POP QUIZ: What's the cleanest energy source on the planet?
ANSWER: Creativity!
And if the 5th annual Maker Faire at the San Mateo County Event Center was any indication, creativity is alive and well and living in California.
80,000+ people, grown-ups and kids alike, attended over the weekend to gawk, make stuff and play with each other.
"It's one part crafts festival, one part Renaissance Faire and three parts giant flaming robots," Christina Wodtke of Palo Alto told the San Francisco Chronicle.
- If your response to this crossroads sign isn’t “Cool!” you’re in the wrong place. (Credit: Rachael Myrow)
- A nod to Peanuts by withinstinct.com, which also built the Raygun Gothic Rocketship (not pictured) I was too chicken to climb up and into. (Credit: Rachael Myrow)
- Really, are doing as much with your Lego as you could be? (Credit: Rachael Myrow)
- The world’s first “gamelatron,” which uses Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) on a laptop to replace the more traditional orchestra comprised of 14 people. (Credit: Rachael Myrow)
- Even the food stalls featured “Gee Whiz!” contraptions, like this giant wok operated by Gerard’s Paella. (Credit: Rachael Myrow)
- Low Tech gets just as much respect as Hi Tech. (Credit: Rachael Myrow)
BTW, here's the Forum segment Dave Iverson conducted last Friday with Dale Dougherty, founder of the Maker Faire and editor of Make Magazine, among others:








