Work on robots, not on tools!

Bob, Scott and Janet demonstrate at The Mini Maker Faire in Providence, RI 2010

Our thanks go out to organizers Brian Jepson and Kipp Bradford and to the wonderful crew, who did everything in their power to make us feel welcome and comfortable. Brian, in particular, was very encouraging and enthusiastic.

The day was wild, and started out with Bob and our friend Scott Sorensen finding Waldo. Yes, that Waldo.

That was not to be the sole oddity of the day.

It was a beautiful day in Providence. I picked up Kevin and Alex and we headed South. The space was cozy, and Bob, Galia and Scott were already there, setting up. We had tables near a few picnic tables.

In a brilliant last-minute stroke, we added a water cooler with cups, all free for the taking. While it was not a hot day, it was sunny enough to make it uncomfortable if you weren’t properly hydrated. We put the candy in the baskets (for some reason, the Malted Milk Balls were mainly untouched — anyone want any?) and set up the home automation demo, the hexapod and the push board. We were unable to set up a PlayShop due to space constraints.

Oh, the hexapod! It needed Java compiling, and the download speed was as slow as molasses. Once it got working, it was a neat demonstration, but it did take a while to get it going.

The home automation demo, with its on/off lamps and lights, was best appreciated after dark. The push board — which we had also demonstrated at TEDxBoston — had been revamped with new switches and looked really good.

SchoolTool (Tom Hoffman) sat next to us. This is a system whereby you can call a cel phone without being in network — very useful for Third World countries! Steve Daniels of Maker Faire Africa was nearby as well. Everyone — presenters, attendees and staff — was very friendly and helpful.

We made a lot of new friends, including:

• Anna Kaziunas France – she’s currently working on a puppet master project
• Carlos Rodriguez – he was on staff for the day and is already a Facebook friend! It’s so great to put a face and a voice together with a name.
• Carrie Capizzano
• Chris Toews
• Jay Savely
• Jeff Haan
• Jenn Brees
• Josh Clark – he’s an O’Reilly author
• Kurt Barbuscio
• Kyuha Shim
• Marc Doughty
• Matt Curcio
• Nuno Alves
• Raven
• Sarah Paterson and,
• Steven Willette

We saw old friends Jeff Del Papa and Mark Tomizawa, who was there with his daughter.

The evening ended with WaterFire and then the Extraordinary Rendition Band. They even had — I am not making this up! — a guy playing a flaming tuba that had to be seen to be believed. This was one of those times where I wished I’d had a camera with me. Bob may have gotten some footage, though.

There’s no time for us to rest. Our next event is Mass Innovation! See you there — and before you go, please vote for us to present there. The race is hot and we truly need your vote. Thanks!

We’re packed and ready. We’re heading South.

Look out, Maker Faire! Neuron Robotics is in town!

We will be tweeting from the event, of course, and using hashtag #NRMF. See you there — but before you go, please vote for us to present at Mass Innovation in September. The competition is fierce so we are counting on your vote. Thanks!

We are very excited about going to Maker Faire!

I used to live in Providence so, for me, it’s a bit of a homecoming. It’ll be great to see the old town again.

And it’ll be even greater to see you.

Remember, the hashtag for the event is #NRMF. See you there — but before you go, please vote for us to present at Mass Innovation in September. The competition is hot — we really need your vote. Thanks!

In between purchasing candy and picking up your soda, movie houses have, traditionally, offered Coming Attractions before the big show.

Our next big show is Maker Faire, so here’s a little preview of what’s in store:

For those of you who came to our TEDxBoston pre-adventure in July, it’s the return of the Home Automation Demo! Jay Siegel’s beautiful home blueprint rides again for Maker Faire.

I’ve been told that there may be something called a hexapod. The guys haven’t told me too much about it, so I will be as surprised as everyone else. Sounds interesting.

And, finally, welcome to The Play Shop! We will have laptops and parts and you’ll be able to play and build. How often do you get to be a part of the show?

Oh and one more thing — we will have DyIOs for sale. You can pick one up right there at Maker Faire!

Come by and get the details in person! And when you tweet about the event, please use hashtag #NRMF. Thanks! See you there — but before you go, please vote for us to present at Mass Innovation in September. The competition is something fierce so we really need your vote. Thanks!

As they say, seeing is believing.

And, even if you can’t physically come to Maker Faire, you can still see us in action.

I will apparently not be live blogging, but we will be videotaping a bit (not for the entire event as we are going to be there for something like ten hours from setup to take down!) so there should be something on the site afterwards.

Make sure to use hashtag #NRMF when you tweet about the event.

Thank you for following along! See you there — but before you go, please vote for us to present at Mass Innovation in September. The race is hot, so we need your vote. Thanks!