StringGrrl sees the World

One of the highlights for everybody was the ENORMOUS fire breathing dragon. The Dragon is a made object from recovered and re-purposed pieces that was driven in for today's show. With a mobile DJ station at the top, and seating for a couple dozen people, it was quiet an affair as the activity of the dragon went from innocent tail wagging and fire breathing, to fully rolling around the site (once there was more room). Gon Kirin is a project of Ryan Doyle and Teddy Lo.  https://www.facebook.com/gonkirin  Measuring some 64 feet in length. As we were viewing it during daylight hours we missed the some of the power of the pirotechnics and lights that have made this kinetic sculpture a regular fixture in other peoples photo collections.  http://www.flickr.com/photos/extramatic/4973913621/ http://www.traxon-usa.com/usa/en/showcase-detail.php?id=13984 http://daily.makerfaire.com/gon-kirin-the-dragon-rides-to-maker-faire-det

The fire breating pony is just one of the hacked projects that you find at the Maker Faire

Making pins with the HackPittsbrugh crew Coming all the way from Pittsburgh, PA to attend the Maker Faire Detoir, was this group of Make afficiandos who called themselves  Hackpittsburgh . Normally housed in a garage in PA they came to the Faire to promote themselves (and for what else is hard to say, as it did not seem they were selling anything) and their collective. From their website they have this to say about themselves: HackPittsburgh is a non-profit, community-based workshop that allows members to come together and share skills & tools to pursue creative projects. Our membership is open to everyone but typically comprises inventors, engineers, scientists, programmers, hobbyists, artists, roboteers, families, entrepreneurs, and arts and crafts enthusiasts. Our focus is on collaboration, education, and community outreach. We’re a benevolent group and   do not  promote or condone illegal activities. The term “hacking” is used in a benign sense, in the...

StringGirl and the kiddos made their way to the Henry Ford to visit the Makers Faire Detroit. Held each year the Maker Faire is the worlds largest DIY family fair. It may be the only, so there is little to dispute there. We rolled in with the kids--two 13 year old and two 11 year old-- for our first ever visit. It was a beautiful day (as for appearances) to spend out and about an outdoor fair. Held on the grounds of The Henry Ford   the fair is a bit of geek heaven. With displays set up by a mix of artisans, hackers, makers, and commercial interests the gist of the fair is to appeal to the type of person who can't but help to dismantle their old computers not only to see what it is like, but perhaps because they might have a use for some of its guts. Try to imagine the renaissance festival for the techno geeks instead of anachronistic dungeons and dragons players.

StringGirl in the stylish and cozy Dapur Indonesia Dining room Another trip to Zurich yields a dinner at best new restaurant in Zurich. Dapur Indonesia brings to StringGirl and colleagues the delights of Indonesian cooking.

I gotta get one of these! While the photo quality on the Android Droid2 Global" is pretty good, the lack of optical zoom and other perks makes the camera relatively imperfect. However, with this little gozmo I can have the best of both worlds. With the Droid Tethering a wifi connection I should be able to easily take the pictures and upload them immediately via Photo sharing sites like Picasa for eventual inclusion in the BLOG. Now it's just a matter of buying one. Search for Travel Deals Outside Magazine Gear of the Year Summer 2010: eBags Mother Lode TLS Junior

Welcome to Delta Business Elite. Thanks to the staff at Delta Flight 249 for recognizing a highly valued customer. With nearly 85,000 miles this year (343,000 lifetime miles) StringGirl is certainly worthy of an upgrade once in a while.