Maker Faire: NC

2^nd year going to the Maker Faire: NC and this year was bigger and better for kids.
Love to see so many people interested too.
Lots to see and for the kids to do.

This was a nice event. I have to say it wasn’t my favorite but maybe that was because there were too many 3d printers? We did really enjoy looking at the various different displays and activities. I also think that this would really be enjoyed with small children (5 to 12).

It’s like a flea market for the geek crowd. Everyone who does any sort of tinkering in their garage, or in the corner of their bedroom or whatever brings their Stuff to the maker fair to show off and to recruit others into their particular brand of geekiness.
I was happy to see a great mix of high tech and low tech. The 3D printers and laser controlled wood cutters and lathes were cool. But it was also interesting to see a woman exhibiting different kinds of textiles and demonstrating how to spin wool and run a loom. I got a big kick out of the robot hockey league but was equally fascinated by the apiary. I enjoyed talking to the durham hacker group but was impressed by the recycling projects by the durham scrap exchange.
The whole event is kid-​friendly and about the half of the booths had stuff that was explicitly targeted to kids. I was especially impressed by the booth that was teaching kids how to solder. The kids loved driving the robots in robot hockey and building on the monstrously huge Rube Goldberg machine in the center of the exhibit floor. If you’re looking to get your kids off the couch, unhooked from video games, this is a great event to get them interested in making stuff on their own.
But the same goes for the adults too. It’s a joy to see such a large diverse crowd of people who are into using their brain and making stuff. The $ 10 admission is well worth all the inspiration you’ll get from hanging around the show.

Attended my first Maker Faire today – what a blast! I had been a bit concerned that it would be «all electronics, all the time,» but there was a real variety in the exhibitors. Chain mail cozied up to a spinning wheel, 3-​D printers were next to Legos, and the beekeeper wasn’t too far away from the solar energy dome. Truly something for everyone who has ever felt a creative urge, in whatever form. $ 10 well spent.
Bonus: it was held on a Saturday at the Kerr-​Scott building at the State Fairgrounds, which meant extra browsing at the Flea/Farmer’s Market on the way out.

There may not have been a parking-​lot sized version of the Mouse Trap game that crushes large household appliances with each drop of the trap; or flame-​shooting robots; or electric cars modeled after Doctor Seuss mobiles. BUT. There were remote-​controlled robots; a chaos machine that filled a whole room; and battleships that sail and fire ammo! Even though I was attending as a sponsor, I honestly would have gone anyway. Free Sunday entertainment that includes some of the most creative and industrious hobbyists in our community? That’s pretty awesome, people. Even if it’s not the size of San Francisco’s Maker Faire.
Apparently this is only the second Faire to be held on the east coast. And of course, it was the first to be held in North Carolina. Even though it was confined to an indoor space in the old now-​closed Loehmann’s department store, it turned out tons of people. Adults came to be kids. Kids came to be kids. And everyone came to be inspired. I met folks (exhibitors :and: visitors) who had traveled in from out-​of-​state. One attendee, even as far as Los Angeles! The organizers did a tremendous job pulling some cool DIY-​ers together and getting the word out. And I think there’s every indication that next year’s will be bigger and better.
You peeps better start working on that life-​size mouse-​trap…