I knew we that we were in for something unusual when the traffic on Highway 101 came to a dead standstill a mile before the turnoff to the San Mateo County Fairgrounds. Last weekend was the third annual Maker Faire, an eclectic gathering spun off from Make magazine, the voice of the so-called Do It Yourself or DIY movement.

Trying to explain the two-day event is far too difficult — this year it spanned everything from bonsai to Babbage. It has been described as Martha Stewart meets “Blade Runner.” Or maybe the Renaissance Faire meets the West Coast Computer Faire.