eBook Deal from Maker Media & Humble Bundle
Looking for an opportunity to pick up some great literature on Electronics & Programming for cheap, AND donate to the charity of your choice?
Enter Humble Bundle–an organization famous for its bundled pay-what-you-want packages–with a new eBook special presented by Make Magazine. But it’s only available for a limited time!
http://www.humblebundle.com/books/electronics-programming-make-books
Here for as little as 1.00 USD you can get some great electronic titles from Maker Media to start off a DIY journey, in multiple reading formats:
- The Best of Make, Volume 2: 65 Projects and Skill-Builders from the Pages of Make:
- Environmental Monitoring with Arduino
- Make: Volume 50: “Power Up”
At the higher levels, you can get more titles like:
- Electricity for Young Makers
- The Encyclopedia of Electronic Components (multiple volumes)
- How to Use a Breadboard
- Make: Electronics
And even a discount on a subscription to Make:!
This great deal is valuable for both experienced and fledgling makers alike. Check it out!
Do you have something to bring to Maker Faire? Register here!
Maker Spotlight: REC
Stop by and say hi to the people at the REC (Robotics Education and Competition Foundation) and VEX Robotics booth at our #MakerFaire this Saturday. Learn about how your kids can get involved w/ their program.
WATCH THIS VIDEO from their event they had in Louisville this spring at the Kentucky Exposition Center.
A Little Slice of Nerd Heaven!
We are featured in an article by Insider Louisville. They wrote a summary of some of OUR ATTRACTIONS FOR THE FAIRE on Saturday, Sept. 19th:
● GForce, a 130-foot wheeled sled you can ride, accelerating up to 2Gs
● Human Size Rock’em Sock’em Robots
● Collegiate Nerdy Derby – “No rules” Pinewood Derby – Make and Race a Car Yourself
● FIRST and VEX Robotics: Visitors can drive robots and see real teams in action
● 3D Printer Zoo – everything from a 16-foot behemoth to affordable education models
● River City Rocketry’s 12-foot tall, high-powered rocket
● Maker Mobile 32-foot trailer with CNC router, laser cutter, 3D printers
● GameDevLou - indie video games playable onsite
● KY Science Center - $5 admission and special maker activities
● KCD Kid Area - squishy circuits, catapult-making, young makers and more
● Boat building competition hosted by Frazier History Museum
● Learn to solder stations
● Many of Louisville’s favorite food trucks (and beer/wine available)
Maker Spotlight: MakerMobile
The MakerMobile: One of our awesome makers that will be at our #MakerFaire on Saturday, Sept. 19, 2015. They can come out to your school or event to show demos on 3D Printing, laser cutting and more!
Maker Deadline Extended
The deadline to apply for booth space at the 2015 Louisville Mini Maker Faire has been extended to September 13th.
Maker Spotlight: Game Dev Lou
If you’re into building games as well as community, Game Dev Lou could be for you. Game Dev Lou supports developers of all skill levels and backgrounds, and creates a safe environment for experimentation, education and participation. Game Dev Lou members use multiple technologies including HTML5, Unity, GameMaker, libGDX, Construct 2, Cocos2d, C++, C#, VB, and more.
They will be showing off their skills at this year’s Louisville Mini Maker Faire, so check them out! Till then, you can watch this video to see them in action:
“Nerdy Derby”: Beg, borrow, or make your racing cars!
Have you ever heard of the Boy Scouts’ Pinewood Derby?
Well – forget it. Well, some of it. Okay – forget most of it!
The “Nerdy Derby” is a no-rules*, anything-goes race of DIY cars on a Pinewood Derby track. We’ll have a “Nerdy Derby” at Mini Maker Faire, in which we’ll be sending vehicles down a Pinewood Derby track. Pretty much anything you can make, that rolls, will qualify.
We mean anything goes!
Image from Discovery News
We want to make sure that everyone knows you can bring a Pinewood Derby or similar sized car or make your own! We will have materials at the Louisville Mini Maker Faire to build your own car, but for that extra special car you may want to get started this weekend.
Tell your friends, parents, former Scout troop members, anyone you think might have something they want to make or race!
For more inspiration, check out www.nerdyderby.com and the awesome stuff going on at this weekend’s World Maker Faire in New York.
*OK, there is ONE rule: the cars must fit on the track. The standard gauge is as follows:
Wheel spacing – The spacing in between the wheels shall not be less than 1 ¾” or greater than 2” in width. The outside of one wheel to the outside of the other wheel must be less than 2 3/4″.
Introducing our 2013 Makers
We’re pretty excited to introduce our 2013 Makers to you. This list continues to evolve as we get more information in, so check back from time to time between now and the end of the month. The best way to see all of our great Makers is to attend the Faire – it’s free!
View our list of Makers by category:
- 3D Printers – a whole “zoo” full
- Arts & Crafts – Paint, create, sculpt, knit, DIY comics, and more.
- Engineering – robots, things that blink, glow or breathe fire
- Food & Beverage – Food. And beverages. (Bunsen burners and lab setups will be involved.)
- “Spectacle” – we REALLY can’t describe most of these!
- Workshops – learn a bunch of new skills
- Young Makers – LEGO, glue gun creations, projects by and for the next generation
Call for Makers is closed!
We have had terrific response to our Call for Makers. This is our first year and we had no idea how many to expect. We were only anticipating some 30 to 40 makers. Instead we are pushing 70 and running out of comfortable space. This is terrifically exciting and we can’t wait to show everyone off!
In the meantime, our Call for Makers is closed. We may still be able to include certain Makers on a case-by-case basis – so if you have a solar car or something truly awesome contact makerfairelou@gmail.com to discuss. There are no guarantees, however, as we are deep into logistics planning with the current slate.
We will post a full list of this year’s Makers shortly!
One Month Left: Maker Previews
It’s one month away! We’re finalizing our list of Makers and wanted to share a few of the things we’ll have for you to explore on the 28th.
Rube Goldberg Machines: Build a crazy contraption to send a marble on a journey, through ramps and corners, tubes, tracks and bumpers, all the way to the bottom of the maze.
Kids Creative Reuse: Creative reuse bringing together critical thinking, arts and Good Garbage!
Make Felt with the Speed Museum: Stop, get your hands wet, and make felt into balls, mini-sculptures, or whatever your brain can invent.
Guerrilla Putt-Putt: Play a game of pop-up mini-golf, or help build a new hole
Learn to Solder: Got inspired by one of the projects? Learn to solder and make your very own keepsake flashing LED pin.
L.E.A.P. – Taking Robotics to the Realm of the Impossible!: The Lightweight Electronic Aeronautical Project’s goal is to create the first heavier-than-air controlled flying craft out of purely LEGO Mindstorm robotics pieces. It has been called impossible by many!
We’ll be previewing more in the month between now and the Faire so check back.