Sunday, November 18, 2018

It is never too late no matter how old you start making something


This entry is the script of presentation at Maker Faire Taipei on Nov.4th, 2018




Hello.
I am Tatsuya Takemura
I came from Hiroshima in Japan.

Have you ever visited Hiroshima?
There are some direct flights between Taipei and Hiroshima.
Hiroshima is good place.
Please visit Hiroshima.

I am a member of “Makers from Hiroshima”
We exhibit in Maker Faire Taipei.
We exhibit next to this floor.
Please visit us.

We participated in MakerFaire Tokyo in August.
We enjoyed very well.
To build on the momentum, we applied MakerFaire Taipei.
And I got the opportunity to make the presentation.

Before presentation,
I introduce our work briefly.

This is a wearable color LED Matrix sign which shows a Tweet of Twitter.
If you add hush tag #mft-hiroshima,
your tweeting will be displayed in a minute.



Let’s Tweet.
Hash tag is #mft-hiroshima

This is the work I made.
“Uchiwa de Fight”
When you fan, the strength for the power which was made by fanning is reflected on the PC screen.
This is the game that tries to drop each other like Sumo.



The gyro sensor value is put on the crowd to use Raspberry Pie, and that is reflected on the objects on Unity.
You don't have the skill necessary to make Uchiwa Game.
Maybe anybody can make this.
It is not innovative at all.

But I am not an engineer,
I am an ordinary man.
I'm a bank clerk.
I am 48 years old.
I have never made anything before I made this.  
I have never touched Raspberry Pie and Arduino before last year.
I have never touched a soldering iron before half a year ago.




I am sorry that I don’t talk about the technique today.
I would like to tell about my experience. 
"It is never too late no matter how old you start making something"




This picture is “X-Factory” which is the makers space in Shenzhen, China.
I used this for the title because “MAKE” written on the wall is impressive for me.

Everyone,
How old are you?
Is there anyone who is more than 40 years old?
Is there anyone who has never made something ?
What do you think to see “Maker Fare Taipei” today?
Did you think that you wanted to try to make something?
Did you remember making something when you were child?
But you may think that it is too old to try to make.

Do you know this smartphone application ?
This application is the game based on the Doll festival in Japan.
https://itunes.apple.com/jp/app/hinadan/id1199778491?mt=8

This application was made by Ms. Masako Wakamiya.
To my surprise, she made this application when she was 81 years old. 
She was invited to the WWDC and United Nation.
She gave the dreams and hopes for all over the Japan and all over the world.
She told us that it is never too late no matter how old you start making something.

I am not great like Wakamiya san,
but I think that I can give dreams and hopes to the middle-aged person.
It is never too late no matter how old you start making something.

I am not an engineer,
I am an ordinary man.
I'm a bank clerk.
I am 48 years old.
I have never made anything before I made this. 
I have never touched Raspberry Pie and Arduino until last year.
I have never touched a soldering iron until half a year ago.

I  learned  how  to  use  a  soldering  iron  in  the  electric  workshop together with elementary and junior  high  school  students.
I'm studying electric works on my own. 
reading a book, searching, moving hands, by trial and error as much as possible,

So now I am here today.
I exhibit what I made.




I go back to 7 years ago.
It's 2011. I was 41 years old.
I was not related to making something before I was 41 years old.
The opportunity is the iPhone.
The iPhone changed my life.

I knew that anyone could make iPhone application.
As soon as I knew that, I purchased the book written about how to make iPhone application for the beginner.
After I spent a hard time making it, I released the first application in AppStore in half a year.

Mind-Reading
This application can read your mind.

Let’s see the video.

This application was downloaded for all over the world.
The total number of downloads is 50,000,  100 country
Unfortunately, I can’t make money because this application is free.
I remember that I felt so excitied and my world was broaden,
I felt like that I am someone special.

It’s not difficult technique to make this application.
The code is made of about 150 columns.
Anybody can make it.
But most people don’t.
Even though there are people with higher technical skills than I have, they don’t try to make it.

When I asked why they don’t try to release the application,
Most of them answerd
 “Why should I release a worthless application such as this?” 

Don’t mind them.

Make it ,
Release it.
That is very important.

This is true not only about the application, but also about making something and electric work.
If you make something, you should not leave that.

Exhibit !
For example,  MakerFaire.

That is important.



5 years ago.
It was 2016.
I was 46 years old.
I made iPhone application little by little.
At that time, I released 10 applications.

There were Kusoge Contest which the KAYAC company held.
KAYAC is very famous venture company in Japan.
Kusoge means “Junk game” in English.

I was very nervous.
Because I am not engineer.
I have never made the presentation to the developer.
and
I thought that everyone thinks
“Why do you come here? What do you do here?”.
I was very nervous to think that I should not participate in.


But my belief is “Just go for it!”

As a result, I got the first prize.

This news was put on the newspaper.
In addition, this news was picked up by the TV program hosted by Japanese famous comedian Mr. Shibata of “Untouchable”.
I think that this was the turning point.

My Kusoge, Junk game is this.


How many times can you turn during 30 sec?
Just that.
You see, it’s Kusoge, Junk Game.

Thanks to be Kusoge First prize winner,
It is easy involved to the community and the event for engineers.

To build on the momentum, I participated in Hackathons first time.
I have never participated in the Hackathons because I have no skill.  
I regarded Hackathons as the event which is particularly for the geek like this.

I was interested in, but I was nervous.
I thought that everyone thinks
“Why do you come here? What do you do here?”.
I was very nervous to think that I should not participate in.

But my belief is “Just go for it!”

Although I could not win something prize as a result of participating, it was very fun.

After this Hackathon,
Whenever  I hesitate to participate Hackathon,
I always remembered this belief “Just go for it!”



Last year ,It is 2017.
I was 47 years old.
I participated in Hackathons for the IoT, Internet Of Things.
This was picked up by local newspaper, and I could get to know the people who work in the venture company in Tokyo.
This participating helps current business so much, but I tell about this later.

In addtiion, I participated Space App Challenge that is hackathon used NASA open data.
After this Hackathon, Space App Challenge team planed to participate Maker Faire Tokyo.
I had never been participated Maker Faire at that time.
I had such an image for MakerFaire at that time.


I was very nervous to think that I should not participate in.
I thought that everyone thought
“Why do you come here? What do you do here?”.

But “Just go for it!”

It was very much fun.

I met with “Gal Den” in Maker Faire.
They are very famous Maker group among Japanese Maker and Geek.

After that, I invited them to local event, and I held the party who only Geek gathered. 

GEEK NIGHT

It imitated AkiParty which is held every year in Akihabara.
It was very much fun.

By the way, while I spent a lot of time looking for the place to hold GEEK NIGHT,
I was asked to be a vocal in the live house, and I debuted in the band.


I wanted to play as a band when I was child, but I haven’t been related with a band for 48 years.
I never expected that my dream could come true.

In short, it is important to take some actions.
Somethings happened to you if you take some action.



To go back to the subject,
I was interested in MakerFaire after I participated in Maker Faire Tokyo.
As a result,  I went to Maker Faire Shenzhen last year.
My world broaden by Shenzhen where has been developed with the fastest speed in the world.



This year, It is 2018.
I was 48 years old.
Due to that, my colleague regarded me as the person who knows well about IT and IoT.
So I could join the big IoT business.
That business is “Hiroshima SAND BOX” which is AI / IoT demonstration platform project.
Total of 10 billions JPY have been supported for AI / IoT demonstration project for 3 years .
Now, there are no projects which are same scale as “Hiroshima SAND BOX” held by Japanese local governments except us.
The venture in Tokyo which I got to know in IoT Hackathons is involved in this project.
In addition, I provide the lecture for the local companies to introduce IoT.
My activities affect my career better.



This year August, I exhibited in Maker Faire Tokyo.

I have never touched Raspberry Pie and Arduino before last year.
I have never touched a soldering iron before half a year ago.
But I wanted to make something.
I wanted someone to show something I made like kusoge, Junk game.
I'm studying electric works on my own. 
reading a book, searching, moving hands, by trial and error as much as possible,
So I could exhibit something in MakerFaire Tokyo with my friends.
It was quit a lot of fun.





We decided to exhibit our works in oversea show.

So, we are here today.
I never expected two years ago that I would be here today.

See figure.




This is my lesson to you.

It is true that idea is important.
But more than that,

“Make”
“Release”
“Take some actions”

Your world is broaden.



Recently, I exhibited Kusoge, junk game in the local event which is similar to MakerFaire.
The children played my game in front of me.
One of the childen who played my game told me
“I want to make the game like you”.
I was very excited.
I hope that they will be respected person, and will tell “My life has changed to know the man who made the Kusoge, Junk game.



Paul Potts 、british singer.
He started to try audition when he was 37 years old.
Most people will thinks that he has a stupid dream in spite of he is 37 years old.

Colonel Sanders started business to sell fried cheken when he was over 60 years old.

Gram ma Moses 、American painter.
She started to paint the picture when she was 75 years old.
She held the personal  exhibition for the first time when she was 81 years old.
She was invited to the White house when she was 89 years old.

Ms. Wakamiya,
When she was 81 years old, she made smartphone application
and she was invited to Apple and United nation.

It’s not too late to start something new even if you are old.
Now is the youngest in the remained life.

After five years I don’t want to regret “I should have started five years ago,”

In addition, now it is easier to make something than the past.
It is possible to create electric works easily to use Raspberry Pie and Arduino.
It is possible to use laser cutter and 3D printer with low cost.
There are much information which we can find in internet.
There are many software programs and libraries in internet.


Everyone can be a Maker now.


It does not matter how old you are.
You only have to take some actions.



 “Just go for it!”





Thank you very much.