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| Community Centre live FAIL?! |
| Hello TechBandit Fans and family! What a week! I started it off with another of The Odin’s Free Plant Genetic Modification class on YouTube…and as always Jo Zayner and David Ishee did not disappoint! So much to unpack (and learn) about this stuff. I love their informal and friendly approach to such a daunting and vast subject! I can’t wait to try my newly learned genetic modification knowledge out on my poor unsuspecting house plants…will try to shoot some video and keep you posted on how that goes! |
| Tuesday was another amazing TechBandits, talking business, stream…along with a chaotic mix of diversions, of course! (Squirrel!) How cool would the future be if kids of all ages could earn a living doing something they love! |
| This week was my first, live, in person, TechBandits in a long time…years, in fact! And I have to admit, I was terrified… As it turned out, I was right to be! I’ll spare you the painful details…but in brief… Armed with my trusty Prusa 3d printer, the newly arrived and most mysterious Pancakebot, a few litres of pancake mix I’d stirred up in advance, a handful of different food colorings and half a dozen squeezy bottles, I walked down to the community centre. Huge thanks to BagOfChips, Ham & Yam for their help in getting us all there on time and in one piece! |
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| After attempting to talk 25+ bored kids trapped in a community centre on a Friday night into the joys of 3d printing, I found myself facing a room of bored teenage faces lit by smartphone screens, blank stares and eye-rolling boredom. We then discovered that there were no computers available. I couldn’t give the PancakeBot anything to print, or access the TinkerCad that I had been telling them about. I bailed on my speech, and demanded pancakes, while telling the few interested kids to start building the new PancakeBot. Luckily for me, my crack team of TechBandits jumped into action. They fired up the griddles and… after a couple of basic pancake penises (of course they did!) …the kid’s began creating some amazing pancake anime and art, drizzling different coloured batters strategically over the sizzling griddles. |
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| Despite my feeble start, the kids excelled! They worked together wonderfully. They happily shared our limited griddle space and spatula. They even started to ask questions! They were quick to understand the basic principles of the PancakeBot and wanted to know more about 3d printing. I got to show them some of the actual 3d prints I’d brought (including a fabulous God of War by Wekster) and a number of them asked for more details about TinkerCad and where to get 3d files for printing (Printables, Thingiverse)! |
| The kids kept the griddles going all evening. They scraped the last of the pancake mix from the jug just as the 3 hour session came to a close. As they began to trickle out of the community centre, I gave a few of the more engaged kids some of the 3d prints I brought…I was so delighted they wanted them! I was touched that such a surprising number of them took the time to thank us and asked when we’d be back. When I told them about next session’s Laser Spiders, there were squeals of terror and delight! Even the police officers who come by the community centre to chat and get to know the local kids, asked if they could come back to join us for laser spiders…even though they wouldn’t be on duty!? Things went so well, the centre has asked us to come back every month! |
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| So what about TechBandits this week? Well, my plan is to catch up on a few random science & technology news stories that have caught my eye of late…including some of these: Making AI a tool for schoolLawyers try to keep their jobs by barring AI from court!Talking to the dead with AI!? Firework Supernovas and The Milky Way’s graveyard of stars and who knows…maybe I’ll even get it together to set up for some plant genetic modifications…See you all there! |
| Thank you for, yet another, amazing week of TechBanditry! One of the great joys that I get from Stargate, is having people tell me how the show inspired them to pursue their passions. I feel so fortunate to have met my filmmaking friends when I did, in my early teens. Our shared love of film and TV helped make it real for me. They gave me the headstart, skills and support I needed to succeed in my acting career. I want that for everyone! These TechBandits adventures allow me the opportunity, in some small way, to help inspire kids into following their own dreams and passions…and it is such a joy! Thank you for being a part of this amazing fun and helping to make it all possible for me! Be Safe, Be Kind, Be Brilliant! Cheerio & Huzzah! D! |