The Maker Fair started here in the Bay Area three years ago, and is becoming fairly well known, spawning knock-off events around the world.
It has a lot of overlap with Burning Man, the annual festival in the desert, minus the sand, heat, drugs, and nudity. It's sort of the day-camp G-rated version of Burning Man.
The fair is both inside and outside, spread over many acres and six huge hangar-like buildings.
Outside you have vehicles of every description.
This was a "zero gravity" wheel.
Art cars
Apocalyptic music wagon
"Help, I'm a robot and I've fallen and I can't get up"
One of my very favorite things was the Raygun Gothic Rocket, a 40 foot tall comic-book type rocket ship with three interior floors. This was the runaway hit of the last Burning Man, with legendarily long lines to visit the interior. I was thrilled that William and I had a chance to see it under less arduous circumstances.
William climbing up to the rocket entrance
Getting around inside
Alien specimen
One of the themes of Maker Fair this year was music.
This was one of the musical highlights -- giant Tesla coils shooting lightning bolts at a guy in a Farraday cage with their zapping noises tuned to play the Super Mario song.
Nerd DJs playing music using oh-so-many computers
21st Century one-man-band using controllers of his own devising
A collaborative jamming instrument
The coolest guitars I've ever seen with embedded video displays showing animations synchronized to the music
The largest building was really dark because many of its exhibits were best appreciated that way.
A child encountering the nose of the electric giraffe
The electric giraffe's control panel
The radio-controlled neon land shark mingled with the fair visitors
Insert a quarter and hi tech Budha would display your fortune on his LEDs
Free electric shocks here
So many R2D2s from the "Bay Area R2 Builders Society"
These UFO lamps included little toy cows and people constantly being sucked up by their tractor beams
This guy came all the way from Japan to build a giant inflated dome out of garbage bags. Inside the dome everyone gets red/blue 3D glasses. He them puts on a science fiction themed 3D shadow play with red/blue shadows his models cast on the walls.
After the garbage bag dome, we needed a little fresh air. Back outside we encountered the Flaming Ball of Death which attracted many children and toddlers.
We wrapped up the day with the retro-futuristic steampunk contingent. This guy with a giant ratchet is enjoying a nice cup of tea.
As are these two spectral women
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