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

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

tarthur — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 00:46:18 -0800

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?

By: spiderskull

spiderskull — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:29:28 -0800

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).

By: tarthur

tarthur — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 01:54:58 -0800

I'm in Orange! Thanks for the suggestions.

By: BrotherCaine

BrotherCaine — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 02:03:06 -0800

By: tallus

tallus — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 06:01:09 -0800

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.

By: judith

judith — Sat, 19 Jul 2008 13:19:29 -0800

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.

By: tarthur

tarthur — Mon, 21 Jul 2008 18:35:58 -0800

Thanks everyone.