Welcome NC Science Festival!

I am extremely pleased to welcome the NC Science Festival as a sponsor for Maker Faire: North Carolina 2011!

The North Carolina Science Festival is a multi-day celebration showcasing science and technology. The Festival will highlight the educational, cultural and financial impact of science in our state. Through hands-on activities, science talks, lab tours, nature experiences, exhibits and performances, the Festival will engage a wide range of public audiences while inspiring the next generation of scientists.

Reminder: FIRST Robotics Tournament this Weekend

The NC Regional FIRST Robotics tournament is this weekend at Dorton Arena on the NC State Fairgrounds.  Check it out!

The tournament is a high school robotics tournament featuring competition between 44 teams from across the country and Brazil. Spectators are welcome from 9 am - 5 pm on April 8 and 9- no spectator admission fee. Sponsored by NASA, Cisco and Credit Suisse.

www.ncfirstrobotics.org

Near-Space Aerial Photography Meetup

There's going to be a meeting at TechShop RDU on Sunday at 6:00pm to discuss the feasability of launching a scientific balloon to "near-space" (70-100k feet).  The plan, so far, is to "launch balloon; take photos" but hopefully it will turn into a pretty rockin' project.  There is a thread on their forum.

If you have any interest in discussing the project come on by TechShop RDU on Sunday.  You don't have to be a member to attend the meetup but you will need to register as a visitor.

Here's a video for a little inspiration.

Third Triangle PechaKucha Night is June 17th

Lets get this out of the way right off the bat: PechaKucha is properly pronounced 'peh-CHAK-cha' and is Japanese for 'chatter' or the sound of conversation.

PechaKucha Nights are local idea-sharing events in the 20 x 20 format: speakers present 20 slides for 20 seconds per slide. Slides advance automatically to keep things moving forward at a rapid pace. Anyone can present, but meaningful PechaKucha presentations are the ones that uncover the unexpected -- unexpected talent, unexpected ideas. The key to a great presentation is to present something you feel passionate about. Many people use PechaKucha Night to present their latest creative projects or work.

• Jimmy Chalmers: The Hive Mind: Lessons from Honey Bees
• Justin Gehtland: Doing Well by Doing Good and Embracing your Fear of Failure
• Alex Gibson: My Crush on Gina Bianchini: Bad Ideas and High Profits
• Doug Hughes: Under Pressure? Dealing With Life’s Stressors
• Michael Stewart-Isaacs: Entrepreganda: Emerging Our Country from Recession to Progression
• Nathania Johnson: We Don’t Need No Education: Why the Worst Students are the Brightest Thinkers
• Gabrielle Kaasa: Love, Life and Friendship: 10 Lessons From My 99 Year Old Great-Grandma
• Steven Keith: Epiphany Farming
• Teri Saylor: Advancing Civil Rights in Raleigh: The Face of Modern Activism
• Richard Spangler: The Black Man as Leader, as Told By a White Guy From Connecticut
• Mbelu Walton: Heart of Lightness: Paying it Forward in the Congo
• Dan Wilson: So You Wanna Start a Business

These events are fluid and social. Lonerider will be serving free beer all night and there will be light snacks.  This is one event not to miss!

Date & Time: June 17th, 2010, at 7:30 pm (doors open at 6:30)
Location: Relevance, 200 North Mangum Street, Suite 204, Durham, NC, 27701
Register: www.pknraleigh.com

“The beauty of Pecha Kucha Night lies in the tension between the chaos of a full-blown party and the politeness of an art school crit, with the snappy pace holding it all together.”

Pecha Kucha Nights and Beer: a Sober Guide to Better Presentations

Make Your World Awesome with Adobe Photoshop CS5

Photographer or not, you will want Adobe Photoshop CS5.  Simply too funny not to pass on.