Covering SxSW Interactive in one day is craziness. Frankly, not only is it impossible, it shouldn’t be tried because you end up making too many sacrifices. Even with the app they provided (see above) I couldn’t begin to discern a path through the vastness that would give me good coverage. At a certain point you just give in, do your best, and appreciate the richness of what SxSW offers.
Why one day?
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Every new makerspace is an adventure. For some it’s a good ride and for others it’s not. The difference can often be attributed to the skills and experience of team members. Some are better prepared to deal with a myriad of issues but most are not. It is this gap which we were trying to address at “How to Make a Makerspace“.
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The American Library Association holds two major conferences each year and this year the smaller of the two, Midwinter, was held in Seattle. A feature added this year was a track about making in libraries called “Maker Monday“. There were several presentations but the featured speeches involved Dale Dougherty and me in a session entitled “The Maker Movement Comes to Libraries“. We were very pleasantly surprised by the turnout.
I increasingly believe that making is in the future of libraries.
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The “Hardware Innovation Workshop” is a finalist in two categories of the FAME Awards in the “best first-time event” & “best overall single event (business-to-business)” categories. This is a total surprise and a total delight for me as I’m quite proud of the work we did last year and am pleased to see it be recognized.
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The American Library Association is serious about making. They had me present at last year’s Mapping Transformation conference then they asked me to follow up with an article for their American Libraries Magazine. I drove across the U.S. and visited ten libraries with makerspace ambitions out of which I sussed three successful models for implementation. My article was featured in their Manufacturing Makerspaces compilation; their editors did a wonderful job with the entire section.
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A theme of this road trip is caving with such wonders as Carlsbad and Kerchner caverns on the agenda. So if we drive by another highly rated cave then we’re easily swayed. In many ways this accidentally discovered cave is standard faire. What sets it apart is the longest, deepest waterfall available for touring. At 125 feet in length, Ruby Falls stands out and takes your breath away.
Besides, I wanted an excuse to show Kelsey my favorite Tennissee town: Chattanooga.
“Choo choo!“
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Old chapters end and new begin. After 12 years of living on Lake Audubon we’re moving to Coronado, CA. While Beth and I still have time and process in front of us to sell the Reston home, Kelsey has no such luxury. Today, as we set off to drive across the country, is the day when Kelsey has her last moments in the place she called home for so many years.
It was has been an excellent chapter in our lives.
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It’s a wonderful thing to watch others discover making. One clue is when a group asks for a speaker which is out of their mainstream. For the Ohio Library Council to ask me to present at their Widen the Lens conference is a bold step out of their safe zone. When my speech ends up being so well attended, when people are so curious, when follow-on dialog shows a strong desire to embrace making, well, it’s just remarkably gratifying.
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Maker Faire it’s just plain fun! This was the third year in NYC and this year Mayor Bloomberg declared it Maker Week. Amazing! The result was a huge increase in attendance over last year to 55,000 people across the two days. With 500 exhibits, a roster of speakers (that kept me busy running from venue to venue), many how-to workshops and a wide variety of attractions I was flat-out on a tear all weekend. My official agenda was constantly being adjusted by chance meetings with friends, impromptu business meetings, and interviews for articles. The MAKE folk work very hard to pull off excellent events and I think they do a remarkable job … as do the legions of volunteers.
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The Open Hardware Summit and World Maker Faire were back-to-back in New York so how could I be anywhere other than in the New York City during this week? The Open Hardware Summit is a chance to get current while meeting many people who care about advancing the powerful concepts of sharing hardware designs.
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