!

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this!

Crazy concept, right? Not really, just common sense. Of all the makers I've spoken to and interviewed in the past, most say that as children they learned through the insatiable desire to take things apart. In the current issue of MAKE, Volume 23, we profiled young Michigan maker Andrew Archer. At Maker Faire Detroit, I had the chance to meet Andrew and two of his partners in creativity, Bilal Ghalib and Alexander Honkala. Collectively, they were running the Robotics Redefined booth, a lively space set up with tools and old electronics, surrounded by kids who were deeply engaged and busily taking everything apart.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

Congratulations to the Kansas City Mini Maker Faire team for hosting an excellent Faire! Along with countless happy visitors, I had a great time learning about all of the awesome projects that were being presented, such as a remote-control Nerf gun, soda can crusher, and miniature drum set. The MakerBots were out in force, and the rockets and foam planes were a'flying. You can see the rest of my photos here, and watch a news segment about the event here. I'm ready for next year already!

Did you make it out to the Faire? Be sure to share your photos and memories in the comments! Here are some of my favorites:

A foam cutting machine, that uses a reciprocating needle to punch out patterns quickly with no mess

Kids making security screwdrivers from nails, which can be used to take apart plastic toys

Learning to solder with Mitch Altman and Jimmie Rodgers

And, a wooden submarine!

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this!

Fast Company has a story about the launch of Steve Daniels' new book Making Do, which is launching at two places this weekend: Mini Maker Faire RI and Maker Faire Africa:

Informal craftsmen, known as jua kali in Kenya, make their livelihoods by manufacturing products in the resource-constrained environment Westerners struggle so hard to adapt to. Their businesses thrive due to the complex networks among traders and producers. The indigenous talent of the jua kali will be essential to developing truly appropriate technologies and their networks the key to sustaining and scaling them. Making Do breaks down the skills and networks of the jua kali in order to understand the role craftsmen and collaborators like us might play in a unique form of industrialization for Africa.

• Fast Company: Africa's Informal Economy Revealed
• Making Do: Innovation in Kenya's Informal Economy

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Science | Digg this!

The Kansas City Mini Maker Faire is this Sunday in downtown Parkville, MO. It promises to be a great time, with a wooden submarine, space elevator climbing robots, paper rockets, and more! I'll be there helping Mitch Altman and Jimmie Rodgers run an ongoing soldering workshop, so come on out and make sure to say hi!

Kansas City Mini Maker Faire
Sunday, Aug 22, 2010, 10am - 6pm
English Landing Park
127 S. Main St., Parkville, MO, 64152
Cost: Free!

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Events | Digg this!

Here's a great opportunity for free Maker Faire tickets, help us spread the word!

Post flyers and place postcards in your local community (suggested locations listed below) and earn two Adult Maker Faire day passes worth $50.

It's easy. We will send you a packet of 25 flyers and 200 postcards and you go to all the places you already go (maybe a few more) and pin or tape a flyer on a bulletin board or in a window and a small stack of postcards on the front counter. Of course you will need to ask permission first! Then in a few of the places snap a picture for us and when your done send us a few so we can see the great work you have done.

When your done let us know and we will send you two Adult tickets to World Maker Faire. You won't have to wait in line for your tickets, save a little cash and you will have helped us spread the word about this great event within your community.

Here are some great places to post flyers and place postcards:

Bookstores
Colleges
Coffee shops
Cafes
Toy Stores
Hobby Shops
Craft Stores
Restaurants
Scrap Stores
Community Centers
Hacker Spaces
Tech Shops
After School Programs
Garden Centers
Thrift/Vintage Stores

Simple requirements:

1)To join, email us your name, address and phone as well as the area you'll be covering to: Streetteam@makerfaire.com
2) We're looking specifically to cover the following neighborhoods. Have another place in mind? Email us!

• Park Slope
  
• Gowanus
• Sunset Park
  
• Ditmas Park
• Kensington
• Williamsburg
  
• Bushwick
  
• Greenpoint
• NYU
• Parsons/New School
• Hunter
• SVA
• Columbia
• Pratt
• East Village/Lower East Side
• Long Island City
• Sunnyside/Jackson Heights
• Astoria
• Ft. Greene
• Navy Yard
• Jersey City
• Hoboken

3) The deadline to sign up is September 15.

While you're out:

1) Snap and send us 3 pictures of locations you have placed World Maker Faire flyers and/or postcards. We'll post 'em up here!

2) Please don't post flyers/postcards at any location w/o asking permission or if not permissible

3) Please don't post flyers/postcards all in one place. We are trusting that you will be a good World Maker Faire street team member and will spread these materials out throughout your community :-)

Source photo from Free Williamsburg.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

We're doing another Mini Maker Faire here in RI, and wow, it's happening soon. This year it will once again be embedded within a Waterfire, and we'll be holding it at the Bank of America Skating Center, August 28, 2010, 3pm-11pm.

And because we want to be as Org 2.0 as possible, we've set up a Kickstarter project for people to donate and help make this event happen.

Not only that, we're still accepting submissions from Makers (the link is on the web site) and we're up to 16 confirmed exhibitors, with more to come soon: Mini Maker Faire RI Makers.

Rhode Island Mini Maker Faire and DIY Festival: August 28, 2010

Photo Credit: Chris Meringolo

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

Kyle, James and David of Otyp have designed a kit for teaching kids the biological equivalent of writing "Hello, world" and they'd like to share with more kids in the classroom. With this kit, kids start with the gene from a jellyfish that makes it glow green and they insert it into bacteria. They grow a colony of fluorescent bacteria. Kids can learn about some of the fundamental processes behind biotechnology and they can also have fun, using the bacteria to paint an image that glows in the dark. I met the Otyp team at Maker Faire Detroit where they were demonstrating the process. Kyle made a pretty cool poster from the photos of the various creations people made during Maker Faire.

The team at Otyp would like to share this kit with public schools around the country — for free. They've set up the Speak Science fund and they're using Kickstarter to raise money to build these kits. Please consider supporting this project and helping them get these kits into the hands of more kids. The goal is to get kids doing science — not just reading about it.

In an Xconomy article on Maker Faire Detroit, James said that he was "appalled by the tremendous low quality of exposure to real science that high schoolers were getting." He wanted to do something about that from a DIY perspective. The Otype team is working on these kits and an inexpensive PCR machine for the experiments.

Kids don't get to see how biologists invent and discover using DNA until they take advanced biology courses at the university level; students who don't want to commit to becoming biologists never get to experience how exciting the science can be, and for that reason, most students are never taught how biotechnology works at all.

This is just one example of what needs to be done to create hands-on science and technology programs in our schools — and we need hundreds more. Please consider supporting Otyp and the mission on making science come alive for kids. There's even a way to target your donation so that a school of your choice can get the kids.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Biology | Digg this!

Nick Normal (auto)stitched together this awesome panorama from a recent maker meet up on the Edelman rooftop last week. Excitement is brewing about Maker Faire NYC! There were people there from NPR, NY1, crafters, industry folks... what a diverse group! Click for full size, bonus points if you can name 10 or more people in this photo! If you haven't applied to show your project at Maker Faire, the deadline is 5 days away (Aug 15)! [via normalblog]

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Photography | Digg this!

It's your last chance to submit projects for review to participate in the 1st annual World Maker Faire in NYC next month at the New York Hall of Science. The deadline is this weekend, Sunday August 15th!

We already have several hundred projects but there's always room for more Maker booths! Do you DIY? Then you should join World Maker Faire.

Submit your projects online here! It's going to be epic.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

According to Mitch Altman, 22 hackerspaces were represented at Maker Faire Detroit. That's quite an impressive turnout from the Midwest and Canada.

OmniCorp Detroit (OCD) -- Detroit, MI

I3 -- Ferndale, MI

All Hands Active (AHA) -- Ann Arbor, MI

A2 MechShop -- Ann Arbor, MI

Site3 -- Toronto, ON

Hacklab.TO -- Toronto, ON

Kwartzlab -- Kitchener, ON

think|haus -- Hamilton, ON

BloomingLabs -- Bloomington, IN

Independent Media Center -- Urbana, IL

LVL1 -- Louisville, KY

Hive13 -- Cincinnati, OH

Arch Reactor -- St. Louis, MO

CCCKC -- Kansas City, MO

Paper Street Motors -- Detroit, MI

Pumping Station: One -- Chicago, IL

Hack PGH -- Pittsburgh, PA

Noisebridge -- San Francisco, CA

LVL1 -- Louisville, KY

Quad Cities Co-Lab -- Quad Cities, IL/IA

Sector67 -- Madison, WI

Interlock Rochester -- Rochester, NY

The founder of Noisebridge in SF, Mitch organized a panel discussion on hackerspaces on both days at Maker Faire Detroit. In addtion, he was organizing the "learn to solder" area. Mitch is currently on a "Learn to Solder" tour of hackerspaces in the Midwest and he's scheduled to be in Louisville, KY this Saturday at LVL1 hackerspace. The Louisville Courier-Journal featured LVL1 in a recent article:

"Maker Movement expands to Louisville: Area gadget builders open workshop"

The growth of hackerspaces, particularly over the last year, is just amazing.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

Last weekend, at Maker Faire Detroit, I had the chance to meet Jules Pieri of Daily Grommet, birthplace of the term Citizen Commerce. From the site: "If you share the belief that the products we all buy are a powerful force in defining the world, then Citizen Commerce means that each purchase is actually an act of citizenship. (Good, bad, or indifferent)" Daily Grommet makes it their job to find fresh, new products, research them thoroughly, pick the best ones, and tell the stories behind the products and their creators. They pick and feature just one quality product a day.

What makes a good Grommet? The site lays out these parameters:

"• It's a wonderful product still waiting in the wings, just ripe for discovery.
• It has great utility, or style, or invention. Or, very often it has all three.
• It comes from a designer, or inventor, or artist, or manufacturer who is clearly passionate about what they create. Someone who loves to share their creations and talk to people about why they do what they do.
• It comes from a company that treats its customers well.
• Finally, like any intelligent or beautiful product, it has a great story, ready to be told."

Jules presented about Daily Grommet on the MAKE stage in Detroit (and was graciously patient with the AV issues that came up). Thanks Jules! Time.com just ran a piece by Jules, a Detroit native, titled "Innovation at the Detroit Maker Faire."

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Making Detroit | Digg this!

MAKE editor in chief and Boing Boing potentato, Mark Frauenfelder, posted a nice piece about his favorite makers at this past weekend's Maker Faire Detroit.

David Smith makes beautiful handmade instruments, including cigar box ukuleles and this surprisingly sweet-sounding wire violin. Video of wire violin.

These three boys are about to enter 6th grade. They demonstrated their Blackjack dealer robot, which sensed the presence of players sitting at a table and dealt cards to them. It worked flawlessly, and won first prize in a Robotics competition held by the US Army RDECOM (I served as a judge in the competition). Ross Hershberger -- who wrote the article in MAKE Vol 23 about how to make a Squelette, an inexpensive, great sounding bare-bones amplifier -- brought along an earlier version of the amp.

My favorite makers at Maker Faire Detroit

More:
Read all of our Maker Faire Detroit coverage

From the pages of MAKE:

MAKE Volume 23, Gadgets
This special issue is devoted to machines that do delightful and surprising things. In it, we show you how to make a miniature electronic Whac-a-Mole arcade game, a tiny but mighty see-through audio amp, a magic mirror that contains an animated soothsayer, a self-balancing one-wheeled Gyrocar, and the Most Useless Machine (as seen on The Colbert Report!). Plus we go behind the scenes and show you how Intellectual Ventures made their incredible laser targeting mosquito zapper -- yes, it's real, and you wish you had one for your patio barbecue. All this and much, much more.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

Faire photo taken by Matt Mets

Karen Dybis has been doing some nice installments of her "Unfiltered" column on Time.com's Detroit Blog. She concludes her series with "Jules Pieri on Looking Back -- at the Faire and Detroit:"

I spoke to11-year-old Jillian who said, "I've always been good at art, and when I started reading MAKE magazine, I realized I could make science into art." Jillian's 16-year-old sister Alyssa told me about the family's latest hacker project. Avid karate practitioners, the girls and their dad Rich are using an accelerometer and various electronic components to build a device that measures the relative force of karate punches. They will share it with other karate students to help everyone improve their skills. Alyssa said, "I like working with electronic components because it's more physical than just programming and it's more than just math."

As a child of the Motor City, being around people who make things has shaped me. I studied at the University of Michigan and became the first industrial designer to graduate from Harvard Business School. I know my way around a blueprint, a CNC machine, and a production plant. I have learned that people who make things are a rare and special breed. Andrew Grove of Intel has been writing impassioned articles describing how true innovation usually originates somewhere on the shop floor, not on a computer screen. I tend to agree with him.

Over on Quilted Turtle, mother and school teacher Liz, paints a little picture of the fair from a parents/kids perspective:

My daughter loved the Arduino powered target shooting game, while my son preferred the Arduino skeeball game.

We spent a lot of time at the table where the kids could build vehicles from reused materials. The car that traveled the farthest won a prize. Sadly, we weren't contenders...

Then, who could resist making their own non-Newtonian fluid to take home. Here's the recipe if you want to try. It's cheap, easy, and oh so slimy. Just keep it off the carpet - trust me.

Jules Pieri on Looking Back -- at the Faire and Detroit

Maker Faire Detroit 2010 - Quilted Turtle

More:
Making Detroit series
All of our Maker Faire coverage

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

Jalopnik has a fun piece on this weekend's Power Racing Series competition at Maker Faire Detroit.

Two vehicles were super reliable and put on an endurance racing clinic. One, the "Pit Rats" of OmniCorps Detroit took the race with decent speed, good handling and unfaltering performance. They didn't even need to come in for a battery change. Taking second was "Baby Burrito" out of Milwaukee employing the slow and steady wins the race strategy, in third with a fast but occasionally broken car was i3 Detroit in their "My Little Friend" Jeep. Who knows, maybe there'll be a Jalop entry next year.

Power Wheels Racing: Fat Men On Souped-Up Toy Cars

More:
Power Racing: Grown humans stuffed into teeny-tiny cars (who aren't Shriners)

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!

Did somebody say "creative weirdness?" The "electro mechanical music robot madness" of Apetechnology.

Read more | Permalink | Comments | Read more articles in Maker Faire | Digg this!