Is that an open source tech co-op I see starting in Austin?
Bryan Bishop
over to diybio and om etc. Keep doing what you're doing if you want to
be involved! :-)]
Hey Les,
I figure it is time for an update from my end. A few weeks ago I went
up to Los Angeles to present on SKDB, software to help run
hackerspaces, fablabs, techshops and mensheds, the "download open
source hardware over the web" concept that fenn and I were working on.
We presented and it went over well. There are some videos up on
youtube from it. They are high-level, broad-overview videos, so they
don't demo what the software is doing these days. For the linux
developers reading this, we're doing apt-get for hardware.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-n39RK4inzg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3S9z6H_EFqQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Edl6uFn3_g4
So. I've been throwing together an open source hardware co-op. The
idea here is very simple: leverage as many people in all of the
hackerspaces, machine shops, techshops, sheds, spaces, labs, against
the "pain point" of making and building things. The "pain point" in
particular is the problem of planning out what parts you need, how
you're going to get them, whether you're going to build them yourself
or buy them from somewhere, how to make them, how to make your
project. In the presentations, I made this comparison to the debian
community, and mentioned how they used package maintainers to leverage
the pain and frustration that users felt when installing software and
getting it to run on their computers. Same with the co-op: so far it's
shaping up to be made of SKDB package maintainers, and anyone trying
to do the same in different/similar ways. Legal presence is baking.
The reason that was possible for debian was because of open source--
same thing here. We're not about fancy, overly-verbose licenses, this
community is about doing. So, let some hardcore people handle all the
complicated crap, and then let everyone else focus on what they wanted
to be doing in the first place- getting stuff done, building cool
projects, etc., via leveraging that unprecedented explosion of open
source hardware, biohacking, DIY buzz, etc. Without compromise.
We met up with Marcin Jakubowski, and he reminded us that our primary
original mission was to make a self-replicating machine/lab. So, one
of the projects of the co-op that we are thinking about is an SMT
pick-and-place machine. And wiring that up to the internet with a
giant "order" button and a PCB schematic uploader too. The plan would
be that we develop this hardware project in different locations- so
Marcin up in Missouri would work on it, peeps down in Austin might
want to work on it too, etc. Part of the profits from its operation
would go back into the co-op to buy new equipment, hardware, tools.
Another portion of it would go back to whatever locale invested in it
originally (so for instance, a particular shop). Selling/producing a
cheap American-made SMT machine is another biggie. The original idea
of selling kits is still a big one in my mind, but the question is
"which kits", and it's better to distribute that question across the
co-op membership anyway.
Marcin Jakubowski has been working on Factor E Farm. His talk:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GpGyDjvTqaQ
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=o2mzNhQG0ug
When fenn and I went up to California, fenn decided to stay around for
a while, so he's exploring noisebridge, langton labs, a few other
hackerspaces, hanging out. He's not back yet. But he's hung out in a
noisebridge IRC channel and noticed some guy named Martyn talking
about your shop.. anyway, it's kind of weird because Martyn seems to
be on the same page as us for these technologies and ideas. He says
that he's trying to convince you of the "collective" idea. :-) And the
idea of letting in other people as space and activity permits. :-)
I think we're almost hitting the threshold for some serious action and
fantastic results. Anyway, I just wanted to let you know that I've
been working on things, and that main time synch has been eliminated,
so I'm much more available. Btw, we need to get James Jones of
CubeSpawn (standardized form factors for manufacturing equipment) up
here sometime (he's fairly south of Austin).
http://openmanufacturing.org/
http://replab.org/
I'm sending this out to the mailing lists too because I haven't been
keeping everyone updated and on the same page.
Let's do lunch soon? There's a lot more in the pipeline that I haven't
mentioned.
Bryan Bishop
> It looks like some building will be done over the holidays, so the lack of
> availability of physical space can no longer be considered an obstacle for
Neat.
> anyone who wants to be involved in a true Austin hacker space. If anyone is
> interested in space let me know. And Bryan, let's have lunch Tuesday or
> later, your choice. Lots to discuss.
Okay, Tuesday it is.