By NOLAN APOSTLE
Young Maker’s Coverage by
Johnny Apostle & Emmanuel Serrano
Event City Creative Magazine
Published on May 22th, 2010
The Maker Faire is an incredible array of inventions, outrageous devices, creative concoctions, creations by anyone interested in the Art of Invention, or pretty much anything as you will see upon entering this wild and crazy but extremely innovative and educational festival. You will find something for everyone, created by, what might seem like anyone who has ever tinkered in their life trying to create something from nothing. From the serious-minded Technocrazed, to the fantastical free-for-all right brained Artiste. You’ll see computerized gadgets beyond your wildest dreams, electric-vehicles built to resemble cupcakes, muffin cars, scooting around the open spaces of the San Mateo Event Center & Expo, a great location for the Maker Faire, a great frolicking fairground space what this reporter thinks is the greatest space in the Bay Area for this one of a kind event. It is only about 20 miles south of San Francisco but one might get the feeling they are on a distant planet away, far away in some other galaxy.
As you enter the third annual Maker Faire, a regular treat for faire-goers is the converted fire engine that erupts an explosive flare “every so often” giving you the startling sensation of a body-pounding BOOMP! This doesn’t stop throughout the day as it excites and scares the faire-goers over and over again. One of the greatest spaces for tech enthusiasts who like to create and play with toys, since the three years of its launched, the two-day event has featured quirky and outrageous exhibits including a giant, life size version of the Mouse Trap game done in a Maker Faire style that all makers can truly appreciate. There’s also a life-size electronic giraffe, software to teach young kids how to program and create their own sophisticated games, a device that searches rooms to blow out lit candles and musical kitchen appliances.
Like a science fair, the Maker Faire will have lots of DIY tech projects from the magazine and elsewhere. There is also a new Young Makers section that will create a community, both online and physical, that brings together like-minded teens, adult mentors, and fabrication facilities to make things. Kids bring ideas. Mentors help define and realize a project vision and collectively create a collaborative culture of innovation and experimentation. We hope to create an infrastructure to nurture older kids and teens who want to expand beyond the construction kits of early childhood.
We look forward to seeing you at the 2010 Maker Faire in San Mateo California, and your return visits for our reporting on this great event.
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