■ FIGURE 4. SXSW Dorkbot in
downtown Austin drew a huge
cro wd. (Photo by James Delaney.)
Nick Pietraniec about Dorkbot to get
his take on things. Nick comented,
“I think fundamentally our goal is to
provide a forum for our community
■ PHOTO 1. Nic Graner sports
aluminum “slit glasses” by
Brooks Coleman.
to meet, collaborate, socialize,
brainstorm, and show off their work
— this is probably a common mantra
for most Dorkbot communities, but
there’s no central organization or
mission. If you go to an event in
London, Montreal, South Africa,
or Dallas — it might look completely
different.”
When I asked him what it was
like running a Dorkbot event, he
responded, “Actually, ‘running’
probably isn’t really the proper term.
We’re more ‘facilitators’ in that
we simply solicit for presenters,
coordinate the venues. When we
reach a critical mass of folks interested
in showing off their work, we send
out the announcements, get the gear,
and head for the site.”
Though I haven’t had the
pleasure of attending a Dorkbot
outside of Austin, the ones here have
been a LOT of fun and are both very
well attended and received. At the
SXSW Dorkbot Austin, there was a
■ FIGURE 5. View from the stage
at a Dorkbot Austin event.
huge crowd of people who came
together to talk about tech, show off
their electronic feats, and let their
inner dork shine (Figure 4). Attendees
are encouraged to bring finished
items, parts and pieces, or even just
plans or sketches. It’s a good place to
hang out and to network with other
folks that have similar interests.
Experimental music, strange
contraptions, and prototype
systems breaking down on stage
accompanied by small gouts of blue
smoke make for an exciting day.
Even the projects that flame out are
enthusiastically applauded!
So, what is attending a Dorkbot
like? To me, it felt something like a
trade show — rock concert — nerd
party — ham fest — science fair all at
the same time. There’s usually adult
■ PHOTO 3. Glamor Girl —
a mixed-media EL wire lighted
sculpture by Brooks Coleman.
(Photo by James Delaney.)
■ PHOTO 2.
Brooks Coleman
with a customer
modeling an item
from his metal
clothing line.
70
August 2008