Big Weekend + Collaborators

This weekend is going to be important. First, on Saturday I'll explore TAP Plastics, the place in San Francisco where I hope to get all of my acrylic panel needs (panels, cutting of aforementioned panels, scraps, advice). They also might know a thing or two about optical fibers. We shall see. Second, I'm going to the Maker Meetup at the ACCRC, the computer recycling center in Berkeley run by a Mr. James Burgett. Oh, man, it looks awesome! Maybe I can find some cool stuff. Motors? Check.

From James' blog:

We will provide in varying amounts and conditions. Monitors,flat panels,big led displays,a bart display,a cop light bar,boxes of walkie talkies in various states of repair,notebooks (parts machines, don't ask for working) motors from very small to forklift scale, ac and dc, fans.tripods,big freaking speakers,5 pallets of new music cd's,43 dissasembled electric scooters,wheel chairs,batteries,radio control equipment,electronic doodads,etc (we covet the powered unmentionables.)

I am so bringing a video camera.

And now some truly great news: the people I talk to seem pretty excited about the light pipe, and I now have a few folks who've offered to help. Jill will be with me for both days of the Maker Faire to help me set up and tear down and explain how awesome fiber optics are and how great it will be to finally have sunlight in our dark, dreary living room. What fun!

Also, I met a guy named Dan, from Berkeley, who knows a thing or two about engineering, collecting light, building parabolic reflector stands. That sort of thing. My old pal Todd from grad school is offering advice from a distance, specifically about the sun tracking stuff.

Anyone else who has ideas or wants to help, please let me know! It's totally super fun to do a collaborative project thing, especially when it involves motors and parabolic reflectors and optical fibers and living room illumination!

James Burgett of the ACCRC holding an EPA award in 2006