Maker Faire: Wow!

One of the coolest things about Maker Faire was the number of kids, all turned on to science and technology. There were over 12,000 people at the first day of Maker Faire yesterday, and at least 2000 of them had to be kids. There was so much to see and do at the Faire, from the ACCRC's biodiesel-powered spare parts supercomputer (bring old computers to contribute!) to wooden bicycles to the swaporamarama fashion show, in which people showed off the new clothes they'd made by remaking stuff they'd swapped earlier in the day. I loved some of the retro stuff too -- a working meccano model of Babbage's difference engine, the Bay Area English Regency society showing off 18th century science, including leechcraft.

Most of all, I love the way Dale Dougherty and his Make: team have been able to bring together under one umbrella such a range of activity, from crafts to supercomputers, showing how they are part of the same deep human impulse and skill set. Identifying "Makers" as a role model was a stroke of genius. It brings hacking into the mainstream of human activity, not just something we do with computers.

Below are some Flickr shots from the Faire. Go to the Flickr tag makerfaire2006 (800 2500+ photos) or makerfaire (2000 5500+ photos) or just click on the montage below to see more.