The Maker Faire - Overview 2008

Last weekend, Loretta, Keith and I went to the Maker Faire. What is the Maker Faire? I've been asked that several times, usually whenever I mention that I'm going to it. The Maker Faire is a gathering of people who create things. All sorts of things. Usually from the depths of their scary, smart brains. These are the people who move technology forward because they need it to do something or the cosmos has sent them a unique idea.

Some of the things I saw:

• A 13-year-old who created a robot that could go through a house, find a flame and put it out
• The old fashioned screen printers
• Engineers without borders, who bring clean water and electricity to places that we think wouldn't be fun to camp in
• Gasifiation and the alternative fuel road rally
• The Mentos and Diet Coke guys - Eepybird
• Kinetic Pastry - cupcakes and muffins that drive around
• Electric Giraffe
• Art cars and trucks
• Adam Savage
• A Beaver computer
• Famous robots on the move
• Easy animation software from closed line drawings
• Art from discarded digital cameras
• Model battleships
• Large metal sculpture
• An elliptical bicycle
• Random monster costumes
• Oh, and hot jugglers

All the people were interesting and passionate about their inventions or activities. Most have done things I can only wish I had the brain capacity or talent to do. There was so much to see and so many people to talk to that I barely know where to begin. I suppose the best place to begin is the Kinetic Pastry since they were the first things we saw when we walked in the front door.