Archive
March 15, 2018

Seattle Mini Maker Faire

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Every once in a while, some gov­ern­ment some­where bom­bas­ti­cally declares that they’ll be creating the next Sil­i­con Val­ley, along with announc­ing some kind of one-­time invest­ment (yeah, it’s going to take more com­mit­ment than that).

That’s not how it works. It takes cul­ture, edu­ca­tion, tal­ent, and time. You can’t just dump money at a bor­ough in some city some­where. That’s why Sil­i­con Val­ley can­not be repli­cat­ed, at least not that easily.

I bring this up because this thought kept flow­ing through my head as I walked through the Maker Faire. A lot of the atten­dees were not mid­dle-aged nerds, they were chil­dren and their eyes were full of won­der. These kids are going to grow up sur­rounded by cool tech, sur­rounded by oppor­tu­ni­ties to learn about them, and be awed at the pos­si­bil­i­ties. They are going to grow up to make some ground­break­ing stuff one day.

Real­ly, this is how you make Silicon Valley.


A man cuts some copper and making a basic light-up LED.
A man cuts some copper and making a basic light-up LED.
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An education startup doing some marketing.
An education startup doing some marketing.
UW’s commercialization arm, CoMotion, shows off some of its projects.
UW’s commercialization arm, CoMotion, shows off some of its projects.
An elementary student shows up his team’s winning project.
An elementary student shows up his team’s winning project.
Laser-cut toy assembly kits.
Laser-cut toy assembly kits.
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A girl checks out a 3D-printed bust of Abraham Lincoln. This print is special because it uses multiple axes.
A girl checks out a 3D-printed bust of Abraham Lincoln. This print is special because it uses multiple axes.
Man demonstrates how 3D-printed pinhole cameras works to a kid.
Man demonstrates how 3D-printed pinhole cameras works to a kid.
Artefact had an exhibit showing off its Storyboard VR project.
Artefact had an exhibit showing off its Storyboard VR project.
A kid views the photo he drew in VR, ft. UW Design alum Andrea Kang.
A kid views the photo he drew in VR, ft. UW Design alum Andrea Kang.
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The sight of seeing someone try VR for the first time will never get old.
The sight of seeing someone try VR for the first time will never get old.
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This highschool team had access to a waterjet and CNC mill. That’s insane and I’m glad they got that opportunity. Even at the UW, access to that tools is extremely difficult.
This highschool team had access to a waterjet and CNC mill. That’s insane and I’m glad they got that opportunity. Even at the UW, access to that tools is extremely difficult.
Glowforge, a “3D laser printer/cutter,” had quite a presence and appears to be a darling of the DIY crowd.
Glowforge, a “3D laser printer/cutter,” had quite a presence and appears to be a darling of the DIY crowd.
Personalized 3D-printed shoes for runners.
Personalized 3D-printed shoes for runners.
The shoe in action, ft. UW Design alum Justin Taylor.
The shoe in action, ft. UW Design alum Justin Taylor.
A musician plays a light-up piano.
A musician plays a light-up piano.
An attendee decides to join in.
An attendee decides to join in.
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One half of Null and Void, Sophy Wong, gives a lecture on smart clothing.
One half of Null and Void, Sophy Wong, gives a lecture on smart clothing.
Null and Void made some cool wearables and things, including a selfie bot.
Null and Void made some cool wearables and things, including a selfie bot.
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Pho­tos taken on Sep­tem­ber 17th, 2017

21_21 DESIGN SIGHT
Hanging out with the Yakuza at Yasukuni Shrine