Where can I find people who like to know 'how stuff works' in socal?

July 19, 2008 12:46 AM

Where around socal can I meet other aspiring electronic do-it-yourselfers? [backyard imagineering]

I'm having a hard time finding fellow young folks (I'm 21) who read and understand the liking of MAKE magazine... people who like to take things apart and play with electronics.

Looking for others interested in figuring out Arduino boards, LEDs and automation stuff and I desperately need someone who can teach me some new tricks.

Any ideas where I can find (remotely) normal people with similar interests? Are there any user groups or something a bit less geeky?

posted by tarthur to Technology (6 answers total)

If you're looking for help, I think you're going to have better luck online. I don't know of any groups that are explicitly for this purpose around LA or OC, but if online help is not really your thing, why not just create a group?

Start with any local colleges and universities -- physics and engineering departments have plenty of labs with people who are interested in this sort of do-it-yourself hobby electronics. A flyer or two should be enough. Craigslist and meetup.com is also a good place to post. It's as easy as setting up a time, a place, and listing the common hobby.

Also, if you could be more specific about where in SoCal you are, I might be able to give you some pointers (e.g. electronics swap meets).
posted by spiderskull at 1:29 AM on July 19, 2008

Response by poster: I'm in Orange! Thanks for the suggestions.
posted by tarthur at 1:54 AM on July 19, 2008

?
posted by BrotherCaine at 2:03 AM on July 19, 2008

Best answer: Dorkbot — 'people doing strange things with electricity'. A kind of electronics and art show and tell. The link goes to your local one, I am involved with the London dorkbot. There are a bunch of great people with some really interesting projects there and it draws form across a wide spectrum form the arty to the techy, wit a lot of music types too. I have no doubt it will be similar in Socal.
posted by tallus at 6:01 AM on July 19, 2008

Best answer: Machine Project is where all the cool kids learn Arduino. Doesn't look like there's much in the way of current classes, but you can get a sense of what they like and contact them for more info.
posted by judith at 1:19 PM on July 19, 2008

Response by poster: Thanks everyone.
posted by tarthur at 6:35 PM on July 21, 2008