The Automata Blog -- 8 years of mechanical goodness

June almost slipped by without me wishing The Automata Blog and its good readers a happy 8th birthday. It has been, and continues to be, a fascinating mechanical diversion. Thank you for visiting. Thanks for reading. And, finally, thank you for your letters and support!

All the very best,

-Dug North

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Support The Automata Blog by using the Amazon links on the site

Blogging takes effort!
This is a part-time job for me -- a way I have found to earn a bit of income doing something related to my passion. Keeping the blog going takes valuable time, money, and other resources. If you enjoy it, you can help support the blog by using the Amazon links found on the site.

How does it work?
The links in question contain my Amazon Affiliate code. They will take you to Amazon where you can shop for anything at all. The cost to you is no different than if you had found your way there from any other source. Because the links contain my code, Amazon will give me a small percentage of the sale amount for being the one to send a customer their way.

And what about privacy?
I can access a report showing what was bought, but I have absolutely no information about who made the purchase. None. Your privacy is 100% secure.

What if I don't use Amazon?
If you would like to contribute, but don't use Amazon. Drop me a line via my contact form. I will provide you with information to make a PayPal contribution in any amount you see fit. This would make you a rare and esteemed reader, indeed.

Going to Amazon via my blog will only take a few extra seconds. You can also ask your friends, colleagues, and relatives to shop Amazon via my blog. Simply direct them to the AutomataBlog.com and any of the Amazon links.

Thanks, once again, for your support!

All the best,

-Dug North, The Automata Blog

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Automata by Dug North at World Maker Faire 2012

I participated in World Maker Faire New York for the first time this past weekend. Despite a bit of rain, it was a huge success all around.

Here's what my exhibit looked like moments before tens of thousands of people poured through the gates:

While I didn't get to see much of Maker Faire myself, I did get to meet a lot of people including fans, my favorite customer, readers, makers, Mark Frauenfelder, the awesome staff of MAKE magazine, Dale Dougherty (founder of MAKE Magazine and creator of Maker Faire), as well as fellow automaton-maker Philip Lowndes.

Here is a photo of my exhibit that I took quickly during a particularly slow moment. I received vast amounts of help from Julia Gavin and Bob Quinn (both shown behind the table in the photo below). I couldn't have done the show without them.

I won't kid you, it was all a lot of work, but it was well worth it for many reasons. I got to see thousands of faces -- young and old -- light up when the handles of my automata were cranked. That was tremendously gratifying. I also met many of you, the good readers of The Automata Blog. Thank you for coming by and for letting me know you enjoy the blog!

For those of you that couldn't make it, I'll be posting more videos of my automata on YouTube this week and perhaps even some footage of Maker Faire too!

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