Our inaugural Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire 2012 was a resounding success, with over 300 people enjoying over 20 Maker exhibits indoors and out – at least until some torrential Florida spring rains came, driving everyone indoors – where the party continued right up until closing time!
There were robots to drive, custom chess pieces to make, duct tape and paper crafts to create, patent searches to, cool inventors to talk with, 3D printers to marvel at, great art, great food, and great people to share it all with!
Many, many thanks to all the great volunteers who helped make our event so successful, from the great FTC Team Duct Tape family that staffed our registration table all day to the wonderful University Area Community Development Corporation volunteers who helped guests and Makers and aided in the smooth and swift movement of Makers from the patio to the gym when the skies opened up. It all went so smoothly, no one missed a beat in activities or fun!
We’ll share more photos and stories soon. And you can find more on our Facebook page, too.
Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire 2012 totally made our day!!
The banners are in, the programs are printed, the swag and buttons are here, the Makers and our Volunteers are ready, the Food Trucks are fired up, the robot batteries and the electric cars are charging, the artists have arrayed their wares, the media’s been alerted, and the pennants are ready to fly for the Tampa Bay’s first ever Mini Maker Faire!
There’s still time to get your discounted tickets at EventBrite . Just $5 prepaid and $8 at the door, for ages 5+ . We promise you won’t go home empty-handed, hungry or without new knowledge - there’s toys to make, art to stencil, things to solder, swag to collect and great food to eat!
So head on over the University Area Community Center Complex at 14013 N. 22nd Street tomorrow morning, to enjoy a little taste of the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth!
The University of South Florida’s new underwater robot, Tavros02, made headlines in the Tampa Bay Times this morning, as much for its unique Tweeting ability as its remarkable underwater capabilities. Every 20 minutes, the robot sends telemetric tweets concerning its whereabouts and water conditions, complete with hashtags.
Tavros02 is just one of USFs many robotics projects. At Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire, the USF Robotics Interest Group (RIG) will be on hand with several of their more battle hardened bots, ranging from 3 lbs. to over 200 lbs. in size.
We wanted to make sure we accurately captured the fun and DIY spirit of our very first Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire, so we turned to a Young Maker whose work we already know and admire. Ryder is the team videographer for Learning is for Everyone‘s (your TBMMF organizer) award winning FIRST Tech Challenge robotics team, Team Duct Tape. Ryder’s nuanced eye for meaningful action, angles and editing helped Team Duct Tape earn a spot at the FIRST World Championship when they competed at the Florida FTC State Championship back in February. We thought you’d enjoy learning a bit about Ryder, so you’ll have a heads up when you see him roving about on Saturday.
TBMMF:Please tell us a little about yourself, Ryder.
Ryder: I am 13. I live in Tampa Bay. I make videos for TDT , our FTC robotics team, and for my YouTube channel randomtvusa. I also like to build, and I am a Boy Scout. Also, I like to go camping.
Ryder: Shooting the video then when you get to see the final video.
TBMMF:What type of equipment do you use?
Ryder: A small vide camera ,clamp lights, a PVC camera rig and and a Clap board.
TBMMF: What’s your dream gear look like?
Ryder:A pro video camera real lights, a nice mic for good sound, and a better editing system.
TBMMF:We know you’ve made some special gear of your own – Can you tell us about it?
Ryder:Well I made a PVC camera rig to make the video steadier.
TBMMF: What else do you like making besides movies?
Ryder: I like making props for movies and other useful things.
You can see more of Ryder’s work at Random TV USA and the Team Duct Tape YouTube Channel. And you can see Ryder at Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire on Saturday. Be sure to say hi, and smile!
Our event map and program is now available online! Paper copies will be available at the event, courtesy of DEX Imaging, whose in-kind support of Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire is deeply appreciated!
Check out all the great Makers we’ll have on hand. We couldn’t put it all in the program, but here’s just some of the eye-opening (and mouth watering!) fun you can have at TBMMF this coming Saturday:
We’re delighted to welcome MOSI, Tampa’s Museum of Science & Industry, to our Tampa Bay Mini Maker Fair line up! They’ll be showcasing a variety of activities, technologies and projects representative of Idea Zone, MOSI’s new makerspace and technology playground, including 3D printing, CNC milling, design/media technologies and even a FIRST FRC robot built by MOSI’s Youth Enriched through Science (YES!) Team .
Check back soon for a complete program and event schedule!
The line up for our very first Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire is amazing! Check it out! There’s robots on the land and in the water, music, arts, crafts, toy making, inventions, inventors, amateur radio, and food galore!
And, wonderfully, a ... sadly – no
That’s right – Make will be at the Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire, showcasing their wonderful wares!
We erred! MakerShed is unable to join us, but will be sending along some materials for us to share. And of course we’ve got the Maker spirit in our blood -Check out our great roster!
Our Commercial Makers include:
And we’ve got an amazing collection of community Makers!
Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire Food Truck Rally -Our Culinary Makers
Our Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire Food Truck Rally vendors are donating a portion of proceeds from the day to the University Area Community Center Complex!
Please note, large companies or commercial entities do not qualify as Commercial Makers. If you are a large company or commercial entity, please see our Sponsor page.
We first met Elizabeth Baker at TEDxYouth@TampaBay 2011, where she gave a mesmerizing performance utilizing a variety of electronic media. A classically trained musician, she draws influences from everyday events and personal experience, and uses her compositions as a means of expressing a myriad of emotions and ideals. She currently performs around the state and country in a solo electronic project under the pseudonym Suitcases of Sound.
We’re delighted that Ms. Baker is bringing her innovative music to Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire, and we’re pretty sure that if you’ve never heard Elizabeth Baker perform, you’ve probably never heard anything quite like the music she makes!
The makerspace movement is growing nationwide, but it’s a relatively new concept for Tampa Bay. James Carlson’s BucketWorks in Milwaukee is a great example of the community building power of a makerspace. The Mt. Elliott Makerspace in Detroit is another. The Mt. Elliot folks recently created this video titled “What Is the Mt. Elliott Makerspace?” that captures the spirit and power of makerspace awesomeness!
If you’d like to see great public spaces like this in our area, join in our Makerspace Unconference, which will be held during our Tampa Bay Mini Maker Faire on March 31. Check back regularly for the event agenda to see what time we’ll hold our informal informational gathering, so you can share your voice and vision about what you’d like to see in your own Tampa Bay Makerspace!
