Just Another Day at the Dump

As it turns out, 7 out of 8 Tinkerers have never been to a landfill. By pure coincidence, we discovered that the garbage cans were filled to the tippy-top... field trip!

Movers and Shakers

The heavy machinery sends a continuous stream of tremors as the sanitary technicians push the giant engines to their thunderous limits. Sofas, diapers, teddy bears, lawn clippings, milk cartons - the Tinkerers yell out the items they recognize.

The Impossible Smell

Fiona says "at first it smelled like cottage cheese dip with dill, but then when it got stronger it smelled like sickly sweet rancid yuck". Brendan added "I almost threw up twice," to which other Tinkerers added "Yeah! It Stank!"

Stinkorama

With the windows and back-hatch open, the smell becomes a physical force inside the truck.

Dream Job for Boys

Despite the unbearable smell, the boys all agree that it would be fun to zoom around in the giant bulldozer and smooth out piles of garbage. "Maybe just for a day," adds Connor.

Zonkey Stop

On the way back home we stop to get a peek at the neighborhood Zebra/Donkey offspring (unfortunately not pictured).

Toothbrush Mania

Back at the studio after lunch (quesadillas and sandwiches - again) and an enervating round of tag, we all dive into four and a half solid hours of Tinkering. This time the subject is the perennial favorite - the cheap electric toothbrush.

Eight Dwarves

Like a scene from a (somewhat twisted) animated film, the Tinkerers are all singing (check the bonus videos) as they work. As much as the endless refrain "merry christmas, from chiron beta prime" drives the instructors crazy, it somehow manages to keep the kids more focused and more tolerant of setbacks.

Connor-Air

More of a sketch than any intention towards a scale working model, Connor builds a hybrid biplane/boat/car.

Goggle-Gang

When an errant propeller breaks loose and careens off the hot-glue gun, it's time to break out the safety goggles. Or maybe it's a few minutes later than when we should have broken out the safety goggles...

Brendan's Boat

Working fast and light, Brendan cranks out a few revisions of his tiny boat design as he works through a number buoyancy issues.

A Novel Steering Solution

Sam takes an unusual approach to the problem of keeping the boat down the middle of the test-track - make the boat so wide it cannot turn. It's a brilliant leap out of the box of "normal" boat thinking.

Abstract

Mixed media, Sharpie, Venetian-blind fragment. July, 2007. Private collection.

Abstract

Brendan, always quick to spot an emerging trend and get in front of it, decides to keep his piece active during the exhibition. "It was created in motion," he says, "so it should be seen in motion."

The Best Car

Red, says Piper, is better for cars. It's easier to see, so gets hit less.

Practice for Thursday

Sam displays his rubber-band creation. It's braided, he says, to demonstrate that he has the skills necessary to make rope on Thursday.

Mini-racers

Brendan has a working solution for strapping a big-honking motor on to a teeny-tiny car.

Behemoth

Connor, taking a different approach, straps three motors onto a teeny-tiny car. Once he gets the propellers all pushing in the right direction, the monster lumbers around the room scaring the villagers.

Moment of Zen

stinky stinky trash - your smell is impossible - i will not miss you