Hackerspaces • Hacker News Board

Re: Hackerspaces

#41

Post by ahoyhere » Sun, Dec 28, 2008, 12:55 PM UTC

This has strong parallels to the coworking movement. Most of the coworking spaces offer drop-ins at a day rate, and the chief bonus is the support of the community (not just getting out of the house). All the prominent ones are self-sustaining.

Linkies:

http://coworking.pbwiki.com/

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Coworking

http://blog.coworking.info/

And two spaces run by two of my very best friends: Indy Hall in Philly (http://independentshall.com/) and New Work City in NYC (http://www.nwcny.com/).

Indy Hall is especially interesting wrt the hackerspaces post because it has a fascinating project/LLC called Indy Hall Labs (http://labs.indyhall.org/) set up to handle collaborations between IH members.

Re: Hackerspaces

#42

Post by ahoyhere » Sun, Dec 28, 2008, 1:00 PM UTC

Also, as an American transplanted in Vienna, I am very much not surprised to see that Austria leads the list with per-capita hackerspace density.

One of the interesting elements (that I suspect nobody here on Hacker News will mention) is government support.

As somebody else said, coworking kinda follows the gym membership model and hackerspaces are by nature more transitory, ephemeral, and more likely to "just go away" if people "wander off."

Austria, and the city of Vienna specifically, set aside a fairly significant budget for supporting local cultural projects and ones that advance Austria/Vienna in socio/economic/cultural ways.

Thus, for example, metalab has a primo location right by the Rathaus (city hall) that they could never afford if the city didn't support them. And Net Culture Lab is in the MuseumsQuartier, the very apex of hip govt-funded culture.

Re: Hackerspaces

#43

Post by wallflower » Sun, Dec 28, 2008, 6:28 PM UTC

iamdave wrote: post #9

Anon84 wrote: post #8

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Isn't that what coffee shops are for?

On paper, yes. Coffee shops are less focused. Plus, you don't have to worry about being asked to buy something or leave.

It is awkward to carry your laptop with you to the loo. Sometimes you can trust someone when you ask them but think about what a frustration it would be if you came back and it was gone.

Re: Hackerspaces

#44

Post by alphabet » Mon, Dec 29, 2008, 9:53 PM UTC

ahoyhere wrote: post #42

Also, as an American transplanted in Vienna, I am very much not surprised to see that Austria leads the list with per-capita hackerspace density. One of the interesting elements (that I suspect nobody here on Hacker News will mention) is government support. As somebody else said, coworking kinda follows the gym membership model and hackerspaces are by nature more transitory, ephemeral, and more likely to "just go awa…

True, there is a annual budget for digital arts and culture from the administration of Vienna and the Metalab gained some funding. Of course this helped/helps to GTD faster (e.g. renovation work) but our hackerspace was founded without this perspective and is designed with the idea of base financing by membership fees - and I can assure you that this is how we still handle it. The Net Culture Lab you mention in contrast to our community-drived space is financed by the biggest Austrian telco, a quite different approach but we believe in plurality and welcome alike initiatives.

Re: Hackerspaces

#45

Post by sabat » Tue, Dec 30, 2008, 3:39 AM UTC

rtw wrote: post #40

sabat wrote: post #24

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's not cynicism. It's just pessimism.

I disagree entirely. If I was pessimistic I wouldn't have met and talked to anyone. It was instead the opposite situation. Eventually I couldn't attend all my usual spots to get any work done because there were too many relationships there (both the good and the toxic).

I am not sure that word means what you think it means.

Re: Hackerspaces

#46

Post by rtw » Wed, Jan 07, 2009, 4:34 AM UTC

sabat wrote: post #45

rtw wrote: post #40

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I disagree entirely. If I was pessimistic I wouldn't have met and talked to anyone. It was instead the opposite situation. Eventually I couldn't attend all my usual spots to get any work done because there were too many relationships there (both the good and the toxic).

I am not sure that word means what you think it means.

You can be quite sure I know exactly what the word means.

Re: Hackerspaces

#47

Post by kragen » Tue, Jan 13, 2009, 8:29 AM UTC

noahlt wrote: post #29

catch23 wrote: post #26

Earlier quoted context omitted.

probably all those people running coworking facilities. There are people who pay, and there are those who just show up and mooch. But somehow they're able to stay alive. In SF, there's the Hat factory & Citizen Space. I've only been to Citizen Space as a non-paying resident, but it amazes me how those places manage to survive in general.

So, if I understand correctly, there's basically no difference between "hackerspaces" and "coworking facilities". Except maybe that coworking facilities already exist and work.

Here's what Jake Appelbaum, one of the Noisebridge founders, said about this discussion:

There are huge differences. Noisebridge, a 501c3 in San Francisco, is tangentially related to the so-called "hackerspaces" movement. Coworking is a gym, Noisebridge is a community. Coworking spaces are quiet places to do your day job. Noisebridge is a place to learn why your kernel module isn't working by talking to the person to your left. The person to your left just happens to be a kernel hacker and she is totally happy to talk to you; she's there for both social and technical reasons.

It's a safe space for asking questions and it's a safe space to find the answers together.

It's the kind of place where you drag a safe in off of the street and learn how to crack it. Because you're spending your spare time with ten other people interested in understanding mechanical locks, it will open.