On Mon, 2009-03-30 at 16:20 -0400, Kevin Thorley wrote: > I just read this Wired article on "Hacker Spaces". > > http://blog.wired.com/gadgets/2009/03/hackerspaces.html > > Sounds pretty cool. I had talked to Josh about a similar idea for > teleworkers in the Burlington area, but this goes beyond the work > world and seems to be more about fun. Either way, it sounds like a > cool idea. Get some office space (Burlington seems like it would have > the largest draw, but I'm biased), hook up a good internet connection, > get some wifi, a few servers (Linux, of course) for running projects > on.... could be fun! The question is, would there be enough interest > from people to make it work? I assume it would have to work on a > membership basis, unless we were able to get a sponsor or two. > > Here is more information on Hacker Spaces. There are a few in Boston > and one in Montreal, but none in wonderful VT :( > > http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Hacker_Spaces > > This could also become a good place to hold local user group meetings. > > So, is anyone interested in pursuing the idea with me? At least to > get to the point to see if it would be feasible? > > Kevin
Not be the downer of the party, but there's a lot more to it then just getting some office space and a net connection. At Foulab we're constantly trying to recruit new members, which in a city the size of Montreal is still proving fairly difficult. There's a lot of folks that would "love to have a space" but are not/not able to pay for the space. I would HIGHLY recommend watching Nick Farr's talk on hackerspaces, from The Last HOPE this past summer.[2] It will give you a much better idea of what is required to make something like this work. As much as it *LOOKS* like a hacker hangout in techno heaven, in reality most spaces are run like *REAL* clubs with meetings, agendas, dues, the whole 9. This includes paperwork. :[ A hackerspace is really a shared workshop, so office space is generally unadvised. Also, it's a workshop, so office space isn't really where you want to be setting up a space, IMHO. Also, office space is typically expensive, while warehouse or basement space is generally not, or not as cheap. The other issue I see with a space in Vermont is the lack of centralized population. Sure, Burlington is a fine place to have a space, but is nearly inaccessible to anyone living outside of the northwest part of the state, which will make it harder to build a sustainable base of members with will be required for long term growth of the space. Speaking of members, a good space has a wide diversity of knowledge within it's members. At Foulab, nearly all of us know one or two programming languages, many of us have electronics and microcontroller experience, some of us are more artistic then technical, and finally some are just there to learn. Getting a bunch of geeks together for playtime might be fun, but generally the real purpose of any hackerspace is to further the spread of knowledge between it's members. Also, a diverse group will produce many more feasible and interesting ideas and concepts then s handful of one kind of geek. Foulab met weekly at a local cafe in Montreal for several months before enough interest was formed to pursue a lease for suitable space. While it is simple enough to throw a space together, building a sustainable, long term space is a bit more involved. If anyone is interested, I invite any and all of you to visit our space in Montreal. It's pretty easy to get to and there's plenty of beer and pizza to share. We have our weekly meetings Tuesday nights, which are generally open to interested parties. You can also check us out our Facebook group[3] and our IRC channel ##fou...@freenode. ~k [1] http://www.foulab.org [2] http://hopetracker.donthax.me/torrents/2600%20-%20The%20Last%20HOPE% 20(2008)%20-%20Building%20Hacker%20Spaces%20Everywhere%20-%20Your% 20Excuses%20are%20Invalid.mp4.torrent [3] http://www.facebook.com/home.php?#/group.php?gid=144161830009&ref=ts
