Maker Faire is the Greatest Show (and Tell) on Earth — a family-friendly festival of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness, and a celebration of the maker movement.
Part science fair, part county fair, and part something entirely new, Maker Faire is an all-ages gathering of tech enthusiasts, crafters, educators, tinkerers, hobbyists, engineers, science clubs, authors, artists, students, and commercial exhibitors. All of these people come to Maker Faire to show what they have made and to share what they have learned.
Explore below to see the best of Maker Faire, and head to makerfaire.com for more information.
The Digital Game Museum is dedicated to the preservation of video games. As Ben Wilhelm explains at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011, the memory of many video games has fallen by the wayside, and proper documentation of them is important since they’ve now become a part of our technological history.
Shawn Thorsson explains the build process for his props and costumes at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011. First he starts with a digital 3D model, then cuts the pieces out with a CNC machine, assembles them and fine tunes with wood shaping techniques, then casts molds so he can reproduce them. The result are authentic looking reproductions of popular costumes.
Ira Sherman is an artist who sculpts work that has been shown worldwide in museums such as the Smithsonian. At Maker Faire Bay Area 2011 he brings structures that are created from tubular frames in curvilinear shapes that are meant to fit the contours of the human body.
A chance meeting with the EastSide Riders Bike Club leads us to the Georgia Street Community Center. Both organizations are dedicated to improving their community, through education, gardening, and neighborhood involvement.
Michael Schiess shows the exhibits in his Lil Juju Mobile Pinball Museum. The centerpiece on display at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011 is his vintage machine that’s been refitted completely in clear plexiglass, so that attendees can see the inner workings of the pinball machine while its being played.
The Digi Comp II is a replica of a binary mechanical computer that can perform basic mathematical functions. As shown by Windell Oskay of Evil Mad Scientist Laboratories at Maker Faire Bay Area 2011, it uses billiard balls as its counters and performs calculations in real time as the balls make their transit down a ramp with specially places guides and levers.
I got back from Cairo last Friday. I’m still somewhat exhausted, but definitely glowing from the experience. The main purpose for this trip was to set up a three-day hackerspace at Maker Faire Africa, which was held in Cairo this year. As you can imagine, it was an exciting time to be in Egypt! Lots of high hopes in the wake of the “Freedom Revolution.” Plus, lots of attempts by a still-ruling-military to divide-and-rule.
