May 21, 2007 10:20 AM PDT

Photos: Imaginations on display

by Natalie Weinstein

Wacky inventors, wild do-it-yourselfers and whimsical artists put their imaginations on display over the weekend at the Maker Faire in San Mateo, Calif.

Viewing their creations convinces me that there are two items a person must possess to exhibit at the Maker Faire: incredible creativity and vast amounts of free time.

Among the off-the-wall darlings was a rat costume for the Roomba vacuum cleaner. On the destructive creativity side of things, Survival Research Labs demonstrated robot fire power. And, honestly, who wouldn't want a robot-drawn chariot?

While I'd love to own the chariot, what I really crave is the creativity and free time these amazing people must possess in order to pull this off. I'm in awe.

Natalie Weinstein is an associate editor who works out of Austin, Texas. She spent a decade as a reporter and editor in the newspaper industry before joining the CNET News staff in 2000. E-mail Natalie.

Topics:: Future tech

Tags:: Maker Faire,; inventors,; creativity

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