Nerd Stalker

Dremel's move from a pure subtractive tool manufacturer to an additive tool manufacturer changed last year with their introduction of their first 3D printer - Idea Builder . They will have some big looks with a below $1k price tag and big box reach. We were very lucky to see the Idea Builder up front with some comments by Dremel's president John Kavanagh and 3D Product Manager - Daniel Blythe. An important announcement at the 2015 Maker Faire Bay Area was their partnership with HP Sprout. This partnership brings a full cycle solution for DIY and makers. Give it a look.

At the 2012 O'Reily Maker Faire, we stumbled upon Marcus Schappi of Ninja Blocks . Ninja Blocks is a Kickstarter driven startup making control blocks with a variety of sensors for control and monitoring applications. The applications range from your home energy management to basic on/off control of an appliance. Their device is Linux and Arduino powered. Greg Viloria aka SocialGreg spent a few minutes interviewing Marcus about his "Legos for Life."

At the 2012 O'Reilly Maker Faire, there were all types of makers in the Tech Pavilion. Makers are not people who make physical objects but also make their dreams a reality. We interviewed Jeff Lin of the Digital Game Museum, whose organization's dream is to preserve computer game history here in the Silicon Valley.  If you love gaming, you can contribute to their cause at  www.digitalgamemuseum.org/ .

Our SocialGreg interviewed Kurt Opsahl with the Electronic Frontier Foundation at the 2012 O'Reilly Maker Faire. The Electronic Frontier Foundation is " Protecting Freedom Where Law and Technology Collide."  Kurt gave some insight on the foundation and how their organization protects online privacy rights of the individual.