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Maker Faire Events and Makers By Topic

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Arts

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"Crude Awakening" Action Figures Dan Das Mann + Karen Cusolito–Das Womann
Epiphany, Mumbatu and Ecstasy are three of the figures from "Crude Awakening," a massive collaboration created for the Burning Man event in 2007. One hundred and eighty people contributed in some fashion to the construction of the 100' tall "Revered Oil Derrick," the eight 30' tall figures of the faithful, the fantabulous and explosive pyrotechnics show, the original musical score, and the unforgettable finale that was seared into the minds of the 45,000 who witnessed it.

Location:   Makers Market

 

"Crude Awakening" Welding Workshops Dan Das Mann + Karen Cusolito–Das Womann
Step right up and get your bead on! We will be hosting welding workshops throughout Saturday and Sunday, from 10am 'til 6pm. We will provide gloves, welding hood, instruction, and materials so you can have a go at making your own sculpture. Note: long hair will need to be tied back, no fringie-frayed jeans or open shoes are allowed due to safety issues.

Location:   Outdoors

 

"How to make a Million! (of a thing)"
Examples from the international portfolio of Corbett Griffith illustrating the intersection and interactions between Art, Design, and Engineering.

 

1-Bit Music Tristan Perich
1-Bit Music is a project by artist and composer Tristan Perich that combines his music with primitive, hand-programmed electronics that investigate the foundations of digital sound. Distributed inside a standard CD jewel case, the custom-built electronics synthesize an album of electronic music, illustrating the structure of the circuit and combining that transparent aesthetic with the lowest fidelity sound. (Co-located in the Maker Shed with Loud Objects.)

Location:   Maker Shed

 

10 Years ROBOEXOTICA
Does this robot know how you need your Martini? Yes it does! Presenting the MindReadingMartiniMaker and other award-winning cocktail-robots, the founders of ROBOEXOTICA, the world's leading festival on the matter, announce the american franchise of the cocktail-robotic plot to achieve world-domination. Meet them in the Robogames pavilion.

Location:   Robo Games

 

2πr Interpretive Arson
2πr: A blisteringly interactive large-scale fire toy that translates anyone's movement into fire. A central stage lined with proximity sensors is surrounded by an outer ring of flame effects, creating huge bursts of flame when a dancer moves onstage.

Location:   Outdoors

 

3D Printer
A home made 3D printer which prints plastic models from computer file. Based loosely off of the Reprap project.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Abney Park Abney Park
Abney Park comes from an era that never was, but one that we wish had been. An era where airships waged war in the skies, and corsets and cummerbunds were proper adventuring attire. They’ve picked up their bad musical habits, scoundrelous musicians, and anachronistically hybridized instruments from dozens of locations and eras that they have visited in their travels and thrown them into one riotous dervish of a performance. Expect clockwork guitars, belly dancers, flintlock bassists, middleastern percussion, violent violin, and Tesla powered keyboards blazing in a post- apocalyptic, swashbuckling, Steampunk musical mayhem.

 

Abney Park Exhibit
Here is where you will find CD's and T-shirts, and other gear associated with Abney Park.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Abstract Chess
Abstract Chess is the game that you and your stolen office supplies have been waiting for. All you need is an index card, some markers and crayons, and a willingness to scribble. It’s the perfect challenge for anyone who’s ever looked at a Kandinsky or Pollock painting and thought, “I could do that!”

Location:   Robo Games

 

Acme Muffineering
Acme Muffineering presents Kinetic Pastry Science Mobile Muffins. Discover the recipe for a full batch of 1:18 scale mobile muffins. Delicious scratch-built, electric-powered, highly maneuverable, and capable of 18mph+!

Location:   Outdoors

 

ALERT: Active Learning Environment with Robotic Tangibles AME ALERT
ALERT uses computer vision fiducial markers placed in an environment to communicate instructions to iRobots, allowing participants to create meaningful environments for robots and engage in competitive and collaborative interactions with the system. We will provide specific technical details allowing participants to learn to use these techniques for their projects

Location:   Expo Red

 

Altered Couture
My line of Altered Couture, a style of design that embellishes existing garments and accessories, represents outfits that have been coordinated using fabrics and paints. Outfits begin with an item of clothing or an accessory, and evolve until an entire ensemble has been created that is as unique as the wearer of the outfit.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Animate Anything
We'll show you how to use simple controllers to animate anything for a holiday display or prop.

Location:   Robo Games

 

Anomaly
Anomaly will be a kinetic sculpture and adaptive sound and light controller. The sculptural component will be made of scrap bicycles and scrap pipe, welded and bolted into the shape of a tree. Bike wheels in the horizontal plane, suggesting branches, will be fitted with magnets and sensors, allowing them to act as the giant knobs of a huge electronic instrument. The sensors on the wheels as well as other sensors in the rest of the installation will connect to a MIDI controller, that will connect to a computer. Max/MSP programs will generate sounds that will respond to the environment and the movement of the wheels. Anomaly is in process, we will show a prototype.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Applied Kinetic Arts
A group showing of like-minded kinetic sculptors, makers all, who turn scrap and ideas into amazing devices and art.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Art Lessing and the Flower Vato
We are a DIY ear-friendly music ensemble with a variety of home-made, one-of-a-kind TONAL instruments. The "Space Bass" has become legendary to some in Sacramento. We have been playing the Second Saturday Art Walk in Sacramento for several years where we showcase these creations. We are not a noise outfit or a jam band.

 

ArtCar Fest
The largest exhibition of art cars on the West Coast, ArtCar Fest is the only event in the world devoted exclusively to ArtCars. A sampling of these cars will be at the Faire.

Location:   Expo Red

 

ArtGolf
For 2008 we want to add two new holes, “Demolition Croquet” & “Bad Sign.” In addition we invite Makers to submit proposals on how to make their own hole, using ArtGolf base track.

 

Bay Area Computer Music Technology Group Projects
Computer music technology projects including:

Location:   Expo Green

 

Bay Area LEGO Users' Group William Ward
The Bay Area LEGO Users' Group (BayLUG) will be displaying a detailed model train layout, passing through urban, suburban, industrial, and rural scenery, all constructed from LEGO bricks. We will also have a variety of other LEGO models on display covering a range of subject matter.

Location:   Fiesta Blue

 

Bazaar Bizarre
90 Crafters! A smorgasbord of handmade items, many cleverly made with recycled materials. Something for everyone—jewelry, toys, lotions, art, glass, fiber arts, ceramics, handbags, baby items, even crafting supplies.

Location:   Craft Zone

 

Bill's Artbots
I will demonstrate several artbots, one of which is a windharp outfitted with homemade, electric-guitar pickups. This artbot will produce erie and harmonious sounds as a nearby fan is used to simulate a light wind. When people walk by, they change the wind patterns and the sounds. This windharp is a smaller version of one I have connected to an Internet Radio Station that can be heard at: <a href="http://windharp.webhop.net">http://windharp.webhop.net</a> Other artbots shown will be: Farad, Jar-o-circuits, Picbugs, Fireflys, Solar lifeforms in jars.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Bleep Labs
Bleep Labs produces hand made, electronic music toys with personality. Our main product, the Thingamagoop, is a light-controlled synthesizer that produces a wide range of sounds using a simple interface. We are also releasing a kit version as well as digital toy designed with fellow makers, Loud Objects.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Blinkybug Workshop
Learn how to make these interesting insects with LEDs, batteries, and pipecleaners. Ken will also be appearing on the Make Demo stage.

Location:   Maker Shed  Maker Shed

 

Blubber Bot Robotic Inflatable Blimps
Come by the Maker Shed and check out the Blimp Kits that you can build yourself!

Location:   Maker Shed  Maker Shed

 

Boiler Bar and Theater
We took inspiration from the 1920s oil rush to create the Boiler Bar and Boiler Bar Theater. The bar is riveted top to bottom and topped with a fire show that, for a tip, will get you an 8 foot fire ball from the bar tender. I have created Zen Fire Gardens that will amaze a sober patron and wow the eyes. While enjoying the warmth of our fire and the comfort of a drink you can take in the sights of exotic belly dancers, fire performers, and readings from the biggest little stage at the “Boiler Bar Theater.”

Location:   Boiler Bar Stage

 

Breathalyzer Genie Christopher Palmer
Christopher Palmer's kinetic sculptures include Breathalyzer Genie and Breathing Trouble.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Build a Guitar
Learn how to make string instruments (mainly guitars) from kits. See sample kits, a finished guitar and some cool tools.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Build Your Own Vacuum Forming Machine
With a shop vac and other common supplies found at any hardware store you can build a simple Vacuum Forming Machine for under $300! Displays and demonstrations include; Mold making, costume building, Theatrical Armor fabrication and Prop making.

Location:   Work Shop

 

Calligraphy & Paper Marbling
Demonstrations of calligraphy and suminagashi paper marbling by accomplished Bay Area artists. Opportunities for guests to try their hand at both art forms.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Camera Obscura Theater
A 10’x10’ camera obscura that will be an interactive theater. Attendees will view the surrounding environment from inside the camera obscura. As the image will be reversed left to right and top to bottom, sculptural elements will be placed outside to enhance the illusion and provide props for entertainment.

Location:   Makers Market

 

Chronic Revelator
A cement mixer as time machine, filled with sand and water, slowly grinding 35mm cameras into river stones.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

City Bag Trade Kendra Stanley
How do you combine fashion, practicality, and sustainability into one product? You recycle old rain jackets into grocery bags! Welcome to the next evolution in social responsibility through environmentally safe and friendly alternatives to plastic. My intentions are to increase awareness around the use and waste of common, plastic grocery store bags, and to hopefully change our old bag habits.

Location:   Makers Market

 

Cityscape Photography

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

ComBots Fighting Androids Dan Albert , David Calkins
They've re-made the HiTech androids to be work off hacked Playstation controllers to use the Zigbee wireless module. They've reprogrammed the robots to be used in kick-boxing, soccer, and acrobatics.

 

Compubeaver / Text-o-possum
Compubeaver is a computer case mod. A full computer housed in a taxidermied beaver. Text-o-possum is an accessory, a bluetooth laser keyboard housed in elegant possum.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Computerized Etch A Sketch
Etch A Sketch toys are notorious for their difficult user interface. This project enables one to draw on an Etch A Sketch using a mouse, joystick, or GUI. Save drawings, edit them, replay them later. Render fractals autonomously. When finished, the whole machine flips over and shakes itself clear.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Contraptor Lounge
Leading Steampunk practitioners will talk about "contrapting" techniques and the creative process, including the metalworking and finishing techniques they use in their widely acclaimed Steampunk tech projects (such as von Slatt's Steampunk keyboard and monitor, and Datamancer's key-wound Victorian laptop). They'll also talk a little bit about their design philosophy and how one can "steampunkify" modern gadgetry.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Courtroom Artist Makes Live Drawings of Makers as They Work! Suzanne Forbes
I used to be a courtroom artist and I make awesome drawings of creative people as they do things and then put them on Flickr for the enjoyment of all! It's like Toulouse Lautrec with Creative Commons :)

Location:   Outdoors

 

Covert Public Messages
Inspired by movies like "They Live", "The Spiderwick Chronicles" and countless spy films, I wanted to create a means of displaying information in public, that only a select few could see. To the unaided eye, the mosaic of tinted film squares seems uniform and holds no particular meaning. But when viewed though a polarized filer (or a pair of polarized sunglasses), the concealed message becomes clear.

Location:   Dark Room

 

Craft Con Rachel Hospodar
Craft Con is a business development conference for the craft community.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Crank Ensemble
From sparse "plinking" to layered, melodic loopiness to hardcore noise, these all result from rhythmic, repetitive patterns made by crank-operated machines designed by artist Larnie Fox. Each instrument has a mounted piezo (contact microphone) to amplify its sound.

 

Crayon Physics Deluxe
Simulated physics from free-hand drawing on Tablet PCs created by Crayon Physics Deluxe.

 

Creating Disney-themed Parks Designs
Senior VP of Disney Imagineering's Creative Development Group,Tony Baxter has played a key role in the design and creation of many Disney attractions and theme parks of the last 25 years, including Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Splash Mountain, the Indiana Jones Adventure, and the overall creative role for Disneyland and Disneyland Paris.

 

Creating Sustainable Spaces Where Anything Goes Umberto Crenca
AS220, a non-profit, unjuried, and uncensored arts center in Providence, RI, has been growing since 1985. Despite the complexity of growing such a space, AS220 has thrived and become a model for organizations looking to create sustainable spaces. Bert Crenca, the Founder and Artistic Director of AS220, tells the story.

 

Creative Repurposing for Science
No money for expensive equipment and materials? Constraints can often lead to more innovative designs! Join RAFT for fun science activities made from discarded, found, and other “creatively repurposed” materials! Resource Area for Teaching (RAFT) is a non-profit organization dedicated to supporting hands-on education.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Critter and Guitari
Critter and Guitari will be demoing their kits: The Cellular Automata Video Synthesizer is a good introduction to basic video synthesis and pattern generation. It turns any ordinary TV into a color demonstration of 1 dimensional elementary cellular automata. The Pocket Piano Arduino Shield is a brand new kit that turns the Arduino board into a portable electronic keyboard synthesizer. Different synthesizer patches can be created with the Arduino software and downloaded over USB.

Location:   Fiesta Blue  Maker Shed

 

Crystal Focus LED "lightsaber" Project Matthew Carauddo
The most amazing and dynamic sound & light driver board you'll ever see. Made specifically for "LED saber props," in the spirit of the "Star Wars" films by Lucasfilm. (No affiliation or association with Lucasfilm, LTD or Lucasarts.)

Location:   Dark Room

 

Curiously Bright LED & Audio Extravaganza!
Darker Technologies and Macetech combine forces this year to bring a variety of original projects including LED grow lights, simple RGB pixel elements, a giant RGB array nearly five feet tall, an Altoids tin-based high quality stereo component system, and more!

Location:   Dark Room

 

Digital Co-laboratory
Come visit our exhibit and create art, play games, solve mysteries, manipulate data, capture ideas, and make connections. We'll use multiple formats of digital media with projection and electronic white board technology to dynamically bring makers of all ages into a digital co-laboratory.

Location:   Dark Room

 

Divine Strake Project
The Moment of Divine Strake is an installation of bronze bells that receives real-time seismic data that actuate the bells' tolling hammers. The World Wide Web functions as a conduit, funneling a natural pulse from remote events occurring in the landscape to the installation site.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

DIY Relationships
How does being in a relationship help you collaborate? Do problem-solving approaches cross over from projects to life? Relationship hacks and MAKE/CRAFT stories from couples who make stuff (and more) together. Geek comedian Heather conversates with Jillian Northrup and Jeffrey McGre (becausewecan.org) and Christy Canida + Eric Wilhelm (instructables.com).

 

Dry-erase XY Board
Mechanical drawing device that paints via X-Y coordinates over a whiteboard programmatically controlled with a computer.

 

Dystopic Horizons Realty Spy Emerson
Dystopic Horizons Realty will host an open-house tour of their green constructed model homes. Affordable housing starting in the low $100 dollars.

Location:   Craft Zone

 

Eccentric Genius
Kaden Harris is the author of Eccentric Cubicle, and the brains behind Eccentricgenius.ca. He'll be in the Maker Shed store showing The Silicon Projectile Centrifuge and other exotica from the halls of beautiful Eccentric Manors.

Location:   Maker Shed  Maker Shed

 

EepyBird Fritz Grobe and Stephen Voltz
See the original Internet sensation LIVE! Geysers of soda shoot over twenty feet into the air in this spectacular mint-powered version of the Bellagio Fountains, brought to you by the mad scientists of EepyBird. EepyBird has been featured on Late Night with David Letterman, Ellen, the Today Show, and Mythbusters, and they were named "Best of 2006" by People Magazine. Their online videos have won two Webby Awards and received two Emmy nominations.

 

Electric Rainsticks
Using some common hardware and a contact mic, you can build an electric rainstick that delivers a surprisingly varied and subtle tone. They are fairly inexpensive to make, can be completed in less than an hour, and are loads of fun.

 

Electric Western: Handbuilt Instruments of the High Mojave Lorin Edwin Parker
Unique and expressive electronic instruments in many forms: vacuum tube theremins, steam-powered synthesizers, singing robot heads, spark gaps, telegraphs, and electrosparklaviers--constructed from recycled, often antique, parts. These instruments connect futuristic synthesis with the western American past.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Electronic Frontier Foundation Electronic Frontier Foundation
The Electronic Frontier Foundation (EFF) is the leading organization defending civil liberties in the digital world. EFF believes protecting innovation is central to advancing our freedom and has fought to clear the way for encryption, VoIP, file-sharing software, open source HDTV tools, and much more. Visit our booth to learn about our current work and pick up some cool EFF swag including our latest t-shirt and stickers!

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Elements of Sculptural Crochet
Crochet is not just for hats and scarves –- this medium has true sculptural potential. Jessica Polka of Wunderkammer will demonstrate how different combinations of stitches can be used to make three-dimensional forms. First-time crocheters welcome!

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Escama Studio
Fashion accessories combining crochet and 100% post-consumer recycled aluminum pop tops. Handmade in fair trade artist cooperatives in Brazil. DIY crochet with pop top tutorial available at the booth.

 

Exploratorium
Meet the makers from the Exploratorium! Scientists, artists, and tinkerers of every stripe will lead activities, share exhibits, and show their work.

 

Exploring New Ways to Interact with Computers
I will demonstrate input (game controllers, cameras, microcontrollers) and output (sound, custom circuits) methods that can form non-traditional user interfaces. I will also show how to use things like PyGame, Pd, OSC and MIDI to quickly build these interfaces. Examples will be shown. Bring a controller, learn to use it!

Location:   Expo Green

 

Extreme Craft
Extreme Craft is a website that gleefully explores the gray area between art and craft.  Does a popsicle stick Viking ship qualify as art?  Will the souls of Polish grannies who knit scandalous lace underwear be doomed to eternal Hellfire?  Can Craft be used to combat Nigerian email scammers?  Find out the answer to these questions and much much more on www.extremecraft.com.

 

Fashioning Technology: DIY Intro into Smart Crafting
Ready to take your craft projects to the next level? Learn how to blend traditional sewing and assembly techniques with new conductive and smart materials and electronics to create accessories, housewares, and toys that light up, shift-patterns, make sounds, or do even more.

 

Fashioning Technology: DIY Style
Live demonstration on how to use "smart" materials from the author of "Fashioning Technology," releasing July 2008 from O'Reilly Media.

 

Felt Faux Fruit
Needle felting is the kind of craft that has to be seen to be believed. With the swift action of the felting needle, wool goes from fluffy roving to dense sculpture. This demo will showcase the techniques used to make the felt fruit from the cover of Craft.

 

Flaming Lotus Girls
The Flaming Lotus Girls are a San Francisco-based group of female and male artists collaborating all year round to create exceptional fire art and provide a resource for learning metalworking and other essential shop skills. Their installations incorporate flame effects and enticing design on a gargantuan scale and are beloved by audiences worldwide.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Flaming Zen Garden
The Flaming Zen Garden is an interactive art piece which makes the participants the artist. When a participant draws a pattern into the sand, the flame follows the pattern. This piece has no moving parts and has a flame of 1/4" high. It is quiet, contemplative and always a favorite. It can be accessed by people of all ages, from 4 to 104.

 

Flick-to-Flick
Flipbooks are fun. The Flick-to-Flick (F2F) software quickly puts a personalized video flipbook in your hand. F2F grabs short video clips, or flicks, then formats and prints video frames as flipbook pages. Within minutes, you are flicking your own custom flipbook.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

FrankenBot Drum Triggers and Electric Tap Shoes Austin Giles
I build drum triggers out of piezo elements and create sculptures/ Electrified tap shoes with the drum triggers.

 

Frankenstein Prototyping
Learn to Make Prototypes for Pennies and More.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Furoshiki Wraps
Originating from Japanese culture where it promotes caring for the environment and reducing waste, furoshiki is the eco-friendly wrapping cloth. Using techniques similar to origami, it can be used for gift wrapping, grocery shopping, or simply as decor. Choose from a wide variety of sizes and designs to complement your lifestyle. Why furoshiki? It is reusable and multipurpose. Each year billions of plastic bags end up as litter; reusable bags, such as furoshiki, can help reduce the impact to our environment. Its versatility allows you to wrap almost anything regardless of its shape or size.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Garbage Art by DumpsterDiversAnonymous
DDA is an informal group of artists and crafters that use recycled and reclaimed materials for our art. We would like to encourage new and experienced artists and crafters to find creative uses for materials diverted from the waste stream, such as trash art collages, microfilm basketry, and spun audiotape fiber-arts. We will be providing some hands-on crafts such as garbage collage mailart postcards and recycled paper zine-making.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Gasifier Experimenters Kit/Escape from Berkeley
The Gasifier Experimenters Kit is a "lego system" to help you get started in the biomass thermal conversion art. The kit allows one to easily set up and compare various architectures of gasifiers and pyrolysis units, with a produced gas that can be used for heating, electrical power or transport purposes. Don't wait for Exxon/Mobil to solve the problem. You can do it yourself with the "trash" you have laying around your house, yard, or farm. Escape from Berkeley (by any non-petroleum means necessary) is an open road race from Berkeley to Las Vegas of hacked alt powered vehicles, using only fuels scavenged along the route. Half Darpa Grand Challenge, half art car parade. Building workshops this spring and summer at The Shipyard/ALL Power Labs. The race will be mid-October 2008.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Get Soapy
Learn to make your own bars of soap using a glycerin base that you can easily melt and pour.

Location:   Makers Market

 

Giant Squid Nemo Gould
A giant metal mechanical squid.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Glass Flamework with a Portable Setup
Flameworking, lampworking, or torchworking glass is a an affordable and portable practice for anyone to try hot glass sculpture on a small scale. It's like drawing mid-air with molten glass!

Location:   Outdoors

 

Glowing Bacteria Project
A glass panel filled with living bio-luminescent bacteria will be on display. Visitors will be able to play with making swirling patterns of bacterial light.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Greathouse Labs
Greathouse Labs Fire machines, Robots, Mechanical oddities Animatronics, and electrical vehicles.

 

Greeting Cards with Recycled Materials
Learn how to turn your paper trash into beautiful, handmade masterpieces! Greeting cards that wow your friends and help the environment.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Guerilla Pattern Drafting Autumn Wiggins
Make your handmade accessory dreams come true! Learn tricks and techniques for sewing accurate representations of your own ideas.

 

HatManDo Offline Multiplayer Games William Nye
In the HatManDo ("Hat-Man-Due") series of interactive games, multiple players -- say two to four teams of four -- play by walking around in close proximity in a medium-sized room area, while being tracked by an overhead camera. Before entering the play area, kids may have their photo taken, or they may draw a small image, either of which is used as their on-screen player icon.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Heads On Fire::Fab Lab Heads On Fire
Fab Labs are a global network of design and fabrication laboratories, installed as a resource for community-based innovation. They combine CNC milling machines, specialized software, and the ability to make and program electronics in order to ease production of imagined objects and devices by anyone. We want to guide Makers in using lab; showcase projects from labs around the world.

Location:   Work Shop

 

Heavy Pedal Cyclecide Bike Rodeo
Cyclecide has embraced the bicycle as a medium to express our interest in mechanical innovation, kinetic art, and performance. By salvaging bicycles for creative re-use we have produced a fleet of double-decker tall bikes, choppers, tandems, swing bikes, reverse bikes, and others too bizarre to name. The Heavy Pedal Bike Rodeo is a circus style show that highlights these monstrous alter-cycles with stupefying stunts. Our pedal-powered carnival midway of rides and attractions demonstrate the possibilities of human powered fun and engineering.

 

Help Make the Boggle and Sneak Videobook!
Help make the videobook of my novel "Boggle and Sneak" by visiting my time machine. In the (CC-licensed) novel, inventor Trolls travel to my family's house in jury-rigged vehicles and subject us to Rube Goldberg practical jokes. Stop by and film a page or two!

Location:   Expo Red

 

Hexagons Jeremy Smith
I'll show construction kits for Platonic solids. Using a design printed on a single sheet of paper or card, you can turn the design into an intriguing 3D model of a Platonic solid. Included are popup dodecahedron calendar, tetrahedron pyramid puzzle, and cube of rotating cubes.

Location:   Expo Red

 

High Speed Flash Photography Kit
As seen in MAKE Vol 4. Take "impossible" pictures, leaving everyone wondering "How did you do that?" Capture high-speed events -- A splash. Popping balloons. Breaking glass. Use your imagination!

Location:   Maker Shed  Maker Shed

 

Hologlyphics
Hologlyphics combines elements of holography, music, video synthesis, visionary film, sculpture and improvisation to create a unique new artform. These moving spatial visuals are seen in full 3D without glasses, intertwined with music and spatial sound. Although not the same technical process as holography, the visual result is the same.

Location:   Dark Room

 

HomeBrewed Robots!
A variety of electro-mechanical creatures including "Springy Thingy," a Burningman Artbot, and his faithful cybernetic companion, "Rusty." "Homer the HomeBrewed Humanoid" performing Kung-Fu-Fighting. The "LosiBot," an autonomous radio-controlled car. "Wirey," AKA My Little Blue Robot "Wired". "SnoopBot," a hacked puppet. And the PROTOBot Army: We will settle for nothing less then total world domination.

Location:   Robo Games

 

How to Make a Million! (of a Thing)
We are responsible for... Tens of thousands of alive art interactions Millions of renewed and reused perfect products Hundreds of dreams released into reality An idea that is nurtured and loved produces investments in millions

Location:   Expo Green

 

Huge Tesla Coils and Tower Electronique
Three huge Tesla Coils with lots of electricity and a Tower Electronique, a musical instrument that plays in the air. Also, flying balls machine, solar energy musical machines, and much more.

Location:   Dark Room

 

I.T.
40 ft tall and weighing just over 12k lbs, I.T. is a giant three-legged invader designed to support up to 20 people inside of its rotating head when its hoop ladder is lowered. It is, however, a one-way trip.

Location:   Outdoors

 

ibog
A mobile personal flush composting toilet that turns raw sewage into a beautiful wetland garden. Also check out the urine recycling garden.

Location:   Makers Market  Near Techne group

 

Instructables.com
Come meet the staff and play with our laser cutter, giant homemade Lite-Brite, bicycle-wheel kinetic sculpture, mouse mouse, and other awesome projects! Learn how to submit your own! Stop by to laser-etch your cell phone, visit, and pick up some free Instructables Robot stickers!

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Interactive Furniture
I build pieces of furniture that are designed to be interactive and/or to provide a useful function. For example, an end table that is also a refrigerator, a coffee table that has a fluid-filled lazy susan, speaker stands that are aquariums and provide a light show sync'd to the music.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Jake von Slatt: The Steampunk Workshop
An outdoor sitting room of retro-futuristic/Victorian curiosities and technical wonders, hosted by Jake Von Slatt, Datamancer, Libby Buloff and Magpie Killjoy, Molly "Porkchanks" Friedrich, and Meredith Scheff. Throughout the two days of the Faire, Jake von Slatt and Datamancer will be in the Contraptor Lounge double teaming the construction of a special edition 2008 Bay Area Maker Faire Steampunk Keyboard that will be raffled off or given as a door prize (to be determined).

Location:   Outdoors

 

Jam Making with cmbsweets! Carolina Braunschweig
Start with a basket of fruit. Add a drop of sugar, a squeeze of lemon and a whole gallon of love. Then set it to boil. The result? Happiness in a jar. cmbsweets is a San Francisco-based jam-maker celebrating only-in-California fruits and flavors: apricot-habanero, olallieberry, blood orange...

Location:   Makers Market

 

Japanese Storycard Theater
Authors Hazuki Kataoka and David Battino perform short <i>kamishibai</i> dramas from their Storycard Theater series, winner of the 2004 Dr. Toy Award for Top Ten Creative Products. Kamishibai (literally "paper theater") was a popular Japanese street-performance format in the days before TV. For kids of all ages.

 

Jewelry Making Techniques Plus Dee Rouse Huth
Learn several techniques of making jewelry including casting, fabrication, stone setting, precious metal clay, cloisonne, filagree, engraving, gemstone carving and metal embossing and forging and much much more—you can do it!

Location:   Craft Zone

 

Jon Sarriugarte’s Boiler Bar Theater Presents
While enjoying the warmth of our Boiler Bar fire and the comfort of a drink you can take in the sights of exotic belly dancers, fire performers, and readings from the biggest little stage at the “Boiler Bar Theater.”

 

Judy: My Dinner with Android
Since the dawn of the computer age, people have argued about whether computers can ever be intelligent. But has anyone tried simply asking one? Intrepid researcher Tom Sgouros built a robot in his basement and after literally weeks of lessons in phonetics, elocution and the elements of logic, he and Judy present their findings here.

 

Jug Hero
We took a couple of old beer jugs, wired them up to a computer and created a new video game: Jug Hero! Just like Guitar Hero, except you're the star of a jug band.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Justin Gray's Fire Sculpture Robots and Electric Motorcycles
This year Justin Gray is bringing two fire sculpture robots and three lithium battery powered electric motorcycles!

 

Kepler's Orrery
Kepler's Orrery is an interactive gravity simulator that composes & plays generative music while visually demonstrating physics equations. Each simulation starts with a "galaxy" of bodies that attract each other, move, and swirl around under the influence of their mutual gravity. When the bodies collide, they make music. Each one is assigned a melody and an instrument and plays its next note at each collision. You can watch the simulation projected on the wall, or you can change the system using its interactive kiosk: experminent with physics constants; see the force field; change the mass or position of the bodies to see how the initial conditions affect the outcome.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Kite Aerial Photography
The Bay Area hosts a particularly active community of kite aerial photographers. Local KAP artists will demonstrate several approaches to controlling an aerial camera including inexpensive robotic cradles, radio-controlled apparatus, and specialty panoramic rigs.

 

Kite Aerial Photography Collective
The Bay Area hosts a particularly active community of kite aerial photographers. This booth will feature KAP artists Cris Benton, Elaine & Don Dvorak, Ricardo Ferreira, Scott Haefner, Brooks Leffler, and Ben Peoples in a discussion of images, technique, and scratch-built equipment

Location:   The Hangar  near Techne group; and near a pole to hang kites on

 

Krane with a K Chris McMullen
Krane with a K is an 8-foot tall sculpture equipped with four small winches as points of control, connected by rope to one hook. Four participants use the winches to try and pick up and stack five blocks which rest inside the frame. An invitation for one to test their skills.

Location:   Outdoors

 

La Legion Fantastique Peter Overstreet
We are a Jules Verne re-enactment society. Our show involves the creation of various artifacts from Jules Verne's works.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Laser Looms—Crystal and Cardboard Travis Meinolf
I'll bring a selection of clear acrylic and folding cardboard looms for people to weave cloth with, and maybe take home!

Location:   Outdoors

 

LED Art, Art Bikes & Instructables
Monkeylectric LLC & Synoptic Labs present LED art for bikes, home, and around town. Also featuring Art Bikes and many Instructables DIY projects for show-n-tell-n-try, including the color make-over booth, ultimate headlight, jar 'o fireflies, and polygon lampshade building kit.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

LED Hula Hoop Michael Nuzzi
The LED Hula Hoop is a fun product used by professional performers, dancers, and anyone interested in having fun making cool streams of color in the dark. They can be seen at festivals like Burning Man, and can sometimes cost as much as $300. But you can make one yourself for a lot less. Instructions can be found on Craft Magazine Vol 6. But we will explore a simpler way to make an even better LED hoop for both adults and kids using minimal tools.

Location:   Dark Room

 

LEGOJEEP Kevin Mathieu
The LEGOJEEP is one of the few true interactive art cars. The exterior is covered in LEGO sheets allowing LEGO on top to be moved into different patterns, shaped into structures, and messages to be created by any passerby. This reshaping of the environment leads the LEGO player, hopefully, to reassess the norms of what is possible in one's environment. This art car introduces a sense of play and induces conversation among builders as LEGO are shared and traded among the makers.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Lemon Lime Lights
Eastbanian junkyard cabaret.

 

Lepidodgera
Lepidodgera is a 37-foot-tall steel butterfly perched atop a Dodge van. The 6000 square-foot wings articulate by hydraulic actuation and are brilliantly illuminated at night. A novel on-board gasifier converts biomass into gaseous fuel for the Dodge's engine.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Life Size Mousetrap
The LIFE SIZE MOUSETRAP is a fantastically hand crafted, 16 piece, 50,000-lb. interactive KINETIC SCULPTURE set atop a 6,500-square-foot game board. This giant Rube Goldberg style contraption comes complete with a VAUDEVILLIAN style show, original MUSICAL SCORE by The one woman band Esmerelda Strange, Sexy Mice CAN-CAN DANCERS, Clown workers, acrobatic HI JINKS, and other SPECTACULAR SCENES dedicated to the pursuit of spectacle-laden FUN!

Location:   Makers Market

 

Lifelong Furniture Simply Made from Naturally Beautiful Recycled Stuff William Callahan
I create furniture kits that empower everyday people to design and build their very own lifelong furniture using recycled materials (wood, stone, and glass). The kits include recycled steel joinery and fasteners. I will demonstrate to adults and kids how to build furniture by hand and without power tools.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Light Doodles
Light doodles are created by capturing light trails with a digital camera and long exposure. We demonstrate the process, then capture participant's drawings and display them on a monitor. The drawings can be uploaded to Flickr for later viewing and downloading. Information is provided on camera settings, creating animations, and building LED light pens.

Location:   Fiesta Blue

 

Lil Ju Ju Mobile Pinball Museum
Back by popular demand, the Lil' Ju Ju is a modified 1947 Spartan Manor Travel Trailer with a strengthened chassis, hydraulic auto leveling legs, and enough batteries/inverter to power a Jukebox and 6 pinball machines. A true mobile pinball arcade on wheels, featuring outer space themed pinball electromechanical machines.

Location:   Robo Games

 

Lost in Space Experience
Makers can relive the Lost in Space experience with a working ROBOT, the Jupiter II computer, a balloon breaking Laser Pistol and Rocket Belt simulator that can zoom around the Jupiter II's crash site. All items are custom made and hand crafted to the specifications of the original TV show.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Loud Objects
Agog and agaggle! The Loud Objects set sail for a feral reimagination of circuit bending. Loftily wielding soldering irons against a ramshackle overhead projector, these heroic lads from New York City (Tristan Perich the composer, Kunal Gupta the programmer, and Katie Shima the architect) wire up live musical circuits and gerrymander lo-fi electronic noise. The first few minutes are characterized by bleak silence as the loud objects swiftly assemble an initial circuit; thereafter a lush and percussive poetry overwhelms the arena as the trio heroically hacks microchips into a beastly swarm of 1-bit noise. These maneuverings are projected physically from the smokiness, hulking beyond the performers, gargantuan spectres stripped from the pillars of antiquated technology to their lurid and noble spirit. (Co-located in the Maker Shed with 1-Bit Music.)

Location:   Maker Shed  Maker Shed

 

MacGyver: The Making of a Cultural Icon Lee Zlotoff
The writer of MAKE's Makeshift feature was father to McGyver, who was based on his own father. Learn about the origins of the MacGyver series and why MacGyver has become such a cultural icon.

 

Magical Urban Creatures
Magical urban creatures constructed from a combination of salvaged parts and custom fabricated components. Join me as I work on one of my creatures, the fallen rabbit spirit, and play with my series of magical urban creatures that will be on display.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

MAIZ
MAIZ is a cyber sonic robotic talisman. It is a hyper-folkloric object of reconnection, made of recycled machinery parts and controlled by a computer. MAIZ is a link between Aztec mythology and contemporary cyber technology. MAIZ is featured in the latest issue of MIT Leonardo as well as Music and Science magazine.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Make Play Day
A treasure trove of electronics, construction materials, and expert assistance has all you need to turn a creative doodle in your noodle into something physical. Drop in or stay all day.

Location:   Fiesta Blue

 

Make the Future!
What could Maker Faire look like in 2018? And where is that future already here? Make the Future! shows exciting visions from the next decade of making and manufacturing, and connects the future to the prototypes already being built today. Come to see how you’ll be making the future.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Make Your Own Free Range Mini-Monsters
Learn how to whip up a goofy hand-sewn plush monster to love. It doesn't matter if this is your first ever sewing project or even if you consider yourself creativity-impaired, you can learn how to conjure a special friend, and have fun every step of the way.

 

Make Your Own Glass Beads
Learn the secrets of the Venetian Masters! With common equipment, you can make your own glass beads, buttons, and some dishes. Come see how it's done.

 

Make-and-take Laser-cut Andon Robyn Orr
The traditional Japanese Andon (paper lantern) gets a modern maker update. Jump in our photo-booth, then stand back while a laser cutter renders you in perfect detail into an amazing cardboard lantern. Made from recycled materials, and consumption-optimized.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Maker Magic Dan Weiss
To make magic, you have to MAKE magic. Come see MAKE author Dan Weiss perform magic tricks, talk about how they were made, and the tradition of making magic tricks in his family.

 

Maker Sessions
A selection from computer music technology projects.

 

Making Jewelry
Learn how to make jewelry from the author of "Beadalicious."

 

Marquetry Art
Marquetry is the art of creating decorative designs and pictures by skillfully utilizing the grain, figure and colors of thin veneers. We will display completed marquetry and will demonstrate the steps to create marquetry.

Location:   Work Shop

 

Marvin, the Anthropomorphic Babbage Concierge Milo Dodds
Meet Marvin. He's Steampunk. He's robotic, more or less, with pan/tilt articulation... the eyes are spot lights, the nose is a low lux video camera, there's (predictably) a speaker in his mouth, and those jowl-like little grille things are a microphone array. It's all controlled via wireless USB through a phidget interface, with motion and noise tracking algorithms, facial recognition, and a bunch of other geegaws and gimcracks. He can be scary to see in operation, which is kinda the point. Milo Dodds commissioned Kaden Harris to build Marvin as part of "a relatively minor component of a truly epic commission."

Location:   Expo Green

 

Mercedes Pens Art Car
The Mercedes Pens Art Car created by me, the Pen Guy, is covered inside and out in over 6000 pens. I got the idea to create an art car using something we all use, old pens of every kind. My goal is to inspire others through art and comedy to begin pursuing their dreams and visions for their life in fun, creative, and humorous way.

 

Mobile Movie Drive-in Eric Kurland
In a mobile car-based projection booth, L.A.'s chapter of MobMov—"the Drive-in that Drives in"—presents an outdoor movie screening.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Mod Your Maker's Notebook
A work area in the Maker's Shed, called the Maker's Notebook Mod Station, where folks who just bought the Notebook can "improve" it. Becky Stern and I will be doing ongoing demos showing how to add pockets, closures, marker ribbons, and various cool notebook tricks and hacks.

Location:   Maker Shed  Maker Shed

 

Moebius Omnibus
The Moebius Omnibus was a purpose-built mutant vehicle for Burningman 2005. It was designed and built from scratch to seat 12 people (plus one driver) and provide all of them a comfortable unobstructed view of the surroundings, which is safe and fun. It has underwent several design changes and is currently on it's 3rd revision. It is a vehicle like no other and employs a highly unusual control system and configuration.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Momentum Magazine Amy Walker
An illustration and celebration of self-propelled people using "appropriate technology"- particularly focusing on the bicycle and its usefulness in improving our experience of our surroundings, our fitness, and our quality of life in North America. We propose to explore a brief history of bicycle experimentation in North America and the marriage of bicycles with other modes of mobile technology ie. smart phones.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Monkeylectric LED Art Bikes
In a never-before-seen fusion of kinetic and digital arts, Monkeylectric presents a unique night-time visual experience combining the pavement stylings of bmx flatland artist Pete Brandt with cutting edge digital light art by Dan Goldwater and Xander Hudson. In the hands of Pete Brandt an expertly wielded bicycle becomes a palette of stunning color imagery as thousands of precisely controlled LEDs light up the air.

 

monochrom's SCULPTURE MOBS: Training Camp
Counter culture? Art? Your average guy does not go to exhibitions, concerts nor does he get in touch with art and counter culture media. Counter culture and the art world are niche places. And even if people would go there they would consider what happens there to be ‘just art’. Art is the place where things might be reflected. But that amounts to nothing because it is not linked to everyday life. Art is a special task and a special place for special people. Many post-bourgeois artists were trying to bring the art back to the people ­ not as a handy service (as it is to the bourgeois elite art consumer) but as a form of irritation. They created many forms of street theatre and pranks. But even art hackers are often helpless against official "art in public space"! Oh, the horror! Those endless atrocities! All of them labeled "sculpture in public space"! Ah! Monstrous "public art installations" on roundabouts, on main streets, in shopping malls! It is time to reclaim the street art! It is time to create your own public art! Get your hammers! Get your welding equipment! It is time for SCULPTURE MOBS! monochrom offers free courses, in-depth training and invites people on a couple of guerrilla field trips.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Movie FX Gary Barth
I live locally (in San Carlos) and I produce a line of Special Effects DVDs that are taught by Hollywood professionals. Each DVD is 3 hours long and has multiple lessons on various techniques including molding, casting, painting, teethmaking, sculpting, prop-making, makeup, and so on. Check out the movie prop decorations and live makeup demos as well!

Location:   Robo Games

 

Music Instrument Controllers with Fiber and Malleable Materials Adrian Freed
New materials like conductive thread, piezoresistive textiles and carbon fiber make it possible to build compelling new musical instrument controllers in minutes and hours without the carpentry skills traditional lutherie require. I will show you how to build these new instruments and invent your own.

Location:   Expo Green

 

My Game Builder
All the tools needed to make a computer game (specialty: 2D actions and RPG games), all in your browser. Make a game in 10 minutes or as long as you have.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Mystery Phones Greg MacLaurin
Disassemble old telephones and create a Ghost Phone, to listen in on a pre-recorded conversation; and a Party Line, for your very own private standalone phone system.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Needle Felting Playground
What's all the fuzz about? Use lush, colorful wool fiber and felting needles to play with needle felting, or take a project from beginning to end.

Location:   Fiesta Blue

 

Neon Tubebending Demonstration
Neon tubebending techniques will be demonstrated throughout the day, with a portable set of neon crossfires. Shawna Peterson runs a neon shop creating her own artwork and commercial signs. She likes to combine found objects, typically old signs, with new neon to create illuminated sculptures.

Location:   Work Shop

 

Nervous System Jesse Louis-Rosenberg and Jessica Rosenkrantz
Nervous System creates unusual jewelry from industrial materials with rapid prototyping methods. Our designs are generated through interactive, open source algorithms that users can play with on our website. People will be able to design their own pieces at our booth, then have them cut at the FabLab booth.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Neverwas Haul
Inspired by the works of Jules Verne, the Neverwas Haul is a self-propelled, 3-story Victorian house on wheels, and the home of the Traveling Academy of Unnatural Sciences, an intrepid group of explorers who are using steam-powered engines to circumnavigate the globe.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Nueva Middle School Art Program
Our workbench will demonstrate how the Nueva Middle school art program works with students to increase their artistic perception through the making and the understanding of mechanical and Interactive Art. The projects that are going to be on display were done throughout the school year. These projects vary from pinball machines, GO cars, robots, surprise boxes to interactive-interface video pieces.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

NYC Resistor Super Funtime Hacklab!
We're going to be showing off all kinds of fun projects that we've created over the last few months at the NYCResistor hacker space. There will be LED blinky projects; RepRap the open source 3D printer; Arduino projects a plenty; BarBot! the robot bartender; steam-powered widgets; Daisy the friendly open source MP3 player; Twithcie, the multipurpose plush robot (a new kit from MAKE Magazine!); incredible knitted and sewn monstrosities (kids LOVE them!); and much more! We will dedicate much of our space to hands on fun for visitors to the Faire.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Omega Recoil John Behrens
A group of Tesla Coil performers previously associated with Dr. Megavolt creates new and different styles of Tesla Coil based interactive art. Our centerpiece is a 9'30,000 Tesla Coil. We will interact with a suit and other Maker's projects. We will test your projects for you with the Coil.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Optical Acoustics
This is a set of MP3 players that have the LED outputs. The modulated light is received by a photo-diode amplifier and the players send messages that are transmitted to various stars through a spotlight. The receiver is in a small telescope.

Location:   Dark Room

 

Pandora's Trunk
Pandora's Trunk is a cooperative arts and design boutique and gallery located in the Lower Haight neighborhood of San Francisco. At Maker Faire these artists will be making work live, demonstrating processes, and answering questions about their unique working situation, as well as showing off an array of completed works.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

PetBots! Christopher Myers
A robotic workshop for Kids! Learn about batteries, motors, and switches; creating several different types of mobile robots that spin, dance, and draw using recycled and reused electric components and cool laser cut acrylic chassis. PetBots can be built by anyone without prior experience. Also on show will be the Robot Ranch where you can drive the Nerf Gun Roomba and see how good your aim really is.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Photojojo DIY Photo Blocks
Show off your photos using beautiful photo blocks -- using any photos, linoleum blocks, and glue, and some sealer!

 

Physical Pixels
I make mosaics out of found objects. Dice, matches, M&M candy, spent bullet casings, color pencils, anything small and cheap enough. I write programs that calculate layouts based on image files. Lately I started using a CNC router to make drill-out mosaics--images that are literally made of holes.

Location:   The Hangar

 

PianoMotion
This is a small musical art vehicle (2' X 11') with electronic fly-by-wire steering. It features a piano keyboard and sound system built into the body of the vehicle. Fly-by-wire steering allows the driver to simultaneously steer the vehicle and play the piano with both hands. It has a 12-channel custom MIDI lighting system, modular body-frame "skateboard" design, novel LED lighting, and a clean air system to protect the electronics from dust.

 

Pinbowl Chaos Generator
A large polycarbonate dish 3 feet in diameter contains 4 bumpers, 3 Neon/Argon rings, and 1 to 3 pinballs. When activated, the bumpers begin energizing, sending balls careening and colliding with each other and triggering the gas tubes and creating a cacophony of light and sound. They eventually lose momentum, roll back down to the bottom, only to be sent on their way once again by the bumpers. This gives a glimpse of the chaos theory and Brownian motion, besides being a spectacle that is hard to take your eyes off.

Location:   Robo Games

 

Pipe Organ Forest
Pipe organ pipes, with pneumatic air, inside a forest of trees. I will record the pipes and alter the sound with Max MSP. The air may be created by a pump generated by a bicycle.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Pong Watch
Learn how I built a wrist watch that plays pong; from the idea, to early prototypes, to design choices, and the final design. Also, I will have a preview of the next version, which plays Asteroids.

 

Pops! Icy Treats for Everyone Krystina Castella
A truly amazing feature of pops is they can be cast into any shape you can imagine. In this workshop you will learn how to make simple pop molds from everyday household items, such as glasses, cookie cutters, ice cube trays and even food packaging, from wax paper to plastic juice boxes. Or if you really want to get crafty, experiment with liquid silicone and make molds out of found objects, small toys or characters you sculpt from your imagination.

 

Portable Guerrilla-Gallery Adam Holm
The portable Guerrilla-Gallery is a space that can be rolled off the back of a truck and inflated to 400 sf of interior space in less than 10 minutes. The material of the project consists of used vinyl billboards, while all the fans are salvaged off scraped swamp coolers and grease fans.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Precision Puzzlemaking with a Laser Cutter
These beautiful and ingenious wooden puzzles and puzzle boxes will confound and inspire you.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Prelinger Library
Visit the satellite location of the Prelinger Library and browse interesting old books and magazines that makers of previous generation have enjoyed.

 

Printed Bricks Rebecca Harvey
Reclaimed blue factory bricks. Hand field printed in batches of 28. Layered with enamels and oxides—after printing each brick is pulled away to stand alone. Unlike some of our other items, these are completely unreproducible—availability is by specific item number.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

ProdMod LED Camera Light Kit & LED Hula Hoop Kit Michael Nuzzi
The LED Hula Hoop is a fun product used by professional performers, dancers, and anyone interested in having fun making cool streams of color in the dark. They can be seen at festivals like Burning Man, and can sometimes cost as much as $300. But you can make one yourself for a lot less. Instructions can be found on Craft Magazine Vol 6. But we will explore a simpler way to make an even better LED hoop for both adults and kids using minimal tools. Michael will also appear on the Make Demo stage.

Location:   Maker Shed  Maker Shed

 

Propane Fountain
The Propane Fountain combines propane, hydrogen, and water to produce the effects. There are no pumps. More than just fire burning on water, the flames change size, shape, texture, even color. Best of all, this piece is interactive. The audience has full control and can make the art do what they want.

 

Propane, It's a Gas! Fun and Fire with the Flaming Lotus Girls
Join the Flaming Lotus Girls for the ins and outs of making large scale Fire Art through their own unique blend of collaboration. They will discus the secrets behind their famous "Poofers," how to have fun and be safe with propane, and give a sneak peak of their latest project, Mutopia.

 

Purl Drums Corey Fogel
Purl Drums is an experiment intersecting my two favorite activities: drumming and knitting. The point of intersection is the implements. I try to keep each craft as authentic as possible, with few creative leanings towards either.

Location:   Craft Zone

 

Puzzlemation
Puzzlemation is a tiled display. Each tile is an 8x8 grid of LEDs with its own power from an microcontroller. The tiles are placed in a special tray, where patterns are loaded from the display via EEPROM or the network. Then the tiles can be reconfigured any way you please. Unlike most displays, you can scoop pixels up in your hand, like sand at the beach.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

PyroCardium
PyroCardium is an interactive fire sculpture that illuminates a person's heartbeat by computer-controlled ignition with a series of flames arranged along a helical metal sculpture. A stethoscope is placed on the participant’s chest, causing waves of flame to propagate along the helix in response to their heartbeat.

 

Randy Sarafan Loves You. Randy Sarafan
Come meet Randy Sarafan in person. Marvel at the wonders upon which he has been working on for the past year. Or, just stand and gawk as things move, blink, play sounds and monitor your BAC. Fun times are guaranteed.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Refoliation
Refoliation is a set of trees created from recycled and repurposed steel, with leaves made out of plastic bags collected from the streets of Beijing. Inspired by the garbage littering city streets and tree branches, volunteers in China have gathered enough plastic bags to create hundreds of leaves. In the Bay Area, scrapyard junk from car parts to old pipes came together to form the tree trunks and branches. This project was made possible by a grant from Burning Man.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Retro DVD Player and Wi-Fi Radio
Tired of the mundane look of modern electronics? Take control and transform modern day devices (Wi-Fii internet radio, DVD player, PC speakers, USB charger) into pieces straight out of the golden era.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Ride
Ride is a custom single rider helicopter with eight engines conceived & created by sculptor, Michael Cooper. It looks like more like a time machine invented by Dr. Seuss for George Jetson than anything you've seen in the air (or on land) recently.

Location:   Fiesta Blue

 

RoboActivity Kits & Bots Walt Perko
My goal is developing new technologies to bring the world of robotics to a younger more general consumer. RoboKeyboard, RoboActivity Kit Instructions, R2PV1 robot FPS/CTF gaming system. I have some prototypes for limited demonstrations.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Robots & Designers Living Together in Harmony
Ask us how affordable CNC production, design software, and off-the-shelf electronics can help bring your big ideas into the world! Talk tools, techniques, limitations, and ideas with several CNC-savvy designers to get your production questions answered.

Location:   Work Shop

 

Rotating Amusement Device
LED spinning machine with two fast intersecting axes.

Location:   Expo Green

 

San Francisco State University Student Textiles Guild
The students from the SF State Textiles classes would like to show you how to resist dye fabric using string, blocks of woods, and clamps. Pictures, videos, and actual samples will be on hand. Take away instructions and local suppliers will be shared. They will also show examples of embroidery and crochet art projects.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Scratch Foam Printmaking Susan Sullivan
Printmaking is fun for ALL ages using foam sheets to make a "printing plate". Draw on foam with a pencil, roll on inks, then press onto paper to make your print. Make multiple prints to take away and leave a print as part of the Visitors Print Display. (All materials provided & water-based inks used.)

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Shadow Dome
Formerly known as Dreams of Electric Houses. Make shadow puppets or use some of ours and use them to amaze your friends and befuddle your enemies on our wall-to-wall shadow theater.

Location:   Dark Room

 

Shy Plant Project
A miniature, self-contained greenhouse is filled with "shy" plants. These plants intrigued Charles Darwin who studied their seismonastic movements (their ability to move rapidly in response to touch, electricity and heat.) Often marketed as 'novelty' plants that are fun for kids, they are still the subject of current research on their special method of movement. Visitors are invited to experience their movements first hand by gently touching them with a variety of implements, including their hands.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Soft Circuit Embroidery
Becky will show an introductory tutorial for working with conductive thread to make a circuit on fabric. Using traditional embroidery techniques with modern electronic components, she will demo the creation of a simple soft switch circuit that will light up a sewn LED with a watch battery. Photos of an advanced example using a Lilypad Arduino are linked below.

 

Soft Electronics in Recycled Clothing Gretchen Elsner
How to make simple circuits and incorporate them into recycled clothing.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Solenoid City Jonathan Foote
A petite interactive kinetic artwork.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Sonic Pong V4.0 Andrew Milmoe
For many people Pong was the first video game they played. I took this into account when creating a sonic game platform for blind or visually impaired players. Its minimalist representation of table tennis could easily be represented with sonic "pixels."

Location:   Fiesta Blue

 

Sparkle Kits Amy Parness
Sparkle Labs is releasing their new DIY Design Electronics Kit at Maker Faire! Harness the power of the electron! Create games, toys and contraptions with these fundamental components. Follow the easy instructions to make a light detector, LED flasher, noisemaker and more. Once you master the basics, you’ll be ready to create your own doodads. Neato! Everything you need to get started is right inside, including nifty switches, buttons, diodes, capacitors, transistors and regulators. Sparkle Labs will also appear on the Make Demo stage.

Location:   Maker Shed  Maker Shed

 

Sparky 2.0 Marque Cornblatt
Sparky was originally made from materials found while dumpster diving and at garage sales. Sparky 2.0 uses the MAKE controller board and Skype’s free video chat and is completely controllable via computer anywhere in the world. Autonomous Telepresence (or AT) is a term coined to describe the emerging field of research that combines remote sensing and telepresence, social networking, and human interaction. These elements together enable an entirely new and unique form of human/machine hybrid –- the video chat rover. Over the past few years, AT has emerged as a useful method for human interaction, and is already beginning to help connect people in hospitals, museums, corporations, and distance learning environments.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Steampunk
How can you be authentic to yourself and part of a (sub)culture? Through the lens of Steampunk, a meta-subculture that is currently at its tipping point of growth, we explore the inevitable question a subculture faces as it grows from disparate DIY roots. Who and what belongs? Can it transform permaculture? Geek comedian Heather Gold converses with computer and car modifier Jake von Slatt (http://steampunkworkshop.com/); Abney Park singer Captain Robert (http://www.abneypark.com/); and Steampunk magazine editor and wearable art creator + artist Libby Bulloff (http://www.exoskeletoncabaret.com).

Location:   Expo Green

 

Steampunk Spectacular Group Table Libby Bulloff
Participant in the group space arranged for Jake von Slatt, Datamancer, and Steampunk Magazine to present our wares and talk to general passers-by about steampunk. I will be representing Steampunk Magazine with Magpie Killjoy and showing my artwork.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Steampunk Warrior Girl Pinup Painting to Raise $$ for EFF Suzanne Forbes
I'm a Berkeley fetish painter with a big new painting, "Defending the Electronic Frontier." It's a hot steampunk girl with a crossbow in front of a Difference Engine, surrounded by things like Jake Von Slatt's SteamFlatPanel and Datamancer's SteamLaptop, punchcards, spent bullets, a CDV of Ada Byron, etc. The painting is for sale and 50% of the sales price will be donated to the EFF. Prints are also for sale, with $10 per sale going to the EFF.

Location:   Outdoors

 

Stereoscopic Cameras and Displays
Come see the 3D imaging camera rigs, display devices, and stereoscopic imagery. We are also including live projected 3D video, the PSP/antique stereoscope, and video phantograms. In addition to this, we will be offering a workshop on how to take digital stereoscopic photos.

Location:   Expo Green

 

String Theory Autumn Wiggins
Can we save the planet by making things? Autumn shows how indie crafting can promote Cradle to Cradle practices.

 

Subjugator and Manipulatrix
My small crew and I would like to bring two large radio-controlled robots, the Subjugator and the Manipulatrix, as well as a mortar-style air cannon, and stage a series of small performances. For the pleasure of the machines and the audience alike, we would like to construct a purpose-built prop for these performances. The prop will interact gingerly with the robots until the last performance, at which point it will be devoured! The most exciting aspect, however, will be that the prop will be constructed atop a radio-controlled walking robotic base, that members of the audience will control! The air cannon will also be under audience control. (If our proposal is accepted, there is a good possibility that I would bring an entire second performance of a very different type. This is a short theatrical piece entitled AMORTEC, and is a collaboration between stilt performer Christina Sporrong and yet another robot of mine, the HD6LAW. A video of the only performance of AMORTEC yet staged can be seen here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KXR4vYPbuZw† )

Location:   Outdoors

 

Superplexus 2008
Superplexus is a complex, 3-dimensional labyrinth that can be traced by a ball bearing. It is difficult to describe in words, and is not so easy to understand in picture form either. See the latest in Superplexus, including a giant form <a href="http://www.santarosa.edu/~mmcginni/myart/invention/superplexus/giant_superplexus/MakerFaire801.mov">popular at last year's Maker Faire</a>.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

SWARM
SWARM is a kinetic art work of semi-autonomous spherical robots ("Orbs"). Each robot has a shell 30 inches in diameter, with batteries, motors, audio system and color LED illumination inside. The SWARM is under the command of an on-board computer with wireless connectivity to other orbs and a central computer.

 

Techne
Techne is a Greek word that describes both technology and craft, as well as the poetics of how things are made in the world. It is also a group of artists, environmentally focused technologies, and makers in an exhibit curated by Phillip Ross.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Technomadism and Transhuman Hacks for Duosport Motorcycles and Riders Ross Bochnek
I reconfigure consumer, industrial, and Milspec goods for multipurpose urban, touring, and trail motorcycle adventuring and Moblogging. I integrate rider and vehicular systems for modularity, wearability, and security. I am interested in communities for handier citizens, contrasting mass-produced and field-improvised solutions, and the bewildering inter-relations between litter, nature, and survival.

Location:   Expo Green

 

TechShop Jim Newton
Come to the TechShop area and try your hand at using some of the machines and equipment available at this local, membership-based workshop.

Location:   Work Shop

 

Textile and Beadwork Design for Glow Apparel Laura Cesari
Illuminate the darkness while looking fabulous! This workbench presents a discussion and demonstration of various techniques for incorporating glow effects into clothing and jewelry. Learn a simple 5-piece layered dress pattern that supports an ethereal luminous skirt, and beadwork techniques that add detail and radiance to glowing decorative elements.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

The Art of Motion Control -- Sisyphus
Bruce Shapiro has been playing with techno-junk (castoffs from the automation industry) since 1990. His smaller creations are used to teach kids the fundamentals of robotics in the classroom, while his larger kinetic sculptures can be found in science museums throughout the world.

Location:   Fiesta Blue

 

The Ballistic Cats
The Ballistic Cats are four rock n' rollers who just happen to be geeks (and former geeks) on the side. Come hear them play a tantalizing mix of blues, surf, and good old fashioned rockin' Americana.

 

The CandyFab Project
The CandyFab Project is an open source effort to develop low-cost three-dimensional solid freeform fabrication technologies for culinary, educational, and artistic purposes. We will show progress towards designing a new CandyFab hardware reference platform, built primarily from off-the-shelf parts.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

The Cell Project from GalaxyGoo
We build 3D models of cells, organelle by organelle, out of colorful clay. Imagine how organelles fill the space and group together in a living cell. Once the clay dries, we slice the cell models into cross-sections. This is a hands-on activity.

Location:   Expo Red

 

The ChakraTron
Made of mostly recycled and repurposed materials, this crystal figure of enlightenment houses 124 MCU's and 360 rgb leds. Embedded touch sensors in the outraised palm control the patterns and seed the random number generator for a Magic 8 Ball-style fortune. An internet "karma relay" webcam allows the larger universe to influence the displayed fortune.

Location:   Dark Room

 

The Crucible The Crucible
The Crucible's amazing "ERV" Educational Response Vehicle, or "Fire" Truck, will serve as a platform for demonstrating welding, torch cutting, blacksmithing, and glass flame working workshops.

Location:   Outdoors

 

The Electric Giraffe
Lindsay Lawlor created the giant robot Giraffe. The toy he used is the little Tamiya model giraffe that demonstrates a single motor walking system. Lindsay scaled up this tiny model 24 times to create a huge machine that people can ride and interact with. Each year the robot gains more and more computer power and intelligence, and is slowly coming to life!

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

The Incredible Marble Machine!
I am creating a rolling-ball sculpture with students at Baywood Learning Center. Teams of one to two kids will be responsible for building marble tracks within their own diorama-style box. I am constructing a frame that supports nine such boxes, connecting them together with a web of tubes, and has a crank-operated elevator to bring marbles to the top.

Location:   Expo Red

 

The Komegatone (and Various Other Works)
The komegatone is an analog synth built into a 1940's era. The leather bound carrying case is stained with paint and custom etched. I will also display my two custom MIDI controllers were people can interact with my display.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

The Passively Multiplayer Online Game Merci Victoria Grace
PMOG is a 204K Firefox extension; PMOG is play on the acronym MMOG, which stands for massively multiplayer online game. PMOG is unique in that the persistent environment of the game is the browser-based internet we all share. There are no shards; PMOG is radically massive and free to play.

Location:   Fiesta Blue

 

The Piano Liberado
The open piano, or piano liberated, is a form of material deconstruction of a musical instrument to actually get to a new type of music not based on the 12 tone scale. Once the hammers and mechanism are removed, what remains is the heart of the instrument, with powerful orchestrational capabilities.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

The Power of Prototypes
The Power of Prototypes is an exhibit of objects made by engineers, artists, museum designers, and furniture makers. These objects show how humbly complex ideas begin, and how makers of all backgrounds use prototyping to create.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

The Reaper Brent Ross
The reaper is a 12' tall fully animated robotic character that features 14 individual movements all controlled via a custom designed midi to parallel converter board.

Location:   Robo Games

 

The Redwood Waves
Hand-powered mechanical waves.

Location:   Expo Green

 

The Sawdust Shop
The Sawdust Shop is a DIY woodshop where you can work on your own wood projects. We will be demonstrating a variety of woodworking tools and will have an interactive area where kids can make their own Ping Pong Shooter that was cut on the ShopBot CNC Router.

Location:   Work Shop

 

The Skull: Ongoing Re-use and Movies
A big damn 9 ft tall skull—made of toxic waste. Rolls around with eyes and teeth made out of flat panels. Has a projector mounted and at night will be showing classic movies on old tech: Plan9, Night of the Living Dead, The Last Man on Earth, and a bunch of old Flash Gordon serials, etc. In addition, the skull makes a dandy PA system and can be used remotely over the network (you can send txt to the skull and it will read it out in one of hundreds of artificial voices, or we can use a streaming audio system to emit mere human voices). The skull also has cameras so you can see the reactions of the passerby. It moves under its own power (not very well yet), playing the theme from Jaws.

Location:   Outdoors

 

The Stribe
The Stribe is a touch-based music or video controller with no moving parts. It employs 8 touch-sensitive strips flanked by LED bar-graph displays. The controller is user-configurable, connects via standard USB, and is designed to be used with music interface software such as Max/MSP, Reaktor, and others. Via host software, the Stribe can control audio hardware and software via MIDI or OSC. The LED display can be computer controlled to respond to input from the sensors, or to independent software control, or both. The entire project is open source, meaning the circuits, firmware, and software are available on-line and are licensed under Creative Commons and GNU. Illustrated build instructions and a helpful Forum are also on-line. There is a small but growing community of Stribe developers who are building Stribes, and writing new firmware and software applications. The Stribe was inspired by Brian Crabtree's monome 40h project, and is an ideal companion to a monome button controller. <a href="http://createdigitalmusic.com/2008/02/18/hands-on-interview-stribe-multi-touch-controller/">Here is an article about the Stribe from CreateDigitalMusic</a>.

Location:   Dark Room

 

The Time Machine
Steam- and hand-powered kinetic metal sculpture.

Location:   Expo Green

 

The Village Blacksmith
Master Blacksmith Michel Olson, and Masterful Storyteller Christy Horne, are the husband and wife team who have history ringing in the ears of audiences all over the Western U.S. Their Stage Fort Smith is a Monster Truck to behold and when you add the fabulous storytelling with live anvil accompaniment they become edutainment for the entire family. Everything Michel bashes out is given away to audience members following every show.

Location:   Outdoors

 

The Visible Pinball (Electromechanical)
A vintage EM pinball machine from 1975 has been housed in a clear acrylic cabinet. It is completely functional down to the coin mechanisms that initiate game play. Even the playfield itself is clear so that the user is able to view all the components in action as they play the machine. Spectators will also see the relays actuating, solenoids, stepper switches, score motor, spinners, targets, bumpers and sling-shots in action. The head is clear displaying the score reels, lights, relays and switches in motion. The original artwork is visible although translucent, so you see through it also. This exhibit amazes visitors of all ages and stimulates interest in electro-mechanics.

Location:   Robo Games

 

TimeScience TimeWindow and Stop Motion Theater Tim Brown
It's play-time! Stop in at the Stop Motion Theater and be a part of a collaborative movie. Or take a timeout with our favorite pastime, the TimeWindow and make time fly with the TimeController -- experience a year in a minute, or push the button and turn the dial to go back in time and watch the Maker Faire unfold from the start.

Location:   Expo Green

 

toonlet Dulceo
We make free online tools so that others can make their own comics, featuring characters of their own creation, in a matter of minutes.

Location:   Expo Yellow

 

Tribbles and Vibillows Rachel McConnell and Annie Shao
Incorporate a simple electronic circuit into a stuffed toy to make it purr and hum. A cell phone vibrator motor and some fake fur combine wonderfully in this hands-on workshop. Make a humming Tribble that activates when squeezed, or a Vibillow with a big friendly button.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Tricks of the Trade/Narwhal Creative Tim Lillis
Tricks of the Trade is a recurring HowTo comic strip in MAKE Magazine showing how to use everyday objects and tools to their full potential. The goal is to spread the Tricks that professionals use to benefit everyone, pro or not. Tricks of the Trade is written and illustrated by Tim Lillis, a frequent contributor to MAKE and CRAFT.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Twenty Seven Gears
Benjamin Cowden makes interactive mechanical sculptures that explore the ways people interact with each other and with the world around them. Meticulously fabricated movements contrast with apparently trivial processes to offer users a playful experience as well as an invitation to re-examine their activities and perceptions.

Location:   Expo Green

 

Unwheeldy
Tandem recumbent fixie dicycle. Two 9-foot diameter bicycle wheels, 6 feet apart, with room for two riders in between. Differential drive - each rider pedals their own wheel, so must coordinate to maneuver. Home-made hubs, spokes, rims, frame, etc.

Location:   Outdoors

 

VGKids Live Print
Make your own Maker Faire t-shirt! Roll up your sleeves and use our ready-to-print screens to embellish a t-shirt with our custom Maker Faire 2008 artwork. T-shirts will be provided for a $15 fee. Printing facilitated by professional screen printers VGKids.

Location:   Expo Orange

 

Voxhead
A mechanical vocal tract with tongue, lips and jaw for a robotic head to sing, babble and share attention.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Wikimedia Foundation/Wikipedia Wikimedia Foundation
What makes millions of people build an encyclopedia for free? How can you make Wikipedia better and contribute to the world of 'free knowledge?' Visit with the makers, the hackers, and the volunteers of the Wikimedia Foundation and Wikipedia.

Location:   Expo Red

 

World's Biggest Pez Dispenser Gary Doss
We have built the World's Biggest Pez Dispenser, which is on display in our museum in Burlingame, California. In March 2007, it was accepted into the Guinness Book of World Records.

Location:   Expo Red

 

Zen Paintball Painting
You might be the next Jackson Pollock! Extreme Craft will help you make your own masterpiece with a paintball gun instead of a brush! We'll be using specially prepared ink paintballs to make sure your painting will last through the ages. Find your inner abstract expressionist.

Location:   Outdoors

 

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