It’s 5:01 and I’m still at work, writing this. Tonight’s Maker Faire work party will start late, and probably wrap up a bit early as I’ll need to be in bed early. Nevertheless, drop on by the shop and let’s get some stuff done! 7:30ish, I hope! –Nate
First, if you’ve got something to show off at Maker Faire Detroit, SUBMIT YOUR APP already! Time is tight, and we’d love to see you there. Need help finishing your project? See the end of this entry…
Second, the Ann Arbor Mini Maker Faire will happen again this year, on June 5th. Last year’s show was our first big event, before we even got a space. We’ll be there again this year, of course, with more projects to show off!
Third, a few of our members are on their way to the Bay Area Maker Faire, in San Mateo, CA. There’s a good chance of twitter traffic about this. (Heh, heh.)
Fourth, I know this may come as a shock, but i3Detroit will have another Open Shop Friday, tonight! I promise to be on site with the door open by 7pm, but follow the feed to see if someone opens up earlier. See you then!
Fan of the Hak5 podcast? Wanna meet Darren Kitchen? Like Monkeys?
Checkout i3 Detroit tonight (5/17), where Darren Kitchen of Hak5 will be holding court. Hear stories of his Hack Across America tour, share your projects and meet a very cool guy.
Starts at 6:30pm and goes until we run out of energy or beer, whichever is first.
Been watching that Google Calendar sidebar fill up, have you? We’ve got a busy couple days coming up, so if you’ve been looking for an excuse to swing by the space, now is a great time! Bring a friend…
Starting Friday and running all weekend, Hamvention happens in Dayton, Ohio. Okay, technically it’s Trotwood, but every amateur radio operator and electronics hobbyist in the eastern US just knows the annual pilgrimage as “Dayton”. Hundreds of vendor booths, forums on a variety of topics, license exams, and thousands of hams occupy every inch of Hara Arena, but most of us actually go for the thirty-acre fleamarket in the parking lot. A handful of i3Detroit members and mi2600 regulars are headed down, and if you are too, say hi!
Saturday at Noon, Nate_LapT opens the doors for a Maker Faire work party, suspiciously similar to a regular Open Shop day. Members and non-members alike are encouraged to bring projects to work on, or just come hang out.
Saturday at 6pm, the monthly Unusual Musical Instrument Jam Session gets underway. Bring a hand-made instrument, or just bring parts and assemble it on site! Normal instruments are fine, too. As always, visitors are welcome! This event usually runs pretty late…
Sunday at 1pm, the Michigan RepRap group invades the shop with their army of clones. Or not; nobody’s actually printed a complete replica of a human yet, but that doesn’t mean they’re not trying! If you’re interested in the RepRap project, or if you just heard of it now, come in and get involved, regardless of your experience level.
Monday evening at 6:30 is another Maker Faire work party. Is your exhibit coming along? Have you submitted your application yet? Come by the shop for help, or to help others further their own efforts. Note: Even i3Detroit members exhibiting with the group must submit each project separately!
On Tuesday it’s meeting time again! The group assembles to discuss, decide, and work on issues that affect us all. We say 7pm but it’s usually more like 8. Meetings are open, though not guaranteed to be interesting.
(CC-licensed RepRap photo from CabFabLab on Flickr.)
This past weekend we took the famous cupcake car for its final cruise at Penguicon 2010
As one of the con’s events, mass was held via rooftop to bid farewell as the cupcake made its final journey down the ramps of the parking garage to its resting place in the dumpster below.
If you were unable to see the cupcake in action over the past year, version 2.0 will hopefully make its appearance sometime before summer has ended. If you would like to lend a hand in the creation of the new car, visit and get involved. Even if your involvement is the opinion of what fabric the seat cover shall be.