Biology

Russell the rave ‘raffe returns

Russell the rave ‘raffe returns

Ah, 2006…

Er, wait, I meant to say: Ugh! 2006! No doubt a hundred years from now future history will recall, as I do, that the only really good thing that happened in 2006 was the first appearance of Russell the Electric Giraffe at the San Mateo Maker Faire. The years have gotten steadily better since then, for me at least, and certainly for the Faire, and, it would appear, for Russell himself, who is now a five-year Maker Faire veteran. We heart you, oh gentle glowy grazing one. Long may your lava-lamps shine.

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Biomanufactured brick needs no firing, may be big deal

Biomanufactured brick needs no firing, may be big deal

Then again, if Calla lilies replaced each new brick on the planet, it would reduce carbon-dioxide emissions by at least 800 million tons a year. But we’d also be living in a world without useful new bricks to build stuff with. It is probably reasonable to expect that Dosier’s “Bacteria Bricks” will fare better as a construction material than Calla lilies, but whether they are truly comparable to conventional masonry in mechanical properties, durability, and weather resistance still remains to be proved. Also, her bricks take weeks to harden, compared to traditionally-fired bricks which can be manufactured in two days.

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Featured Maker: Michele Banks

Washington, DC artist Michele Banks, aka Artologica, is a painter who, in her own words, “uses an old and often-disrespected medium, watercolor, to create pieces that are anything but old-fashioned.” Her works in Makers Market focus on biological and medical themes, particularly the microscopy of living cells. Shown above is Cell Division Blue 1, a […]

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Featured Maker: Michele Banks

Featured Maker: Michele Banks

Washington, DC artist Michele Banks, aka Artologica, is a painter who, in her own words, “uses an old and often-disrespected medium, watercolor, to create pieces that are anything but old-fashioned.” Her works in Makers Market focus on biological and medical themes, particularly the microscopy of living cells. Shown above is Cell Division Blue 1, a 12 x 9″ canvas executing using a special “wet-on-wet” painting technique.

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Petri dish culture soaps

Petri dish culture soaps

We covered these clever Petri dish soaps from Cleaner Science back in March. Now, we’re very pleased to have her on board as a Makers Market seller. Her soaps are available in many colors and varieties, including some with glow-in-the-dark “colonies,” and none of them will set you back more than $10.

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