This morning Jenn flew off to Ontario to be with her parents while her Dad gets a new improved hip!
I enjoyed a few hours at something called Maker Faire, which is a show where creative people of all kinds, including inventors, crafters, engineers, scientists, tinkerers, artists, and hobbyists come together to show and talk about stuff they're doing. Think of a science fair, but with a lot more "off the wall" kinds of things!
A lot of things can't be described in words or photos, so here are a few videos:
There were a bunch of people showing "3d printing", which is a robotic machine that puts down layer after layer of melted plastic, and can make all kinds of very intricate objects.
These guys were a big hit - it's a "walking machine", powered by the two guys pedaling!
This was a bizarre robotic "leg", controlled by the guy that has his arm strapped into the machine. Pretty wild!
And how about a musical flame-thrower? The music and flames are controlled by a Fisher Price piano keyboard, which these guys invite kids to play.
Another popular booth was "Learn to Solder". You could get a little kit of electronic parts, which you assemble to make a couple of flashing LED lights. They had the necessary tools and helpful guidance to get the job done. It's a lot harder than it looks, I found out! Maybe it didn't help that the lighting was pretty poor in the arena, and that I didn't borrow Jenn's reading glasses. I did eventually get it to light, but not flash.
I enjoyed a few hours at something called Maker Faire, which is a show where creative people of all kinds, including inventors, crafters, engineers, scientists, tinkerers, artists, and hobbyists come together to show and talk about stuff they're doing. Think of a science fair, but with a lot more "off the wall" kinds of things!
A lot of things can't be described in words or photos, so here are a few videos:
There were a bunch of people showing "3d printing", which is a robotic machine that puts down layer after layer of melted plastic, and can make all kinds of very intricate objects.
These guys were a big hit - it's a "walking machine", powered by the two guys pedaling!
This was a bizarre robotic "leg", controlled by the guy that has his arm strapped into the machine. Pretty wild!
And how about a musical flame-thrower? The music and flames are controlled by a Fisher Price piano keyboard, which these guys invite kids to play.
Another popular booth was "Learn to Solder". You could get a little kit of electronic parts, which you assemble to make a couple of flashing LED lights. They had the necessary tools and helpful guidance to get the job done. It's a lot harder than it looks, I found out! Maybe it didn't help that the lighting was pretty poor in the arena, and that I didn't borrow Jenn's reading glasses. I did eventually get it to light, but not flash.
Here's a clever use of the kitchen mixer - this guy attached a pen to the beater, and created sketches similar to a Spirograph. I like the sign next to him - "Do not try this at home". I'm sure a lot of people will be ignoring that.
While a lot of the stuff at the 'Faire' was pretty... unrefined, it was really interesting to see, and now I'm itching to do something creative, like perhaps re-purpose our blender to do paint-splatter t-shirts, or build a contraption out of our dining room chairs. Maybe I'll wait till Jenn's back though, and let her have some creative input too.
Other things which have caught my eye recently:
3 comments:
very interesting contrapions.looks like a place i could spend some time in.hope you won't be too lonly with Jen gone.we love you.
Did the biking guys have to go at the same speed? If they didn't would the walking contraption crash or turn?
My kids would be all over the musical flame thrower...thankfully they'll never know about it...ever.
Sheri-Lee
Yes Dad, there was definitely some stuff that you'd be interested in!
The guys on the walking machine pedaled at different speeds to turn - and it was quite maneuverable - didn't seem to be any risk of falling over. It was very cool to see!
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