You guys should come up with a new technology and birth a new industry for Hampton Roads.
Totally agree! get involved with Innovate!HamptonRoads (website is under construction), the rebirth of the decade-old Hampton Roads Research Partnership. You can learn more here: http://bit.ly/Vision-Innovation
Also, heard http://MarioArmstrong.com at MODSIM World last night and he got a room of about 500 kids, teachers and parents stoked about STEM Education and how to get involved.
Plus two networking events on Oct 20 and 21: http://smartregion.org/2010/10/technology-workforce-meets-innovators-and-entrepreneurs/
Are you one of the many career technology professionals in the Hampton Roads region? Are you nervous as a result of the recent announcement by Defense Secretary Gates to “dis-establish” Joint Forces Command and drastically reduce the contractor workforce?
Almost a year into our hackerspace project. We've got around 19 members. We did a high altitude balloon launch against similar spaces around the world and ranked 5th. We've had visitors from Atlanta and Houston. Interns coming to NASA and other places came to visit us, because it's where they could go to find like minded individuals (there are location finders at sites like hackerspaces.org.)
We've hosted the 24 hour comics day, the only site in Virginia. The Ruby and Python programming groups meet monthly. We're starting to do more presentations with the HRGeeks II meetings, and I've been working hard to build out a multi-camera setup for recording the presentations.
There is a project or two underway that looks like it could really go commercial, as well.
Our lab consists of:
Two meeting areas and a chillout area with games. Full automation of A/V resources via touchscreen. Sound, video, media storage servers, all that kind of stuff.
Electronics work area including 20mhz and 500mhz oscopes, soldering irons and desoldering tools, breadboards, various component parts. Embedded boards from TI, ST, Motorola/Freescale, ARM, Xilinx and more.
Heavier tools including a laser engraver project, a CNC router project, a 3d printer project, drill press, band saw, chop saw, various tools. Projects mean they are under construction.
Computer lab includes RS/6000 AIX servers, Silicon Graphics host, DEC Alpha Host, A few PC systems, some Cisco hardware, Linksys hardware, various RF antennas, a Cray supercomputer (it's older and slow but real) and more.
There is some other work areas, and other stuff as well.
We're not really in competition with other incubators. All of our funding comes from the key holding members, $50 a month at a time. We don't really get much love from the local media. Our costs are pretty low, but it's still a challenge making it go.
We lost 4 people that were truly great this year. All relocated out of the area, even though they had jobs. They just got better ones. That kind of sucks. None were paying members, but they all were bright. The kind that build things.
Next challenge is the next years lease has a 30 day notice clause where we have to be out in 30 days. The spoken agreement was only if a specific tenant wants the building, but in the lease it says otherwise. Haven't signed it, but not a great feeling that they didn't honor what was said. We get a good rate (for us, but I think they overestimate how good the space would be for any other business in the world) and it will be a challenge coming up with a replacement. But I think some good could come out of moving. The way I see it, if something were to happen to the lab it would be savings to me and a loss for the community.
(I really need to take updated pictures, these don't do it justice. Sounds like a project for tomorrow.)
Oh wait, video I forgot about!
Video is a bit outdated. Furniture has mostly been all updated, all nicer tables now.
dude that place look sweet....ive always wanted to learn about unix, linux etc....want to learn web development as well. Seems like a cool place to be a sponge at
Almost a year into our hackerspace project. We've got around 19 members. We did a high altitude balloon launch against similar spaces around the world and ranked 5th. We've had visitors from Atlanta and Houston. Interns coming to NASA and other places came to visit us, because it's where they could go to find like minded individuals (there are location finders at sites like hackerspaces.org.)
We've hosted the 24 hour comics day, the only site in Virginia. The Ruby and Python programming groups meet monthly. We're starting to do more presentations with the HRGeeks II meetings, and I've been working hard to build out a multi-camera setup for recording the presentations.
There is a project or two underway that looks like it could really go commercial, as well.
Our lab consists of:
Two meeting areas and a chillout area with games. Full automation of A/V resources via touchscreen. Sound, video, media storage servers, all that kind of stuff.
Electronics work area including 20mhz and 500mhz oscopes, soldering irons and desoldering tools, breadboards, various component parts. Embedded boards from TI, ST, Motorola/Freescale, ARM, Xilinx and more.
Heavier tools including a laser engraver project, a CNC router project, a 3d printer project, drill press, band saw, chop saw, various tools. Projects mean they are under construction.
Computer lab includes RS/6000 AIX servers, Silicon Graphics host, DEC Alpha Host, A few PC systems, some Cisco hardware, Linksys hardware, various RF antennas, a Cray supercomputer (it's older and slow but real) and more.
There is some other work areas, and other stuff as well.
We're not really in competition with other incubators. All of our funding comes from the key holding members, $50 a month at a time. We don't really get much love from the local media. Our costs are pretty low, but it's still a challenge making it go.
We lost 4 people that were truly great this year. All relocated out of the area, even though they had jobs. They just got better ones. That kind of sucks. None were paying members, but they all were bright. The kind that build things.
Next challenge is the next years lease has a 30 day notice clause where we have to be out in 30 days. The spoken agreement was only if a specific tenant wants the building, but in the lease it says otherwise. Haven't signed it, but not a great feeling that they didn't honor what was said. We get a good rate (for us, but I think they overestimate how good the space would be for any other business in the world) and it will be a challenge coming up with a replacement. But I think some good could come out of moving. The way I see it, if something were to happen to the lab it would be savings to me and a loss for the community.
(I really need to take updated pictures, these don't do it justice. Sounds like a project for tomorrow.)
Oh wait, video I forgot about!
Video is a bit outdated. Furniture has mostly been all updated, all nicer tables now.
great story... would like to share on the regional blog and e-News can you send some new pics and any more info, links etc to my work email? Missy@HRP.org thx
4
mikeas, on 14 October 2010 - 09:02 AM, said:
