We make an open-source robot so that people can make better things and a better worlds. That’s why we work really hard to keep costs down on high quality machines and plastic. We just want people to have this stuff and start imagining and doing.

What if kids could imagine the workshop of their dreams? What if little girl could look at a LEGO set and think of herself as a person who runs a technology company?

Ladyada, the master maker and hardware hacker at adafruit, and LEGO artist Bruce Lowell have created a fun, inspirational LEGO set to get boys and girls excited about engineering. Look at this set!

We are really excited about this LEGO set, and we need you guys to go VOTE for it at LEGO Cuusoo! In order for this to become a real set, it needs 10,000 votes. Help give kids the chance to imagine what it’s like to run a hardware and electronics company and learn about open source. This is what empowerment looks like at an early age, and MakerBot is in full support.

Just think what a kid might decide to learn about when she sees this laser cutter.

Or when he encounters this clean workspace with soldering station.

If you are a mover, a shaker, and a Maker, let us stamp your passport! We’ll have our passport stamps at Maker Faire this weekend, including a special edition Robot Petting Zoo stamp. If you don’t have your passport yet, you can grab one from Adafruit. Collect stamps, prove your cred.

Wired’s new blog, “Wired Design,” recently featured a bunch of super sweet mini printers.  I just love these freaking things!!!  Super tiny and compact thermal paper printers are just about the cutest and neatest little projects out there.  The video above depicts Adafruit’s IoT Printer – a variation which prints text and several kinds of bar codes.

Just think of the possibilities:

• Print all of “On The Road” out in one continuous roll of thermal paper
• Printing customized souvenir receipts at an event
• Just once, I’d like to give a police officer a ticket
• Printing QR codes for… anything

Here’s what else really intrigues me – the entire printer is SO small that you could design and print a case for your printer.  That’s right, a printed printer case. ¹  I just know someone out there is dying to make a Stephen Colbert head that spews Stephen Colbert’s tweets.

1. While you’re at it, you could even design a carrying case for it.  A printed printer case for carrying a printer inside a casing made on a printer. [↩]

Well these are just fantastic. Adafruit has Hackerspace Passports for all those makers out there who can’t help but visit the local hackerspace in every town. But wait, there’s more! Add to this a tutorial for laser cutting a passport stamp for your space, and we’re closing in on a diplomatic framework!

Here’s Adafruit’s stamp:

How many spaces have you been to? It would be fun to know who the real jetset are among our blog readers!

UPDATE! If you’re planning a trip, why not add a hackerspace to the itinerary? There’s a very long list of great spaces at hackerspaces.org. Check it out.

Earlier this month, the DIY electronics kit site Adafruit launched a digital version of its “skill badges.” The idea is to create a model of a system for educators and youth leaders to recognize the new generation of Scouts — the Makers!

We believe everyone should be able to be rewarded for learning a useful skill, a badge is just one of the many ways to show and share. Our physical badges and stickers are for use with educators, classrooms, workshops, Maker Faires, TechShops, Hackerspaces,Makerspaces and around the world to reward beginners on their skill building journey! Our digital skill badges are the start of whatLadyada (Limor Fried) and the Adafruit team think might be “Scouts 2.0″.

(Incidentally, the 3D printing site Fabbaloo posted on Friday that they had received a box of the original embroidered badges and gave their public verdict that they are “very attractive.”) But look! It seems that the online badge hasn’t been awardedto anyone yet! To get a feel for how a badge is awarded, the page indicates the following:

This skill badge is awarded for those who have done amazing things with 3D printing. Whether they’ve built a kit, designed a system from scratch, or explored a new method,  they’re bringing the future home!

That said, it seems it’s oriented toward kids, as the Beta program details read,

We hope you enjoy the first round of students and young persons who we’ve awarded badges to. If you know a young person who has done something amazing and shared their projects let us know! To see the “leaderboard” click here!

Do you know of any kids that deserve the 3D Printing badge? Or better yet, are you a teacher who wants to find a way to award this badge or others to your students? Here is one teacher’s example of the requirements he uses for students to earn the badge. And for the kids in the 18-and-older crowd, don’t be deterred from building up your own badge collection! Pete at RasterWeb says it was just time for him to recognize his own accomplishments. Couldn’t agree more!

"It's a Through-Hole Christmas, Charlie Brown!

As we close out 2011, we are offering big close-out discounts on well known kits from Sparkfun, Adafruit, Jimmie P. Rodgers, Evil Mad Science and more! We’ve cut prices 20-50% off list; these items are awesome gifts for for all your DIY stocking stuffers. From Multimeter kits to musical instruments, we have great soldering projects or the pièce de résistance for holiday mischief!

Check out the MakerBot Store’s Accessories section for the complete selection! These items are shipping same-day for hyper-fast delivery time. You aren’t too late to save money and still stuff the gift boxes of your loved ones, or favorite geek next door!

Naturally, we suggest overdoing it on the LED themed holiday party decor. Start with these holiday classics.

Sparkfun’s It’s a Through Hole Christmas, Charlie Brown
Evil Mad Science LED Menorah
Jimmie P. Rodgers Open Heart

Bre and Thingiverse in the Botcave, featured in The Daily video

Check out this great video about Citizen Engineers and Garage Tinkerers that features  MakerBot Friendlies Becky Stern and Limor Fried. Also watch for Bre Pettis and lots of shots of the BotCave, testing rigs, Thingiverse, and Luis’s 3D printed Unicorn dropping into hand from the belt of a Thing-O-Matic into a welcoming hand.