Stopped by the Maker Faire yesterday at the San Mateo Fairgrounds–right in our neighborhood–and checked out some of the amazing contraptions and creations hacked together by amateur inventors, tinkerers, and madmen. Highlights included two huge jets of flame that shot 20′ or so into the air, courtesy of the very cool-looking Oakland-based welding arts cooperative, The Crucible. And just down the way from the fire cannons, a bunch of minimalist, hacked-together bikes by a guy whose website, Woodenbikes.com, details the wheeled contraptions he’s made out of 2x4s, plywood, and old curtain rods. I’ve posted pictures of the Jensen Tweney clan riding these bikes on Flickr. And Shacker has even more cool pictures from the “Faire.”
Would have stayed longer–I was fascinated by the rocket-launching happening in the parking lot and I really wanted to learn more about Prius-hacking in “The Ultimate Garage” but Clara was getting tired and my feet were getting sore. Great event, hope it returns next year!
[tags]makerfaire[/tags]
