John went to the Maker Faire yesterday in San Mateo, California, and enjoyed it so much that he and Paul and I went again together today to see “The Greatest Show and Tell on Earth”.
“Maker Faire is an event created by Make magazine to ‘celebrate arts, crafts, engineering, science projects and the Do-It-Yourself (DIY) mindset’.”
“The maker culture is a contemporary culture or subculture representing a technology-based extension of DIY culture. Typical interests enjoyed by the maker culture include engineering-oriented pursuits such as electronics, robotics, 3-D printing, and the use of CNC tools, as well as more traditional activities such as metalworking, woodworking, and traditional arts and crafts. The subculture stresses new and unique applications of technologies, and encourages invention and prototyping. There is a strong focus on using and learning practical skills and applying them creatively.”
(from Wikipedia)
As you may expect when the technical wizards of the Silicon Valley and San Francisco Bay Area use “do it yourself” tools, methods, and ingenuity, the results are fascinating. There were exhibits by young children, teens, male and female technical professionals, war veterans, and seniors. Maker Faire is summed up well as “Like Burning Man without sex, drugs, or dust!” Themes at this family-friendly event ranged from Steampunk to the slickest High Tech, with a generous assortment of Star Wars and Doctor Who in the mix.
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Images Copyright 2013 by Katy Dickinson and John Plocher
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