Geek Gestalt

This drivable cupcake sits idle while getting a charge at Maker Day--the set-up day for Maker Faire--on Friday at the San Mateo Fairgrounds in San Mateo, Calif. Maker Faire begins Saturday morning and goes all weekend.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

SAN MATEO, CALIF.--One of the great things about being at Maker Day, the day before the gates officially open at Maker Faire, is that every time you walk around the fairgrounds here, everything looks different.

That's because, of course, in the time it takes to make a circuit around the San Mateo Fairgrounds during Maker Day, the annual home of the do-it-yourself (DIY) celebration that is Maker Faire, a whole bunch of new "makers" have arrived and others have added a great deal to the projects they had only just started at the beginning of the circuit.

I was on hand for Maker Day on Friday because I find it's always refreshing to get a chance to see things in process. Also, with more than 80,000 people expected at this year's Maker Faire, I wanted to get a chance to see what some of the makers--the people behind the hundreds and thousands of DIY projects on display here--had worked on, without having to navigate unbelievable masses of people.

That's especially true if you see a really popular project and you want to find out something about it.

For me, that didn't take long. Only a couple minutes after I walked through the gates of the fairgrounds, I encountered a very familiar looking robotic structure. It looked very much like the "Rave 'Raff," a robotic giraffe I had first seen at Burning Man in 2005 and which I had seen several times since then at Maker Faire.

But the Rave 'Raff was white, so this couldn't be it. Yet when I walked over to see what it was, it was indeed the 'Raff, only with an entirely new paint job, it seemed.

In fact, it wasn't just a new paint job (which was now pearl sunset orange). The giraffe's creator, Lindsay Lawlor, told me that he and his crew had completely rebuilt the robot, and it was now well on its way to being an entirely interactive robot. (See video below.)

"We changed everything," said Lawlor. "We basically got out the cutting torch."

He explained that he and his team, with the help of some sponsors, had put about $10,000 worth of work into the redesign, and the end result was a giraffe with all-new hardware, hydraulic pumps made out of acrylic plastic sheets, shock-absorbing struts, and that new paint job. It also has a new hydraulic neck that is operated by a single piston.

It even has 32 "teeth," little rectangular pieces of plastic with embedded LEDs, that mirror the exact number, spacing, and setting of real giraffe teeth.

In other words, when the Rave 'Raff gets going, it's one high-tech giraffe.

Lawlor said that the giraffe also has touch sensors in its ears, eyes, head, and mouth, and that by next year, he expects to have it speaking.

"The idea is to bring it to life like a real giraffe," Lawlor said. "It will follow me around like he's my pet giraffe."

Lindsay Lawlor with his completely redesigned Rave 'Raff, a robotic giraffe.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET Networks)

Not far away, some folks from a group called Lightning Temple were setting up "Interactivation," a musical instrument with a musical tesla coil in the center.

Evonne Heyning, of Lightning Temple, told me that the tesla coil in Interactivation is designed to sound more like music coming from a speaker than the traditional sharp, electronic-sounding devices. She also told me that at Burning Man this summer, Lightning Temple, among other things, will be running a tesla coil repair station in case any of the many artists with the huge electronic devices need such services.

Some people have called Maker Faire "Burning Man on cement," but that's not quite fair. To be sure, much of the art seen at Maker Faire has also or will be seen at Burning Man. But Maker Faire has a somewhat different spirit. While it celebrates the DIY spirit, it is much more about showcasing the work of the many makers who trek to the Faire. Burning Man, while also about showcasing DIY art, has a more party-like feel, and is also intended to be for "participants only."

By contrast, Maker Faire is intended to instill the participatory spirit in people, but in a way that they take it with them when they go home. In other words, to turn people into DIYers once they leave.

Back in the Lightning Temple area, Heyning told me that she and her crew are taking some of the things they've done with Interactivation and are working on an iPhone application that would give people a way to experience a collaboration of music composition and energetic research.

Only at Maker Faire
One thing is for sure at Maker Faire--or Maker Day as the case may be. And that's that whimsy is king.

I ran into a couple of friends who told me a story about someone they'd just talked to. The person had had his hand inside a plastic bag in the way that dog owners sometimes do when they take their pooches for a walk. But instead of keeping hold of some dog waste, this person told my friends that, in fact, he was holding onto some condensed moisture from New York State. And that he had to run and give it to someone.

Indeed.

What may seem like whimsy today, however, was once pure practicality.

That much was clear in an extremely beautiful, classic machine I saw sitting quietly on one side of the fairgrounds.

This was a 1917 Case Traction Engine which, I was told by Zachary Rukstela, the chief engineer of a group called Kinetic Steam Works, was the very first model of tractor.

A 1917 Case Traction Engine, the first model of tractor, on display at Maker Faire.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET)

Rukstela's group had purchased the traction engine from a defunct Yuma, Ariz., museum, and was working to completely restore it. He said they were about 90 percent along. And to be sure, this thing was absolutely gorgeous, and looked brand new. But entirely out of place in the 21st century.

That makes sense, however. One thing abundantly evident at Maker Faire the last couple of years has been an overpowering steampunk look and feel. Evidenced by rustic coloring, lots of rivets, brass and leather, steampunk seems to be the official aesthetic of Maker Faire.

And that was definitely true at Maker Day on Friday.

Much the same, some different
Maker Faire is growing, as organizer Sherry Huss told me, and one of the major components of the festival this year is DIY robotics. There are expected to be at least 24 different groups showing off such projects.

But while there is always a great deal that's new at Maker Faire, it's also clear that many of the biggest projects on display are ones that have been to the fair many times before. And that makes sense, I suppose, since things like the Lifesized Mousetrap are huge crowd favorites. The same goes for the Neverwas Haul, a steam-powered Victorian house.

Still, I'd like to see more new big art at Maker Faire than I think I saw.

I guess I need to get working on doing some serious DIY myself.

If you go to Maker Faire: Be prepared for giant crowds, slow traffic, and having to park a ways away from the fairgrounds. Maker Faire is running a Twitter feed that should give steady updates about the traffic situation.

Also be prepared with a hat and sunscreen, and remember to drink lots of water.

On June 22, Geek Gestalt will kick off Road Trip 2009. After driving more than 12,000 miles in the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest, and the Southeast over the last three years, I'll be looking for the best in technology, science, military, nature, aviation, and more in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana, and South and North Dakota. If you have a suggestion for someplace to visit, drop me a line. And in the meantime, join the Road Trip 2009 Facebook page and follow my Twitter feed.

Nifer Fahrion (left) was one of five winners of the CNET News Maker Faire contest. Entrants were tasked with submitting an idea for using DIY to remake America. Here, Fahrion is seen at a past Maker Faire showing off her felting skills.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET Networks)

The submissions came in fast and furious at the deadline, and in the end, only five could win.

I'm talking about CNET News' Maker Faire contest, that is, in which readers were challenged to come up with the best way to use a do-it-yourself (DIY) philosophy to remake America.

After receiving the submissions, I forwarded a numbered, anonymous, set of finalists' entries on to our celebrity judge, Make magazine senior editor Phillip Torrone, who then chose the five winners.

Each winner will receive four tickets to the upcoming Maker Faire in San Mateo, Calif., as well as a festival T-shirt.

The winners, in order, were:

• First place, Karen Fraga:

My 90-year-old dad was the first I knew of that was a DIYer. He had coffee cans in his shed full of nails. If anything would break down, he would fix it. If America would repair more items, it would reduce the need to make more items.

I brought out of my closet a game that Dad made over 30 years ago. He re-used the bottom portion of an egg carton, paper towel roll and some felt for rolling the dice in. I think in order to remake America we need to think of different ways to use things that we already have around the house.

Dad would tie up his newspapers for recycling back when no one else was even thinking about recycling. I think America also has been recycling more than when Dad first started but, still, make it part of your daily life.

• Second place, Nifer Fahrion:

As a crafter, I have witnessed and participated in skills sharing salons, from knitting and screen-printing, to computer programming and welding. Skills sharing salons provide infrastructure and collaboration opportunities for people, as well as encourage knowledge exchange, learning, and mentoring. These types of salons also allow for artistic collaboration and experimentation, birthing fresh and creative new ways of interacting with one's world.

Whether skill sharing salons are held as a monthly crafting session, or are more semi-formalized through small collectives, they have the power to change the way Americans have come to interact with their world. By instilling each other with the DIY attitude, we no longer are passive observers of the world around us, but rather are creating what we want our world to be, one stitch at a time.

• Third place, Christopher Pepper:

As a high-school teacher, I am inspired to use the DIY spirit in our schools. I'd like to see our school as incubators and curators for the creative ideas that burst forth from our youth. I'd love to be able to teach about nutrition and actually have a space for students to cook and create meals. I'd love to have students learn about biology and ecology by planting and maintaining a garden. I'd love to bring back some of the mechanical arts--which, like cooking and sewing, have been taken out of many of our schools--and teach students some hands-on skills, like how to fix their own bicycles or how to build their own solar cell phone chargers. I think there's a lot of room for DIY ideas in our own schools.

• Fourth place, Mickey Staudt:

Recycle, Reduce, Reuse. I am a mother of nine and I find that we use a lot of everything in our home. So, it is very important for me to help my family understand this impact on our country's environment. In my small way I teach them this by finding ways to re-purpose items as often as possible. This winter, my twin 10-year-old daughters learned how to unravel old sweaters to use the yarn for new knitting projects. They learned how to felt discarded wool sweaters for new items, like pot holders or wallets/purses. For Christmas, my sons received sweater pillows for their beds. These had some small defects that might have landed them in the trash, but instead they kept them warm all winter. I think kids understand that the need to recycle effects everyone's future, especially their own.

• Fifth place, Jacob Rose:

"Victory Energy Gardens." Grow power at home with little generators everywhere. The same way we standardize energy-eating appliances, there should be a simple plug-in standard for energy producing devices. Update the national electrical code to include this standard, and set a timeline, the same as we did for HDTV. Got a creek? A windy rooftop? A treadmill? Figure out a way to make it spin a standard generator, and plug it in to produce power.

A big thanks to everyone who submitted, to Maker Faire for offering the tickets and T-shirts, and to Torrone for judging.

To the winners, enjoy Maker Faire, and to everyone else, let's keep on using the DIY spirit to remake America, and the world.

On June 22, Geek Gestalt will kick off Road Trip 2009. After driving more than 12,000 miles in the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and the Southeast over the last three years, I'll be looking for the best in technology, science, military, nature, aviation and more in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and South and North Dakota. If you have a suggestion for someplace to visit, drop me a line. And in the meantime, join the Road Trip 2009 Facebook page and follow my Twitter feed.

Win a Maker Faire package including four tickets and a T-shirt by submitting your best 150-word idea on how to use do-it-yourself to remake America.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET Networks)

In just 16 days, Maker Faire, the annual do-it-yourself nirvana, will be returning to San Mateo, Calif., and you could be there courtesy of CNET News.

Last month, I posted an entry here offering 20 free Maker Faire passes for the best 150-word submissions on how you would use DIY to remake America. Unfortunately, I didn't receive enough submissions to make it a particularly competitive contest. So we're changing the game a little bit.

Instead of offering 20 people one free pass to the May 30 and 31 event, I'm going to offer five packages of four tickets plus a Maker Faire T-shirt. And if you are one of the people who sends in one of the five most impressive submissions, one of those packages will be yours.

The challenge remains the same: Give me 150 words on how you'd remake America the DIY way. If you've already sent me a submission, don't worry, I still have it.

For everyone else, please send me your submissions by the end of the business day on Monday, May 18.

If you're within striking distance of the Bay Area and you've never been to Maker Faire--I've been to all three in San Mateo, plus the 2007 edition in Austin, Texas, and I can tell you that it's nothing short of a blast--or even if you have, you should definitely be there. And you could either pay $30 in advance for a weekend pass (or $50 at the gate) or you could get in for free.

It's up to you.

Well, not entirely. The actual decisions will be made by my celebrity judge, Make magazine senior editor Phil Torrone. But if you've got a great idea, I'll do my best to nudge him in your direction.

On June 22, Geek Gestalt will kick off Road Trip 2009. After driving more than 12,000 miles in the Pacific Northwest, the Southwest and the Southeast over the last three years, I'll be looking for the best in technology, science, military, nature, aviation and more in Colorado, Utah, Idaho, Wyoming, Montana and South and North Dakota. If you have a suggestion for someplace to visit, drop me a line. And in the meantime, join the Road Trip 2009 Facebook page and follow my Twitter feed.

The Neverwas Haul, a mobile, steam-powered Victorian house, on display at Maker Faire 2008. You could join the crowd at the 2009 edition of the DIY celebration in San Mateo, Calif.

(Credit: Daniel Terdiman/CNET Networks)

During the past few years, the world has rediscovered the joys of do-it-yourself (or DIY) projects, and everywhere you look these days, you can see people building things themselves rather than buying them from others.

A big part of this revolution has been Make magazine, and its Maker Faires, festivals--which celebrate the DIY spirit in all its manifestations--which take place each year in San Mateo, Calif., and Austin, Texas.

To date, I am not really a maker myself, though that's something I regret and am ever exhorting myself to change. But I have been to four Maker Faires, and I've seen some of the wonderful things that people show off there: Steam-powered mobile Victorian houses, incredibly soft Flying Spaghetti Monsters made from felt, wooden iPods, watermelon-launching trebuchets and much, much more.

Well, Maker Faire is coming back to San Mateo on May 30 and 31, and you could be there.

The event's organizers have given me 20 passes to award CNET News readers. And all you have to do to win one is tell me, in 150 words or less, how you would use DIY to remake America (the event's theme).

It's a broad topic, I admit, and I'm sure there are an infinite number of ideas that could win. But in order to pick the best 20, I'm going to turn to my celebrity judge, Make magazine senior editor Phil Torrone.

So, send your 150-words-max ideas to me at daniel(dot)terdiman-*at*-cnet(dot)com by May 8 (please include the words "Maker Faire contest" in your e-mail subject line, as well as your full name in your e-mail), and maybe I'll be seeing you at Maker Faire.