Help Send Super-Awesome Sylvia to Maker Faire
Help bring Sylvia and her family to Maker Faire New York and the Open Source Summit!
Every time I attend an event like USASEF or Maker Faire, I look around and see kids (literally, children) doing amazing stuff in the world of tinkering and hacking. Whether it's DIY crafts, robotics, or 3-D printing, it is downright amazing what kids are doing these days. Not only does it give me a lot of hope for the future, it makes me recall what I was doing when I was in elementary and middle school. I was not nearly as productive - let's just leave it at that.
Meet Super-Awesome Sylvia.
Which brings me to today's post. Some of you may have heard of a young lady by the name of Super-Awesome Sylvia. Sylvia hosts a show, appropriately named Sylvia's Super-Awesome Maker Show, where she talks about all kinds of DIY projects. It's an awesome show and a prime example of the incredible stuff these crazy kids are up to these days. This year, she is hoping to attend Maker Faire NYC, as well as speak at the Open Hardware Summit - and she needs your help!
As you can imagine, traveling to New York City with your parents for a week is kind of pricey. So Sylvia has created an IndieGoGo to help fund her trip. Please help out! If you have a few dollars to spare, not only can you send an amazing girl to Maker Faire, you can get some pretty awesome swag too.
Want more information about Sylvia before you donate? Well, I recently got a chance to ask Sylvia a few questions - you can see our conversation below.
How did you (Sylvia) get started in the world of Making?
I got started in the world of making by being really curious, and a love of being destructive! Taking stuff apart, or hitting it with a hammer to see what's inside. I also love to see how things work (not just squashed). Amazing places like Maker Faire give me inspiration to do and make awesome things ALL THE TIME!
As you've gotten older, do you find your DIY interests have changed or do you still like the same things you did years ago?
I've gotten a lot more interested in everything DIY in general! But more specifically, the "harder" stuff I like more now, like using a serger for complicated sewing, or surface-mount soldering and circuit design. I still like the simpler stuff I did, 'cause you can always take those and make them better or more interesting.
Tell us about your experience with SparkFun.
Back at Maker Faire 2011, my dad spun the big wheel and won a SparkFun geek lab coat, and I won a t-shirt! I love the April fools SparkFun video. I also have a BUNCH of SparkFun kits at home - the fun and easy to follow directions are awesome, and I really love the big rubber buttons on the Simon Kit. Also my super-awesome soldering iron came from SparkFun. SparkFun ROCKS!
Tell us a little bit about your IndieGoGo and why you are running it.
We are doing the IndieGoGo fundraiser to help us buy plane tickets, transportation, food and everything else involved in to getting me and my parents to New York City for the Open Hardware Summit (that I'll be speaking at with Joey Hudy) and Maker Faire New York! Any leftover money will help make the most awesome season of "Sylvia's Super-Awesome Maker Show" ever! I am really pleased by how many people have donated so much so far!! I'm really hoping we get all the way to our goal. Just a little more to go! I have lots of great perks for people who donate like signed magazines, robot doodles, and even giving away one of the pointer fingers from the show!
If that isn't a kid who deserves to go to Maker Faire, then I don't know who is! Again, check out her IndieGoGo or her webpage for more info!
Wow, this is great. I read this post two hours ago, when only around $2000 had been raised, and since this post that number has skyrocketed, now at $4635. Awesome promotion Sparkfun, and great job Sylvia!
The reason why open sorce is a good thing, is because it is so user friendly. Even for children, Long live open source hardware!
Now if only i thought of doing a fundraiser. Might have to start one to head to the open hardware summit. However, i doubt it would work for me.
Yes it does.
Ok so when this was first posted, over 62 hours were left and the funding level was 60%. As of this comment (9:26 UTC -5:00), there's 41 hours remaining and the funding level is 101%. Even though all Sparkfun can't be credited for all the intervening donations, I think this news item helped significantly. :)
This was also posted to Boing Boing, which might have slightly more page views than we do, but we're happy to have done our part to help. =)
Well, Sylvia's got a new fan (and supporter) thanks to SparkFun! She's awesome!
Good for you, Sylvia.... I'm impressed!
Will the sessions you participate in be available on Ustream and YouTube ?