A few months ago, I was asked to speak with the members of the Riverside Robotics Society about 3D printing. As you may already know, I have a lot of love for turning a roll of plastic into something in three dimensions. When this request came through, I was thrilled. Give me an opportunity to work with kids and add fuel to their spark about 3D design, PLEEEEEASE.
As more people walked through the door of the library this morning, the reality began to set in. Only 4 of the 17 were younger than me. Most looked wayyyyyy smarter than me. All talked like they had more experience than me. I went from the guy evangelizing about 3D printing in front of a bunch of pimple-faced teens to the guy scrambling to find relevance in a room of 21 diverse individuals: middle school kids who code and design, engineers, scientists, teachers, construction workers, robotics specialists, and hard-core hobbyists.
Fortunately, everyone in the room subscribes to the #bettertogether philosophy that makes me love Twitter (and the 3D printing world) so much. Even though I was the presenter, everyone added insight, asked questions, and worked together to complete a task. For some people, having smarter people in the room would have been overwhelming. Being given an opportunity to speak with people who are noticeably more knowledgable than me about a topic was relieving. It meant that I didn't need to have the answers. It meant that I didn't need to feel like a wolf in sheep's clothing. It meant that I could learn while presenting.
The star of the show was my Airwolf3D printer, and it's hard not to be. They print the HD line with their own 3D printers, the design is really cool, and there are blue LED lights to make it even better.
As more people walked through the door of the library this morning, the reality began to set in. Only 4 of the 17 were younger than me. Most looked wayyyyyy smarter than me. All talked like they had more experience than me. I went from the guy evangelizing about 3D printing in front of a bunch of pimple-faced teens to the guy scrambling to find relevance in a room of 21 diverse individuals: middle school kids who code and design, engineers, scientists, teachers, construction workers, robotics specialists, and hard-core hobbyists.
Fortunately, everyone in the room subscribes to the #bettertogether philosophy that makes me love Twitter (and the 3D printing world) so much. Even though I was the presenter, everyone added insight, asked questions, and worked together to complete a task. For some people, having smarter people in the room would have been overwhelming. Being given an opportunity to speak with people who are noticeably more knowledgable than me about a topic was relieving. It meant that I didn't need to have the answers. It meant that I didn't need to feel like a wolf in sheep's clothing. It meant that I could learn while presenting.
The star of the show was my Airwolf3D printer, and it's hard not to be. They print the HD line with their own 3D printers, the design is really cool, and there are blue LED lights to make it even better.
#3dmodeling with @Jstevens009 at Woodcrest Library. #riversiderobotics pic.twitter.com/iUXdHi8252
— John McCarthy (@iamjohn) October 17, 2015
I can't thank John and the Riverside Robotics Society enough for being given the chance to hang out with you today. That was incredible.
On top of all of this, we got to work together to make something that sort of resembles a Chicken Wagon... Or at least that's what I'm calling it.
On top of all of this, we got to work together to make something that sort of resembles a Chicken Wagon... Or at least that's what I'm calling it.
It's a Chicken Wagon, alright? Use your imagination.
Happy "I Need A Sheep Costume For Halloween" Fishing
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