Minutes 04.03.13

Plottercutting in the hack lab

Notes from closing meeting
– morning lectures (low attendance) – suggestion for pre-registration
– seomra happy
– people found location (seomra hard to find)
– streams / season on topic
=> improve thematics / coherence
=> divide between thinking / tinkering / expressive workshops
(expressive arts / narrative art) (madness / dreams)
– potential to use IT shop after hours (on Quays) on Sundays for hackspace
– promotion needs venue locked down in advance
– ideally hacklab needs own space

List of folks interested in future events
– on Gareth’s preliminary post-mortem doc

Review of Last Week
– costs – need to workout from info in post mortem doc
– gareth thoughts – post mortem doc
– numbers registered / unregistered – include facilitators?
=> reg forms – 105
=> actual numbers – much higher – will need to estimate (perhaps twice reg)
– Space Conflicts –
=> bikes in the lecture room, bikes blocking access, cars blocking disabled access, audio intruding on downstairs events,
– Space Readiness –
=> need sixteen power extenders (had about half that) – to do laptops for talk
=> needed amplification for talks
=> need to be more safety aware
– sub facebook events didn’t work

Didn’t experience any theft / loss of goods

Hacklab underexpressed
– scope for more workshops
– i.e.: circuit bending, electronic recycling, computer repair, electrical DIY 101, what is hacking (people expressed misunderstanding of nature of hacking)
– 3 times the size would be ideal space – central table, tools area, net area, music area

What’s next
– lecture series – ongoing seasons
=> no need to rush
=> get review done first – as part of review, make it responsive
– include tool kit how to, cost
=> 1 day a week – if we can find appropriate spaces
– hack days – circuit bending workshop only needs one backpack full of stuff
– season of talks
=> need to check offered venue
– expressive / hack stuff need several hours
– future venues / events – 6 months to do another festival

Review of venue
=> seomra were great, but not ideal space
=> policy for controversial talks
=> confusion about which events / e.g.: workers party were related
=> confusion over us as a separate insitution
=> dedicated use (exclusive use)
=> on the other side, don’t want to alienate the activist community
=> We didn’t help the space sufficiently – although there were no major conflict

Preliminary Report
– Tom / Naomi have done data analysis (in G’Docs)
– Gareth has done post-mortem (in G’Docs)
– costs
– insets about workshops
– testimonials

Funding Applications
– Leargas – need euro partner
– AONTAS – provide metrics and budget – ask for advice from our partner org
– Social Entrepreneurs Ireland
– Dublin City Festivals Funding
– Science Gallery
– Arts Council – ask the lab (DCC) for advice

Advertising

Facebook was biggest source
Dublin event guide
AONTAS website / adult festival
Spirit radio

Contacts

We should send soft thanks emails to make contact with these.
– other relevant channels and partners
– Gareth email, AONTAS, Maynooth, Edge school,
– need to make a list for contacting

Toolkit
– build toolkit / info pack for regional pop-up version
=> structured dependencies for day / evening / week / permanent
=> scaled form
=> costs, procedures, protocol
=> will help us learn how to do this / what are our internal assumptions
=> review doc is first part of building toolkit / protocols
=> seb – different kids for hacklab – beginner, intermediate, advanced
=> costs associated with that – construct simple led on / off, intermediate – finger sensor, advanced – integrated circuit, e.g.: playing back audio sample
=> arduino workshop – with corporate sponsorship – eminantly fundable

Moving the meeting?
– advantage – under 18, better links intake from seomra, no cost
– trial meetings there – next 4 weeks – Mondays seems free – CONSENSED
– contact them via email – see if we can get room next MONDAY
– backup is library ar
– disadvantage – being perceived as seomra group

To do

Andrew – email for participants

Beginning report – Tom
Gareth – email seomra to ask for room, email faciliators
Costings – from post-mortem and Andrew
=> benefit in kind, budget, outcomes, content delivered – total hours from hack lab / workshops
Stats on footfall / registered users
Post blogs about some of our users – narrative arts / expressive arts
Get back to all email folks
Mass text thank you pointing to facebook / website

email out for testimonials – andrew will write

– email to lecturers to maintain contact – Gareth will write
– setting up a mailing list – Mailchimp