Mike Warren (designer)

Mike Warren (born August 22, 1980) is a product designer, inventor, and author based in San Francisco. He builds functional open source prototypes in line with the maker culture, and are carefully documented to inspire others to follow along.[1][2] As an advocate for sharing educational content, his work aims to lower the barrier to participation, and transfer a static audience to an active participant.[3][4]

Mike Warren
Born
Michael Warren

(1980-08-22) 22 August 1980
NationalityCanadian
Other namesmikeasaurus
OccupationDesigner, artist, fabricator, author, educator
Years active2005 - present
Works
Glow table, head in jar prank, flamethrower skateboard, iStab, dinosaur heels, nitro coffee
Movementmaker culture, DIY ethic, open source
AwardsNew York Times Magazine Innovation Whiteboard winner
Websitemichaelsaurus.com

Warren's most notable designs include the Glow Table, a glow in the dark (phosphorescence) table made from photoluminescent powder mixed with clear casting resin set into Pecky Cypress, and the Flamethrower Skateboard, a skateboard with a built in fuel delivery system with an ignitor that leaves a trail of fire behind it when riding

Warren is the author of a maker books for young adults The Gadget Inventor Handbook,[5] and 23 Things to do before you are 11½.[6] He has also compiled two all-ages books about making.[7][8] Warren served as the technical editor for the young adult fiction Dewey Mac Kid Detective.[9]

Warren is currently an designer and educator with Instructables and Autodesk.[10]

Achievements

Mike Warren won The New York Times Innovation Whiteboard in 2012 for his umbrella light, an illumination device retrofitted into the shaft of an umbrella to indicate location to others in the dark. This product was selected by James Dyson, calling it "a good precaution for pedestrians at night or in fog — and a bright idea in the evolution of the umbrella."[11]

Notable Projects

Mike Warren has build videos available on his YouTube channel.

Warren released the Flamethrower Skateboard in 2017, a skateboard that leaves a fire trail similar to the DeLorean time machine from the Back To The Future movies. The dangerous nature of the skateboard has received mostly positive reviews, with some critical about the safety of leaving unattended flames and the risk of starting fires.[12]

In 2014, Warren created a glow in the dark (phosphorescence) table made from photoluminescent powder mixed with clear casting resin set into Pecky Cypress.[13] This table was later republished in Wired UK magazine in 2015.[14] The video tutorial has over 2.5 million views.[15]

In 2014, Warren built a centrifuge from an old circular saw. The centrifuge was designed as a molecular gastronomy experiment to separate food, and can achieve 1800 g-force.[16]

In 2012, Warren was featured in Popular Science Magazine for his project concealing a battery operated soldering iron inside an airsoft gun. The airsoft pistol had a removable ammunition clip which the batteries for the soldering iron were hidden, the trigger action activated the soldering iron.[17]

Published works
  • The Gadget Inventor Handbook: (2017) - Sterling Children's Books, 64 pages, ISBN 978-1454923473
  • 23 Things To Do Before You are 11 ​1⁄2: (2015) - QEB Publishing, 64 pages, ISBN 978-1609928254
  • Office Weapons (2013) - Skyhorse Publishing, 160 pages, ISBN 978-1620877081
  • Backyard Rockets (2013) - Skyhorse Publishing, 208 pages, ISBN 978-1620877302
gollark: CSS makes some hard things really easy and some easy things really really hard or impossible.
gollark: Why would they make the definitions be in English?
gollark: We could harvest communism to run our reactors.
gollark: Interesting.
gollark: It might truncate it. I had some issues when I accidentally put 17 outputs.

References
  1. "Cool job: Get paid to whip up fabulous Halloween costumes". SF Gate. Retrieved 31 October 2014.
  2. http://www.instructables.com/member/mikeasaurus
  3. "How YouTube inspired a new generation of DIY makers". DailyDot. Retrieved 12 September 2013.
  4. "Why are brands dying to take a bite out of Millennial makers?". Digiday. Retrieved 29 October 2014.
  5. "The Gadget Inventor Handbook".
  6. "23 Things To Do Before You are 11 1/2: A practical step-by-step guide for things to make in your backyard".
  7. "Backyard Rockets: Learn to Make and Launch Rockets, Missiles, Cannons, and Other Projectiles". Amazon.
  8. "Office Weapons: Catapults, Darts, Shooters, Tripwires, and Other Do-It-Yourself Projects to Fortify Your Cubicle". Amazon.
  9. http://www.deweymac.com/
  10. "mikeasaurus profile, Instructables.com". Instructables. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  11. "The Innovation Whiteboard Winners". New York Times. Retrieved 1 June 2012.
  12. "LIGHT A FIRE UNDER YOUR…SKATEBOARD?". Hackaday. Retrieved 20 May 2017.
  13. "Glow-In-The-Dark Table Will Make You Want To Get Your DIY On". The Huffington Post. Retrieved 12 December 2014.
  14. "How to build a glow-in-the-dark table". Wired UK. Retrieved 14 January 2015.
  15. "Glow table". Instructables. Retrieved 8 December 2014.
  16. "CIRCULAR SAWS IN THE KITCHEN, GOOD IDEA OR BEST IDEA?". Hack-a-Day. Retrieved 2 May 2014.
  17. "PROJECT OF THE MONTH: THE SOLDERING GUN". Popular Science. Retrieved 21 September 2012.
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