Mentos, Coke Zero, Rockets, and Steampunks: Maker Faire, 2010
So I spent most of the day at the Maker Faire in San Mateo. Sort of one part geek convention, one part Burning Man, one part Renaissance Faire. But it's sort of a cool new movement in the culture, the Do It Yourself (DIY) movement.
What I liked the most about it was the sheer joy the exhibitors had in busting open stuff that you're really not supposed to bust open -- a propane tank, a computer, an iPod, a barbeque grill, a bike -- and "fixing" it, modifying, making it cooler, or better, or just more fun.
The ifixit.com booth was interesting -- their motto: "If you can't open it up, it isn't yours."
Above, a dissected iPhone. I love it when people split something open like this. Is it just me, or does it feel vaguely Tea Party-ish?
And then there's the obligatory Mentos + Coke Zero demonstration:
We've got to get Ricochet contributor John Ratzenberger, my old friend from Cheers, to comment on this. He's a passionate advocate of tinkering and making stuff and building stuff. I've heard him speak really movingly about what's happening to our culture -- and our kids -- now that we don't teach ourselves how to fix and build and fool around with stuff anymore.
When I was a kid, I used to love to shoot up Estes model rockets. They still make them. Here, a guy let a bunch of kids build rockets out of masking tape and paper, and then he fired them up in the air with a (jerry-rigged, of course) air compressor.
What I loved about the Maker Faire was how dangerous it was. Seriously. There was a lot of fire blasting outside, and a lot of duct-tape modifications made to things that probably shouldn't have been modified at all, especially when it's just duct-tape and prayer between you and a flying piece of molten metal. Such a great spirit.
There's a whole new hipster movement, called Steampunk, in which hipsters (and people a little too chubby to be hipsters, if the crowd at Maker Faire was anything to go by) get all dressed up in late 19th century clothes -- I mean, I'm sure there's a lot more to it (well, I'm not sure sure, but I'm trying not to judge) -- but I can't help thinking that this is what happens when a generation grows up without the Boy Scouts, which was, basically, a 19th century movement designed to take soft, pampered boys of the time, who didn't know about Napolean-era privations, or pre-railway travel, or Chinese Gordon holding Khartoum against the Mahdi, and teaching them how to do stuff. How to build a trap. How to tie a taut-line hitch. How to make do. I have to say, pretty much everything useful I ever learned -- how to cook an egg; how to make sure your tent stays dry in the rain; why it's important to wash your dishes in hot water; that sort of thing -- I learned as a Boy Scout. School and college educated me. But they didn't teach me much. If you know what I mean.
And now we're left with this:
"Learn to solder." Because they don't teach you how to solder anywhere, anymore.
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Re: Mentos, Coke Zero, Rockets, and Steampunks: Maker Faire, 2010
Tristan Abbey
Rob Long
It really is an engineering story -- and instead of (or maybe in addition to) all of the handwringing, maybe we should be making sure we're encouraging a generation of science and engineering-minded students to figure stuff like this out.
A government program, perhaps? · May. 27 at 7:09pm
Not necessarily. School choice would unleash the power of parents to choose more rigorous schools for their kids -- don't you imagine there would be a powerful market demand for math/science academies from parents who are even half paying attention to the world and its changes? And maybe robust support from a presidential administration for for-profit technical schools, like Devry and ITT, instead of what we're getting now, which is outright hostility to schools like that which are effective, rigorous, and that open themselves up to market competition?
May '10
Re: Mentos, Coke Zero, Rockets, and Steampunks: Maker Faire, 2010
I'm not sure that any politically-created program would help interest kids in studying math and science. Some things are simply, well, work. Boring- requiring reading, drill, and thought. Etc.
The answer? Two of them. 1) To get more male science students, 50 more TV shows like "The Big Bang Theory", where nerds have a shot at gorgeous babes who think that nerds are sexier than alpha male halfbacks with motorcycles. Have one for guys who like brunettes, another one for redheads, etc. The ultimate motivations theory. 2) Build integral calculus, particle physics, and linear algebra into "Guitar Hero" so that the students slave away for hours without realizing that they are learning.
Rob would seem to have more ability to pull this (at least #1) off than any politician.
May '10
Re: Mentos, Coke Zero, Rockets, and Steampunks: Maker Faire, 2010
Potato Canons, George... I think it's a great subject. We're teaching our children about gas laws, mechanical engineering, aerodynamics, pyrotechnics, electrical engineering (ours has a piezo igniter), gun safety and military theory :-) Not to mention, they're really cool. This is exactly why Ricochet is so awesome. Right thinkers can come here to talk about politics, economics, etc. but then balance the intensity and seriousness of that with a little humor and fun. I also think people become more interested in the contributors and fellow subscribers when they can identify with them on a personal level.