San Diego Maker Faire 2015 :: Day One

Welcome to our first day at the first annual San Diego Maker Faire. We arrived bright and early to set up outside the Hall of Champions, in Balboa Park.

Here is our official Maker Faire sign for Da Vinci... seen in his 2.0 incarnation.

First order of business was unloading stuff... tools, parts, limbs, supplies, chairs, the table, the tent. We were invited to create a Young Makers Zone, with two robots, and the Viking tent.

And we were in good company!

When I shared this picture on FB, Paul commented,"Geoff's stride and expression is classic. It looks like he's in a musical and is about to break out in song." If Geoff broke out in song, Paul is the kind of friend that would sing along, and back up with guitar. No misstep.

Surrounded by friends, and the stuff we make, it felt like home. I knew then... This is going to be a great Maker Faire.

Maria was looking certain, too. She's ready.

Paul. Yeah, he's all in.

Max, quiet and reserved, made himself helpful wherever he could.

Still working, never ceasing, Geoff shows Mech-Cthelulu's mechanical claw.

Alex puts the Engineering and the Art in the STEAM.

Here's William's photograph: Paul, Max, and Geoff fine tuning the Giant Robotic Tentacle, Mech-Cthulu. Props to Paul for that name, by the way. It's sticking. {Caution Tape was not for decor.}

The fun of sharing the Giant Robotic Tentacle, Mech-Cthulu, is not just the demo, watching it dance and pop, but handing over the controls, and seeing the thrill in someone's face, when they take command of that 9' tall beast.

Back in the Viking tent, Da Vinci 3.0 illustrated all day... practically nonstop. It's a mesmerizing thing to watch an automaton wire sculpture illustrate, so deftly, so beautifully.

Maker Faire isn't a show... it's show and tell, and this is one of the most gratifying parts of exhibiting and attending a Maker Faire event. We aren't there to perform, or to keep secrets. We are there to share... our ideas, our creations, and to engage with the visitors.

We pull back the curtain, and share the works. Some people ask right away, "How does it work?" And some visitors want the chance to figure it out for themselves. Everyone enjoys the dialogue, the exchange, and just watching the process.

Da Vinci is an automaton, inspired by the book The Invention of Hugo Cabret, by Brian Selznick. Beneath his desk are two motors, one for each axis, the x and the y. These motors are controlled by computer from our Eggbot, an open source CnC art robot. To control Da Vinci's hand movements from below, the motors lead to three magnets, which in placement match three magnets in the plate in Da Vinci's hand. Through the glass plate of the desk top, Da Vinci's hand is magnetically attracted to the movements of the motors below. Eggbot's computer directs the hand left and right, forward, and back, and a third servo motor in his hand controls the Z axis, lifting and dropping Da Vinci's pen.

Da Vinci "knows" what to draw thanks to another great open source tool, Inkscape. "Inkscape is is a professional vector graphics editor for Windows, Mac OS X and Linux." The cable running up Da Vinci's right arm links him to the laptop, where we have created illustrations for him to use, like the Centennial Lady Maria made in Scratch.

The wire figure, Da Vinci, is a third version from the original which debuted at Bay Area Maker Faire in 2012. Alex designed and built DA Vinci 3.0 using pliers, a drill, and a reel of rebar tie wire. Alex has an uncanny gift for bringing images in his head to life, in drawings and in 3-D. Da Vinci's arms and stance are not only aesthetic, they are calculated to move appropriately and fit around the desk and motors. The hand was fitted with the Z motor and special plate that holds the magnets and calibrated Sharpie holder.

All that was the tech, the engineering, the art and the math... next comes the wonder! The looks on people's faces, their interest and questions, their suggestions... all of this is what makes it really, really fun!

We are the Benevolent Order of Makers. We love to imagine things, make things, and share them!

At Maker Faire, we are in great company, with hundreds, thousands, of creative, generous, smart, engaged people who love to find the play in everyday life.

Corina, Cris, Geoff, Maria, and Janece... at home, and abroad, we are surrounded by wonderful friends. It's awesome.

I am trying to imagine how many vans it would take to bring all the things BOoM has made over the years! I am really glad William brought his Prancing Pony sign.

His pack was full of marshmallow shooters from Maker Faire. Some cool group was sharing making those... and I really want to make one, too!

When Maria wasn't operating and explaining Da Vinci, she was making new friends.

There were also cousins to play with! Priscilla came with Emma and Maddie, from their Maker Faire exhibit.

Meet Da Vinci...

then, control Mech-Cthulu!

As I explained, the drawings we let Da Vinci share were all in Inkscape, but one little boy asked, "Can Da Vinci draw an airplane?" And we answered, "He can, but you have to teach him how." Our laptop didn't have a mouse, and he'd never used Inkscape, but he was willing, so check out what he managed to accomplish on his first try! He traced his finger on the tiny keyboard pad, and then Da Vinci was able to draw his airplane!

Making at Maker Faire!

No less than five times, this family asked to buy Maria's Centennial Lady, but we insisted they could just take it home. They didn't want to take it without a picture with the artist.

At the next event we plan to have BOoM and our URL printed on Da Vinci's drawings. And wouldn't it be great to have the resources to let more children use Inkscape to make their own pictures, too? Dreaming big. Dreaming BOoM!

Maria is posing for the La Jolla Light reporters who wanted to know all about Da Vinci and BOoM. Maybe we'll be featured. We are less interested in the attention on us, and more keen on sharing the idea of Making, of funding STEAM education, restoring metal shops in schools, maintaining Regional Occupation Programs and sharing the efforts of like minded friends, like Mike Fulkerson,and AR-Duo. At San Diego Maker Faire there were hundreds of people who are passionate about STEAM :: Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math, and Music, and any news about efforts to promote STEAM education is good news.

Here is a dear Maker... Happy Birthday, Bambi! All dressed-up and helpful, as always, in the very dress she was designing and cutting patterns for at our last BOoM meet-up.

Stayed tuned for Day Two, when we got rained-in and I learned to solder!

New Makers

Makers love to share... ideas, projects, and passion! We have a passion for STEAM, that's Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math and Music, so whenever we can share our interests with others, like a school... it's a great feeling! This is why we are thrilled to see that Kipp school will be an exhibitor at their first Maker Faire, in San Diego! October 3 & 4, at Balboa Park, Kipp students will be teaching the art of origami and promoting a tradition of peace, service, and outreach.

Brainstorming and exploring ideas for Kipp was fun, and we are very excited that the ideas the Benevolent Order Of Makers developed are going through as a wonderful plan. It supports their curriculum, and builds character... these are some of the fabulous benefits of having fun through making!

Make Way For Making

We did it. In spite of my doubts and insecurities, we we flung our doors wide open and invited people in. It was good. It was timely, and inspiring, and good. Here is some of what we enjoyed...

1. Priscilla's school has been invited to hold a booth at San Diego Maker Faire, which is a brand new experience for them. She asked for some suggestions for her 5th through middle school students... what could they do at the Faire, for the Maker Faire? We played with ideas that leaned toward technical, and ideas that leaned toward crafty. Our first test idea was the the copper dancer; a Homopolar motor. It's simple... sort of. Bending wire into just the right shape to make contact with magnets at the bottom of a AA battery takes some patience. It was fun to see the wire figure twirl, and we found the secret is in very carefully denting the positive end of the battery, so the dancer's foot can more easily balance. The downside: it's a short show. The battery drained in less than two minutes, and even when we considered using rechargeable batteries, we decided this was amusing, but wasteful. Not too bad for a one time experiment and example of a simple motor, but hardly ideal for repeating all day at a two day fair.

Priscilla offered that crafty might be a better direction, and after some consideration, I thought of the Thousand Origami Cranes. I think it offers a lot that will make their Maker Faire experience interesting, engaging and worthwhile, while being an easy introduction for their first visit. The students will learn the historic and cultural significances of folding the cranes, and making 1,000 of them will be an admirable challenge. They can choose someone to receive the gift, and further their community outreach by teaching Faire visitors how to do origami, while sharing their goal and intentions with everyone. From an academic perspective, we were thinking of many ways it would support school curriculum, including: history, math and geometry, language arts, and practical art.

The real point of all of this, for me, is that Maker Faire is not only impressive, it is supportive, inclusive, meant to inspire by being receptive to everyone, at all levels. So, wherever you are in a learning process, you are welcome to share, and encouraged to learn. The learning is what is celebrated, the sharing and engagement are what matter. No one should give up, or fail to start, because they are intimidated by bigger-fancier things, or feel inadequate to an experiment, an idea, a desire to learn. Do it. Make it. Play. Break it. Take it apart. Try again. Fail. Ask for help. Offer suggestions. Support. Encourage. Tinker. Dabble. Do it, again. Even if you feel like you don't know what you are doing, when you try, when you step forward, you are already inspiring someone else to play, too.

2. Geoff brought out motors, batteries, cables, and wheels, and Maria got a quick refresher in circuitry and rudimentary car making. She eagerly shared her interest with Emma M. and Amira.

3. Anna B brought out her handmade patchwork pillow, and made some updates for repurposing it. It's made up of memories, of treasured pieces, and she even added a new square, something from her travels to Iceland. We all watched YouTube videos about beautiful Sashiko stitching. Inspiring, for sure, and also requiring tremendous patience. I am all for trying new things, as well as knowing when to simply appreciate someone else's skills and dedication!

4. Bambi is working on her Halloween costume. Definitely a DIY project, from the design up! She's developing her own patterns for her original design, and sewing a lot of ruffles! We brought out other dress patterns, and special rulers, which we hope will be helpful. William worked on cutting his custom pattern for another pair of breeches. Priscilla decided she'd bring her sewing machine to our next gathering... jumping into new ventures can be much easier to imagine when you are surrounded by friends.

5. Maria is making a drawing tutorial. She acknowledged that drawing while documenting every step, including photographing the progress, is a lot of work. But she persisted. I should also add that, this is the very weekend that she demonstrated her new found skill: H@cking. She's into the interface, locally modifying code in her browser. Making changes. H@cking for good. We are so proud.

6. Speaking of persistence... I followed a tutorial for making granny squares, and I really loved this pattern that has fewer holes and gaps than many granny squares. But my persistence got a bit carried away, and I made it really huge, and then it got very wonky, and not a bit square. So, sadly, I had to frog the whole thing. I am a bit discouraged, but I strongly suspect that when this heat wave passes, I will be in a shop, choosing colors for a new crocheted blanket.

7. The big attraction of the day, literally, was the tentacle arm. It's coming closer and closer to completion, thanks to Geoff's effective and diligent persistence. He was glad for the assistance of William and Paul, and for the awe felt cheers and admiration from the rest of us, when he got the arm properly wired and dancing! It's a sight, and a sound! Pneumatic pistons firing and aluminum rings collapsing and rising at his command. We mean to top it with something thematic, and bring it to the Faire.

{One more thing... because it's just too sweet to leave unmentioned: The next morning, after a full day, and late night of working, playing, making, tinkering, eating, laughing, and sharing, Maria was up very early, and when we found her at the kitchen sink, she'd already cleaned the entire kitchen. My heart. Our girl. She's an inspiration.}