Instructables, the collaborative how-to site that spun out of Squid Labs with funding from O’Reilly AlphaTech Ventures is holding an Instructables Show and Tell on Friday 3/9 at Instructables HQ in Alameda and at Miters in Cambridge, MA on Saturday 3/10. Christy Canida writes:
Bring your friends & family, drinks or a snack for the table, and something you’ve made (or are thinking about or working on) to share with the group. You’ll meet a diverse group of smart, excited art and technology geeks who want to talk to you about your projects and ideas. Please RSVP to canida(*at*) instructables.com so we’ll have a decent guess how many people to expect.
Examples: your new LED, LEGO, or K’nex project, a cool screen-printed T-shirt, neat origami, a cool bike mod, home-made kimchee, alternate uses for your ipod, a fire-breathing Godzilla, a neat example of vintage technology, or just a cool idea you’d like to explore with other like-minded people. Anything you’d put up as an Instructable is definitely fair game- bring it by and show it off.
Note: NO PowerPoint. You’ve got 2-4 minutes to talk about your project; words and models are best way to do a quick demo.
I’ve been to a couple of these in their previous incarnation at Squid Labs, and they are a great way to mix socializing with learning about cool new projects and ideas. Like our own Ignite events, they force presenters into a constrained format (though not quite as constrained) that makes sure you get the point quickly. And in the informal surroundings, you can easily followup with people whose work you find interesting. Unlike ignite, and more like foo or bar, there is no program set up beforehand, but just signups on the spot.
Hint: This is worthwhile just for a visit to the new Squid Labs/Instructables/Makani/Potenco headquarters, the control tower of the old Alameda Naval Air Station. There’s a 270 degree view of the bay and San Francisco, and a whole lot of cool people (MIT west, practically) building a squid’s nest of fascinating projects and new startups.