Visiting Metrix
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Paul de Armond
Oct 1, 2010, 10:25:27 PM10/1/10
to bellingha...@googlegroups.com
My trip to Metrix and what I found there
On 10/1/10 I had to go to Seattle on some personal business. I had some time in the afternoon, so I dropped in on Metrix, the Seattle hackerspace at the north end of Broadway. It’s literally under the Deluxe Tavern, where I consumed a burger and brew.
Metrix is a small place. It’s about 12’ x 25’. There is a small work area near the door where they are setting up a small hobby-type lathe mill that might get CNC controls added to it. On the wall is a pegboard with various wire, cables and various electronic bits for sale. There is a glass front counter with more small parts for sale underneath it. Behind the counter are several shelves of mostly technical books. On the north side of the space is a 8x10 walled in space with a glass sliding door that houses the laser engraver/cutter. It is down, pending the installation of a new laser tube that just arrived. The laser is very much the heart of Metrix - more about that later.
Past the laser cutter, a very small room, barely a walk-in closet has the soldering station. It is a single-place work bench with a hot air station and a temp controlled soldering iron, power supply, various meters, an oscilloscope, etc. It has city-required ventilation for removing fumes.
Returning to the front of the space, the south side opposite the front counter is filled with an L-shaped workbench with seating for about a dozen people. The entire space is very full and cozy but not crowed.
Just past the workbench is the famous vending machine which is stocked with a variety of snack, electronic kits and parts. Food seems to be important because many people would rather be at Metrix than eating.
There were two people there and we talked about the space and their experiences getting it set up. One thing that came up repeatedly was the continuous interference from the City of Seattle planning and licensing departments. The space has to equipped with OSHA-level safety gear, protective enclosures, ventilation, etc. That was not nearly as expensive or as complicated as the process of getting the city’s ravenous and intrusive bureaucracy satisfied. For example, there were endless delays and $500 in fees for the city to determine that the laser engraver did not need to be licensed with the city. Got that? Great trouble and expense for the city to decide that it was none of their damn business. Once the waffle-butts got paid off, they went away. Since then, there hasn’t been any interference, but initially it consumed more time and work than any other part of putting the space together.
In the near future, they will double their space by expanding into the adjacent suite. They also are interested in getting more digitally-controlled tools like a ShopBot and a cnc milling machine. One tool they really wanted was a table saw. They have built a cnc-router for fabbing circuit boards by milling off the copper from a board. It is expected to be up and running real soon now.
They don’t etch boards there because the spent etchant is considered toxic waste and they would be buried in bureaucrats if they had any. Evidently, the disposal regulations for businesses are prohibitive for small enterprises. So, no etching.
The laser cutter is very much at the heart of Metrix. It’s a big draw and people are cutting all sorts of things on it: plywood, acrylic plastic, paper, cardboard and cloth. People spend a lot of time thinking up new and interesting things to cut up and make. Because of the safety regulations, the laser is in its own room. There is a cctv camera so everybody can watch from outside the room. It always draws a crowd when they are cutting, they told me.
Because of their location, most of their members get there by foot or bicycle. There’s not much parking around Broadway and there is a very high density of young people in the neighborhood. I told them a little about the feeble effort being made up here and also mentioned that we were initially a little old-fart-heavy (at least as far as Martin and myself go.) To which they replied that they very much wished they had a few old farts around the place. At which point, I bit my lip rather than saying the only sage old-fart advice I had was to move far away from somebody who says “I know what I’m doing” when doing something stupid or dangerous.
I asked what pointers they might have about things that worked for them. Here’s a sampling:
* Have long and regular open hours. They are open 12pm - 12am 7 days a week. This is important because a lot of people don’t fit into a narrow time slot.
* Have a cool tool like the laser cutter. It really is the central focus. It could be any neat tool, but the laser serves as a starting point for many different projects. They also get a lot of action around the 3D printers.
* Quick classes are a good way to bring people in. They’ve had good luck with Arduino classes making stuff on prototype shields (which don’t require soldering.) They are starting classes on 2D CAD for programming the laser cutter. They tried some transistor classes but found that was a little over people’s heads for starters. They plan on reintroducing the transistor classes later as people get up to speed. Robots are also taught using Arduinos, as is Arduino programming.
* Most people are building electromechancial stuff, but some people are finding new crafty-type uses for the laser cutter including jewelry and sewing projects using elaborately cut fabric.
They also said they’d welcome more visits. I promised if there was a group visit in the future, we’d rattle before we struck.
On 10/1/10 I had to go to Seattle on some personal business. I had some time in the afternoon, so I dropped in on Metrix, the Seattle hackerspace at the north end of Broadway. It’s literally under the Deluxe Tavern, where I consumed a burger and brew.
Metrix is a small place. It’s about 12’ x 25’. There is a small work area near the door where they are setting up a small hobby-type lathe mill that might get CNC controls added to it. On the wall is a pegboard with various wire, cables and various electronic bits for sale. There is a glass front counter with more small parts for sale underneath it. Behind the counter are several shelves of mostly technical books. On the north side of the space is a 8x10 walled in space with a glass sliding door that houses the laser engraver/cutter. It is down, pending the installation of a new laser tube that just arrived. The laser is very much the heart of Metrix - more about that later.
Past the laser cutter, a very small room, barely a walk-in closet has the soldering station. It is a single-place work bench with a hot air station and a temp controlled soldering iron, power supply, various meters, an oscilloscope, etc. It has city-required ventilation for removing fumes.
Returning to the front of the space, the south side opposite the front counter is filled with an L-shaped workbench with seating for about a dozen people. The entire space is very full and cozy but not crowed.
Just past the workbench is the famous vending machine which is stocked with a variety of snack, electronic kits and parts. Food seems to be important because many people would rather be at Metrix than eating.
There were two people there and we talked about the space and their experiences getting it set up. One thing that came up repeatedly was the continuous interference from the City of Seattle planning and licensing departments. The space has to equipped with OSHA-level safety gear, protective enclosures, ventilation, etc. That was not nearly as expensive or as complicated as the process of getting the city’s ravenous and intrusive bureaucracy satisfied. For example, there were endless delays and $500 in fees for the city to determine that the laser engraver did not need to be licensed with the city. Got that? Great trouble and expense for the city to decide that it was none of their damn business. Once the waffle-butts got paid off, they went away. Since then, there hasn’t been any interference, but initially it consumed more time and work than any other part of putting the space together.
In the near future, they will double their space by expanding into the adjacent suite. They also are interested in getting more digitally-controlled tools like a ShopBot and a cnc milling machine. One tool they really wanted was a table saw. They have built a cnc-router for fabbing circuit boards by milling off the copper from a board. It is expected to be up and running real soon now.
They don’t etch boards there because the spent etchant is considered toxic waste and they would be buried in bureaucrats if they had any. Evidently, the disposal regulations for businesses are prohibitive for small enterprises. So, no etching.
The laser cutter is very much at the heart of Metrix. It’s a big draw and people are cutting all sorts of things on it: plywood, acrylic plastic, paper, cardboard and cloth. People spend a lot of time thinking up new and interesting things to cut up and make. Because of the safety regulations, the laser is in its own room. There is a cctv camera so everybody can watch from outside the room. It always draws a crowd when they are cutting, they told me.
Because of their location, most of their members get there by foot or bicycle. There’s not much parking around Broadway and there is a very high density of young people in the neighborhood. I told them a little about the feeble effort being made up here and also mentioned that we were initially a little old-fart-heavy (at least as far as Martin and myself go.) To which they replied that they very much wished they had a few old farts around the place. At which point, I bit my lip rather than saying the only sage old-fart advice I had was to move far away from somebody who says “I know what I’m doing” when doing something stupid or dangerous.
I asked what pointers they might have about things that worked for them. Here’s a sampling:
* Have long and regular open hours. They are open 12pm - 12am 7 days a week. This is important because a lot of people don’t fit into a narrow time slot.
* Have a cool tool like the laser cutter. It really is the central focus. It could be any neat tool, but the laser serves as a starting point for many different projects. They also get a lot of action around the 3D printers.
* Quick classes are a good way to bring people in. They’ve had good luck with Arduino classes making stuff on prototype shields (which don’t require soldering.) They are starting classes on 2D CAD for programming the laser cutter. They tried some transistor classes but found that was a little over people’s heads for starters. They plan on reintroducing the transistor classes later as people get up to speed. Robots are also taught using Arduinos, as is Arduino programming.
* Most people are building electromechancial stuff, but some people are finding new crafty-type uses for the laser cutter including jewelry and sewing projects using elaborately cut fabric.
They also said they’d welcome more visits. I promised if there was a group visit in the future, we’d rattle before we struck.
charles porter
Oct 2, 2010, 1:05:06 PM10/2/10
to bellingha...@googlegroups.com
I'm up for a visit down there. I'd like to get into some arduino stuff. I've seen some really cool DIY remote arduino drones.
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Amal Graafstra
Oct 2, 2010, 2:27:28 PM10/2/10
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Very nice reconnaissance mission Paul :)
I got the feeling from the article I read, which was backed up by your report, that Metrix was more of a business than a club or group. Nothing wrong with that, but it requires a bit more control and effort to set up. Things like business licenses, bookkeeping, taxes, city permits, etc. It also changes the dynamic a bit from a group of people donating their time and equipment to each other to more of an accounting of resources and expenses type situation. Just something to think about if the bham hackspace is considering following their model.
Amal
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rbisping
Oct 2, 2010, 4:22:55 PM10/2/10
to bellinghamhackspace
nice writeup and im hoping that we can get some nifty stuff set up to
draw people in. Also the broad open ours realy is a must too and its
something ive been a little concerned about with reelectronics but I
figure once we are set up and integrated with them we should be able
to make the hackerspace hours be whatever we need them to be.
as for arduino, i have a ton of them sitting around for us to get
started working with, I may bag up a few and drag them down for some
classes soon.
On Oct 2, 10:05 am, charles porter <cporter1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm up for a visit down there. I'd like to get into some arduino stuff. I've
> seen some really cool DIY remote arduino drones.
>
> > bellinghamhacks...@googlegroups.com<bellinghamhackspace%2Bunsubsc...@googlegroups.com>
> > .
>
> - Show quoted text -
draw people in. Also the broad open ours realy is a must too and its
something ive been a little concerned about with reelectronics but I
figure once we are set up and integrated with them we should be able
to make the hackerspace hours be whatever we need them to be.
as for arduino, i have a ton of them sitting around for us to get
started working with, I may bag up a few and drag them down for some
classes soon.
On Oct 2, 10:05 am, charles porter <cporter1...@gmail.com> wrote:
> I'm up for a visit down there. I'd like to get into some arduino stuff. I've
> seen some really cool DIY remote arduino drones.
>
> > .
> > For more options, visit this group at
> >http://groups.google.com/group/bellinghamhackspace?hl=en.- Hide quoted text -
>
> - Show quoted text -
Paul de Armond
Oct 4, 2010, 10:07:59 AM10/4/10
to bellinghamhackspace
The feeling of Metrix was like a drop-in center or a coffee house.
Sort of like Stewart's back when they were still in business or the
original Food Co-op when it was in Fairhaven. They have to pay the
rent and they are doing it in a very social way. It's a hangout.
The open hours are an issue in my case because I work a split week
with Weds and Sun off. Evening hours are about my only possibility.
I think there are opportunities for getting something going with the
Radio Museum and MindPort. They are sympatico. The Radio Museum has
space that would work for classes, just like the Media911/Metrix/
Dorkbot collaboration on classes. They had a really nice art show for
science-based art last spring that was well attended. I never saw so
many young nerds and nerdettes in one place before. There's obviously
some sort of social change going on around tech.
If you haven't been to the Radio Museum or Mindport, go take a look.
Sort of like Stewart's back when they were still in business or the
original Food Co-op when it was in Fairhaven. They have to pay the
rent and they are doing it in a very social way. It's a hangout.
The open hours are an issue in my case because I work a split week
with Weds and Sun off. Evening hours are about my only possibility.
I think there are opportunities for getting something going with the
Radio Museum and MindPort. They are sympatico. The Radio Museum has
space that would work for classes, just like the Media911/Metrix/
Dorkbot collaboration on classes. They had a really nice art show for
science-based art last spring that was well attended. I never saw so
many young nerds and nerdettes in one place before. There's obviously
some sort of social change going on around tech.
If you haven't been to the Radio Museum or Mindport, go take a look.
Amal Graafstra
Oct 4, 2010, 5:18:57 PM10/4/10
to bellingha...@googlegroups.com
Good point. I really think that approach could work in downtown
Bellingham. I miss Stuarts, and to have something even remotely close to
what Stuarts used to be, but with a laser cutter or something equally
impressive in the back... that would just be amazing.
Bellingham. I miss Stuarts, and to have something even remotely close to
what Stuarts used to be, but with a laser cutter or something equally
impressive in the back... that would just be amazing.
Amal ;)
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charles porter
Oct 4, 2010, 10:48:05 PM10/4/10
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If I ever get this touch table built we can use it in the space for working with and letting people play around with the different cool looking apps. Check out the http://.nuigroup.com site. go to their TV page at http://nuigroup.com/tv. That might help a little, and I just really want to make the dam thing LOL.
Porter
Porter
Martin Passmore
Oct 13, 2010, 5:41:26 AM10/13/10
to bellingha...@googlegroups.com
On Fri, Oct 1, 2010 at 7:25 PM, Paul de Armond <paul...@gmail.com> wrote:
My trip to Metrix and what I found there
I made a point of checking out Metrix after hearing this piece on KUOW on Jan 21 this year:
http://www.kuow.org/program.php?id=19225
I really liked the people and their energy, and that, rare for the tech world, women felt valued there (this seems to confirm Paul's remark about the nerd scene here locally). I think Matt is a modest fellow with great gifts and a lot of gumption.
I looked for some sign of Willow Brugh's Jigsaw Renaissance, down by Spokane St I think, but I couldn't find it.
I can confirm that parking on Cap Hill is dreadful--I once spent a few nights driving cab in the area. There used to be free back-in parking east of the park on 11th St, but I think it is metered now, and that's still a fair hike to B'way and Roy. If a group traveled together, an off-street pay-lot might be worth it, but I don't remember one nearby. And if you do happen to find unmetered vacant parking, you need to check the signs for neighborhood restrictions that require a resident's sticker--that can get really expensive.. (Even when you can find a meter it's $2-$3/hr or more; take a roll of quarters, and check for quitting time, if you can find it. It's not like SeaTac parking where if you are there less than half an hour it won't charge your credit card; last time I tried, I couldn't get a credit card to work in a street meter).
When I'm alone in Seattle now I mostly use the Park and Ride at 65 St (under the freeway) and take the 48 bus into the U district To get from there to Broadway I transfer to a 49. Both buses run about every 15 minutes. (Metrix is at the kink in Broadway by the lights at East Roy as you get into the commercial district going south). Of course, it's easy for me, I get the geriatric discount on the (electronic) ORCA card....Another way if you have time is to park (free) in Everett at the new transit center off of Pacific and take the 510 Sound Transit (which runs at least every hour between 5 am and 11 at night), and catch the 49 at Pike St, which saves both parking and the worst of the traffic. The most convenient place for printed transit info north of downtown is the University Bookstore lobby, on University Ave above 43rd. Anyone using Metro is advised to check the map in the schedule, because some of the routes use different streets coming and going. (Pike/Pine for the 49)
I see huge variations in the payment modes of different hackerspaces As we found with Relectronics, the economics are very different in a small town from what is possible in a big urban area like Portland or Seattle--if Metrix finds it hard to get classes going, 'Hamsters might have to be exceptionally creative. Perhaps small study groups meeting fairly regularly--sort of like book clubs--would provide mutual support for intensive learning work, and then it ought not to be too hard to find spaces to do some of at least the more basic hands-on stuff.
Part of the problem is the same as with any move ino a new mode: very few of us can know exactly what we want from any truly novel capability until we have actually used it for some time. So the problem condenses into defining the minimal step that allows for the best probability of the next critical insight. Often the most accessible path to a new plateau is to define the most blatant lack in the present--much like an entrepreneur defining the biggest hole in the market. For me that could translate into using my fortcoming period of enforced idleness to try once more to get some sort of grasp of programming.
I'm still not going to be able to participate much before the spring. Ill be very lucky if I get my fancy soil-geek project to v_0.1 before I get shut down by rain and the coming 5 lb lifting restriction....
cheers
martin
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