As an industrial and fine arts education center in the Bay Area, The Crucible was the perfect group to show Maker Faire Bay Area 2011 attendees demonstrations in welding, blacksmithing, and glass flameworking. Kier Lugo from the Crucible gave our cameras a close-up look at what goes into creating a beautiful piece of glassware from just a molten glob of the material.
MAKE Volume 28 hits makers’ passion for play head-on with a 28-page special section devoted to Toys and Games, including a toy “pop-pop” steamboat made from a mint tin, an R/C helicopter eye-in-the-sky, and a classic video game console. You’ll also build a gravity-powered catapult, a plush toy that interacts with objects around it, and a machine that blows giant soap bubbles. Play time is a hallmark of more intelligent species– so go have some fun!
Zac Carroll and his team created a moveable Front Porch that is towed by a vintage tractor. He brought this creation, complete with all sorts of nostalgic reminders of domesticity, to Maker Faire Bay Area and demonstrates its early 20th century period styling.
Haley Who, as liaison for the Seabat family, guides the Mechanical Swam Kirin around Maker Faire Bay Area 2011. According to Haley’s story, Evrin Seabat spotted a Swamp Kirin in Japan and brought back documentation of it. His son Seth wanted one for himself, but since it would be impossible to have one of his own, his older sister Halo created a mechanical version for him.
Joe and John DiPrima’s ArcAttack! is a performance group that creates electrifying melodies by controlling the frequency sweep on their solid state Tesla coil. This is accompanied by a full drum set that’s controlled electrically through a series of rotary solenoids.
Make: Live episode 18 featured makers in MAKE v28, the toys & games issue! Onyx Ashanti performs and talks Xbees and sensors, and Michael Colombo explains his reflective improvement to flashlight tag. David Harris made Charlie’s bear (above), originally designed for his nephew with cerebral palsy. It’s a location aware plush toy with an embedded RFID reader, speaker, Arduino and wave shield to play sounds when it interacts with objects.
Commercial Geiger counters can cost hundreds of dollars. With this Geiger Counter Kit from the Maker Shed you can build your own at a fraction of the price! This easy to solder kit can be built in an evening and it works just like you think it would; clicking and blinking in the presence of radiation. Is grandma’s dish collection radioactive? Do bananas give off radiation? Are your granite table tops giving off gamma rays? After you build your own Geiger Counter you’ll be able to find out!
