"...think about new & creative ways to engage young people in science & engineering, like science festivals, robotics competitions, & fairs..."

I know I bitched a lot about Maker Faire on twitter. I spite of that, I did actually have a good time. I mainly complained because it was a non-violent outlet for those moments when I really felt the need to stab people. Most of the folks I met were polite, intelligent, and eager to learn about our array of 3D displays. Then there were the a-holes. We had a lot of electronics at our table, such as projectors, LCD shutter glasses, paired still DSLR cameras, several video cameras. I was amazed that in the first half-hour an ADULT threw a pair of the expensive glasses across the table. I said "Dude!" and he mumbled "Oh, sorry" and walked off. Jerk. I grew weary of telling kids to stop pushing our tables. Most of their parents were present and watched as the kids continued to push the tables 4-5 times. Next year, we will put up a barrier. Oh, and SO many pairs of the plastic glasses we borrowed from the L.A. 3D Club were broken. We've been using them at the club meetings for years without such breakage.

While Comic-Con is a haven for geeks, Maker Faire is all about the nerds. Hardcore nerds. One of my favorite things at the event is the t-shirts. And they're nerdy, not ironic. Since I had my own hectic craft exhibit last year and worked at E's even busier booth this year, I only have a photo (above) from 2007. I made a mental note though of a few of my favorites over the course of this past weekend. I really wish I'd taken snapshots of them.

The cutest was one that luckily E pointed out to me. I would have missed it. The shirt had a schematic of a turbine engine, which contained a hamster wheel. Next to it was a little hamster dressed like an aviator. Unfortunately, it was a Shirt.Woot exclusive.

Seen on a shirt somewhere in San Mateo:

SCIENCE. It works, bitches.

When I was your age, Pluto was a planet.

Every time you call tech support, God kills a kitten.

There are 10 types of people in the world:
Those who understand binary and those who don't.

I'm trying to catch up on life after the blur of the weekend and get moving on the next things, on which I'm already behind. Sometime in the near future, I'll try to post a couple of the five or so 3D photos I took at the faire. I know at least a couple turned out fairly decent and I still have a few to download. In the meantime, grab your red/cyan glasses and check out E's blog where he posted a 3D video of Eepybird's Diet Coke & Mentos fountain.

Math, science, history, unraveling the mysteries...

If you know me in real life, as they say, or if you've been a regular reader here, you know I love attending the William S. Paley Television Festival (PaleyFest) every Spring. This year is no exception. We've been to 5 out of the 6 nights we have tickets for so far. While they've each been great in their own way, I think the The Big Bang Theory was the funniest ever.

I only recently started watching the show and fell in love with it. Nanette tried to tell me I'd like it when the first season started. I know better now, but sort of thought she was just recommending because Barenaked Ladies sing the theme song. Okay, so that was pretty stupid and I should have just tried it out. I'll skip the boring details, but we've now become fans (who are still catching up on Season 1). How could I not love a show about four geeky scientists? E won two extra tickets, so Nanette even got to join us!

Johnny Galecki and Jim Parsons

I was so excited when The Big Bang Theory appeared in the PaleyFest '09 lineup. The event started with an unaired episode screening. The one we watched involved a trip to Las Vegas and was quite hilarious.

Simon Helberg and Kunal Nayyar

All of the main cast members, as well as creators/executive producers Chuck Lorre and Bill Prady were present. Some highlights include:

• Jim Parsons (Sheldon) recounted how when he got something labelled "A Script by Chuck Lorre" duing pilot season, he actually thought it was from Chuck Woolery. He sounded sincere, but even if it's not true, the story had me crying from laughing so hard.
  

• The absurd tale of Johnny Galecki (Leonard) and Simon Helberg (Howard) deciding to rent a boat for the group when they were all in San Diego last summer for Comic-Con. Apparently, Kaley Cuoco (Penny) is a "very bad" boat driver. Let's just say it would make for a good episode sometime!

Kaley Cuoco

• The processes of Simon getting in and out of the skintight pants they put his character in every week.

• An audience member asked Jim Parsons to recite the rules for "Rock, Paper, Scissors, Lizard, Spock," which he was uanble to do. That might have also been my question if I'd bothered to stand up, as that is one of my favorite bits ever. Enjoy: