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Newcastle Maker Faire 2010

Posted by timothy on from the can't-we-just-get-cctv-feed-archives? dept.

krou writes "The BBC covered the most recent Newcastle Maker Faire, an event which Slashdot first covered last year. From racing power tools, to making music using electric sparks, or a robot that solves the Rubik's Cube in 20 seconds, makers, crafters and hackers were out in force. YouTube has a selection of videos available, and there are some pics on Flickr. And, while it may not be a hover board, there was a self-balancing skateboard."

27 comments

  1. Two wheels are redundant by flyingfsck · · Score: 4, Interesting

    I like the one wheel model. It looks really crazy.

    --
    Excuse me, but please get off my Pennisetum Clandestinum, eh!
    1. Re:Two wheels are redundant by Plunky · · Score: 0, Troll

      As a (mostly ex-)skateboarder I feel compelled to point out that skateboards have four wheels, and this is a useless toy which would only have novelty appeal to somebody who never took the time to actually ride a board in the first place.

      The appeal of skating is not about having the board be in control of your movement, and there is nothing safe about any of it. You will fall and you will hurt. Mastering that is what makes you enjoy yourself.

    2. Re:Two wheels are redundant by Bearhouse · · Score: 3, Insightful

      this is a useless toy

      Yes, and that's why we love it!

    3. Re:Two wheels are redundant by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      You would fall over on basically any road from hitting a stray rock

  2. So sweet by Bugamn · · Score: 1

    So many interesting things there.

    By the way, is this War's horse?

    http://www.flickr.com/photos/makerfaire_uk/4438050834/in/pool-makerfaire_uk

    1. Re:So sweet by krou · · Score: 1

      That's Rusty the Fire Horse.

      --
      'If Christ had tweeted the sermon on the mount, it might have lasted until nightfall.' - John Perry Barlow
  3. RuBot II by wakaranai · · Score: 3, Informative

    There's more information (videos, interview with creator) about the Rubik's Cube solving robot, here:
    http://www.mechatrons.com/rubot.html

    Insert joke about Cylons and Rubik's Cubes...

    1. Re:RuBot II by FuckingNickName · · Score: 1

      Ah, engineers. You have the brainpower to build a Rubik's Cube solving robot, but you skip the processing which concludes that dark green on dark blue makes for an illegible web site.

      (I know that sounds like a troll, but I'm interested to understand why some people with stellar abilities will nevertheless end up doing something apparently trivial like not checking that their work is legible.)

    2. Re:RuBot II by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Not to mention the red on blue. The goggles! They do nothing!

      The explanation is simple and you can see comments every day on Slashdot. People seem to think good design is only for the likes of Apple and think they're cool if their GUI/Website/whatever looks like shit from 1980, circa EGA graphics colors.

      They can't quite make the connection that good design is part of usability. They think that Apple hardware and software is only made to look cool but is crap underneath. They couldn't be more wrong, but they're stopped by their own stubbornness and never even tried anything from Apple. The "omg it's shiny so it must be crap" mindset. It's their loss.

    3. Re:RuBot II by shentino · · Score: 1

      Simple.

      Ability is a finite resource.

      To put it in gaming terms, you only have so many XP to invest in your various stats and you can't buy everything up where you like it.

    4. Re:RuBot II by kent_eh · · Score: 1

      Not to mention the red on blue. The goggles! They do nothing!

      ...

      They can't quite make the connection that good design is part of usability.

      I don't see anything wrong with that website.
      But then I'm colorblind (70% colour deficient according to the optometrist)

      --

      ---
      "I can't complain, but sometimes still do..." Joe Walsh
    5. Re:RuBot II by beguyld · · Score: 1

      Well, not all of us engineers are like that, but I certainly agree that a great many websites are illegible, either because of the colors or some background pattern.

      Personally, I think it's just being completely self-centered and not even registering that other people exist. At least not actual real people outside their own imagination. It is the complete absence of a "user-centered" viewpoint.

      If a person took the user's perspective for a couple of seconds, such problems would be obvious. (unless of course all the people on the project have the particular type of color-blindness such that it looks fine... though that still doesn't explain the horrid patterned backgrounds on many sites)

  4. News 2 Me by quantumpineal · · Score: 1

    Damn, I just live around the corner from there and I didn't even know it was on :S the musical tesla coil is a bit wierdo

    --
    ~don't feel threatened by my pineal~
  5. CubeStormer by Yvan256 · · Score: 3, Interesting

    CubeStormer, Rubik's Cube solver made in LEGO bricks with Mindstorms kits.

    Okay, so it doesn't look like a "robot" and has four "hands", but it's still much faster than the one from Maker Faire 2010.

    1. Re:CubeStormer by eulernet · · Score: 1

      And from what I'm able to see, it uses only classical human algorithms, since it does a lot of rotations.
      And it doesn't seem better than humans, who are able to solve it within 10 seconds (average time !).

      In the author's site (http://www.mechatrons.com/rubot.html), the author says that he used Kociemba's algorithm (http://kociemba.org/cube.htm 22 moves in average), but his robot is a lot slower than the one you mentioned.

  6. Geordie to English Translator by 16K+Ram+Pack · · Score: 2, Insightful

    Definitely required in some parts of Newcastle ;)

  7. you haven't missed your chance by Eil · · Score: 4, Informative

    If you're any kind of geek, you should try to attend one of these. Make Faires happen in various spots around the world multiple times each year. There are more Faires planned in the Bay Area, Detroit, and New York this year. Check out their site for info.

    1. Re:you haven't missed your chance by kent_eh · · Score: 1

      Anyone know when the next one is scheduled in Canada?

      --

      ---
      "I can't complain, but sometimes still do..." Joe Walsh
    2. Re:you haven't missed your chance by Phoghat · · Score: 1

      I'm a subscriber of Make Magazine and have been known to cobble together an occasional project. I love working wit my hands and understanding why things work. I've been to Maker Fairs in NY City and marvel at things I don't know yet that I'd like to. I don't buy the kits from the maker shed as I find them a bit expensive, preferring to source my own components.

      --
      Think of how stupid the average person is, and realize half of them are stupider than that.
  8. Cue Dilbert by LtGordon · · Score: 1

    this is a useless toy

    Yes, and that's why we love it!

    Dilbert: I want to be productive, but the internet is calling to me.
    Internet: Hey, buddy. I've got pictures of gadgets.
    Dilbert: Cool ones?
    Internet: Sure, let's pretend that matters.

  9. self-balancing by countertrolling · · Score: 2, Interesting

    skateboard?

    --
    For justice, we must go to Don Corleone
  10. Slashdot sold out by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    How much did O'Reilly pay for this ad?