[Robotgroup] Please Bring all your Stuff to dorkbot! Re: signage and flyers for Dorkbot

[David Nunez]

Bingo, re: the purpose of this particular dorkbot.

Our goal here is definitely to make a spectacle -- and there is no  
better way, in my mind, to make a spectacle than to invite the robot  
group (notice, how I didn't say the AUSTIN robot group... ;-) )

I would say, and I mean this, if there was ever a time to bring out  
every single thing you own or have made -- finished or not -- this is  
it.   Robo-chaos like none anybody has ever seen.

The Make people have been in Austin before.   We did a good job of  
selling them on Austin as a cool-as-hell town (margaritas, shady  
grove, reasonable weather, green scenery, friendly people all played  
a role).  Now, I want to seal the deal by giving them a glimpse of  
what we can offer by way of cool projects that are happening here.

I'm deeply committed to get Maker Faire to come to Austin.   It's  
RARE to bring a 25,000 person event to town which WILL have a  
positive economic and cultural impact.  It's even rarer to bring one  
that is just so RIGHT for us.

I went to California earlier this year and visited the OReilly campus  
and spoke at length with there people about their goals with Make:  
Craft: and the faires.

I walked away thoroughly convinced that these are our kind of folks.   
Their mission revolves around education and community.  They believe  
that we need to disrupt the way average joe/jane citizen interacts  
with their stuff.   I agree with their approach -- the only way to  
make and craft stuff is... to make and craft stuff.   To foster that,  
you have to give people the tools and inspiration and permission to  
fail that create opportunities for invention.    It's making kid- 
friendly events and classes to shape our future innovators.  It's  
showcasing and celebrating hero garage tinkerers at things like  
dorkbot.  It's convincing our leaders that we're sick of being told  
what _our stuff_ is supposed to do and dreaming up new, and better  
ways to use it.

We become producers of beautiful things, not consumers of junk.

So Maker Faire isn't just another trade show or conference.  This is  
a MOVEMENT.

I commit myself to this cause because I also believe that there is no  
other place on the PLANET that this can be as successful as Austin in  
proving this concept.

I think this is all because of _you_.  It's because of the people we  
have here that, every day, work with their hands to build incredible  
art that bridges science, engineering and emotion in ways that not  
only alter our world, but revolutionize the way we work, play, think,  
feel, and connect.

I believe we have a responsibility to share with each other what we  
know... you show me how to use a servo controller... I'll show you  
how to weld a frame... or knit a sweater... or make a healthy meal.

But You and I, we're makers.   We get it.  Now we have to show  
everyone else how to do this, because  when we have a society where  
EVERYONE feels empowered to make and craft, our culture and society  
will take evolutionary leaps forward.... the things coming out of  
THOSE garages will make time and space and limited resources and  
sadness irrelevant.  I can't wait.

But before we can teach them, we have to inspire them.  When a kid  
sees SpinArt fire up and spends the day asking questions about how  
the tubes empty when it's done, we have her attention.  When we have  
that attention, we hand her a soldering gun and some love and  
patience, and soon she's built an LED throwie.  When she's done with  
that, we teach her how every inventor is an expert at failing and we  
give her so many opportunities to fail safely that she gains  
confidence and trust in herself to become a maker just like us.   She  
then shows her friends her own SpinArt machine and it all turns round  
and around...

So yeah.  Bring out your stuff.   Bring it all out.

It's time to bring it on.

(insert patriotic music here)

David Nunez
david at davidnunez.com
http://www.davidnunez.com
512.796.9545

On Nov 8, 2006, at 10:56 AM, Vern Graner wrote:

> Marc Emerson wrote:
>> I was hoping to bring my hero out, but he is spewing gibberish at the
>> moment. I might try a frontal lobotomy if I can find his nose...
>> But I'll bring the aibo for sure. Its tomorrow, right?
>
> Tomorrow night, thats right. We need to try and make as big a  
> spectacle
> as we can as we are hoping to impress the MAKE folks... ;)
>
> Vern
>
> -- 
> Vern Graner CNE/CNA/SSE    | "If the network is down, then you're
> Senior Systems Engineer    | obviously incompetent so why are we
> Texas Information Services | paying you? Of course, if the network
> http://www.txis.com        | is up, then we obviously don't need
> Austin Office 512 328-8947 | you, so why are we paying you?" ©VLG
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