Nuts and Volts - August 2008

■ 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