desijays
Member • Dec 31, 2011
Community labs
Hi. I'm a very old member here at Crazy Engineers, though I haven't been active that much at all. Its nice to see that crazy engineers has grown by leaps and bounds since the last time I came here. It is still very much active and I see that some of the old members are still around. Seems like nothing much has changed with CE labs though. The last time I visited CE, there were ongoing projects for a CE messenger and a Robot. I haven't gone through the threads related to those projects in detail, but it seems like they have been put on an indefinite pause for the mean time. It would be nice to restart some of those projects or maybe even propose some new ones.
Is there anyone from Chennai around here? I would like to start a community lab or in other words.. a 'hackerspace' in chennai. For those of you who are not familiar with a hackerspace, here are a few links,
#-Link-Snipped-#
Hackerspace
A hackerspace is a place that is very much similar to the crazy engineers website. If you are a member of CE, think about the things you do, whenever you login in to the website. You engage in discussions. You post messages on threads. You communicate with other members on the forum. You exchange knowledge and information and you also collaboratively work on projects like the CE messenger, CE linux or the CE robot. From time to time, as members of CE.. you have special events like small contests, quizzes and sometimes interviews with people who have accomplished something in some technical field. Apart from that, you post links to content on other websites where fellow CE'ans can learn and be introduced to new knowledge.
Maybe there are a lot more things happening here at CE than what I have mentioned. But I think, for the sake of brevity and to keep it simple, we can assume that what I mentioned above is what the majority of CE'ans do when they login to crazyengineers.com.
And, this is not very much different from what happens at a hackerspace. Everything is the same.
A hackerspace is a place where a community of people come together to share knowledge, exchange information, engage in discussions, work on projects together and also get help on projects that different people are working on. Many hackerspaces also have free classes on various topics taught by volunteers. But most importantly, in a hackerspace you have a much more higher sense of purpose because you interact with members face to face. There is more rapport between the various members of the hackerspace. If you think I'm suggesting an alternative to CE, then you are highly mistaken. Even in an hackerspace, it is inevitable that we will end up using some kind of forum to co-ordinate the various activities.
So, in brief, that is what a hackerspace is all about. Basically, we do the same things that we do here on CE. But.......But....
There is a big difference. The biggest difference is that.. in a hackerspace, you are presented with a variety of tools to work on any project. Say for example you are working on small scale windmill as a project, there are so many tools that you would require to realize your project. You might need different kinds of cutting tools, machining tools, milling tools, computing tools, power tools and so on and so forth. A good hackerspace will usually have all these tools and this is the biggest difference between a hackerspace and a forum on the internet. On the internet, we only keep talking and talking and talking and occasionally we "DO" something. In a hackerspace, there is more doing and comparatively less talking 😉 Compared to a forum, everything in a hackerspace is more action oriented. In a hackerspace, If you are interested in doing a project, simply start it. Use the tools at the hackerspace and if you need help you can ask the other members at the hackerspace. And if your project is interesting enough,.. other members might join in. That is how a hackerspace works. No restrictions. No limits. No constraints. No walls. The only limit to what you can do is your imagination itself.
So far, I told you what hackerspaces actually are. Now a little history about hackerspaces and WHY I want to create our own hackerspace.
Hackerspaces are a relatively new phenomenon. They have been around in Europe for quite a long time. But only now they are making a big presence in many other countries around the world including the US, China, Canada and some countries in South America. For such a big country as India, it is a shame that there are almost no hackerspaces like the ones found in the US. My friends, read the next paragraph carefully and think about what I say.
There are more than a billion people in India. We are almost a little less than 1/3rd of humanity. Do you know what that means? It means 1 in every 7 people in the world is an Indian. If we as a country are behind in anything....most of all technology, it cannot be good for the world and it definitely cannot be good for India. If you went through those websites I linked earlier, you will realize the kind of projects that the general public in other countries are doing in their hackerspaces. Let me give you an example. NYC Resistor in new york is working on 3D printers. Noise bridge in san francisco are working on steerable wheel chairs and some other projects. There are some hackerspace working on multitouch tables. And if you search google, you will find an article where the Department of Defense in the US has allocated a certain amount of money to allow members of hackerspaces to do research on how to make space flight cheaper and faster. And here is the best one. The one that I like... A german hackerspace called CCC is requesting the help of hackerspaces around the world to construct satellite base stations for controlling the flight of satellites in low earth orbit, so that it can provide internet access in times when the governments of various countries choose to censor the internet for various political or economical reasons. The premise behind the necessity for such a project is that "Information should be Free". "Knowledge should be free". And if the governments of various countries interfere in the ability of its citizens to acquire uncensored information, then something is wrong and something has to be done about it. And that is what the german hackerspace is doing.
Now think... As Indians, Why should we be left behind? In what way are we inferior compared to the west? Sometimes, I ask myself, "Do you really think something like hackerspaces will work in India?". My mind says "Nope. it won't work. In India you don't have that innovative culture like they have in the West. That is why they will always be ahead of you". But then my heart says "Start it. Don't think. Just do it. You are a country of a billion people. India should be richer than germany which only has 80 million people. It might not work right now. But it will work eventually. ANd for that you have to start NOW". This is what my heart says.. and so with that confidence in my heart and a sense of rationality in my mind, I put forth this idea of starting a hackerspace in Chennai.
To be honest...As a someone born and brought up in chennai it is only natural that I want to start a hackerspace in chennai. But I really think that everyone, wherever you are.. start a hackerspace in your locality. We can't count on the government to run our country the way we want it to be run. If we want India to be different, then we must make a conscious effort to make that change. One hackerspace somewhere in the interiors of Chennai is not going to change everything. But it is a start. We need hackerspaces in every major city in the country. They should be like cafes and clubs... omnipresent, here, there and everywhere. Don't worry about attracting any members. Those who share your vision and idea will join you no matter where they are. You know why? Because people identify with a cause. When we read some news saying that India lost the formula one race, no one really cares that much. But when we read some news about India losing a cricket match, the whole country will care..because cricket is something we identify with. Cricket is in our blood. And I believe the pursuit of knowledge, likewise should be in our blood. No person or country will respect us when we are powerless. Power comes with the ability to influence decisions. It comes with the ...
(continued in next post to bypass the 10000 character limit)
Is there anyone from Chennai around here? I would like to start a community lab or in other words.. a 'hackerspace' in chennai. For those of you who are not familiar with a hackerspace, here are a few links,
#-Link-Snipped-#
Hackerspace
A hackerspace is a place that is very much similar to the crazy engineers website. If you are a member of CE, think about the things you do, whenever you login in to the website. You engage in discussions. You post messages on threads. You communicate with other members on the forum. You exchange knowledge and information and you also collaboratively work on projects like the CE messenger, CE linux or the CE robot. From time to time, as members of CE.. you have special events like small contests, quizzes and sometimes interviews with people who have accomplished something in some technical field. Apart from that, you post links to content on other websites where fellow CE'ans can learn and be introduced to new knowledge.
Maybe there are a lot more things happening here at CE than what I have mentioned. But I think, for the sake of brevity and to keep it simple, we can assume that what I mentioned above is what the majority of CE'ans do when they login to crazyengineers.com.
And, this is not very much different from what happens at a hackerspace. Everything is the same.
A hackerspace is a place where a community of people come together to share knowledge, exchange information, engage in discussions, work on projects together and also get help on projects that different people are working on. Many hackerspaces also have free classes on various topics taught by volunteers. But most importantly, in a hackerspace you have a much more higher sense of purpose because you interact with members face to face. There is more rapport between the various members of the hackerspace. If you think I'm suggesting an alternative to CE, then you are highly mistaken. Even in an hackerspace, it is inevitable that we will end up using some kind of forum to co-ordinate the various activities.
So, in brief, that is what a hackerspace is all about. Basically, we do the same things that we do here on CE. But.......But....
There is a big difference. The biggest difference is that.. in a hackerspace, you are presented with a variety of tools to work on any project. Say for example you are working on small scale windmill as a project, there are so many tools that you would require to realize your project. You might need different kinds of cutting tools, machining tools, milling tools, computing tools, power tools and so on and so forth. A good hackerspace will usually have all these tools and this is the biggest difference between a hackerspace and a forum on the internet. On the internet, we only keep talking and talking and talking and occasionally we "DO" something. In a hackerspace, there is more doing and comparatively less talking 😉 Compared to a forum, everything in a hackerspace is more action oriented. In a hackerspace, If you are interested in doing a project, simply start it. Use the tools at the hackerspace and if you need help you can ask the other members at the hackerspace. And if your project is interesting enough,.. other members might join in. That is how a hackerspace works. No restrictions. No limits. No constraints. No walls. The only limit to what you can do is your imagination itself.
So far, I told you what hackerspaces actually are. Now a little history about hackerspaces and WHY I want to create our own hackerspace.
Hackerspaces are a relatively new phenomenon. They have been around in Europe for quite a long time. But only now they are making a big presence in many other countries around the world including the US, China, Canada and some countries in South America. For such a big country as India, it is a shame that there are almost no hackerspaces like the ones found in the US. My friends, read the next paragraph carefully and think about what I say.
There are more than a billion people in India. We are almost a little less than 1/3rd of humanity. Do you know what that means? It means 1 in every 7 people in the world is an Indian. If we as a country are behind in anything....most of all technology, it cannot be good for the world and it definitely cannot be good for India. If you went through those websites I linked earlier, you will realize the kind of projects that the general public in other countries are doing in their hackerspaces. Let me give you an example. NYC Resistor in new york is working on 3D printers. Noise bridge in san francisco are working on steerable wheel chairs and some other projects. There are some hackerspace working on multitouch tables. And if you search google, you will find an article where the Department of Defense in the US has allocated a certain amount of money to allow members of hackerspaces to do research on how to make space flight cheaper and faster. And here is the best one. The one that I like... A german hackerspace called CCC is requesting the help of hackerspaces around the world to construct satellite base stations for controlling the flight of satellites in low earth orbit, so that it can provide internet access in times when the governments of various countries choose to censor the internet for various political or economical reasons. The premise behind the necessity for such a project is that "Information should be Free". "Knowledge should be free". And if the governments of various countries interfere in the ability of its citizens to acquire uncensored information, then something is wrong and something has to be done about it. And that is what the german hackerspace is doing.
Now think... As Indians, Why should we be left behind? In what way are we inferior compared to the west? Sometimes, I ask myself, "Do you really think something like hackerspaces will work in India?". My mind says "Nope. it won't work. In India you don't have that innovative culture like they have in the West. That is why they will always be ahead of you". But then my heart says "Start it. Don't think. Just do it. You are a country of a billion people. India should be richer than germany which only has 80 million people. It might not work right now. But it will work eventually. ANd for that you have to start NOW". This is what my heart says.. and so with that confidence in my heart and a sense of rationality in my mind, I put forth this idea of starting a hackerspace in Chennai.
To be honest...As a someone born and brought up in chennai it is only natural that I want to start a hackerspace in chennai. But I really think that everyone, wherever you are.. start a hackerspace in your locality. We can't count on the government to run our country the way we want it to be run. If we want India to be different, then we must make a conscious effort to make that change. One hackerspace somewhere in the interiors of Chennai is not going to change everything. But it is a start. We need hackerspaces in every major city in the country. They should be like cafes and clubs... omnipresent, here, there and everywhere. Don't worry about attracting any members. Those who share your vision and idea will join you no matter where they are. You know why? Because people identify with a cause. When we read some news saying that India lost the formula one race, no one really cares that much. But when we read some news about India losing a cricket match, the whole country will care..because cricket is something we identify with. Cricket is in our blood. And I believe the pursuit of knowledge, likewise should be in our blood. No person or country will respect us when we are powerless. Power comes with the ability to influence decisions. It comes with the ...
(continued in next post to bypass the 10000 character limit)
