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Archive: Makers
August 21, 2008
Mark Applebaum's musical sculptures
Mark Applebaum is a musician (and professor at Stanford) who makes incredibly complex sound sculptures from found objects. (Via DeepFun)
The instruments consist of threaded rods, nails, wire strings stretched through a series of pulleys and turnbuckles, plastic combs, bronze braising rod blow-torched and twisted, doorstops, shoehorns, ratchets, steel wheels, springs, lead and PVC pipe, corrugated copper plumbing tube, Astroturf, parts from a Volvo gearbox, a metal Schwinn bicycle logo, and, indeed, mousetraps. It was great fun to collect this stuff and particularly satisfying to cause anxiety and suspicion among the hardware clerks who nervously eyed me as I conducted investigations of the acoustical properties of their wares. It was a feeling of accomplishment when, weeks into my research, the same salesmen would excitedly welcome me into the store, giddy with their own myopia-shedding epiphanies: "Mark, listen to how this thing sounds when you hit it with this!" My project became an informal and unexpected arts outreach program.
Posted by Patti Schiendelman |
Aug 21, 2008 07:00 AM
Green, Kids, Makers, Music |
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August 14, 2008
Anachrotechnofetishism art show
Anachrotechnofetishism
artifacts by pioneers of american steampunk
September 12th thru October 3rd
Opening reception September, 12th, 6:00PM - 10:00PM
Featuring Datamancer, David S. Dowling, Eliza Gauger, Jake von Slatt, Libby Bulloff, Magpie Killjoy, missmonster, Molly "Porkshanks" Friedrich, Molly Mitchell, Quentin Ziplash, Rachel "Ratchet" Olson, Steven Archer, Suzanne Rachel Forbes
This upcoming Seattle art show includes all of the usual suspects (many of those who were involved with the Contraptors Lounge) and a few folks that are new to me. If you're in Seattle during this time, you might want to check this out.
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Aug 14, 2008 11:00 AM
Arts, Events, Makers, Retro |
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August 13, 2008
Forbes goes gaga over DIY
Forbes has a major package on the Maker/DIY movement with profiles of Tim O'Reilly and Dale Dougherty, Saul Griffith (top photo) of Squid Labs, Neil Gershenfeld (middle photo) of Fab Lab, Reshma Shetty (bottom photo) of Ginkgo BioWorks, Jim Newton of TechShop, Peter Semmelhack of Bug Labs, and others, illustrated how-tos, how-to videos with Eric Wilhelm of Instructables, coverage of Maker Faire, kit makers, and lots more.
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Aug 13, 2008 05:21 PM
DIY Projects, Maker Faire, Makers |
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Interview with Louie Raffloer, blacksmith
I recently did an email interview with blacksmith Louie Raffloer of Seattle's Black Dog Forge; I also visited the forge to see a demonstration of his induction forge. The shop is an amazing place, with a huge assortment of equipment, art, anvils, and racks bristling with tools - a collection that's obviously taken years to acquire. Blacksmiths make everything - forges are built with fire brick, tools are forged in the shop, everything is very hands-on. Black Dog Forge does commission and art pieces ranging from beds, tables, and other furniture to door hinges, gates, and masks. Louie also teaches classes in repoussé, a surprisingly delicate process that creates a raised design on sheet metal and uses no heat.
Working metal is a process that takes an eye for reading the heat in the metal and a lot of finesse. There's a certain amount of working time after you heat a section of metal that depends on a number of factors: the type of metal, the thickness of the piece, how hot it is, and your skill and speed. The act of hammering can sustain the heat - you can actually hammer a cold piece of metal and create enough heat to light a fire. Black Dog has traditionally used natural gas and propane for forging, but Louie demonstrated his electric induction forge - it can heat a metal rod to red hot working temperature within seconds. It's really a revolutionary tool for the blacksmith - it heats very specific points on your work without heating up the whole work area, it heats FAST, and it uses considerably less energy than traditional methods. The video above shows the heating (and subsequent breaking) of a piece of pipe - you can see how quickly the small section got red-hot.
Read full storyPosted by Patti Schiendelman |
Aug 13, 2008 07:00 AM
Arts, Kids, Makers |
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August 12, 2008
If he only had a heart
Posted for Gareth Branwyn (who's 30 miles out to sea at the moment):
Our pal Meredith Scheff, who helped us put together the Contraptors Lounge at the Bay Area Maker Faire, has been commissioned to build a beating, mechanical heart for this year's Burning Man (yes, for Mr.
Splinters himself). She's documenting the build process over at the Steampunk Workshop.
The Man's Heart: New Kinetic Project - Part One
The Man's heart, part two: Moving between two worlds
Posted by Patti Schiendelman |
Aug 12, 2008 11:00 AM
Arts, Events, Makers, Retro |
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August 4, 2008
5 in 5: Day 5
The final day of 5 in 5 was happy-dirty, telepathic, deliciously chilly, retro-reflective, recursively meta, southwardly mobile, ephemerally illustrated, dubiously conversant, cartographically challenging, mixed, mashed and lovingly recycled.
Andrew Schneider was our final Guest Star and meta-chronicled the waning day of five. As promised, the fivers headed to Odessa where their personal bartender concocted the 5-in-5-Dead-or-Alive cocktail. The ingredients are a poorly guarded secret, but suffice it to say that there's five kinds of booze and (true story) five of the fivers had five of them each. Outside of the hangover, the week was a great success--creative, interactive, productive and prolific. In five days they completed over 60 projects. Check out the blog for details or read all my posts for a summary.
Posted by Rob Faludi |
Aug 4, 2008 02:00 PM
Arts, Crafts, Events, Makers |
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More from Sturgeon's Mill
Lenore Edman has some more pics and info about our recent Foo Camp field trip to Sturgeon's Mill, a steam-powered saw mill being restored near Sebastopol, CA.
A Visit to Sturgeon's Mill, a Steam-powered Lumber Mill
More:
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Aug 4, 2008 12:03 PM
Green, Makers, Retro |
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August 3, 2008
5 in 5: Day 4
Day 4's 5 in 5ers drew like text, cooked like robots, threw and chirped, mapped and walked, made peace with sandwiches, strolled with Dada, arrowed electroluminescently, surfaced tubularly, put out 2 sea and put up with Zombies.
We were proud to have Make Blogger and ITP alumni Jonah Brucker-Cohen as the Day 4 Guest Star. Only a single day of super-productivity remains, then it's off to custom cocktails, assuming we survive the invasion of the undead.
Posted by Rob Faludi |
Aug 3, 2008 08:45 PM
Arts, Crafts, Events, Makers |
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August 1, 2008
5 in 5: Day 3
The middle day of 5 in 5 rebranded Bed-Stuy, counted clicks, twittered literature, resistored a dress, gamed a subwoofer, hacked Peggy into Lite-Brite, mapped our past, threw light sculptures, sampled soft circuits, waisted a skirt of waste, retold one story of a man named Brady and another from Beverly Cleary (a lovely lady).
Guest Starring today was ITP's own Resident Researcher Kate Hartman. There's two days, and therefore two projects per person remaining. A wrap party is planned, with rumors of a custom and probably toxic 5-in-5 cocktail concoction.
Posted by Rob Faludi |
Aug 1, 2008 07:00 AM
Arts, Crafts, Events, Makers |
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July 30, 2008
5 in 5: Day 2
Day 2 of 5 in 5 brought to life a periodic tote, tickets to a sunset, a year in pictures, balls of light. In an impromptu celebration of old-time computing we got earrings compatible with your PC, AsteriskFTP, and thank goodness there's finally BASIC for Twitter. Clink your glasses for a laser photo trigger, trip the family crest fantastic, snap a jacket, work some flash, and with today's guest star, compare the Olympic to the merely average.
The group is now 14 strong and with today's Guest Star Dennis Crowley, they did each project in a single day. Three more days to go! Check out the Etsy Video published yesterday by Guest Star Bre Pettis that includes FrankenFace.
Posted by Rob Faludi |
Jul 30, 2008 07:00 PM
Arts, Computers, Crafts, Electronics, Makers, Photography, Wearables |
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Syuzi Pakhchyan on NHPR "Word of Mouth"
Syuzi Pakhchyan, author of our first Craft: Projects book, Fashioning Technology, was a guest on New Hampshire Public Radio's "Word of Mouth" program. You can hear the webcast of it here.
Buy Fashioning Technology by Syuzi Pakhchyan in the Maker Shed today!
This book demonstrates how to blend sewing and assembly techniques with traditional electronics to assemble simple circuits using conductive thread, solder joints for snaps, and switches for buttons. With the sewing machine as a viable substitute for the soldering iron, you can craft a new generation of objects that are interactive, quirky, and fashion-conscious.
Look for Fashioning Technology Kits soon this Summer in the Maker Shed! For now, check out the rest of our CRAFT Kits.
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jul 30, 2008 04:00 PM
Crafts, Electronics, MAKE Store, Makers |
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The Paella Man in a Throwdown
Our pal Gerard Nebesky, a.k.a. The Paella Man, will be on Throwdown with Bobby Flay on the Food Network tonight (July 30). Gerard provides the amazing paellas for Maker Days at the Bay Area Maker Faire. World-renowned Iron Chef, Bobby Flay, shows up in Gerard's back yard to challenge him to a paella throwdown. See whose Valencian cuisine reigns supreme when the smoke clears.
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jul 30, 2008 11:00 AM
Maker Faire, Makers |
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July 29, 2008
5 in 5: Day 1
It's the first day of 5 in 5 and there's a parade of projects. See the gang free themselves from Positioning Systems, choose their food decisively, sash a speaker, stick socks to a tee, mate software circles, print Mega Man, enliven their claw prizes, greet with robots, calm a TV, root for poops, Eco-nomize a billfold, season some mittens, dramatize their voicemail, cut their own coins and Franken their Faces. This motivated group of ITP students and their Guest Star, Bre Pettis did each project in a single day and they'll do another four each this week for a total of around 50 different projects in five days!
Posted by Rob Faludi |
Jul 29, 2008 05:00 PM
Arts, Computers, Crafts, Culture jamming, DIY Projects, Electronics, Gadgets, GPS, Makers, Robotics, Wearables |
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5 in 5
Ten ITP students are doing 5 Projects in 5 Days:
"5-in-5 is a group event based on the New York University ITP resident researchers' project "7 in Seven" that took place the second week of June 2008. The premise goes something like this: Do a creative project every day for five straight days, starting Monday, July 28th 2008 Projects must be completed in a day, so they need to be as compact as they are creative. Each project needs a name and documentation posted by the end of the day. It should be a stand-alone accomplishment."
The original event has been enhanced with Guest Stars, daily meetings and snacks. I'll be blogging about each day here and on my own site.
From Left to Right: Armanda, Vikram, Andy, Adam, Corey, Josh, Christian, Kristin and Rob. My head is poking up behind Corey's shoulder.
Posted by Rob Faludi |
Jul 29, 2008 03:00 PM
Announcements, Arts, Crafts, Events, Makers |
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July 24, 2008
LEGO spinner car from Bladerunner
I've been enjoying Joel Johnson's fawning fanboy coverage of Syd Mead on Boing Boing Gadgets. Hey, I'd fawn, too. I'm a huge fan of Mead's and even thought about becoming a conceptual or industrial designer on his inspiration. In this episode of BBtv, Joel talks with Mead about the awesome one-of-a-kind Spinner police vehicle from Bladerunner that the folks at LEGO did as a present to Syd.
Blade Runner LEGO Spinner Car: Syd Mead with Joel Johnson
The other Mead segments on BBtv:
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jul 24, 2008 02:00 PM
Flying, LEGO, Makers |
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July 23, 2008
Incredible typewriter sculptures
Jeremy Mayer makes these really fantastic evocative sculptures from old typewriters. I'm amazed by what he uses for each body part, and how he could have imagined to put things together the way he does. Via BoingBoing.
Posted by Becky Stern |
Jul 23, 2008 07:00 PM
Arts, Made On Earth, Makers, Retro |
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July 22, 2008
1000 Journals documentary
I've been excited about the forthcoming 1000 Journals documentary. In case you don't know about the 1000 Journals project and documentary, here's a synopsis:
1000 Journals is a film about people whose lives are touched by 1000 traveling journals. These blank journals were released into the world in the summer of 2000, by Someguy, a San Francisco based artist. Some people found a journal, or got it from a friend or stranger. Some signed up on the web and received it in the mail. Some wrote in them, others doodled, pasted in photographs, or added artworks. Some kept them. Some passed them on. There are no rules, and no one really monitors these journals and their movements. And yet, they are connecting tens of thousands of people worldwide, provoking and inspiring them.
In September 2003, one of the 1000, number 526, returned to Someguy, filled. What happened to the other 999? This film tells their stories. 1000 Journals shares the experience of their worldwide journeys, and chronicles the self-governed collaboration of thousands of random people who have added to this global "message in a bottle." Directed by Andrea Kreuzhage. USA. Running time: 88 mins.
"Someguy" was at the Bay Area Maker Faire. I never saw him, but I came back to the Maker's Notebook Modding Station in the Maker Shed after a break, opened up a notebook on the table, and like a visit from the Tooth Fairy or Santa Claus, a bunch of pages had been magically altered in my absence. Here are a few:
The 1000 Journals documentary will be running at the Roxie Theater in San Francisco from Aug. 1 - 7. Check the film's website for more upcoming screenings.
More:
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jul 22, 2008 03:10 PM
Arts, Crafts, Culture jamming, Maker Faire, Makers |
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TCHO chocolate, part two
Here's part two of BBtv's tour of the TCHO chocolate factory that David covered in his Proto column in MAKE Volume 14. I love the way they've bodged together village tech, Home Depot specials, and high-tech components to create machines and sensors for a few thousand bucks that would cost tens of thousands on the market.
TCHO Chocolate, part 2: magical machines, mysterious molecules.
More:
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jul 22, 2008 12:00 PM
Made On Earth, Makers, Science |
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July 21, 2008
The automata of Tom Haney
Mister Jalopy of Dinosaurs and Robots points us to the amazing automata and kinetic sculptures of Tom Haney (Atlanta, GA).
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jul 21, 2008 03:32 PM
Arts, Crafts, Makers |
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Make: Austin Weird
Dale Dougherty writes:
Mike Weiblen showed up to the Maker Faire Austin Town Hall on Sunday night with his own handmade T-shirt mashup, Make Austin Weird. Mike and about thirty other makers got together to meet with the Maker Faire team and discuss their own plans for the event scheduled for October 18-19 at the Travis County Expo Center and Fairgrounds.
Posted by Gareth Branwyn |
Jul 21, 2008 12:00 PM
Maker Faire, Makers |
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Phillip Torrone
Senior Editor
Tel: 707-827-7311
Gareth Branwyn
Robot Maker
Kip Kay
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CRAFT
Becky Stern
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Sound Maker
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Weekend Project: Making Biodiesel
Make your own backyard biodiesel. It's easy to make a small batch that will work in any diesel engine. You won't need any special equipment--an old juice bottle will serve as the "reactor" vessel--and on such a small scale,...
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