u/criscodesigns

Just curious if anyone had any interesting interactions with Bryan this weekend

I watch the show with my grandma when I'm helping her around her place and today I did a double take when I saw a prusa core one

The young kid didn't win any prizes unfortunately

Our first kid and we're both a bit older than everyone we know who had kids

Hey GR — we've spent 6 months prepaeing a little combat robotics league out of our makerspace, and it all kicks off next Wednesday (9/16) with an actual fight night.

Somewhere around 20 bots people built themselves, going at it in an arena.

It's part of Tech Week, it's free, and honestly it's just really fun to watch even if you know nothing about robots. Antweight class, so these are little 1-lb plastic machines — but they hit way harder than you'd think.

4–8 PM, Grand River Makerspace on N. Park St in Walker. Kids welcome if a parent's with them. If the weather holds we'll probably move it outside.

Full rules/details here if you're curious: https://www.wiki-grandrivermakerspace.org/index.php?title=Combat\_Robotics\_League

Come heckle some robots.

Hey friends!!

We had a grant opportunity kind of fall on our lap the last couple weeks, and we're using some of the money to fund your creative project, artistic endeavors, product idea, or entrepreneurial effort!

Grant opportunity for maker/artists/creatives/entrepreneurs at the makerspace:

https://grandrivermakerspace.org/blogs/news/pitch-competition-access-awards

Had to make a shirt

If you've been sitting back thinking I should go check out a show here like me ... GO!

It was so fun seeing a childhood movie on the big screen with popcorn and beer 😂

The way the crowd reacts to parts adds so much to it and that's missing in modern movies.

It just has such a different vibe. Go. Tickets are cheap so just GO. Teenage Ninja Turtles II is Sept 22, you're welcome! 😂

We had a kit build day today at the makerspace! The robots are made with 3d printers so all plastic

We're doing a kickoff tournament in about a month! So RSVP to spectate,

https://www.techweekgr.com/2026-events/open-house-combat-robotics-league-kickoff-tournament

If you want to build or buy a kit you still have time!

https://www.grandrivermakerspace.org/wiki for the info

Small update, posting this later than I should've — new hours for Grand River Makerspace, effective now (yes, it's August, no we did not plan that well, July got away from us):

• Tue/Thu: 12pm–9pm (used to start at 3pm, now opening earlier)
• Sat/Sun: 10am–6pm

If you've been curious about checking out the space, this is a good excuse. We're a nonprofit makerspace — happy to answer questions in the comments if anyone's wondering about membership, classes, or just what we've got in the shop.

Beach day at Duck Lake State Park. The weather was peak!

Saturday we had a private event from Gun Lake Tribe that came and made cutting boards in our woodshop!

Then today we had our own workshop where community members came and made a cutting board!

8 cutting boards in 2 days!

Stay tuned for more dates coming in August/September!

You can still sign up to make an epic bread knife this week!

www.JoinGRM.org/events

I remember finding this entire set at a garage sale and I played with these so much. Even after the videos had lost their luster I used the jets as fancy sci fi like guns when we played outside in the woods

this week

• thu 7/16, 6pm — intro to laser engraved tumblers
• sun 7/19, 11am — make your own cutting board
• mon 7/20, 6pm — wooden thumb book page holder

next week

• fri 7/24, 6pm — woodshop safety course (open to members/non-members)
• sat 7/25, 11am — make a wooden bread knife
• sun 7/26, 11am — cutting board

Those who run granite or basically anything in a production environment:

I help a client who is having issues lasering granite. Basically things were good until their new shipment of granite varied in thicknesses from 9.2mm to 12.4mm (so over 3mm). With a 2inch lens that is too much height variation to run with one setup (one focus). I tried to slap a 3inch and 4inch lens on there to see if we could overcome the height variation of the slabs of granite.

Well... we did but we lost so much power going from 2inch to 3 and 4 inch that we had to cut the optimal speed from 500 to 250 and 150ish at 4inch lens. So currently they run 4 slabs under 30 minutes so this increases the time to process by too much.

Granite is inherently a natural product so deviation of thickness is to be expected.

My solution to them is to use some gauges to sort by thickness and run with 3 target thicknesses to focus on.

Are there any lasers that could autofocus on preset points? Any that use maybe a laser or something else to check for heights?

Can't say I thought I'd run into FDR, Amelia Earheart and Gengis Kahn in this game 😂

Saw this at a gas station

Hey GR — we're launching a combat robotics club at Grand River Makerspace in Walker and pre-orders are open.

Plastic ant-class bots (1 lb), built from kits we're group-ordering through Palm Beach Bots at 15% off retail. Three bot options: a vertical drum spinner, a horizontal undercutter, and a lifter. $50 league fee to compete in the Founding Season.

I originally thought "we'll all just order the same kit" but got so many emails asking for different accessory combos that I ended up building a custom landing page where you can pick exactly what you need. Pre-orders close July 1, then we place the group order.

Plan is build days at the space after kits arrive, some pre-season scrimmages in August, and kicking off the official season during GR Tech Week in September.

Details here: grandrivermakerspace.org/battlebots

I've had this bad boy in the fridge for well a number of years now. Hopefully it's still good tonight. I'll let you know.

Smoky BBQ Chicken & Sweet Potato Naan Pizza

I just threw this together on the griddle and it turned out incredible. If you've never put dill pickles on a sweet BBQ pizza to cut through the richness, you are missing out!

Prep time: 10 mins

Cook time: 8 mins

Yield: 2 Pizzas

Ingredients:

2 Naan flatbreads

1 can Chicken breast (drained & flaked)

1 small Sweet potato (finely diced)

1/4 cup Red or yellow onion (diced)

1/2 cup Your favorite BBQ sauce (plus extra for assembly)

1/2 tsp Garlic powder

1 cup Mozzarella & Cheddar cheese blend

6-8 slices Dill pickle chips (patted dry)

Olive oil (for brushing & cooking)

Directions:

Preheat the Flat-Top: Fire up your outdoor griddle or grill to medium-high heat (around 400°F). Make sure the surface is clean and lightly oiled.

Sauté the Base Mix: Toss the finely diced sweet potatoes and onions directly onto the griddle with a splash of olive oil. Cook for 3-4 minutes until they begin to soften and pick up some color.

Season the Chicken: Add the drained, flaked canned chicken directly into the sweet potato and onion mix. Dust everything with the garlic powder, then drizzle with a generous spoonful of BBQ sauce. Stir-fry for 1-2 minutes until everything is caramelized and piping hot, then push the mixture to a cooler zone.

Toast the Naan: Brush both sides of the naan flatbreads lightly with olive oil. Place them bare on the hot griddle for 1-2 minutes until the bottoms are beautifully crisped and golden with light char marks.

Assemble: Flip the naan over. Spread a thin foundation layer of fresh BBQ sauce across the toasted side. Evenly distribute your griddled chicken, sweet potato, and onion mixture across the top.

The Melt & Crunch Finish: Smother the pizzas with your shredded cheese blend and top with the dry dill pickle slices. Cover with a melting dome (or close your grill lid) for 2-3 minutes until the cheese is bubbling, the bottom is rigid, and the pickles are warmed through.

Slice it up and serve hot!

Pro-Tip: Seriously, don't skip the pickles. The sharp, vinegary snap completely cuts through the sweetness of the griddled sweet potatoes and BBQ sauce. It completely balances out the whole pizza!