This Should Work

Welcome back to 'This Should Work*,' the podcast dedicated to the spirit of making, creating, and innovating. I'm your host, Jay Margalus, diving deep into the heart of America's most vibrant innovation centers and creative spaces. After a meaningful hiatus and a transformative relocation to Virginia, I am thrilled to present the reboot of TSW* - but with an exciting new angle. In this inaugural episode of Season 1, we unveil a new format for TSW* as I embark on a quest to unravel the essence of what makes innovation spaces not just exist, but flourish. This season, we'll explore the intertwined elements of community, creativity, and collaboration that form the backbone of successful innovation hubs. From the gritty tech havens like mHub in Chicago to the artistic corridors of Harbourfront Centre in Toronto, we'll dissect the universal traits that these dynamic ecosystems share. But this journey isn't just about observations; it's about understanding the tangible and intangible ingredients that contribute to a thriving innovative community. With the support of a Lenfest Grant from Washington and Lee University, this season will take you on a cross-country expedition to meet the minds behind these pivotal spaces and discover the secrets behind their success and the lessons from their challenges. Join me as we delve into discussions on the philosophy, architecture, and community dynamics that define the best innovation centers across the nation. Get ready for a season filled with enlightening conversations, thought-provoking insights, and a quest for what truly makes innovation 'work.' Tune in as we kick off this exciting journey with Season 1 of This Should Work*, starting May 1, 2024. Let’s explore together what it takes to build spaces that inspire, support, and drive the future of innovation.

Rob and Rudy join us in this session to discuss the development of conference badges for the hacker conference Thotcon. We also cover the global parts shortage and the near-term future of badge making.

Jonathan Tomek is the CEO of the cybersecurity firm MadX, LLC, and the co-founder of Thotcon, Chicago's biggest hacking event. In this episode, we have a wide-ranging discussion about tinkering, hacking, and how to remain curious about the world around us. Jonathan's company, MadX, LLC can be found at https://madx.co/ And the hacking conference Jonathan co-founded is Thotcon (which stands for Three-One-Two) NFP can be found at https://thotcon.org/

Interview with AnnMarie Thomas, Professor at University of St Thomas in Minnesota, author of Making Makers, creator of the Playful Learning Lab, and all around awesome person!

Amanda Hudgins is a game designer and the creator of the Thousand Button Project, many other awesome alternative controllers, and is the managing editor of Unwinnable. Amanda's game projects have been featured at events like Bit Bash and at many other events -- I had a really fun time with this interview! Enjoy. For more on Amanda's work, check out http://amandathrows.rocks/ Visit Amanda on Twitter @ barelyconcealed Other Notes from the show: * Thousand Button Project: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eN1zWjLXeo8&list=PLi_Qv13BlyFKa_tkxXMa-FkvcC51ee8yh&index=9&t=0s * Amanda Hudgins Assembles an Alternative Controller: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kbXhyDn7wr4

Maya Bird-Murphy is the founder of Chicago Mobile Makers and an architect. Chicago Mobile Makers is an awesome program that aims to bring a mobile fabrication lab into communities and become the hub for transformational -- and educational -- local projects.

Paul Valente manages facilities automation at Chicago Public Schools and additionally sits on their makerspace committee as they begin to roll out best practices and standards within the school system. In this episode, Paul and I talk about makerspaces in K-12, IOT and building automation, and some of the things we're both involved in with the Chicago hacker scene.

Joe Spanier is one of the co-founders of River City Labs -- a Peoria makerspace. He's also a co-founder of Midwest Maker Fest, a previous employee at Aleph Objects (the company that makes Lulzbot printers), and Caterpillar. Joe and I have a wide-ranging talk about tech in education, his enthusiasm for making and tinkering, and more. A note: The audio for this interview may be off in parts. The recording software that I use had some issues synching audio up, and so this was done manually. Enjoy!

Sasha Neri runs the Harold Washington Library Maker Lab in the Loop of Chicago, Illinois and runs Chicago's yearly Maker Summit. This is the fourth and final part of our educational makerspaces series, and I'm happy to have Sasha on to talk about how makerspaces work in a library setting, and the benefits they have for the broader community of patrons that libraries serve.

Jeff Solin is an educator, makerspace administrator, and all around good-guy at Lane Tech College Prep High School in Chicago. This is the third part in This Should Work's* series on educational makerspaces, and I'm really grateful that Jeff joined the podcast to talk about the way he thinks about educating students in makerspaces and fostering a supportive educational makerspace environment.

Terry Steinbach is an Associate Dean in the College of Computing and Digital Media at DePaul University, and Betty Shanahan is the Associate Vice President of DePaul University. Both have been instrumental in building makerspaces and spreading maker-centered learning at DePaul University, and come on the show this week to talk about how to make a makerspace work in higher ed. This is the second part in a series of interviews about makerspaces in education.

Aaron Hoover is an Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Olin College and one of the founders of the Higher Education Makerspaces Initiative and the International Symposium on Academic Makerspaces. In this episode, Aaron and I discuss the state of maker education in higher education including the challenges and opportunities that educators face in this context. This interview is the first part in a series of interviews about makerspaces in education.

Rob Rehr is an engineer at IDEO by day, and a hardware hacker and game developer by night. In this session, we talk about the work Rob's doing in DIY retro game development, the add-on board he developed that uses the Nintendo nunchuck, and much more. Check it out!

Christina is the creator behind Chicago North Side Mini Maker Faire and researches making by working with teachers to design curricula, and with students to design equitable spaces for making. We talk about the philosophy behind making, and what drives Christina to do all of the awesome things that she's responsible for. Check it out!

In this session I talk with Helen Leigh. Helen is an author, education writer, and maker with a focus on creative use of new technologies. She has written playful technology education materials for National Geographic and Intel Education, and has developed a Design, Coding, and Electronics Course for the Royal Court of Oman. Alongside her writing, Helen makes creative technology products with a focus on education, including her latest collaboration with Imogen Heap, MI.MU, and Pimoroni, a gesture-controlled musical instrument glove that you can sew, wire, code, and play. To see some of the things Helen has made and find out more about some of the projects she has worked on, visit her Twitter, @helenleigh. Helen lectures on electronics, physical computing, and music technology at Ravensbourne University and Tileyard Studios in London. She was previously director of the education platform Mission:Explore, with whom she published six acclaimed children’s books. Helen lives in Berlin but is often found in London. You can say hello, ask questions, or show off your DIY electronics on Twitter (@helenleigh), on YouTube (HelenLeigh), or on Instagram (@helenleigh_makes).

Andrew Sowa talks about the persistence behind making, his work in KiCad and PCB art, and how he views the influence of community and culture on his work.

It's a shorter (and later) episode this week, but I talk about 3D printers (3 different kinds, to be exact), and which one might be the best fit for you. Check it out!

I talk with Drew Fustini, open source hardware designer at OSH Park and co-developer of the badge for the Open Hardware Summit this year. Drew is, as I say in the podcast, the glue that holds many maker communities together, and I'm really excited to have him on and talk about the things that he makes, and his ethos behind making and tinkering.

I talk with Nate Matteson of DePaul University's School of Design and the industrial design company Obstructures. Nate's company Obstructures makes aluminum guitars, wallets, pedals, and many many other useful tools. In addition to that, and most importantly, Nate is an excellent design educator and brings his practice into academia to help elevate his students' potential in design. In this session, we talk about Nate's personal projects related to sound and light, his work with Obstructures, and how that way of thinking translates into education.

I talk with Brian Davis (W9HLQ of HAMFesters Radio Club), amateur radio operator and educator of future HAMs. Brian has been an operator for over half a century, and has seen the shift to computerization, and now, has started working with makerspaces to pass on his knowledge of amateur radio to others. In this session, we talk about the HAM community, how it relates to maker and tinkerer culture, one of Brian's newest inventions, and some of the weird sounds and other things you hear when you're on air.