For the fourth year in a row, we're planning to go to World Maker Faire in Queens, NYC to represent Cemetech and the calculator enthusiast community. World Maker Faire 2015 is September 26 and 27, 2015. World Maker Faire is not Maker Faire Bay Area. Last year geekboy, elfprince13, and Eeems attended with me and helped share Cemetech's mission with thousands of visitors, and I'm looking forward to repeating our successes this year. To keep things interesting, I'm hoping to mix up our displays this year:

1. A working GPS demo would be cool
   
2. I want the TI-87 working by the time the Faire happens
   
3. The camera demo would be cool; I need to see how it will work in sunlight.
   
4. Other ArTICL demos? Maybe some sensors? It would be cool to bodge together something that can connect to the CE. Hopefully by Maker Faire we'll have more CE programs and more CEs to show off. If worst comes to worst, we could also use the CBL2 to show off some sensor demos (maybe ArTICL-based and CBL2-based side-by-side?)
   
5. I wish we could show off programming in some more tangible way that people playing games. Some kind of display that shows very simple code, a very simple flowchart, and then calculators running the program that people can try? I think we should try to make it more concrete that calculators are computers. Just telling people that is probably not enough, based on our past experiences.
   
6. Not really a display, but I accidentally left our big calculator banner there last year, so I only have the Cemetech banner still. I'll need to order a giant (CE?) to hang up.

This topic will be for planning displays and logistics among those visiting and those attending. What do you guys think, especially people actually attending? The goal is to introduce lay people to (1) programming (2) learning programming with calculators (3) using calculators in their classroom and (4) Cemetech.

Maybe we could have people actually sit down and program. It would be just a few at a time, but they could just learn the basics of programming. If you want me to, I can come up a a 10-line program that is very easy to understand. Maybe you could get a CBL-2 light sensor and have people play whack-a-mole.

Of course, if you really want to grab attention, you could always get a giant balloon that says "Cemetech" on it.

And I might be there. If I can get to NYC in time.

The Faire is sufficiently large and busy that most people want the message in 30-60 seconds, then they move on. People with elementary and high school-age kids tend to stick around for a little longer: the parents sometimes describe getting the calculator their teachers recommended for class, and the kids often want to try the games we have on our display calculators. I have plenty of very short programs I can think of for the display; that's not the problem. The issue is delivering that information to visitors in a concise enough form that the message gets across before they move on. I think that what I described (Flowchart and code printed large, several calculators running the program) might be a good way to do it.

Since I have a CBL2 and a light sensor, Merth's Whack-a-Mole game as a demo is a great idea.

Make sure to have a CSE doing an endless animation in different colors, becase I did an independent research project on programming the calcs, and I had display showing the CSE like that, and the kids at the showcase were super interested.

When is it, by the way, I saw september or may?

If you want, I can do that. In fact, I already have something like it.

I'm planning on attending and helping this year again. I'll probably bring the wooden calculator this year as well.

Maybe a short booklet with information about programming calculators etc might be in order. The bookmarklet that we handed out last year is good, but giving them some more immediately accessible information might be a good idea.

September was what I was told.

I edited the first post with the dates of the Faire in bold. I got several messages and highlights indicating that there's confusion between "Maker Faire Bay Area" and "World Maker Faire in New York". The Faire is indeed at the end of September, so we have 4.5 months left to plan.

I'm glad to hear that you'll be attending again this year, Eeems, and the wooden calculator sounds like an excellent addition to the display. Does PatrickD still have the high score in ZTris on it? Tell me more about this booklet idea; perhaps even a single two-sided half-letter-page with a quick command reference on one side, and a sample program and links on the other side? I kind of like that idea.

For the booklet, maybe have a tear-out with the quick command reference and the sample program on the other. The rest could maybe be a brief overview of the community and it's goals?

I'd have to double check, but I'm fairly certain PatrickD still holds the high score.

That booklet sounds like an awesome idea. Aside from that, What other ideas do people have for displays. I Personally want to have the displays in design by the end of this month. Just so they are not rushed this year and can actually have the effort that needs to go into them be put into them. I hope to have as solidified of a list possible so we can plan accordingly.

Bump?

anything happening here? Or are we still just waiting around?

Has anyway made any progress on that booklet idea? KermM any idea for how we wan't displays to look. Colors/style etc?

My current thoughts:

• Booklet: Folding and stapling is hard and/or expensive. How about a single letter (A4, for you subjects of Her Majesty) sheet with a command reference on one side and some sample programs on the other side that people can try on their calculators?
  
• Display style: I'd love something similar to last year, but with magnets actually epoxied or screwed to plexi, more carefully-aligned standoffs, and so on. Those were a really awesome first step, but I think we can iterate them into something more professional-looking. What do you think?
  
• TODO item: I'll need to order a giant (CE?) to hang up.
  
• Individual displays, with minimal modification from my first post:
  
  1. A working GPS demo would be cool. External power for sanity, rather than USB port hacks.
     
  2. I want the TI-87 working by the time the Faire happens
     
  3. The camera demo would be cool; I need to see how it will work in sunlight.
     
  4. Merth's Whack-a-Mole game on a CSE
     
  5. Other ArTICL demos? Maybe some sensors? It would be cool to bodge together something that can connect to the CE. This is too much effort by September.
     
  6. Definitely this, combined with the handout: I wish we could show off programming in some more tangible way that people playing games. Some kind of display that shows very simple code, a very simple flowchart, and then calculators running the program that people can try? I think we should try to make it more concrete that calculators are computers. Just telling people that is probably not enough, based on our past experiences.

I could whip together a project with ArTICL for the faire with my arduino leonardo. With that what kind of sensors? We could hook up a myriad of buttons maybe a light sensor or something? a gamepad over the usb on the Leonardo? etcetera, We have lots of options. Help me pick >.<

Unless we wanted to use that for like a silverlink clone demo or something?


As for the displays I definitely agree we should do it much better this time. I would actually vote to screw washers to the stand offs. And use round magnets with the holes in them some how adhered to the plexiglass. To keep that structurally sound this year. What does your mind have design idea wise for those? I am completely open to ideas.


@CE BANNER - Make an omnimaga banner to >.> <.< We seem to actually have a few members that show up, and we are there as a community more then just cemetech I feel. Just an idea. There is definitely more to the community then just Cemetech

Those displays sound awesome. For the gps we could set the display up to have it look like its powered by usb But not just for the sake of "effects". If the camera has issues in the sun you can always get a polarized lens or something to put on it to make it darker so it works in the sun. Going to have to give that a try.

As for the booklets, and display. We definetily need somethign that we can setup that will illustrate what calculators can do. How easy it is to program and a way to demo sample programs easily and effectivly. (I have an idea for that I will pm you about first then bring up here later...might be a cool idea )

The bulk of ground-breaking TI-eZ80 development is posted on Cemetech, clearly. Omnimaga isn't quite what it used to be

Oh yeah, an make sure there are some demos/codes that are for games, because I know what got me hooked was a guessing game I tried out on youtube. I find coding a game helps me understand languages faster becuase its fun I figure the same would be for others of the younger generatoon.

Some suggestions for thought/consideration:

1: laminated full pages of information regarding calculators and what they can do, attached to tables via string/ropes so people can pick up and read material on the calculators that might interest them, similar to what the Tools page offers

2: Calc controlled robotics. Something cheap, would be good for getting the attention of students and teachers alike

3: Have an outward facing screen connected to a laptop, Kerm or geekboy can write various code types and show off compiling and sending to emulator (SC to jstified showing off asm support?) to show what your code does and how the calculator responds to it

More as I think of things.

Thanks for posting! Geekboy, tifreak8x, and I have been discussing ideas on HCWP, and here's my best effort at a summary:
1) A physical Whack-a-Mole board with RGB LEDs connected via ArTICL to a TI-84+CSE or TI-84+SE.
2) A "main poster"/"information poster" demonstrating a simple program, complete with a 10" LCD connected to an emulator, where people can program the demo and test out the program. Our handout should include the same information.
3) As in other years, I'll have to make a billion bookmarks, and this year I'll try to do it earlier.
4) We agree that the Guestbook/IRC demo should be removed, and the Flourish/CALCnet demo should be shrunk.
5) Division of tables: If we can get two sides of the tent again (which we'll push strongly for), one side should be FloppyTunes, calculators to play with, and Whack-a-Mole on one side, and the "main poster" with programming, Flourish/CALCnet, ArTICam, and maybe a robotics thing on the other side.

Yeah, I'm thinking strongly that we should use a guessing game as the demo, giving how many times I've been able to use that in books, in lessons, and elsewhere.

Although we know that's accurate, I don't believe that's a constructive contribution to this topic.

A question for everyone (but remember, this isn't a democracy ): What are we doing at Maker Faire? My answer is "telling people that programming is fun and easy, and showing them that they should learn programming with their calculators."

I think this is approximately the correct answer.

Agreed, that's about the correct answer. Starting programming simple stuff has never been so easy.

Programming complex projects spanning many man-years of work, using sub-par / obsolete technologies imposed by the management or the client, isn't necessarily easy or fun. But that's another story

It's easy, it's fast, and it's cool! - oh, an be sure to show something that people know about, eg: Flappy Bird CSE, 2048...

Rather than just what you guys are doing at WMF2015, isn't that the kind of thing Cemetech promotes on a daily basis?



Because, while cool, the newer calc models don't (currently) support Cn2.2, or because you've shown this project off for a while, and its time for something new to take its fairespace?



While I agree that seeing something recognizable would be good for those visiting the booth, perhaps it isn't just games that should be put in that category; does anything come to mind?[/quote]