Doing the Maker Faire Dance

This past weekend was Maker Faire, which is easily the coolest event I've ever been to, made even cooler by pulling friends from all over the country here for a visit. Being around people who actually DO things and love novelty and innovation as much as I do was like medicine for my soul. I feel like I have been shaken awake from a long sleep and I am ready to take on new projects and goals to make my world one I want to live in. In the spirit of this event (and damned Mercury no longer being in retrograde) I would like to do a little review of those impact-reducing resolutions I made six months ago and outline my ambitious long-term plan to help make the world I want to live in. Why wait until the new year to make a resolution?

My 6-month report card:

• Complete power-down/heat-saving measures/light switch vigilance: It is now a reflexive habit for my partner and I to completely power-down when we are leaving the house/going to bed. Our electric bill plummeted from $125 to $25 within the first 2 months of doing this and no longer running the heater.
• Farmer's Market: this has been a little slower becoming a habit, which is stupid on our part, because every time we do go, we end up saving at least $50 on weekly groceries and spend way less time at the grocery store.
• Sushi: when I do eat sushi, which is a rarity now, I only order sustainable types.
• Stuff I have not accomplished yet: The Diva Cup is quite an initial investment, which I will get around to at some point when I am working more regularly. As far as disposable razors, some day I will be confident enough to stop shaving, but I'm just not there yet.

My ambitious long-term plan, as inspired by the brilliant people at Maker Faire, is to get to the point where I am not buying any completely prefabricated products. It is my goal to be competent enough to make everything I need (barring, of course, things I absolutely cannot make, such as medical products). It will take years of learning and experimentation to get to a fully DIY lifestyle, but I am very excited for the journey. I also hope that I am able to inspire others to empower themselves with self-sufficient living while fully minimizing their carbon footprint.

I would like to do a shout-out to a few of the amazing makers I met (some I already knew) last weekend at the Faire. Please check out their awesomeness and support DIY culture.

• Alex Peake at Tactical Corsets. Sexy, functional and empowering. I'll be saving my pennies for his products, for sure!
• The talented Jill-of-all-trades Libby Bulloff. Please check out her breath-taking photography.
• Bay area alt-artist Suzanne Forbes.
• The good folks at Sparkfun. Open source development platforms and parts/plans for microcontrollers. They call themselves "electronic enablers." Enjoy!
• When science is adorable: Solarbotics! They have plans and parts for solar powered bot-making. I need to get a soldering iron so I can make the cute bug-bots they had on display at the Faire.
• The Crucible: a non-profit, Bay Area organization that supports the love and continuation of DIY industrial and fire arts through classes, public awareness, and space providence. I will be taking their Intro to Fire Performance class very soon and you should too! Or at least check out their extensive class listings for something more to your liking.

Here is the full list of makers present at the Faire. Please browse and support! If you'd like, share links to your favorite makers in the comments.

How about a little Anarchy in the new year?

I had a brief but thought-provoking conversation with a dear friend the other night. He mused about what would happen if the Bush administration and their ilk were to stay in office and NOT be impeached or left to crawl off in disgrace after the next elections like so many of us hope. Instead, what would happen if the criminals were allowed to stay a little longer and grow more superficially powerful, what if the corruption were allowed to spread, if it would bring about the collapse necessary for revolution? It is important to ponder whether it would be worth the chaos, the human rights violations and the war crimes sure to ensure, if it were to foment an environment that would ultimately lead to the fracturing and downfall of the system we find so economically oppressive and inherently evil. Does allowing the pigs to wallow in the glory of their own filth a little longer become absolved by the downfall of the greater evil of American Democracy?

From a utilitarian perspective, I would say, damn straight it's worth it. Let them bring their own destruction then the cessation movements and revolutionaries may rise in the wake of empires falling. Yet, there is the persistent deontological voice that says the revolution must be swift and nonviolent and that no end can justify the means of allowing it to continue for one more day without a fight. It is a conundrum that has split the camps of revolutionaries for ages. Can the revolution be achieved merely with the use of nonviolent subversive tactics, or must we speak in the language of the oppressors-that of violence? I call loudly for revolution by any means necessary, but I am not convinced that violence is indeed necessary, especially with the ubiquity of the internet and its ability to transcend borders and economic barriers. We are equal here and therefore, equally able to be heard. Speak loudly and often and perhaps the revolution can come without bloodshed, but in a fury of internet conspirators. It is important for us to realize, fellow bloggers, that this is not just a toy, but can be a tool. Use it accordingly.

On a lighter note, every revolution seems to come with a fashion. My vote for the armory of the revolution is Cryoflesh.com (the clothing/accessory directory is on the right). Sexy as hell, soft and utilitarian. My fellow cyberpunks swear by the stuff. Let's look good while subverting the system and doing a little good for our karma by supporting non-mainstream outfitters, shall we?

Also, all this talk of revolution makes me giggle, so here is my meme of the day.