Saturday December 10 and Sunday December 11

Short, inexpensive classes let you explore your passions at low cost in just one weekend:

 

Learn to Solder

A soldering workshop for complete beginners! Ages 8 to 80. Rolf and Miloh will guide you through the process of making a blinky RGB LED or a TV-B-Gone kit.

Kits can be purchased at the event, and will cost $10-$20.
Instructor    Rolf Widenfelt
Tuition    $20

 

Basic Electroluminescent Wire Workshop

Add sparkly shimmer to sculpture, interiors and wearable art with electroluminescent (EL) wire, a decorative, flexible wire that glows very much like neon. This workshop introduces the technology and craft of soldering and working with EL wire. You’ll learn basic soldering techniques, various ways to assemble and attach wire to fabric, wood and plastic, and be introduced to drivers and sequencers for animation and advanced techniques.
Instructor    Louis Brill and Steve Boverie
Tuition    $20
Lab Fees    $40

How To Use The Arduino Tinker Kit

The Arduino Tinker Kit is a revolutionary development in Arduino technology. Using a plug-and-play interface, sensors, controls, and output devices (like lights) can be added without soldering. This allows for rapid prototyping and development. It also lets users without electronic kit-building skills get directly into the heart of using an Arduino board.

This class will teach students about the technology, and show how to set the ATK up, and get it running.

Note from the teacher: If you have an Arduino board or the ATK, feel free to bring them.
Instructor    Richard Raucci
Tuition    $20

 

Make a Tin Can 2-String / Intro to Instrument Making

Make and take home a 2-string strummer that really plays! We’ll use tin cans, hardware store parts, and simple hand tools, and learn the basics of stringed instrument structure, acoustics and construction.

More information on the Tin Can 2-String can be found at tincanbanjo.com.

Note from the teacher: Bring your own can if you like!
Instructor    Stewart Port
Tuition    $20
Lab Fees    $5

 

Sewing Circuits

Every year, more objects are integrated with electronics. Crafters have realized this, and begun to use electronic components and engineering techniques to add another dimension to their work. Understanding electronics can be useful in craft, and traditional crafts can bring techniques for making amazing electronics.

In this class, we will be creating our own soft electronics. We introduce basic principles of electronics, then give you a chance to design and create your own project using snap-switches, home-made soft buttons, LEDs and batteries wired together with conductive thread.

Fabric and other materials will be provided, but students are welcome to bring some from home too.

Prerequisites: If students know how to thread a needle, they know enough for this class!
Instructor    Katie Dektar
Tuition    $20
Lab Fees    $11

 

Marble Roller Coasters

An applied physics workshop were learners can work with inexpensive materials to create the following:

A small coaster sculpture (15 cm wide x 50 cm long x 50 cm tall) that has two loops, a corkscrew and a banked curve and uses a small glass sphere to successfully navigate the track and land in a cup at the end.

The session will start with participants using MacBooks to create virtual coasters of their own design. This will help them discover what kinds of loops and curves will work…then on to building their own to take home.

The workshop is for learners of any age, but children under 10 will need an adult to assist because they will be working with glue guns (low to medium heat, but still…)
Instructor    Maafi Gueye
Tuition    $20
Lab Fees    $25

 

Flow-Wand

We’ll learn how to play with the enchanting “Flow-wand”, (a rainbow holographic levitating stick) and how to maintain the illusion of its magic with the use of our free hand, our body’s dance, and troubleshooting tips if the wand tilts. It’s an excellent way to entertain your friends and yourself, and to experience flow and meditation through movement. I will have wands for students to use during class and to purchase for $25!

More information and videos of the Flow Wand

Prerequisites: Openness to experience magic!
Instructor    Aileen Lawlor
Tuition    $20

 

An Introduction to Poi Spinning

Build a pair of practice poi and then learn to use them! We’ll learn some basic poi moves as well as some theory behind poi spinning. We’ll delve in as far as we can in our time, and leave plenty of roads open to explore in the future.

Instructor    Albert Hill
Tuition    $20
Lab Fees    $4

 

Going from Idea to Product for the Small Time Maker

The first half of the course will include a technical deep dive on the DIY Magic Mirror and Talking Breathalyzer projects. The second half will cover Al’s experiences and best practices in turning his ideas into actual products covering topics from finding a low volume manufacturer, forming a business, and marketing all on a shoe string budget.
Instructor    Al Linke
Tuition    $20

 

Beginning Web Development with PHP – Get Your Toolset Working

Interested in learning how to build websites using PHP? This workshop will get you started with the basics:

Overview of the architecture (Linux/Max/Windows , Apache, MySQL, PHP)
Local Development Environment
How to talk to the database
How to set up an application (such as WordPress or Drupal) so you can extend it.

We will install MAMP (for Macs) or WAMP (for Windows), which provide a full development stack right on your favorite laptop.

Prerequisites: Some experience with HTML/CSS, or building static websites. Knowledge of how to install applications on your computer. Please bring a laptop to class so you can experience the hands-on portion of this event.
Instructor    Anca Mosoiu
Tuition    $20

 

Wet Felted Flower Workshop

This is a fun first experience with felt. The workshop combines techniques of both wet and needle felting. In this 3-hour class students will learn to make flowers for pins, hats, bags or gifts.

Each participant should get a finished flower or two by the end of the workshop.

This project is perfect for crafters of any skill level and materials are provided.

Students must bring:

2 small supermarket plastic bags
1 old towel (large)
sharp pair of scissors
beads (optional)

Instructor    Anastasia Bespalova
Tuition    $20
Lab Fees    $10

 

Introduction to PCB Layout

This class focuses on giving you the information and tools you will need to make a board. If you have a circuit you want to make into a PCB board or if you have ever wondered how PCBs are made this is an ideal class for you. At the end of it you will have all the files you need to make an Arduino Shield or a board of your own design. The topics covered are:

The Fabrication Process
Eagle Cad Setup
Design Rules
Placement
Routing
CAM setup
Library Creation

This class assumes a basic understanding of electronics. Please bring a computer with free version of Eagle CAD installed on it. You can download it from http://www.cadsoftusa.com/freeware.htm.
Instructor    Malcolm Knapp
Tuition    $20

 

Sew a Soft Circuit and Touch Sensor for Electronic Clothing

Create responsive clothing! In this workshop, basic sewing techniques will be introduced with electronic circuity. We will create a wearable circuit with touch sensors from conductive fabric, thread, and LEDs. The touch sensor is effected by movement or pressure so, we will think about the location and design the placement of the circuit on the body.

Note from the teacher: Please bring a recycled article of clothing to adorn with electricity.
Instructor    Kristin Neidlinger
Tuition    $20
Lab Fees    $15

 

Spontaneous Magic

Learn performance techniques to present magic in compelling and engaging ways. Amaze and amuse your audiences with ease and comfort. This class focuses on fundamental elements of magic useful when composing a routine either on the spot or behind closed doors. Total beginners welcome.

I filmed some videos three years ago; now I find them pleasantly childish…

Note from the teacher: You may want to bring a snack for this 3-hour workshop; there will be time for me to offer my thoughts on any routines you are currently developing, so you should bring anything you want to show me.
Instructor    Inigo Freed
Tuition    $20
Lab Fees    $5

 

The Internet & Computer Networks

Learn about how the Internet works. How does your browser know where google.com is? How does your email get to its destination? Why is sending email like mailing a postcard?

We’ll discuss the Internet’s underlying protocols TCP and IP, application protocols like HTTP (web), SMTP and POP (email).
Instructor    J.D. Zamfirescu
Tuition    $20

 

The Sense of Things

We will cover the various components needed to build a relatively inexpensive wireless sensor network. The focus will be on describing sensors, an arduino microcontroller, xbee radios, a wifi router hack that uses embedded Linux (OpenWRT) with Python for an internet gateway, and various web services where sensor data can be stored for charting and analysis.

Instructor    Chris Jefferies
Tuition    $20
Open Seats    20

Register

Sunday, January 23rd, 2011 1 – 8PM

The very sound ‘WordPress’ evokes passion far beyond those two simple syllables.

It started so simple, didn’t it?

From Blogger, or perhaps WordPress.com, you suddenly find yourself in charge of A Blog. A WordPress blog. You can feel the power at your fingertips.

Now, you find having one WordPress website is like having just one tattoo. Who does that?
Nobody has just one tattoo.

And you find that you ‘need’ to ‘fix’ something really tiny – really important – but you don’t know how to do it.

Sunday January 23, 2011 is your day. We’re going to make stuff. We’re going to break stuff.

We’re going to rip into WordPress and poke around in it’s gory entrails with the sharp end of a text editor. There’s no real mystery in WordPress. Some juju, definitely some juju, but it’s all there for perusal.

When we’re done, we’re going to be covered with messy bits of HTML, CSS, PHP, MySQL, maybe even a little Javascript. And it will feel good.
You may not understand it all (who does?), but you will *never* feel intimidated by WordPress ever again.

Here’s the scoop (subject to change by
instructor whim or popular demand):

1. Your WordPress development environment.

Fundamentally, notepad and ftp will get it done, but there’s far more efficient tools:
* The Aptana Studio IDE
* Setting up localhost
* Using Subversion and Git

2. The structure of a WordPress plugin.

Did you know you can write a WordPress
plugin in 1 line of code? It’s true. And you’re gonna do it! No mystery. Once that’s out of the way, we’ll build a couple more plugins from some snap-together, pre-written pieces.

3. Open: propose something cool.

== What you need to bring ==

A # 1. burnin’ burnin’ drive for learnin’

2. Computer (of course)

3. As much of a WP development environment as you can get installed. If you’re on Snow Leopard or better, this is as easy as starting Apache, configuring to load the php module, turning on mysql, or just installing MAMP. If you’re on Windows, install a LAMP stack.

4. Any editor will do, Aptana Studio 3 has a nice mix of power with ease of use.

WARNING: WordPress is a gateway drug to programming. Proceed with extreme caution!
==============================
Hacking will go on as long as people can stand it, and folks may go out to dinner afterward.

RSVP to this Meetup:

http://www.meetup.com/Eastbay-WordPress-Meetup/calendar/15803203/

Cost: $5

Thursday, October 21st, 6 – 8:30PM

Tech and Taste: Twitterology, Technology and Advancing a Targeted List

Bring your laptop and learn to use Twitter Power tips to save time, build a smart following and convert business!
Get personalized support from one of the top Twitter influencers in the San Francisco Bay Area!
Come network, taste some great wine and learn!

You will learn:

* Why using the Twitter.com website is the least effective time management tool & new resources to use (and it might not be what you think!)
* Understanding why keywords are critical on Twitter
* Build your ‘voice’ so people reply and retweet what you say!
* How and when to sell your service!
* Why twitter works whether your business is local, regional or global

Cost:
Normally Ann does this workshop for $149, this is a STEAL (especially with the wine tasting added!) Space is limited!
$30 in advance, $40 at the door
6PM to 8:30PM
Networking and wine tasting starts promptly at 6PM.

RSVP here