The WordPress.com stats helper monkeys prepared a 2015 annual report for this blog.
Here’s an excerpt:
A San Francisco cable car holds 60 people. This blog was viewed about 1,900 times in 2015. If it were a cable car, it would take about 32 trips to carry that many people.
It’s here, the moment we’ve all been waiting for! We are proud to announce the winner of our Strandbeest Hackathon. Give a great big round of applause to….
The Mayors of Simpleton!
Congratulations on a job well done. The Conduitucus Americanus is truly the next step in Strandbeest evolution.
And please give another, equally hearty round of applause to our runner up…
The Devilbeests!
Noodles (The Noodlis) was definitely the sweetheart of the event, and her movements are inspiring!
Congratulations to all of our hackers and a huge thank you to our judges, we know it wasn’t an easy decision. Your ideas were great, your beests are grand, and it was a pleasure having you all join us for our first Hackathon here at PEM.
We would also like to thank our volunteers and our #PEMhack followers! Special shout out to our international audience in Australia, South Korea, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vietnam, Italy, Spain, and Iceland. Hope you enjoyed the Strandbeest Hackathon as much as we did!
You can see The Mayors of Simpleton’s prize winning beest in the Strandbeest: the Dream Machines of Theo Jansen exhibition, on view at the Peabody Essex Museum through January 3, 2016.
Our hackers did a wonderful job furthering the evolution of the Strandbeests, but the time has come to choose which beest reigns supreme.
Before we announce our winner (and the runner up!) let’s take a look at each team’s unique creation.
Mayors of Simpleton
Beest Name: Conduiticus Americanus
This team took their original idea of a simple, easily reproduced American beest and ran with it. Conduiticus Americanus is a true American mutant and this team definitely developed their own language with the PVC piping.
Clark School Solvers
Beest Name: Duckbeest!
This team created an aquatic beest. The mutant cousin of Boston’s Duck Tour crafts, this beest is equip to sustain itself in the watery blue.
Devilbeests
Beest name: The Noodlis (affectionately nicknamed “Noodles”)
This beest has an undeniable charm, and rugged grace. Despite Noodle’s genetic disorders (gigantism, and bone deterioration caused by salvaged supplies), this beest, if suspended, would make a great masseuse.
DADAs
Beest name: Nigrum Aqua Animus Insectum
This creature represents the next step in Strandbeest evolution. It’s beauty compels imitation, and its sleek design inspires and excites.
P.E.A Pod
Beest Name: Salsolis Optimus (or “the best tumbleweed”)
Flashy and large, this beest will undoubtedly attract the attention of many a human passerby, inspiring reproduction and recreation. This is truly a “great land jellyfish”!
Evolucionarios
Beest name: Strand-Cycle.
The melding of beest and man, this animal is the ultimate dream machine. It’s a beest bicycle which allows man and beest to work together as one!
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Mullen Lowe
Beest Name: Hill-duh
This beest is an infant, a new American Strandbeest with skiing ability that is second to none. This team sought to create something that honored the DNA of Theo’s Strandbeests, and Hilda definitely delivers.
The beests are evolving! The hackers are hard at work, and the time for judging is almost upon us!
You’ve seen how the beests are taking shape, but how will the finished products differ from our hackers’ original ideas? In a little over an hour the hackers will pitch their beests to the judges.
Keep in mind the judging criteria:
Survivabilty!
Imaginative Adaptations!
Reproductibility!
Whose beest will be take the prize, and be featured in the Strandbeest exhibition?
Here’s a look at how the teams’ beests have developed after 20 full hours of hacking (and some napping and snacking):
The sun has come up and the hackers have had breakfast. Now begins the crunch period as judges are set to arrive around 11am. We have a special guest, Anthony Schepsis, who coordinates tutoring and counsels students at Salem Academy. He’ll be helping our teams come up with their pitches for the judges.
Who are the judges you might ask? Our first Maker-in-Resident and Senior Product Manager, Design & Innovation at Staples, Ryan White, Assistant Director for Digital and Internal Communications at MIT Media Lab, Stacie Slotnick, and fabricator for Adafruit Industries and community Mayor for 3D Hubs, Dano Wall.
Keep an eye out for more photo updates! And make sure you follow us @peabodyessex #PEMhack on social media.
Hello fellow hackers!
If you’re still tuning in, then you’ll know we are about two hours shy of sunrise. Can you believe it? Productivity at the Hackathon is at an all time high! While the number of awake individuals has dwindled, the teams are still putting their best foot forward and are determined to finish the #Strandbeest Hackathon. We sincerely applaud their efforts, because the need to sleep is really setting in.
Take a look at their progress below!
T-11 hours until the end of the Hackathon!
While some folks have taken the opportunity to rest their eyes, many of the teams are still hard at work making AMAZING creations. Each team seems to have taken their own unique approach to the challenges, and we are loving what we’ve seeing so far.
Who do you think will take it all? Let us know by tagging @peabodyessex #PEMhack!
Team Name: Clark School Solvers
Team Motto: We’re gonna be the very beest, like no one ever was!
Materials Being Used: A little bit of everything.
Beest Bio: Unwilling to give too much away, one thing this team will disclose is their dedication to Strandbeest evolution. If everything works out the way they plan the whole world could open up to the beests.
Beestly Blurb: This team’s innovation could be huge for the species as a whole.
Team Name: Hampstead Academy Hackers
Team Motto: There are no rules!
Materials Being Used: PVC
Beest Bio: They aim to create a demo-board to bring back to their students. And on that demo board? A Strandbeest leg!
Beestly Blurb: The Hampstead Academy Hackers are a cross-curricular team consisting of educators from different backgrounds. Playing off the interdisciplinary nature of the beests, they aim to take what they learn back to the classroom and open the floor up to their students. What materials would they use? What kind of beest would they create?
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