Tagged: makers booth

The Innovation Trail went to the Rochester Public Market last weekend - just days after Kodak filed for bankruptcy protection - to hear from you.

With all that's been written about the demise of Kodak, we wanted to capture the human side of the equation - in a city where Kodak still matters.

Why? Because for many thousands of Rochesterians Kodak is more than just a company.

Kevin Purdy makes connections.

When we sat down with the former editor of Gawker's Lifehacker blog at TEDxRochester in November 2011, he had just wrapped up organizing Buffalo's TEDx.

Purdy talked to us about what he's doing when he's not writing about tech, food and "Other Freelance Nonsense."

Top of the list: hooking people up (not like that).

Like the music? It's "The 19th letter - no words" by Buffalo-based Fourem.

Kodak may be struggling, but its legacy lives on in the Rochester community.

Did you or a family member work for the company? Did you grow up in the shadow of one of Kodak's plants? Did working at Kodak springboard you to a new career, or drag you from one Kodak town to another during your childhood?

Whatever your Kodak story, the Innovation Trail wants to hear it.

Eric Lee makes old computers new again. 

We met this high school student at BarCampRochester in October 2011, where he sat down with us in our listening booth.  Eric told us about how he unearthed an old iMac at his summer job, and then found a way to bring the iconic Apple machine into the modern age.

Like the music? It's Buffalo-based Fourem's "Voyage to the Center of the Lung."

Mike Centola makes AR-15 rifles, similar to the M16s that the military uses.

The Innovation Trail sat down with Centola in our listening booth at BarCamp Rochester in October 2011.  He told us that even though his Webster-based business manufactures weapons, he's not a hunter - he's an ASPCA and Lollypop Farm supporter. So he says when hunters come into his shop looking for parts or weapons, he keeps his opinions to himself.  

After all, for Centola, it's about being able to turn your hobby into a career.