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Showing posts from May, 2014

Atmel Gives Makers Higher Performance with Arduino Zero

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Very exciting times in maker land. At the recent Maker Faire, we sat down with the Atmel team of Bob Martin and Henrik Flodell as they tell us about the new Arduino Zero Board with the Atmel 32bit ARM Cortex-M0 processor. As they tell us in the following video, it is exciting times to be a maker as Atmel helps bring low-power, performance and integrated debugging capability to the Arduino. Check it out!

Tear Down of the Maker Movement and Internet of Things

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At the recent Maker Faire, we were able to get some insights of the Maker movement over the last 10 years from Atmel's 'Maker' nerds - Bob Martin and Henrik Flodell. Bob and Henrik discuss how microcontrollers have evolved to powerful/affordable/smaller and which is now fueling the Internet of Things (IoT). Check out their thoughts.

Startup Blog Insights - 4 Agile Thinking Skills for Entrepreneurs

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This month we explore agile thinking as it pertains to startups and entrepreneurs. We catch up with Taffy Williams of  Startup Blog  and Examiner.com for his insights on his article on "4 Agile Thinking Skills for Entrepreneurs." Taffy covers the  skills Keep up the pressure, Adjust plans as needed, Try something different and Get feedback . Give it a watch!

MEDA Bridges the Digital Divide in San Francisco's Mission District

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Guest Post by Christopher Gil Google & Client Blog “These technologies can make life easier, can let us touch people we might not otherwise.” So said the late Apple visionary and driving force, Steve Jobs. Yet a walk down one of the main drags of San Francisco’s Mission District reveals two worlds attempting to coexist. At 24th and Valencia, scores of young tech workers clutch strongly brewed coffees as they wait for the bus to take them to the Silicon Valley offices where the world’s next great thing is being developed. Few conversations are had, with most focused on answering their twentieth text on an already-overworked smartphone, even though it’s just 8am. A short two blocks away on the corner of 22nd Street, a line just as long has formed at the neighborhood Social Security office. A disheveled woman in a wheelchair fronts the queue, already clutching the pen she’ll need to fill out the reams of paperwork that can possibly garner enough federal funds to keep her–one of

ROBLOX Makes An Impact On Young Game Makers

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Heard of ROBLOX? Of course, especially if you are in the 10-18 year old demographic. ROBLOX is the leading Massively Multi-player Online (MMO) game engine which enables young people and the young-at-heart to develop, play and monetize online games. We caught up with David Baszucki , CEO and co-founder of this popular MMO game platform at the recent Maker Faire - Bay Area. David discusses ROBLOX and some interesting ROBLOX news like Developers Exchange Program, upcoming Android release and how Movie brands are using the ROBLOX platform. Check out his video!

Nerd Stalker #MakerFaire Recap

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In this Nerd Stalker podcast with Adolfo Foronda and Greg Veloria, we talk all things Maker Faire. In this episode we talk about CAD software, Mecca Fire Dragons, DIY, maker education, drone technology and more.

Osmo. Play Beyond the Screen #parenting

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Tangible Play is creating a New Play Movement with the launch of its inaugural product Osmo built around its proprietary Reflective Artificial Intelligence technology. Osmo aims to unleash the boundaries of the screen and expands the playing field onto any surface in front of the connected tablet by turning any real world objects - pen, paper, clay, blocks, etc. into a digitally connected game piece that interacts with the digital device. Osmo comes with three interactive games built from the ground up called Newton, Tangram and Words, that all use Osmo's Reflective AI and encourages creative thinking and social interaction. Osmo officially launches on May 22, 2014, using crowdfunding to raise $50,000 to help complete manufacturing of the product and garner early feedback. The device will retail for $99, but presale backers will get discount pricing starting at $49 (limited availability). Special discounts include $5 off for every friend you refer. Osmo is expected to start

ARM will Fuel the Internet of Things

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ARM claims it is the "Architecture for the Digital World" and with its shipment of 10 Billion devices last year and claiming the long time held processor throne of Intel in the market, I would say they are spot on. ARM is now ready to take on the Internet of Things. ARM is in a great position as it licenses its technology. At the 2014 Maker Faire, we caught up with Dominic Pajak, Embedded Strategist at ARM as he talks about how ARMs architecture will enable the Internet of Things (IoT).

bunnie:studios Brings Open Source Laptop to the Maker Market

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I thought DIY PCs were a thing of the past. One thing to note, they were never open source - always in jail-mode. Enter bunnie:studios Novena the truly open source, Jail-broken, Linux-based laptop. You want the pc board gerber files, or the Linux code, or the 3D case models, you can download it. How cool is that? Who can bet against co-founders named "bunnie" and " xobs ?" We interview co-founder, Andrew "bunnie" Huang at the 2014 Maker Faire about their open source creation. Give it a view.

Interview with Kid's First 3D Printing Book Maker - Carla Diana

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We just had to get the backstory of this incredible engineer, designer turned author - Carla Diana . She was promoting her book called " Leo the Maker Prince " at the 2014 Maker Faire - Bay Area. This is the first kid's book on 3D printing by MAKE  or Maker Media. Carla's mission is to invoke a sense of design at an early age(or kids at heart) with a great storytelling book about  Carla who wanted to become an artist when she grew up. She became an accountant instead(sound familiar out there?). Then, Carla’s life of numbers and “sense” was changed by meeting LEO, the Maker Prince. And through LEO’s magic of 3D printing—Carla finally became the artist she’d long ago wished to be. Watch our interview to get some insights on the book from Carla (the real Carla).

Quitbit The first smart lighter and app to track smoking. #makerfaire

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With the Quitbit smart lighter you can track your smoking, set custom reduction plans, limit when it lights, and build new behaviors. If you can measure it, you can manage it. The Quitbit lighter tracks your smoking habits. The app helps you understand yourself and your habits to help you achieve your goals. What is the Quitbit? Quitbit is a smart lighter and app that helps you understand your smoking. Quitbit has a display to provide feedback so you can make smarter decisions. Gradually cut back at your own pace, set custom plans, and personalize when and how the lighter works to help achieve your goals. How does the Quitbit Work? The Quitbit lights cigarettes using a heating element, similar to car lighters. The electronics count each cigarette that is lit. The display on the Quitbit shows details about your smoking habits, like how many cigarettes you’ve smoked and how long it’s been since your last one. They have built some smarts into the Quitbit to keep track o

Tech for Your Tennis Game with Shot Stats one of our #makerfaire Favorites

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Shot Stats Challenger fits on any tennis racket and reveals key stats about your swing. Challenger finally allows you to instantly view your stats after every swing. Off court, you can sync Challenger with your phone or computer to view and track your improvement over time. Challenger fits onto your racket like a normal dampener. An integrated latch lets you remove Challenger from your racket in seconds, but ensures that it will never come off on its own. The angular design and matte black finish resemble an object that’s constantly in stealth mode. Turn Challenger on and a bright display appears – your window into your game. Your racket takes a lot of abuse – and so can Challenger thanks to its high-strength aircraft aluminum body. DATA APP Unlike other activity trackers, Challenger can be used standalone. You don’t need to have a smartphone, tablet, or laptop to see your stats! However, if you do have a mobile device, your data can really be brought to life. Tracking

Skylock - You want this hi tech bike lock.

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Built on the familiar unlock cyclists carry with them daily, the Skylock offers the most robust mechanical lock available with cutting edge connective technology to bring cycling into the 21st century. Skylock is a one of a kind connected device that is based on a proprietary dual locking design making it twice as safe as a traditional u-lock. In addition to robust mechanics, a theft alert system sends a message to your phone when someone touches your lock for an extended period. Alerts are sent via bluetooth or via Wi-Fi, the first time either communication methods are available in one device. Using Bluetooth Low-Energy, Wi-Fi, and an accelerometer, Skylock pairs itself with a smartphone to be contextually aware. Through this connectivity Skylock can keep cyclists safer by comparing accelerometer data from a smartphone to its own and determine when a rider has been in an accident. In the event of a severe impact Skylock will send a push notification to see if the rider is

Some thoughts on the state of WYSIWYG and the broken promise of programming for all.

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listen to ‘Some thoughts on the state of wysiwyg.’ on Audioboo