Maker Faire RI Recap

While Matt, Chris, and Matt B were down in NYC hacking away with Bre at MakerBot, Mike and I went the other way, up to Providence for Maker Faire Rhode Island.

This one was definitely a lot easier to get to than the last Maker Faire out in San Mateo, so we loaded up the Geo Metro and drove off with a few projects and a couple Illuminato X Machina boards. Between MakerBot and Maker Faire RI, this was the first time the Illuminato X Machina boards have really been "out in the wild" :-)

Here's an interesting perspective shot that JB took (thanks!):

It was also pretty neat to see a lot of very different types of projects (e.g., those that don't involve circuit boards) like these reclining, front-pedal bikes that Paul built himself, which mixed household hardware like door hinges with titanium rods used in aircraft structural support.

I wasn't able to make it to Defcon out in Las Vegas this year, so I was thrilled to find out that there's a local and very active community (DC401) right in Providence, and they're hosting QuahogCon in the spring. Notice the interesting life-sized creature in the background. A performance group called BIG NAZO designs, constructs and paints these foam suits in their studios.

As it got dark, the gorgeous Waterfire exhibit lit up the Providence River, drawing crowds to a delicious street fair nearby.

There are plenty more pics in a Maker Faire RI Flickr pool as well. All in all, a wonderful way to meet a lot of New England makers and hackers, and special thanks to Brian, Kipp and everyone else who made the day perfect! I'm hoping this will become a tradition...