This Should Work

Rob and Rudy join us in this session to discuss the development of conference badges for the hacker conference Thotcon. We also cover the global parts shortage and the near-term future of badge making.

Jonathan Tomek is the CEO of the cybersecurity firm MadX, LLC, and the co-founder of Thotcon, Chicago's biggest hacking event. In this episode, we have a wide-ranging discussion about tinkering, hacking, and how to remain curious about the world around us. Jonathan's company, MadX, LLC can be found at https://madx.co/ And the hacking conference Jonathan co-founded is Thotcon (which stands for Three-One-Two) NFP can be found at https://thotcon.org/

Interview with AnnMarie Thomas, Professor at University of St Thomas in Minnesota, author of Making Makers, creator of the Playful Learning Lab, and all around awesome person!

Amanda Hudgins is a game designer and the creator of the Thousand Button Project, many other awesome alternative controllers, and is the managing editor of Unwinnable. Amanda's game projects have been featured at events like Bit Bash and at many other events -- I had a really fun time with this interview! Enjoy. For more on Amanda's work, check out http://amandathrows.rocks/ Visit Amanda on Twitter @ barelyconcealed Other Notes from the show: * Thousand Button Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN1zWjLXeo8&list=PLi_Qv13BlyFKa_tkxXMa-FkvcC51ee8yh&index=9&t=0s * Amanda Hudgins Assembles an Alternative Controller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbXhyDn7wr4

Maya Bird-Murphy is the founder of Chicago Mobile Makers and an architect. Chicago Mobile Makers is an awesome program that aims to bring a mobile fabrication lab into communities and become the hub for transformational -- and educational -- local projects.

Paul Valente manages facilities automation at Chicago Public Schools and additionally sits on their makerspace committee as they begin to roll out best practices and standards within the school system. In this episode, Paul and I talk about makerspaces in K-12, IOT and building automation, and some of the things we're both involved in with the Chicago hacker scene.

Joe Spanier is one of the co-founders of River City Labs -- a Peoria makerspace. He's also a co-founder of Midwest Maker Fest, a previous employee at Aleph Objects (the company that makes Lulzbot printers), and Caterpillar. Joe and I have a wide-ranging talk about tech in education, his enthusiasm for making and tinkering, and more. A note: The audio for this interview may be off in parts. The recording software that I use had some issues synching audio up, and so this was done manually. Enjoy!

Sasha Neri runs the Harold Washington Library Maker Lab in the Loop of Chicago, Illinois and runs Chicago's yearly Maker Summit. This is the fourth and final part of our educational makerspaces series, and I'm happy to have Sasha on to talk about how makerspaces work in a library setting, and the benefits they have for the broader community of patrons that libraries serve.

Jeff Solin is an educator, makerspace administrator, and all around good-guy at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago. This is the third part in This Should Work's* series on educational makerspaces, and I'm really grateful that Jeff joined the podcast to talk about the way he thinks about educating students in makerspaces and fostering a supportive educational makerspace environment.

Terry Steinbach is an Associate Dean in the College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University, and Betty Shanahan is the Associate Vice President of DePaul University. Both have been instrumental in building makerspaces and spreading maker-centered learning at DePaul University, and come on the show this week to talk about how to make a makerspace work in higher ed. This is the second part in a series of interviews about makerspaces in education.

Aaron Hoover is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Olin College and one of the founders of the Higher Education Makerspaces Initiative and the International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces. In this episode, Aaron and I discuss the state of maker education in higher education including the challenges and opportunities that educators face in this context. This interview is the first part in a series of interviews about makerspaces in education.

Rob Rehr is an engineer at IDEO by day, and a hardware hacker and game developer by night. In this session, we talk about the work Rob's doing in DIY retro game development, the add-on board he developed that uses the Nintendo nunchuck, and much more. Check it out!

Christina is the creator behind Chicago North Side Mini Maker Faire and researches making by working with teachers to design curricula, and with students to design equitable spaces for making. We talk about the philosophy behind making, and what drives Christina to do all of the awesome things that she's responsible for. Check it out!

In this session I talk with Helen Leigh. Helen is an author, education writer, and maker with a focus on creative use of new technologies. She has written playful technology education materials for National Geographic and Intel Education, and has developed a Design, Coding, and Electronics Course for the Royal Court of Oman. Alongside her writing, Helen makes creative technology products with a focus on education, including her latest collaboration with Imogen Heap, MI.MU, and Pimoroni, a gesture-controlled musical instrument glove that you can sew, wire, code, and play. To see some of the things Helen has made and find out more about some of the projects she has worked on, visit her Twitter, @helenleigh. Helen lectures on electronics, physical computing, and music technology at Ravensbourne University and Tileyard Studios in London. She was previously director of the education platform Mission:Explore, with whom she published six acclaimed children’s books. Helen lives in Berlin but is often found in London. You can say hello, ask questions, or show off your DIY electronics on Twitter (@helenleigh), on YouTube (HelenLeigh), or on Instagram (@helenleigh_makes).

Andrew Sowa talks about the persistence behind making, his work in KiCad and PCB art, and how he views the influence of community and culture on his work.

It's a shorter (and later) episode this week, but I talk about 3D printers (3 different kinds, to be exact), and which one might be the best fit for you. Check it out!

I talk with Drew Fustini, open source hardware designer at OSH Park and co-developer of the badge for the Open Hardware Summit this year. Drew is, as I say in the podcast, the glue that holds many maker communities together, and I'm really excited to have him on and talk about the things that he makes, and his ethos behind making and tinkering.

I talk with Nate Matteson of DePaul University's School of Design and the industrial design company Obstructures. Nate's company Obstructures makes aluminum guitars, wallets, pedals, and many many other useful tools. In addition to that, and most importantly, Nate is an excellent design educator and brings his practice into academia to help elevate his students' potential in design. In this session, we talk about Nate's personal projects related to sound and light, his work with Obstructures, and how that way of thinking translates into education.

I talk with Brian Davis (W9HLQ of HAMFesters Radio Club), amateur radio operator and educator of future HAMs. Brian has been an operator for over half a century, and has seen the shift to computerization, and now, has started working with makerspaces to pass on his knowledge of amateur radio to others. In this session, we talk about the HAM community, how it relates to maker and tinkerer culture, one of Brian's newest inventions, and some of the weird sounds and other things you hear when you're on air.

Andrew Morin and Jay Margalus, new co-hosts of the TSW* YouTube Channel, talk about what they would've done differently in TSW* Videocast Ep. 1 (hint: a lot) and some of the projects that they unveiled during the show episode. Check out the first TSW* Videocast at http://shouldworkmedia.com

I talk with Hayne Bayless, potter, board member of Studio Potter literary journal, and board member of Pots on Wheels (POW!) about his work, his methodology, and the art of "I don't know." Hayne's work has been awarded the top prizes at some of the country's most important craft shows: the Smithsonian Craft Show in Washington, D.C. and the Philadelphia Museum of Art Craft Show. Other than lessons from a potter in Tokyo and a handful of classes and workshops, he has managed to avoid any formal instruction in ceramics. He abandoned wheel-throwing early on, preferring the freedom of handbuilding afforded by slabwork and extrusions.

In this podcast session I talk with Jackie Moore, Chicago Knights FIRST Robotics team founder and coach, makerspace organizer, Chicago Southside Mini Maker Faire organizer, educator, and many, many other things. Jackie and I sit down to talk about the philosophy behind making -- and making with other people -- and what that means about how we can learn from each other. That, and much more, on session 7 of This Should Work.

I speak with Sarah Margalus, reading specialist, educator, and maker. Sarah talks about how to integrate maker-centered learning principles with 21st Century Learning Standards: a practical way for teachers with not a whole lot of time to integrate maker learning into the classroom. Disclaimer: Sarah is my wife. Also, an interesting person in the maker movement and educator.

In this session, I speak with Rachel Hellenga, President of Conducty (www.conducty.com), museum exhibit builder, and expert maker. Rachel talks about the challenges of designing environments (particularly education ones), the magic of makerspace communities, and the development of her company, Conducty. Show Notes on the website at www.shouldworkmedia.com

In this session I talk with Andrew Morrison, board member at Workshop 88 and professor at Joliet Junior College. Andrew and I talk about his work with the physics of music on steelpan drums, teaching budding makers, and more!

Jenn Lawhead, former (and First) Head Lab Moderator at the Idea Realization Lab, and current employee at Dremel Brand, talks about her experiences in making, leading a makerspace, and bringing students into the fold.

Rudy Ristich, Vice President of Workshop 88 and the technical mind behind the Thotcon hacker conference badges joins the podcast to talk about scaling your own custom hardware projects up, his background in electrical engineering, and how that informs his making process.

This Should Work Podcast Session 1 - An interview with Andrew Camardella, President of Pumping Station: One and an industrial designer. In this session, we talk about the design process, building a business and finding clients for your design and making work, and facilitating the creative work of others.