KRON4 News Maker Faire Special

Excerpt from the 1hr Make Faire special that was televised on 7/23 on KRON4

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Posted by Chris on August 25th, 2014 in Events | Comments Off on KRON4 News Maker Faire Special

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R2 Army

I helped build a robot army!

This photo is from last years Bay Area  Maker Faire. When Gerard and I started attending in 2008, there was only two of us. Now there must be at least 15 replica R2’s in the SF Bay Area, with new people joining all the time. It may look easy, but it’s typically a multi-year commitment to build one of these, and there is no kit. Some of these are all metal, many are wood or plastic but you wouldn’t know it by looking at them. All are awesome.

Make Faire is May 18th and 19th this year, at the usual place – San Mateo Fair Grounds.

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Posted by Chris on February 20th, 2014 in Events, General | 1 Comment


Bay Area MakerFaire 2011 – NBC Interview

Interview with NBC Today for the 2011 MakerFaire

Youtube Link

Posted by Chris on May 2nd, 2013 in Events | Comments Off on Bay Area MakerFaire 2011 – NBC Interview

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Video: Howard the Duck Animatronic Head

Not exactly Artoo related, but at the Hobby Expo Charlie Bailey (ILM Model Shop Alumni) brought along an animatronic Howard the Duck head to show and tell. It was loaded with tiny Futaba servos and I can only imagine how much they cost back then. We used many of the same control principles to control our droid gadgets.

Posted by Chris on February 12th, 2013 in Events | Comments Off on Video: Howard the Duck Animatronic Head

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Hobby Expo

Some photos from this last weekends Hobby Expo in Petaluma, CA. It’s a relatively small show, focused on model builders. Fon Davis from Fonco Creative organizes a display room with larger models, some screen used. We were asked to participate with our replica droids.

Highlight of the show was the Model Maker Panel Discussion with local ILM Model Shop Alumni (incl. Don Bies, Nelson Hall, Kim Smith, Grant Imahara, John Goodson, Larry Tan, Charlie Bailey, Lorne Peterson.)

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Charlie Bailey brought along one of the original Howard the Duck animatronic heads and we all got to see it up close.

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Posted by Chris on February 11th, 2013 in Events, General | Comments Off on Hobby Expo

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Thank you poster

Johnathan hand delivered a huge thank you “poster” signed by the children from the Vacaville Concert we participated in last week. It was a big surprise and much appreciated. I had a blast and the event.

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Posted by Chris on May 16th, 2012 in Events | Comments Off on Thank you poster

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Maker Faire Bay Area this weekend!

We’ll be at Maker Faire Bay Area this weekend, May 19th and 20th, and Education Day on Thursday May 17th.

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Posted by Chris on May 15th, 2012 in Events | Comments Off on Maker Faire Bay Area this weekend!

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Vacaville Concert

Fellow builder Johnathan invite Artoo and I to participate in a concert he was organizing with local schools in Vacaville. He’d been planning it for quite some time, and had composed some new songs for the children to sing. One of them was Star Wars’ish themed, so he thought it would fun to have Artoo and a few stormtroopers to participate during the performance.

When I arrived at the theater, Johnathan and his 3 year old son were busy with one last rehearsal

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There were hundreds of kids in two choirs backstage, and I was asked to sneak Artoo in without causing too much of a disturbance, so I quickly ushered him in under a blanket and hid him in a side room.

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Once we’d gone through our rehearsal, I hung out with 501st until it was our turn to go on stage

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After the interval the troopers suited up and we hung out just off stage with the other performers waiting their turn. Of course people wanted to take photos

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Little Johnathan, overcame his fear of the troopers and before long he wouldn’t leave them alone.

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When it was our turn, the stormtroopers made their way to the front of the theater to enter and walk thru the audience “menacingly”, as the children sung a Star Wars themed song. Are then enter the stage as the stormtrooper were seen away by padawan jedi instructed by Yoda.

Alas, with operating Artoo and being behind stage it was pretty much impossible to get photos of Artoo and the troopers on stage, but I’m hoping someone captured some good shots.

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After the little Johnathan was done conducting he came straight over and started talking with the troopers again – going so far as talking one of them out his helmet.

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Posted by Chris on May 14th, 2012 in Events | Comments Off on Vacaville Concert

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