ConFonz at Maker Faire: I guess the kids didn't count
ConFonz is a cynic — how else to explain his take on this weekend's Maker Faire in San Mateo? Not a mention of all the children running around, sticking their hands in rotating bicycle wheels and playing with fire. But for those who missed the Faire, chew on the Fonz's sour grapes.
The San Francisco Bay Area is the worst possible place to hold the Maker Faire. O'Reilly's newest conference showcases people who build cool stuff and hack their toys, but when you get right down to it, there's only a small percentage of people in the area that actually do this stuff. Perhaps that's why the ConFonz saw so many familiar faces bouncing around the San Mateo Fairgrounds. The same goatees, nasal piercings and tattoos were all over the place, mixed in with some new ones from out of town.
But when you get right down to it, the most fundamental part of any Make schematic is people actually showing up. And, to be fair, attendance was quite good overall. But the cool kids just couldn't be bothered. Those San Francisco types that refuse to leave their houses, much less their city, couldn't even be bothered. Perhaps it was the lack of sex appeal. Perhaps it was the Foo Camp haters. Perhaps it was the shitty food.
But whatever the reason, Maker Faire 1.0 was a semi-exclusive event open only to those who actually had the gumption to get out of the fucking house on a weekend. And in the world's most stoner-slacker ridden area, that means quite a large number of people were excluded.
One highlight was watching Jake Applebaum wander out at 6 on Saturday. The ConFonz was absolutely astonished that the master of social engineering couldn't procure an invite to the after party.
