They are a bit dated, and very British… but what Maker could resist Tim Hunkin’s The Secret Lives of Machines? They are made available via the Exploratorium web site.

The thumbnails are of the intro cartoon, but they are live action videos.

Here is the first episode:
The Secret Lives of Machines – The Vacuum Cleaner

Enjoy!

In case you had not heard one of my classmates from grad school and a founder of GRL, James Powderly, is currently detained for 10 days in Beijing. His goal is to offer technology solutions to artists and protesters to help get their word out. They were detained before they did anything.

Updated info on fffff.at

From the Instructables site:

After an indefinite hiatus, Instructables Build Night returns! Starting June 19th we will be holding bi-monthly build nights at our brand spanking new San Francisco location.

For the first meeting, bring whatever it is that you’re working on, would like to work on or are thinking about working on! If you’re not working on anything, bring yourself, and you can work on your social skills by interacting with some of the Bay Area’s finest makers and shakers!

We look forward to seeing you!

For more details visit the Instructables Website

See Our New Tools and Equipment
You’ll be able to check out all the tools, machines and workspace and see how TechShop can help you build all those projects you’ve always wanted to make. We have a bunch of new tools, including our brand-new 45-watt Epilog Helix laser cutter (which makes a total of two), 4 brand new computers packed full of 2D and 3D design software including SolidWorks (CAD), a vacuum forming station, and a super easy-to-use computer-controlled ShopBot CNC router that can cut out and carve any piece of plywood or solid wood or plastic up to 4 x 8 feet!

Bring Your Projects
Please feel free to bring your projects to the Open House to show off…completed or not. It will be fun for everyone to see what you’re been working on.

The Details
o TechShop Open House, Saturday, May 31st, 10:00AM to 5:00PM
o TechShop, 120 Independence Dr, Menlo Park, CA 94025
o Guided Tours Will Be Given Throughout the Day
o We’ll Provide BBQ’ed Sausages and Drinks
o Pot Luck — Bring Your Favorite Main Dish, Side Dish or Dessert
o Tell Your Family and Friends, and Bring Them With You
o Kids Are Welcome Too!
o No Need to RSVP…Just Come On By!

Don’t Lose Out On Your TechShop Membership Slot
May 31st — the day of the TechShop Open House — is the very last day to take advantage of our special membership pricing…membership prices will go up on June 1st. With over 130 memberships sold in just the last 3 weeks, we are quickly approaching our membership cap of 500 members. Buy your membership online right now or at the Open House…save money, and make sure you reserve your membership slot and don’t end up on the waiting list! ]]> http://www.makesf.org/2008/05/techshop-open-house-bbq/feed/ 0 http://www.makesf.org/2008/02/naut-humon-and-v-vale-fundraiser-for-todd-blair-of-srl/ http://www.makesf.org/2008/02/naut-humon-and-v-vale-fundraiser-for-todd-blair-of-srl/#comments Tue, 19 Feb 2008 15:12:48 +0000 admin http://www.makesf.org/?p=19 This special ATC event is a benefit for the continued
recovery of Todd Blair who was injured in Amsterdam
after an SRL show. Suggested donation at the door is
$10-100. http://toddblair.wordpress.com

——————————————————
The Art, Technology, and Culture Colloquium
of the Berkeley Center for New Media announces:

Attention Depiction Disorders
Naut Humon, Recombinant Media Labs, SF
V. Vale, REsearch Publications, SF
(with special guest Perry Hoberman)

Monday, Feb 25, 7:30-9:00pm

** Note Special Location: Berkeley Art Museum Theater
** Enter on 2621 Durrant Ave (access via sculpture
** garden, tickets available starting at 6:30pm)
** http://bampfa.berkeley.edu/visit/visitor
ATC Lectures are free and open to the public
Seating is limited and not guaranteed
—————————————————–

More details in the comments…

Intel Research
2150 Shattuck Ave (Penthouse Suite)
Berkeley, CA 94704
(map)

Once a year Intel Research hosts their “Open House” featuring many of our research projects with interactive demonstrations, posters, and prototypes.  This year the Urban Atmospheres group at Intel Research will be debuting a series of new personal mobile environmental sensors and tools we’ve been working on over the past year.

The event is Saturday, April 12th from 2pm – 2am… submissions are due by February 8th.

I will post the call to artists/makers in the Comments section of this post.

Greg Lynn (UCLA & Angewandle, Vienna)

Part of The Art Technology, and Culture Colloquium at UC Berkeley’s Center for New Media.

Monday Evening from 7:30pm to 9:00pm
160 Kroeber Hall 
UC Berkeley

I don’t have much more detail on this… if you do, please feel free to add it to the comments!

If you can read this and you are anywhere near the Bay Area DO NOT MISS THIS SHOW. The physical and light installations are pretty phenomenal. It’s quite inspirational and thought provoking from a how’d-he-do-that Maker perspective.

It’s a lot of fun, too. I may add more to this post, but I had to get this out there.

http://www.sfmoma.org/eliasson/

If you are a light geek like me, you probably know about it or have already been to see it… if have not go see it. Why are you still reading this? You should be on your way to the SFMOMA.

PS:The title of this post will only make sense once you see the “yellow room”.