Benicia Mini Maker Faire will once again put innovation on display

(Originally published in the 4/13/16 edition)

   Last year, Benicia Makerspace—the 501(c) 3 nonprofit group that brings local creators together in a space where they can share and build innovative, new ideas— held its first Mini Maker Faire at Benicia Middle School. It was such a success that, of course, a followup was inevitable. Like many great sequels, expect this one to retain what you loved about the first installment while building on it and bringing plenty of things you have not seen before.

   After all, creating things you have not seen before is what Benicia Makerspace is all about. 

   The organization began as the brainchild of President Aaron Newcomb and Liberty High School science teacher Nicci Nunes, who also serves as the organization’s secretary. It started as an internet fundraising campaign in 2012 and was formally registered as a nonprofit group in 2014. It began operating out of a portable on the grounds of Benicia Unified School District before moving into a permanent home at 4592 E Second St. in the Industrial Park last summer.

   “That really helped us build up momentum and get us to where we’re at today, where we have all kinds of physical hardware and software available for our members to use whenever they want,” Newcomb said. 

   Newcomb says the goal of Makerspace is to reintroduce the concept of hands-on learning to the Bay Area, something he feels has fallen by the wayside in recent decades. 

   “What we want to do is encourage both kids and adults to come back to learning in a real way,” he said. “By real, I mean a physical way, so not just in a classroom setting but to be able to apply what you learned in a classroom in a physical environment in a physical way.

   “If you’re learning advanced mathematics, you can come in and work on a project that applies to those theories that you’re learning into a product,” he added.

   What Newcomb and Nunes have done is create a space in Benicia where creators and entrepreneurs can come together to share their innovative ideas and be able to see them come into fruition. The space has all kinds of equipment that people can use to create their ideas, including woodworking tools, welding materials, computers and 3-D printers.

   “You can actually develop a product or part and take it over to the 3-D printer and print it out,” Newcomb said. “Within a few hours, your idea has gone from just an idea to an actual thing you can hold in your hands and test as a prototype.”

   Through Makerspace, people have created objects in the areas of robotics, alternative energy, Raspberry Pi computers and electric vehicles. 

   Newcomb said one of the most unique things he saw created in the studio was an articulated hand in which a button was pressed to make the fingers and joints curl up. The maker of this particular item is 13 years old. 

   “It’s really incredible to see someone of that age make something that a lot of adults would never dream of being able to make,” Newcomb said. 

   The articulated hand will be featured at this year’s Maker Faire, which will feature a cornucopia of interactive exhibits that will appeal to the entire family. Think of it as a mini-Exploratorium with just as many objects that adults and children will find equally enthralling.

   Some of the returning exhibits from last year include the giant bubble station and a station to launch paper rockets. There will also be a variety of new exhibits this year. Bay Area Engine Modelers will be brining in scale models of various engines. Tapigami creator Danny Scheible will be demonstrating how many sculptures can be created using just masking tape.San Francisco-based Riveropolis will have a 45-foot stream where people can create boats out of various materials to float and see how durable they are.

   There will also be a visit by some droids who traveled from a galaxy far, far away. Full-scale models of R2-D2 and BB-8 from “Star Wars” will be roaming around and interacting with attendees. People who attend the Faire will also have the chance to win a remote-controlled BB-8 toy from Hasbro. 

   Finally, Benicia Makerspace will have its own exhibit: an 8 foot by 16 foot laser maze. Participants will have to crawl through without touching the lasers and reach the end within the time limit. 

   Newcomb hopes the Faire will turn participants on to what is possible and also inspire them to start creating things in their garage or elsewhere.

   “If you think back to companies like Apple or Hewlett-Packard, they started in someone’s garage because they had an idea that sprang forward and they worked on it,” he said. “They weren’t afraid to try things out with their hands,” he said. “we hope people walk away saying, ‘Hey, this was a cool project. I’m going to go home and make one of those too.’”

   The Mini Maker Faire will be held from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., Saturday, April 16 at Benicia Middle School, located at 1100 Southampton Road. Tickets can be purchased at BeniciaMakerFaire.com, and they will actually be cheaper when purchased ahead of the event than on the day of. Tickets purchased before Saturday are $12 for adults, $6 for children ages 4 to 17 and $36 for families consisting of two adults and three children. For more information, contact Newcomb at aaron@BeniciamakerSpace.com or Nunes at nicci@BeniciaMakerSpace.com. 

   

New comic book store flying high in Benicia

(Originally published in the 12/27/15 edition)

   Comic book stores: the final frontier for Benicia. This is the story of the newest specialty shop in town: Zeppelin Comics. Its long-term goal: to sell unique goods, to frequently bring in a variety of customers, to boldly go where no local business has gone before. 

   Zeppelin Comics opened its doors to the public on Dec. 5, but the new comic book and collectibles shop’s staff had been promoting the store on sites like Facebook as far back as June. The store is run by husband and wife Dan and Natasha Curtis with Natasha serving as the primary owner. The couple had wanted to run a business in Benicia for a long time and settled on a comic book store to fill a void in town.

   “There really hasn’t been a comic book shop in town for a while- I don’t know if ever,” Dan said. “The nearest neighboring store is over 10 miles away, so my wife and I would have to constantly drive to Berkeley, and I know other people in town were driving out to Concord and Suisun. We’ve always wanted to have a store in Benicia, so we figured comics was the way to go.”

   Zeppelin Comics differs from the typical image of comic book stores in two ways. The first is that it sells more than just comic books. Patrons also can pick up graphic novels, T-shirts, toys and collectibles related to the worlds of superheroes, science fiction and fantasy. Among the available items are a plastic model of the Starship Enterprise from “Star Trek,” a plush of Marvel’s Deadpool character and a figurine of Daenerys Targaryen of “Game of Thrones,” complete with a dragon.

   The other major difference is in the store’s design. Unlike the typically dingy, dimly lit comic book shops, Zeppelin Comics is brightly lit with a shiny wood-panel floor and metallic-colored walls. In fact, the store’s industrial look is paying homage to the Cold War era, which coincided with the silver age of comic books where Spider-Man, The X-Men and The Flash all made their debuts. The appearances of zeppelins in many of these comics provided inspiration for the name.

   “It evokes a time period and style that we’re trying to convey to our customers,” Dan said. “It’s an old-time, peaceful, world-traveling silver-aged motif.”

   The shop also has a game space where people can bring their games, tabletop and roleplaying games. The store also hopes to host a variety of events.

   “We’re trying to bring in local artists as well as some others to do signings,” Dan said. “We’re also looking to do launch parties, game nights and book clubs based on various genres and genders.” 

     In the few weeks the store has been open, Dan says the response has been very positive. 

   “People have been stopping by, and they like the store,” he said. “It’s got a different feel than your average comic book store. It’s open, well-lit, well-adorned and peaceful. It’s a place that people can come, browse and enjoy talking with others about all things comic and comic-related.”

   The Curtises hope their store can become a major community hangout.

   “Mostly we hope to be a spot that people come to and know about,” Dan said. “We want to partner with the libraries in town- both the public library and various school libraries. We want to have regular events and just be a place that’s known for not just the youth but also their parents and everybody in town.”

   Zeppelin Comics is located on 191 East H St. and is open from noon to 7 p.m. on Wednesdays through Saturdays and noon to 5 p.m. on Sundays. The store’s website can be found at ZeppelinComics.com. 

(All photos by Nick Sestanovich)

   

Star Wars merchandise on display at Zeppelin Comics in honor of "The Force Awakens."

Mannequins Lynn and Zep, seen here dressed as Princess Leia and Obi-Wan Kenobi, will continue to have rotating outfits. 

   

Drones, droids take over Benicia High School

(Originally published in the 12/15/15 edition)

   On Wednesday, Dec. 9, Benicia High School was one of the many worldwide participants in the Hour of Code, an annual event in which users learn how to code hands-on for free by logging on to Code.org. The goal is to teach students skills in computer science.
   Benicia High students participated in variety of workshops. In the Active Learning Space, Annette Fewins showed students how to fly drones around using iPads. In Room B-106, Andreas Kaiser's robotics class designed remote-controlled jumping robots that they piloted around the quad. Finally, in Matt O'Reilly's classroom, students created a replica of the new BB-8 droid from "Star Wars: The Force Awakens" that they were able to control.
   The Hour of Code was started in 2013, with more than 100 businesses coming together, including Apple which hosted Hour of Code at all of its stores around the world. For more information on Hour of Code or computer science statistics, visit Code.org.

(All photos by Nick Sestanovich)