Maker Faire 2015

We were just one of dozens of wheeled objects at the faire, but we were the only ice cream cone.

Well, the only wheeled ice cream cone.

Two Weeks Ago...

...we were here:

adding texture strips

using this adhesive to...

...glue stacks of foam rings

 Doug used his custom sawzall blade to sculpt the top:

Emilio worked his paint magic once again, and we had another test run:

This evening, there were minor adjustments, including the addition of this printed emergency button housing:

And then it was finished, the mobile cupcake ice cream cone:

We'll be at the 10th Annual Bay Area Maker Faire this weekend. Hope to see you there, too.

Maker Faire 2013

Our Young Maker's year culminates in the Bay Area Maker Faire. This year only four of our families attended, and only Leo exhibited; but it remains the part of the year we most look forward to.

Maker Faire is a celebration of both skill and creativity in almost any area you can think of, among them—

costuming:

needle felting (yes, that dino was completely felted by hand!):

and light sculpture:

—as well as food, games, bicycles, art cars, arduino, 3D printers and more.

Every year the Maker Faire has attracted more and more people. Perhaps it is understandable, then, that the exhibition hall has an increasing number of companies displaying their products and startups looking for funding, and that the Maker Shed now sells more packaged kits than raw supplies.

But outside, and particularly in the South Lot, there are still many spectacularly homemade projects.

a dalek:

a bejeweled mosaic spaceship:

a walking geodesic pod:

 a homebuilt submarine:

a motorized teapot:

We were especially happy to see Make's own version of The Towel prominently displayed in the center of the exhibition hall. It was exactly a year ago at the faire that this very plane was featured on the cover of Make magazine and started us on the process of our own builds.

 Leo's plane also hung all day in the Young Maker's exhibit area:

 His end-of-the-day exhibit drew attention from young and old alike:

Thanks to the Maker Faire's inspirational atmosphere, we are already talking about ideas for next year. Robots? Vehicles? 3d Printers? Group project? Individual projects? It's fun to think about all the possibilities.

Meanwhile, here is a short video of some of the random sights from BA Maker Faire 2013. Our hats are off to all these makers for their individual visions, and for their incredible work to see those visions through.

The Towel RC Plane Test Flights

The other evening we took the charged planes out to a local park and gave them their first test flights.

What were formerly foam presentation board, campaign lawn signs, bulk-ordered electronics and some zip ties were now planes. And they flew! The flights were a little dicey due to operator inexperience, but everyone got at least one relatively long run in. Here's one captured by Laurie:

And here is a compilation of all the planes tested that evening (John and Matt were not able to make it):

What a great end to the year—and what a fun year it's been. Here is Laurie's photo album with pictures from our meetings:

Young Makers Yolo 2012-2013

Leo will be showing his plane at the Maker Faire this weekend. Please feel free to stop by and see him at the Young Makers Booth on Saturday evening.

Maker Faire Bay Area 2012

"Make what you desire. Make what you have to make. Make what you can't not make, because it will make the world a better place." ~Adam Savage 

It's hard to believe that a full week has passed since Maker Faire already. That means only 51 weeks until the next one.

Possibly the best part of exhibiting is being able to see the Maker Faire being set up on Saturday morning.  My phone snapshot hardly captures the sense of Expo Hall coming to life, but it was in stark contrast to the crowded, bustling lineup of booths just a couple hours later.

The trolley, now with pedal power and painted blue, was unloaded.

And we were free to walk around the fair for the day.

It's near impossible to explain Maker Faire to someone who hasn't been there. There is truly a little bit of something for everyone: anything that fits under the umbrella of creative life has a place here: robots and vehicles, food and sustainability, costuming and gemstones. This year there seemed to be a special focus on education and developing the natural maker sensibilities of young people. Dale Dougherty spoke on several occasions about this idea, particularly in regard to his launch of the Maker Education Initiative.

There were several talks going on at any one time, so that even if all one did was visit speakers, it was impossible to hear everything (not to mention that many of the venues were packed). Fortunately, several talks were filmed and can be seen here.

3D printers were also noticeably in abundance this year.

Perhaps the most impressive sight this year was the gigantic firebreathing dragon bus called Gon Kirin.

Our group's exhibit slot was at 6pm, just as the fair was winding down. For better or worse, this meant that fewer visitors stopped by. But all the kids got to talk to a few people about their projects and how they were made.

photo by Laurie Becker

photo by Laurie Becker

photo by Laurie Becker

On our way out, we all picked up this special summer edition of Make (in 3D!) aimed at Young Makers.

Do we have plans for summer fun? You bet we do.

March Meeting

Leo and Jim talk about design

We're now two months away from the Maker Faire. It's time to start thinking about reserving accommodations (the main options can be found here), buying additional tickets (here) and of course, moving forward with projects.

The 4 projects we heard about this evening are all at the very beginning stages still, but everyone seemed to have a clear idea of their next step, whether it be drawing up plans, sourcing materials or setting up a meeting with a mentor.

Doug explains SolidWorks

After the informal project presentations, Doug demonstrated the use of SolidWorks 3D modeling software. He also introduced us to JourneyEd, an academic discount site where the educational version of SolidWorks can be licensed for a fraction of its msrp.

Other options recommended by both Doug and Jim are Alibre and Autocad, both also found on JourneyEd in academic editions. But when pressed to name the simplest design software, their answers were surprising: pencil and graph paper, straightedges, calipers, compasses, protractors, triangles, templates and cardboard.

Have fun working on your designs!

February Meeting

We had three items on the agenda last night:

1. Those who went to Exploratorium's Open Make session told us about it, including a highlight for some of meeting Steve Wozniak.
2. We heard about each Maker's project, what they have done so far, and what they plan to do next. Most everyone is still in the planning stages, though some have begun to gather materials or build the first components.
3. Everyone had a chance to view the 3D images Jim had taken through his cardboard viewer.

This will be a project we all work on together during the meetings for display at the Maker Faire. The kids will help develop the viewer and write up further documentation over the next couple of meetings. It's hard to believe, but the Maker Faire is only 3 months away already.

10 Tips for a Great Maker Faire Weekend

1. Get your tickets early. This isn't an issue if you're an exhibitor, but if you have friends or family who will be arriving separately, the Early Bird discount is the best deal, and it ends at midnight today! Here's the link for all ticketing for the Bay Area Maker Faire 2011: Maker Faire Tickets (click on "Online Advance Purchase Ticket Pricing" to get the Early Bird deal before it expires).
2. If you can only attend one day, Saturday is better than Sunday. News photos and video shot Saturday often attract a bigger crowd on Sunday. Makers and their booths are fresher on Saturday, too. It's not uncommon for supplies to run low, or even out, as the weekend progresses. 
3. Avoid parking at the fairgrounds if at all possible. Parking is a steep $17, no matter how long you are there (there is no re-entry). You can look at other options on this map, or use the hotel shuttles. Another option is to ride your bike and take advantage of the free bike valet parking.
4. Plan your day. The speaker and workshop schedule is packed, so mark those you really want to hear, then get your bearings with the map. It's fun to just wander and look at everything, but try to catch a lecture, a workshop, or a demo—you'll likely learn something new and interesting.
5. Bring snacks and water, and arrive as early in the day as you can. There is food for sale, but lines get long around lunchtime and don't really let up.
6. A backpack for carrying all the goodies you'll end up with is useful. 
7. Get a wristband as soon as you enter, from the information booth by the gate. The wristband allows you to ride any of the rides, such as the Cyclecide, and also allows you re-entry if you need to leave for any reason. 
8. If you have children, show them the yellow-jacketed security guards and let them know they can ask them for help if they are lost. (Yes, we got this tip through first-hand experience one year!)
9. Bring something home with you. Whether at the Maker Shed, the exhibitor booths or the Bizarre Bazaar, great items sell out. Last year the credit-card sized lockpicking set was unavailable after the first day. But it's not just about scarcity. We picked up a pack of sugru last year, and in 12 months it has completely altered our thinking about repair and modification.
10. Make sure you enjoy the experience. This seems an odd thing to have to mention, but the Maker Faire can be crowded and confusing; it's noisy and there are lines for everything. It's likely you won't be able to do and see everything of interest, so let go a little and take time to sit on the lawn, listen to music, people watch and chat with your fellow faire-goers.

Then go home and see what you're inspired to make.