The KLRU-TV story on Maker Faire Austin is going to air tonight on the Emmy Award-winning Docubloggers. KLRU only broadcasts to central Texas, but Docubloggers is available online (link below).
On October 20th, 2007, the people behind MAKE and CRAFT magazines brought the Maker Faire to Austin for the first time (it’s only the third Faire ever). In this day of DIY (do-it-yourself in case you’re wondering) enthusiasm, the Faire unites “makers” of all ilk to showcase their myriad and varied talents and expertise.
When I was introduced to MAKE and CRAFT magazines, I found myself guffawing with nerdly delight page after page as I learned how to turn my bike into an iPod charger, how to convert bowls from Ikea into three dimensional stereo cabinets, and how to make a ghoulishly wicked skull-shaped cold cut sculpture for a Halloween party. Then … I saw the ad for Maker Faire. I reasoned that if the Faire tickled my geek side as much as the magazine, I was in for a treat. I was not let down.The folks behind the Faire filled the Travis County Expo Center grounds with wall-to-wall makers from a guy that creates masterpieces out of dirty car windows, to a master piñata maker and children’s book author, from robot overlords and their automated subjects, to custom bike makers, and from an insane clown posse and their bigger-than-life-size Mousetrap game, to the makers behind a human-powered Ferris wheel that rolls on its own. It was truly a feast for the senses, and those are but a small portion of the heaping helping of makers at Maker Faire.
So, if you’re the type of person that likes to DIY, or if you’ve ever explained to your wife that you simply cannot throw out any of the assorted junk in the garage because “it’s good for something”, then I highly suggest you check out what MAKE has to offer. And if you’re looking for something to scratch your itch to create, check out next year’s Maker Faire in October 2008.
KLRU-TV Docubloggers – Maker Faire Link.
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