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June 2009

Like waiting for paint to dry....

29Jun2009

Well, I'm not sure if my project will be done by the 2nd of July.  The reason?  Paint!  It takes forever to harden to the point that it can be handled safely.  Argh.  It'll be done by the 9th, though...

DIY and DJs

Submitted by punkin on Mon, 2009-06-29 13:09
Date: 
Saturday, July 11, 2009 - 2:00pm
Location: 
Waterloo Public Square

They provide Beats, chill sounds and other inspiring musical interludes.

You bring your projects or start new projects and create for as long as you want to in this cool setting with lots of other creative people.

Knitting, drawing, sculpting, painting, writing, tinkering and more!

DIYs and DJs

28Jun2009

Hi all! For my first post over here, here's a newsflash from the person in charge of booking the new Waterloo Uptown square (who is very much a fan of what we're trying to make here; thinks we should book time in the square for hacker things).

DIY and DJs
Saturday July 11 2pm - 10PM
Waterloo Public Square
FREE!

We provide Beats, chill sounds and other inspiring musical interludes.

You bring your projects or start new projects and create for as long as you want to in this cool setting with lots of other creative people.

Knitting, drawing, sculpting, painting, writing, tinkering and more!

Let Tracy.Suerich@waterloo.ca know if you are interested in attending, and if you have any ideas to make this the most amazing day ever. They hope to get over 200 people out over the course of the day.

Vote "MakeBox" for our hackerspace name

26Jun2009

makebox_logo

Vote for "MakeBox" as our hackerspace name.
 
Here's a potential logo
 
Vote here (http://makekw.org/hackerspace/polls/name).  You can change your vote with the "Cancel your vote" button.
 
Imagine the t-shirts!  ;-)
 
Update: and at Katchan's excellent request, some design rationale:
 
MakeBox:
  • is concise
  • is easy to pronounce/spell/understand verbally
  • offers a balanced symmetry of hard consonant "k" sounds in both syllables that is both strong and memorable
  • is descriptive, employing "make": the primary purpose of the space and "box": the fundamental shape of any room in which we'll work
  • suggests simple and powerful graphics for logos and other materials representing our identity.  Easily rendered at a variety of resolutions and colours
  • links conceptually to our home workspaces, full of boxes that are full of parts to fuel the making
     
DW

Board of Directors Nominations

Submitted by punkin on Fri, 2009-06-26 14:38

We are now happy to accept your nominations for the [Unamed Hackerspace] Board of Directors. If you know of a candidate who has the ENERGY & the PASSION to help build an AWESOME and SUSTAINABLE hackerspace, then we want their name! We want 7 names, in fact. The actual Board will be elected at our General Meeting, on July 9.

This person will help instate our corporation, draft our by-laws and policies, and do all the heavy lifting necessary so that the rest of us can get on with the good stuff.

The Board of Directors will also choose from among its members a President, Secretary, and Treasurer.

Nominees must be paid members by the time of our General Meeting (July 9) -- they can pay for their membership at the meeting. They must also be over 18 years of age, a permanent resident of Canada, and not have declared bankruptcy in the past 7 years.

We'll be accepting nominations, now through Friday July 3. You can nominate your candidate by adding their name, and a brief description of why you think they would make a good Director, below.

And yes, you can nominate yourself.

If you have any questions about the specific responsibilities & liabilities of the Board of Directors, you are welcome to join the admin mailing list, or bring your questions to our July 2 social.

We also STRONGLY recommend that all candidates read Volunteer Canada's article on Directors' Liability.
 

 

Outdoor work day!

26Jun2009

The wood for the play structure was delivered promptly at 8 am this morning.  I must say again how impressed I am with Home Hardware - if you need building supplies, go there!  It's SO much better than Home Depot.  They have this thing called "service" and on top of that the wood was cheaper!  Go figure.  So yeah - I'll head out and grab the rest of the hardware I need this morning, as well as some tools and stuff (a blade for ripping PT boards, a wood auger bit, bolts, screws, etc).  Then I can get started today!

 

As for my guitar refinishing, the sanding step went as easily as expected.  My Mouse sander handily removed the last layer of paint, leaving a nice smooth wood layer underneath.  Once I make some mods to the body it'll be ready to paint!

General Maker Meeting Announcement

24Jun2009

G'day folks! It's been a while since we had a general maker meet (last one being early May at Zekes), and we figure there's no time like the present (or rather.. July 2nd!)

Where: The Cavern, Huether Hotel (http://www.huetherhotel.com/)
When: July 2nd, 2009 @ 7:30pm - close

Feel free to bring your latest projects to show off while we enjoy fine dining, mingling, and of course an exceptional selection of drinks. For those who haven't been able to make it previously, nows your chance to get in on the awesome. Name tags will be provided  ;)

The admin group will also be accepting initial hackerspace membership fees ($100) from anyone who'd like to get on board before the big July 9th general meeting (or for those who can't make it). For more info, click here. Most of the admin group will be there to answer any questions in person as well.

Hope to see you there!

General Maker Meeting!

Submitted by Doc on Wed, 2009-06-24 23:33
Date: 
Thursday, July 2, 2009 - 7:30pm
Location: 
The Cavern @ The Huether Hotel, Waterloo

G'day folks! It's been a while since we had a general maker meet (last one being early May at Zekes), and we figure there's no time like the present (or rather.. July 2nd!)

Where: The Cavern, Huether Hotel (http://www.huetherhotel.com/)
When: July 2nd, 2009 @ 7:30pm - close

Feel free to bring your latest projects to show off while we enjoy fine dining, mingling, and of course an exceptional selection of drinks. For those who haven't been able to make it previously, nows your chance to get in on the awesome. Name tags will be provided  ;)

The admin group will also be accepting initial hackerspace membership fees ($100) from anyone who'd like to get on board before the big July 9th general meeting (or for those who can't make it). For more info, click here. Most of the admin group will be there to answer any questions in person as well.

Hope to see you there!

General Maker Meeting - July 2nd

Submitted by Doc on Wed, 2009-06-24 23:30

Where: The Cavern, Huether Hotel (http://www.huetherhotel.com/)
When: July 2nd, 2009 @ 7:30pm - close

Feel free to bring your latest projects to show off while we enjoy fine dining, mingling, and of course an exceptional selection of drinks. For those who haven't been able to make it previously, nows your chance to get in on the awesome. Name tags will be provided  ;)

The admin group will also be accepting initial hackerspace membership fees ($100) from anyone who'd like to get on board before the big July 9th general meeting (or for those who can't make it). For more info, click here. Most of the admin group will be there to answer any questions in person as well.

Hope to see you there!

How fortunate!

24Jun2009

I began stripping the paint off this old guitar after the baby went to bed.  I was pleased to find that the thick paint chipped off very easily with nothing more than a sharp 1" chisel.  In fact, some pieces that flaked off were half the size of a 5 dollar bill!  With the hard, glossy top layer gone, all that's left is a much softer base coat.  It will sand off very easily with a palm sander, I think.

 

I'm really glad this is working so easily, as I was dreading having to use heat or chemicals.  I also had time tonight to fill in some of the holes that will no longer be needed, by gluing in dowels.  The dowels will be trimmed flush with the body when the glue is dry.