[SGVHAK] Hackerspaces and LA Makerspace Grand Opening

[Lan Dang]

Hi all,

There has been some chatter off-list about hackerspaces and either finding one or founding one to serve the San Gabriel Valley.

It's
 a discussion I hope to continue at the next SGVHAK meeting (Feb 7th).  
It's happening at a good time because there are local hackerspaces that are trying to form, or have just opened.  We can really learn from them.

There is Deezmaker, the 3D printer shop on Hill St. near 210 Freeway.  I think that things have settled down enough that we can start asking about how the Deezmaker hackerspace would work.  I am arranging an SGVHAK meeting at Deezmaker for Saturday, Feb 9th.  More in subsequent e-mail.

Another hackerspace is the LA Makerspace, which is having their grand 
opening party on Saturday, Feb 2nd.  I was a little bummed to find out it was an invitation-only event for their Kickstarter backers. They appear to be very active with lots of events and classes, so it's worth checking them out.

The LA Makerspace is an effort 
spearheaded by Tara Tiger Brown, who is the wife of one of the 
Crashspace founders.  She wanted a kid-friendly hackerspace that was closer to where she lived.  They started out with meetups and hosting events at various venues.  They were very conscious about being a self-sustaining organization, so they charged for the meetups and classes that they would offer.  I had not been paying close attention, but apparently, they applied for grants and sponsorships and even went the Kickstarter route.

They now have a hackerspace in downtown Los Angeles.  Unfortunately, I think it's even further away than NullSpace Labs.  LA Makerspace is on the 11th floor of the LA Mart building at 1933 S. Broadway, which is not too far from the Fashion District and close to the Blue Line.

Here are the relevant websites:

LA Makerspace website & membership rates
http://lamakerspace.com/
http://lamakerspace.com/membership/

The Kickstarter campaign
http://www.kickstarter.com/projects/tara/los-angeles-makerspace-a-family-friendly-innovatio

Interview with Tara Tiger Brown about LA Makerspace
http://www.socaltech.com/creating_a_culture_of_diy_hacking_with_tara_tiger_brown_and_la_makerspace/s-0047194.html


Lan
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