Paris Maker Faire 2014: A Post-Industrial Journey

Update: For more pictures from the Paris Maker Faire, see my Flickr album
For videos, check out my YouTube playlist

Last weekend (June 21 and 22), I attended a Maker Faire in Paris as part of my thesis research on maker communities. Maker Faires are physical sites where makers--anyone who creates physical things--of all types come together to showcase what they have made, and to share technical knowledge with other makers and broader publics. These events emphasize learning how to make through play and other tangible interactions with tools, technologies, techniques, and people. Of course, learning through play can be challenging when the game is played in a language you don't understand.

As I discovered upon arrival, not quite everyone at the Maker Faire spoke English. I had been nervous about the potential language barrier (see tweet below), but had the privilege of assuming that most people would speak some English.

@jtsherri welcome on board ! Don't be nervous : we all speak english (why not use an arduino to de-code french ? #translate-hacking )
— Maker Faire Paris (@MakerFaireParis) April 25, 2014

While most of the makers who attended did make humbling efforts to accommodate my lack of spoken French literacy (for which I am extremely thankful), I was almost kicked out of the faire within 10 minutes of entering. Upon arrival, I had purchased a ticket as the Paris Maker Faire website had instructed, received my map of the faire, and was wished a good visit. Just after taking some pictures of the Make robot, a security guard started assertively directing me in French. I understood something about "no entrance... security" as he pointed toward my wrists. Meanwhile, I wondered "Wtf is going on?" I showed the guard my ticket, while pointing toward the table where I bought it only minutes before, fruitlessly trying to explain my situation in English. "No speak English" was the guard's response. He radioed something in French and shouted across the hall to another guard, trying to get the attention of someone in power who would understand my garbled nonsense. I continued holding up my ticket and pointing, as we repeated the same conversation, eventually walking down to the ticket table. Apparently, I had needed an all-important wristband to enable my physical access to the faire. Fortunately, it was as simple as showing my ticket and holding out my arm.

With my new blue wristband equipped, I strode past the guard, taking a moment to feel smug, and then I recognized that all the signs at the faire were in French. Unintimidated by my lack of written French literacy, I assumed the first maker I talked to might speak eloquent and effortless English. Not so much. We didn't make it past "bonjour." Next table, same process. By that point, I was feeling that my power-granting wristband wasn't so powerful afterall, and that maybe I had made a huge mistake by planning my entire day around an event where I couldn't even communicate. "Maybe I should leave. I'll take a walk around and see what's here, take a picture of everything, and then leave; go explore Paris, see the Eiffel Tower, maybe. I could take a bus if I leave now..."
"No. You came here for research, and that's what you're going to do. Enjoyable or not, you're here, John. And you're not giving up yet."
"Maybe I can just walk around and not talk to anybody for a while. That will be easier. That will feel safer. Maybe I got more out of the Cincinnati Mini Maker Faire than I will from this one."
"If it's challenging your spirits, and what you know, do it, even when it's hard. You came because you wanted this. It's a game, and you're new here. You're supposed to be bad at this for the first level. That's how research happens. Why are you feeling uncomfortable? What about this situation is making me feel this way?"

I decided to walk the faire for a while and see what caught my eye. I snapped a few photos, and then found a giant 3D printer printing chairs. The printer by Drawn was something I could understand easily, and sitting in a 3D printed chair was pretty cool. That alone gave me the confidence to roam around and explore a bit further.

While there were many exciting sights, sounds, smells, tastes, and textures at the Maker Faire, I quickly understood that within international maker communities, it's relatively easy to learn the mechanics behind a machine or the process behind making an object. For example, I successfully soldered a Make robot pin with LED eyes, despite having instructions written in French, a few notes in English, the ability to watch people around me, and no experience of soldering things together rather than de-soldering. Granted, it took me three tries to get it right, but I managed, and could explain the process to someone else. However, the nuances of the instructions were lost. The how and why explanations too. The same could be said for building almost anything.

In a post-industrial economy, in which a critical mass of makers have access to fundamental components and tools, nuances of how and why explanations behind designs become very important. For example, the primary distinction between trains in the U.K. and trains in the U.S.A. is not the technology of the train itself. Rail companies in countries around the world can purchase the same electric locomotive, the same rails, the same equipment and essential components. What separates them are the configurations of those components, as well as the fit of those configurations to different contexts. The trains here in Scotland run very quietly, and there is little difference in volume between riding in an open field or riding through a tunnel. In Chicago, on the other hand, the distinctively deafening roar of a train rushing through a tunnel is part of what defines that particular line. If one were to attempt the same configuration in Chicago, users might resist and find it ill-fitting. Thus, there is a significant rhetorical component to post-industrial configurations of technology.

And although there were many interesting things I learned from my journey to Paris, and some unforgettable experiences, the most surprising outcome was how visiting Paris and the Maker Faire changed my perspective on Dundee. What only a week ago seemed unfamiliar, with foreign accents and winding roads, now feels comforting; homely even, compared with Paris. Here, at least I can ask for a burger without wondering whether anyone will understand my request. The configurations of the systems may be different here than in the U.S., but I can communicate about both the components and the rationale behind the configurations.

Week Two: an Idea and a Theme

This week has slowly helped me to develop my study theme, so now that I’ve got a better handle on what I want to study it should be simpler to follow.

It’s already become apparent that without a car, walking has become much more important. My irritation with busses has led to a vague sense of preference for walking, at least for small trips. I walked just under five miles to pick up some cheap colored pencils the other day without any hesitation. On average, I’m walking an average of at least four miles a day, in addition to running.

That alone speaks to the casual emphasis on fitness here. In the States, everything is much more spread out, thus making it more difficult to walk from place to place. The hub of activity in the city isn’t surrounded by nearly as much urban sprawl as it is in the states, meaning that the city is more condensed and the countryside is emptier.

I’ve also noticed that public transportation isn’t looked at in the same way. It’s taken very frequently by students and businesspeople, as well as families going on outings. Not only is this true for Dundee, but also for Edinburgh. I’ve noticed that public transit in, say, Chicago, is fairly different and much more difficult to navigate. The ease of navigation and low cost here make it both affordable and simple. Well…as long as you don’t think about the exchange rate.

Monday I met up with the Tayside Running Sisters, a running group for women of all ages. To begin, they’re an incredible group of women. They were welcoming and friendly, even though I was new and could hardly remember who was who. I got to know a few of them on the run, and it was fantastic to be able to talk to a group of locals again. One of the women, at 70 years old, had just completed a marathon a few weeks previously and is going to be carrying the Queen’s Baton for the Commonwealth Games as it comes through Dundee (6/27/14).

On one of the women’s recommendation, I’m going to be doing a 5k Saturday at Camperdown Park. It’s a timed run, although not an official race. There are results that allow runners to compare their times to others in their age groups, meaning that I should be able to see where I land in comparison. Then again, I’m not a highly trained short distance runner, so it’s not going to be pretty. Regardless, I’m excited to get out and meet people again, and especially excited to be able to practice a race start and determine where I prefer to hang out at a start. The TM was good, but I stayed on the sides in order to avoid the worst of the mud at the start. If I’m seriously considering longer races this year, I should get the practice on shorter races. More updates on how it goes next week.

In addition to the more apparent presence of casual fitness I’ve seen in the city, there are also many examples that can be seen in the countryside. The accessibility of the land seems to make it much more appealing to go out for a long walk, and so I plan to investigate the when and why of hiking over the next few weeks.

Sitting and relaxing in the park or taking laps in the park has also proved to be useful. It’s possible to sit and watch people in the park without being observed, which means nobody changes their actions based on the fact that they’re being observed (I swear, it’s so much less creepy in real life). Exercise patterns are in evidence both in young and old people, although middle aged people definitely seem to be lacking. Younger people, who I would say are probably college aged or younger, are often playing sports, whereas older people are often walking.

So far, much of what I'm gathering is merely through comparative observation. We'll see where it leads.

Dundee Exploration

Dundee, as I have heard from the security of University of Abertay, is the sunniest city in Scotland. Not sure if this is true, but the rain duration in this city seems unbelievably short. Sometimes it only lasts about three minutes. I somehow feel that my umbrella is useless here.

Since the weather is so nice, no raining and no sunshine, I walk all the time. This is not only because I enjoy walking, but also because I really enjoy the city. It looks like almost every family has their own garden, and the garden is just incredibly beautiful. Flowers of all kinds, in all colors. People here definitely have some secrets about planting and decorating. The flowers in the garden grow so well that I cannot help taking tons of photos.

Photo credited to Yi-Wei Lee

However, I still ride the bus sometimes and there is one thing I think it is important to mention. Dundee has two different bus companies, national express and stagecoach. Before riding the bus, I strongly recommend to figure out the route belongs to which bus company if you only hold one of the company’s bus pass. Try not to ride the other company’s buses will save some money. But if you do not have a bus pass, then just tell the bus driver which bus stop you want to hop off. The driver will let you know how much you have to pay and print you a receipt. Notes are accepted on the bus, so there is no need to worry if you don’t have enough coins.

Photo from Google Images

Buses are not the only transportation system you can see in Dundee. This city has so many cars that I actually worry about bumping into a car someday, especially some drivers always forget to use turn signals. Also, because of Dundee’s geographical position, sitting exactly on the bank, the scenery of its harbor is ineffably amazing. So unsurprisingly, Dundee has a well-developed fishing industry and people here also have significant contributions on the shipbuilding industry. The ship of great renown that everyone will first thinking of, must be RRS Discovery. This is one of the attractions that you would never want to miss. RRS, Royal Research Ship, was the last wooden ship built in Britain and made a successful journey to Antarctic.

Photo credited to Yi-Wei Lee

There was a small museum introduced the RRS journey and what was found in Antarctic. Then visitors would have a chance to get outdoors and to take a look of the ship. At the moment we actually got on board, our visit to RRS Discovery turned to be replete with nervousness and excitement, and that's where the story began. The ladder down inside the ship was so small and downstairs was so quiet that I believed we were the only people there. We first spent a few minutes looking for the propeller of the ship, but we couldn’t find anything. But we still found a lot of coals leaving on the floor, surely they were the power source. Then we kept walking down to the basement. I was terrified because I unexpectedly saw the waxworks of several sailor figures appeared at a few turning corners. Probably because of the darkness in the basement, those waxworks looked extremely gruesome, especially the imitated kerosene lamp were gleaming.

I told myself not to be scared by the wax figures because they weren’t real, and it works – when we walked down a corridor I saw another wax figure standing behind a guidepost, I didn’t get shocked. I felt relieved. Then the next second, I gasped because that figure suddenly started talking. “Hello,” he said. After a few seconds of pause, I realized he was a real person, may be the guide of the ship.

We said hi and turned left into a small room, I quickly talked to Ho-An in Chinese, telling her that old gentlemen totally scared me. She told me she got shocked too, because she saw that “wax figure” blinked. When I was still in such a tense condition, we already got ready to get to other rooms, so I turned around. This time, I almost screamed. The “wax figure” somehow managed to show up at the other door and he said “hello! Again!” He then introduced us a series of bedrooms and let us went upstairs, back to the sunlight.

Anyway, it was actually a very interesting visit to RRS discover, although I feel the ship is pretty much the same as a haunted house, but with more fun then what you could expect from the one in the park. I can still remember every details inside that ship, we carefully opened each food storage boxes and also looked at a lot of old stuffs. There were even a demonstration of knots. Plus the souvenir shop was really good, it sold so many whisky related products, even including whisky cakes! Since it does not require a ticket to shop there, we plan to go to the shop again before leaving Dundee, to buy some gifts for friends and families.

It's About Dam Time

   When you tour a dam, the discussion will invariably turn to that dam's "worlds first," "world's only," or "world's best." It seems to be a unique ability of dam builders to always come up with a first, only, or best that makes their project unique. 

   The self-guided walking tour at the Pitlochry Dam and Fish Ladder, then, came as a pleasant surprise. In contrast to the other dams I've visited, the focus wasn't about construction or how much power the dam produced, but instead focused almost exclusively on the environmental impact of damming, and the need for green energy sources in the future. 

This first sign aptly set the theme of the tour for visitors walking to the dam from the north side of the river.

The  first sign most visitors encounter on the dam. Photo by author

This turbine is fish-friendly. It acts like a revolving door to allow fish moving downstream to pass through the dam unimpeded.

The turbine spins on a vertical axis instead of a horizontal one. Photo by author

A dam, by definition, blocks the flow of a river. This fish ladder allows more than 5000 salmon and other species each year to pass unimpeded to their spawning grounds upstream.

The ladder is composed of a series of tiered pools that allow the salmon to move around the dam. Photo by author

 The pools of the fish ladder are designed to allow fish to easily move from one to the next.

The murky environment of a pool. Photo by author

A downstream view of the dam from downstream shows the main structure partially hidden by the surrounding forest. 

   The Pitlochry Dam doesn't focus on its first, only, or best. Instead, throughout the tour it discusses the importance of green energy and how to lessen the environmental impact of large industrial and post-industrial projects. With Scotland's deadline of 100% sustainability by 2025 rapidly approaching, it is important that projects like the Pitlochry Dam and Fish Ladder continue to pay careful attention to the affects they have, not just on the energy grid, but also on the environment in which they are built.

Green Scotland

Scotland has always been very green in color, but now they are a global leader in the “Green” energy movement. Scotland has a plan that will have renewable energy sources producing 100% of Scotland’s total energy need by 2020 and possibly 185% by 2030. These are not lofty goals or pipe dreams. Scotland is using all of its natural advantages to follow through with this plan. They are currently ahead of their projected schedule, in 2012 over 40% of Scotland’s energy was produced by a renewable energy source.

The first question asked when these types of claims are made is “how?”
Scotland has the full support of its government and its people, which is the first factor that makes this plan possible. When a whole country works together to achieve a goal it becomes very attainable. This is probably the factor missing in the push for renewable energy in the US. The second factor that makes this goal attainable is having a realistic and sensible plan. Scotland plans to reduce their demand of energy as well as increase renewable energy production.

They will reduce demand by installing smart meters, which will switch unnecessary power usage off during peak times, and postpone the usage until low usage. This will greatly reduce the stress put on the grid during peak usage. In addition, many new government policies are in place to incentivize demand reduction. Some estimates predict the demand will drop by 14%.

The increased production will come predominately from the new and expanding wind, wave, and tidal programs. Currently wind is the only one of these sectors that provides a substantial amount of renewable energy, but over the next 15 years Scotland has plans to harness the massive amounts of energy available in the movement of the oceans. Along with introducing wave and tidal they will expand onshore wind and offshore wind production. Another major sector they plan to expand is microgeneration, which is small scale private energy production, farmers with harnessing wind power, solar panels on homes, etc. Last but not least the already flourishing hydro program will continue to grow.

Graph of renewable energy production estimates (from "The Power of Scotland")
 http://www.foe-scotland.org.uk/sites/files/possv6final.pdf

Hydro electric is one of Scotland’s main energy sources, with tall mountains, large inland lochs, and high rainfall, hydro power is viable, and highly productive. We Visited the Pitlochry dam and hydro power station to get a first hand look at renewable energy production. The site is not one of the biggest hydro sites in Scotland, but it is in a very lovely setting, making the visit both educational and pleasant. It was very cool to see green energy production in progress. First we walked across the dam, looking at the infrastructure of the site. You could peak into the housing area of the turbines and generator, and we saw the tops of the two generators at this location. There was also a retired turbine on display, which was a bit smaller than I expected. Another important aspect of this dam is the fish ladder, which allows fish to bypass the dam, lessening the environmental impact the dam has.

Top of Pitlochry dam (photo by author)

A view inside the power station (photo by author)

Retired Turbine (photo by author)

View of the dam from down stream (photo by author)

I think the steps Scotland is taking to reduce their energy consumption and carbon emissions are things the whole world needs to take as an example. I only hear about how more renewable energy can be produced, when part of the problem is the amount of energy we use in the first place. Sustainability is much more attainable when we are using less energy. I hope we see plans similar to Scotland’s being proposed and accepted in many countries in the years to come.

Trip to Pitlochry

New energy sources are something that people are always looking for, especially the ones that are environmental-friendly. They even have a proper name called sustainable energy. Nowadays, people tends to notice the importance of being “GREEN” because once the natural resources have been depleted, human may have nothing to use for most of the activities. Another disadvantage of using traditional fuels is that they pollute the environment in various ways, such as greenhouse effect, ozone depletion, air pollution..etc. Therefore, many countries dedicated money and time to discovery new ways to obtain energy sources.

Before attending to the study abroad program, I have already heard that Europe countries have been using many new methods to obtain energy. However, I have not seen them myself until today and I have been amazed!

View from the Dam

In the morning, my class gathered at the Dundee train station and boarded the train to travel to Pitlochry to see the hydroelectric dam. After arrived at Pitlochry, we walked to the dam which was not far away from the train station. As soon as we stood on the dam, a view that only one could see from the movie just suddenly appeared. I began to rush for taking out my phone because I had a feeling that the scene I saw was just an illusion and might be disappeared after a few seconds. Then, I took many photos from different angles and planned to send them to my parents to share that beautiful view.

The fish ladder

 I looked far away and saw the salmon ladder that professor Salvo mentioned. I was curious that whether or not that I could see fish from there. So, I headed towards the direction of the fish ladder with a friend. On the way, there were different boards that explained how the hydroelectric dam works for obtaining energy. When we arrived at the fish ladder, we were somewhat disappointed since we did not see any fish even though we knew that it was not the season for spawning. We even went to the observatory to see if we were fortunate enough to see salmon pass by or any kind of fish would be fine. Again, we were disappointed! Although we did not see the fish, the view at the dam was already surprising and awesome.

Boards about Dam and Power Station

When the time approached noon, we finished touring around the dam and started to feel hungry. Then, most of us went to the town centre and had our lunch. My friend and I walked around the centre after the mean and saw a few gifts shops and a tourist centre. Then, we started to wonder the reason that it had a tourist centre. Pitlochry did not seemed like a place that one would go for a vocation, but somehow we sensed that we might be wrong because they were different people from various places and also, the prices for meals were generally higher than in Dundee, the fourth largest city in Scotland. After ambled around the town centre, we went back to train station and on the way, we also stopped and adored the flowers along the road side. The short wonderful trip ended as we boarded the train that was going back Dundee!

Expect The Unexpected

Beginning my journey to the United Kingdom was a job in itself. Having to run from the CVS Pharmacy store to Wal-Mart preparing for something I had never done before felt almost impossible. I was more excited about getting there than I was worried about how to do so. Having my mom in one ear while I day-dreamt of conversations with Scottish residents in local bars around the many cities I would visit. But this was something that needed proper preparation which was the last thing on my mind.

View of London from the airplane.

On the plane to London, I met Ryan. A London native between the age of 40 and 50, Ryan shared with me a few things to help my travel to Scotland. I assumed a few hints such as the one about not sharing budget information with anyone I don’t know  as well as a couple hints he gave that I did not know. He mentioned forms I would need to consider before crossing border patrol at the airport. He made relevant that my fear for snakes would not be an issue for he had never seen one in his life as a citizen of the UK. I remember him as being my first conversation abroad while he pointed out of the small window over my right shoulder on the airplane down at the roads of London.

I have encountered many unexpected instances that I was hoping for since my settle in Alloway Halls. Doing little research on Scotland and its cities, I was expecting the unexpected and that is was I was given. Hostels, restaurants which you pay before you eat, ordering dinner at the bar, and outside were sea gulls as big as puppies. Some of what was all a part of the experience while I began working with hand maps and street signs.

Streets of Scotland

Train rides to Edinburgh and then Dundee as long as 8 hours in full and unforgettable scenery. Two hours of brick buildings with miles of graffiti, small rustic bridges and forgotten ponds before the 5 hours of mountainous grasslands of cows and sheep. London was another world away from Scotland’s grazing animals.

At the final arrival, football fanatics lined the uneven sidewalks of Edinburgh rushing into and out of the line of pubs across the street of the train station. It must have been 6pm while myself and my travel companion walked the steep hills to find a hostel before arriving back at the train station. Being such a busy city in Scotland, we were appointed to look elsewhere and began our journey forth to Dundee where we would find sleep at Dundee Backpackers Hostel.

Only in the movies could you see hostels for backpackers and Russian receptionists waiting to take your 14 pounds for a bunk bead to crash, or so I thought back in the states.

As of yet the trip has been no vacation but a backpackers task to find the end of the rainbow. I reference a rainbow quite lightly only meaning to appoint it as a task that is not so much a job but a dream that takes the guts of a traveler. I plan to not plan, but not wait for the opportunity to fall into my lap either. I plan to seek an adventure by aiming for one destination and taking as long as necessary to get there while I absorb every bit of culture along the way.