Jay shares a fairy tale origin story to the Maker Movement as a way to address the Maker’s Mindset — and gives hints why he and Eric focused on a tool of the hands (well a control interface at any rate) as a place to start revolution in how we use and think of computers and technology in our lives.
From the video description:
Jay Silver, a research assistant and Ph.D. candidate in Media Arts and Sciences in the MIT Media Lab’s Lifelong Kindergarten Group, demonstrates a new technology called Makey Makey that turns the whole world into a computer mouse. He says of its genesis: “There I am, at an UnSchooling Camp, running a workshop, and a teen makes a musical looper out of an ordinary hula-hoop. Who would think of a hula-hoop as a music controller? This is the mindset of Makers. And watch out, because the Maker Movement is coming, and it’s dangerous to existing paradigms of education and industrial production! What tools will the Makers use?
Every Monday is Makey Makey™ Monday here at Adafruit! The MaKey MaKey – by Jay Silver and Eric Rosenbaum, made by JoyLabz! Ever played Mario on Play-Doh or Piano on Bananas? Alligator clip the Internet to Your World. MaKey MaKey is an invention kit for the 21st century. Find out more details at makeymakey.com or watch the video at makeymakey.com. Turn everyday objects into touchpads and combine them with the internet. It’s a simple Invention Kit for Beginners and Experts doing art, engineering, and everything in between! If you have a cool project you’ve made with your Makey Makey be sure to send it in to be featured here!