Meeting Notes 2015 06 02

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These are the notes from the The 361st Meeting of Noisebridge. Note-taker: Kevin; Moderators: Steve.

  • One or two bullet points of high-level meeting summary.
  • Submission eviction
  • Camera on the server rack

Introductions[edit]

Noisebridge is a 501c3 nonprofit that provides a space for creation, collaboration, and learning about technology and creative projects. Noisebridge provides space, power tools, and infrastructure to help the public learn new skills and create cool things. Noisebridge continues to exist through and depends entirely on membership fees and donations. Our code of conduct is 'Be excellent to each other'."

  • Introduce any experimental or unusual moderation techniques that may be using during the meeting like: direct responses, limited speaking time, orderless stack, &c.
  • Round of introductions (remember, announcements come later):
    • What's your name
    • What do you do
    • What do you maintain at Noisebridge?
    • if you are new: how did you hear about Noisebridge?
  • Steve - theorhetical physicist
  • Kevin - tired notetaker
  • Becca - student at CCSF, third time here
  • Monda - hanging out
  • Francis - I'm three months old
  • Joe - developer, break things build things
  • Louis - two//three years, work with Lifex bulbs, programming
  • Jade - neurohacking meetup on Wednesdays at 8pm
  • Zahra - web design, development, working on immigration and tech
  • Chucho - fulltime artist and neighbor @ Submission -- have an eviction notice, fighting it
  • Dan - coming a couple years, programmer, neurohacking on wednesdays
  • Signal aka General Populous- you may or may not have seen me dressed as a vulture
  • Patrick - software engineer, work on infrastructre at Noisebridge
  • Torrie - crazy cat lady, been coming since before today


Short announcements and events[edit]

  • Cool new projects? Something you'd like people to know? Say now, but keep it short!
  • Any happenings at the space of which members should be made aware.
  • Don't hog everyone's time since we all just want to hack!
  • Tomorrow at 7:30pm in Church room, Art and Technology meetup, will meet everyother week, looks like it will be interesting. Will overlap with neurohacking tomorrow, art, entrainment, blinking light art. details.
  • Tomorrow at 7:00pm, event on immigration and tech. Build tech tools and work through political channels to support the immigrant community. details.
  • 5MoF June 18, third Thursday, 8:00pm. Ooops!

Membership Binder [edit]

  • Invite a knowledgeable volunteer to describe membership, and the application process.

Being a member of Noisebridge is not like being a member of a gym or your local chess club. Anyone can come to Noisebridge to hack and learn: you don't need to be a member for that. At Noisebridge, membership is something different: it means taking responsibility and committing to help to maintain, improve, and govern Noisebridge. As a member of Noisebridge, you don't just come here to hack and learn, you actively work to improve what you see around you, help to deal with problems, and make this community and space better than it is today.

  • Read off any names from the binder for the past month. Mark down a check or other indicator on every open application to keep track of how many weeks they've been read out.
  • Anyone eligible to join this week should
    • introduce themselves,
    • answer any questions members may have for them, then
    • leave the area in search of gifts (traditionally beer and a lime, or cookies) for the rest of the group.
  • The rest of the meeting should reach consensus on whether they may join.
  • Remember to applaud new members when they return.
  • Trent Robbins - week 1 teachs python class at noisebridge
  • Merridith Baker - week 2 teaches soundhacking

Financial Report[edit]

  • Funds in bank: $28,173.03 -- just paied rent and monthy expenses -- serviced the fire extinguishers
  • Noisetor (See the bulletpoints at the bottom of http://noisetor.net/finances/#summary): ~$10,000 or the $28k
  • Any other details by those participating in handling our financials

Consensus and Discussion[edit]

  • invite a knowledgeable volunteer to give a brief primer on consensus process
  • It is important that everyone in attendance understands at least:
    • Blocking with verbalized principled objections.
    • Why we use consensus over other approaches to decision making.
    • How consensus isn't a legislative process
    • Why consensus isn't applicable to some things like conflict resolution, resolution of time sinks, and the like.

Proposals from last week [edit]

(Add any items which are consensed upon or someone has raised a principle objection for to the Consensus Items History page.)

Proposals for next week [edit]

(Add any new items for consensus to the Current Consensus Items page.)

Discussion Items[edit]

Submission Eviction[edit]

Chancho: Eviction notice set for June 15th. Would like to have an event on June 27th to raise money.

Andy: Challenges of hosting pay-to-enter events at Noisebridge. Will have to accommodate folks that come and want to use the space.

Zahra: We have some tech to resist gentrification.

Steve: There's a fundraiser show for Submission on Facebook this Friday. Is this the event?

Chancho: Yes, that is happening.

Andy: What is it that we can do?

Chancho: Planning to have a dance party on pride weekend.

Louis: It would be cool to help Submission.

Steve: How much money do you need to raise?

Chancho: Main problem with landlord, we had a verbal agreement that he says we never had regarding rent hikes.

Steve: Out on the 15th? Or out unless you can raise money for the rent?

Chancho: Out. To keep talking the landlord wants $40,000. Been fighting this since September. We have secured construction permits, but now the landlord wants us out. We have lawyers working on it.

Dan: If planning for the worst, June 27th event will not be a celebration. Could focus the event on what we can do now. Turning a cornor and regrouping. Sober reflection and planning what can be done to keep Submission open. Would be good to be able to have an event as a quiet gathering of friends. We are not really setup for a dance party at Noisebridge. Pride is huge, and if promoted, could probably fill the whole block. Get support for Submission, get people talking. Can definetly raise funds. Music, dancing and something more.

Patrick: You mentioned construction. Requirement to continue the lease? Could Noisebridge donate time?

Chancho: At this point we need to take care of the landlord, seems like he wants us out. Have been there 10 years. City was asking for a 2nd emergency exit. I think it's hard to talk about this, because the eviction is not here yet. Probably we can go ahead and cover our events. At the worst, idea to cancel and start somewhere. If we cannot deal with the landlord, probably no point to look elsewhere.

Patrick: I would volunteer labor. If what you need is a space, Noisebridge not a big enough space to accomodate crowds that might be expected. When the legal situation is clarified, folks will want to help.

Chancho: When we have a concrete legal situation, we can make concrete plans. We will stay in touch. Events Friday, Saturday and Sunday. Please stop by.

ASCII Cam[edit]

Dan: Talked with Patrick, described it as an experiment. What are the results of the experiment.

Patrick: Tape off and pointed back at hackatorium. Viewable from pegasus/asciicam or http://2169.noisebridge.net/asciicam Camera was installed to give folks an idea if the space is open. First pass at some sort of signal that is externally observable. No storage, no public stream. 4 people with access to pegasus to administer it.

Kevin: Recall principles of doocracy. Not cool that the lens obstruction was removed after discussion at meeting last week. A thing was done, un-done then un-un-done without discussion.

Merridith: Thought the result of the discussion last week was that the camera would come down or be obscured.

Louis: The camera cannot open the door, I don't think this solves the problem.

Torrie: Hearing the camera described as an access control thing is bizzar to me. I was around when folks installed the camera. People were wondering is the space open or not. Installed the camera to answer this question. Another solution is to bring more people into member roll. Getting in during the day time is not too hard, ask for a token. It's not just acceess control, its about whether or not the space is open. Possibly another tool could exist. I do not have a vested interest, I have a token. Would like to see other folks solve this problem.

Dan: Don't want to get in ripping out of the wall mode. Kind of disturbing to have someone point a camera at me without asking. Thought it was part of NB culture that photography is with consent. Else, if coming from your POV, these are all worthy things. I do want to communicate that there is a culture of disconfort with survaillence. It's a sign of a healthy community to hear words like trust and respect. When it comes to a real-world solution, ripping out of the wall is a race to the bottom. Would prefer to see a cultural change, and a reflection on the thought process that put it there. Thanks.

Jade: Suggestion from last week. Put the feed on the front page, would make it eaiser for folks to find. How would someone without access find the feed?

Patrick: If the camera stays, I would hope the feed goes somewhere more public. It's not finished, the camera keeps getting moved, and people go back and forth on it.

Merridith: Whole lot of discussion, not a lot of action. How is this dealt with?

Andy: Doocracy. However, this is a good discussion. Not really going to deidentify someone, but still creepy as fuck.

Merridith: What results from the discussion?

Torrie: Making sure all voices are heard. Synthesis ideas.

Zahra: Nothing wrong with camera at the door. Rack camera is a little creepy.

Andy: Thought experiment. What if it filmed a light and not people?

Alex: Lights go out at night when last person has left. Don't even need a camera.

???: Another automated solution might be a motion sensor. If there hasn't been activity in 15m, send a signal.

Alex: Another implementation is to run cable to subtle open sign visible from street if the lights are on the open sign is on. Have a mooninite.

Andy: Pointing at a light and not the people might make it less effective?

Patrick: I'm okay with this.

Torrie: I guess so. I have no vested interested in using this system. Maybe I'm just privilaged, and feel confident that pegasus is not doing anything nasty. I want a place that I can hack at.

Merridith: Is it one of the responsibilities of a member to let people in?

Steve: It's not the responsibility of anyone in the space to let anyone in. Don't feel guilty if you don't get up to let someone in. If you do let someone you are completely responsible for that person. It's not that hard to get in, and then convince someone to give your a key/access card. Requires enought social skills and contribution to earn someone's trust.

Merridith: Camera doesn't make a difference when someone is in the space, but does not want to let anyone in at the moment.

Kevin: Agree with Merridith. Would be bad to set an expection that the space is open because someone is in the space as seen on the internet. Could create a dangerous situation.

Steve: Stood downstairs ringing the doorbell for 20m after locked out smoking a cigerette. It was sad. There's no expection to getting in.

Monad: Please speak on ...

Steve: We're an anarchist space, thus we all must be leaders. No heirarchy to take care of things for us. We all have to take responsibility for the space, including who is let in. Ask if the person has been here before. If not, give a tour and introduction to Noisebridge. Pass down the tour/introduction process.

Monad: It's a burden when people come in, have a feeling that most people don't want to do that.

Alex: SimBridge project.. how to direct the player to give a tour in the game. Would be nice if when you come in, there's a QR code "First time here, take the tour" like an audio tour at a musuem. Voice acting. EX: Get Rubin drunk and have him explain something. Have a design doc for the guided tour.

Kevin: I enjoy to share the privilage of being here with others, giving tours is great.

Dan: Our funding comes from many small donations. Brining in people is critical to Noisebridge. Giving tours is doing a really good thing. I'm not a member, but I take care of the space. I enjoy that many people take care of the space.

Signal: Can do anything without being a member. Before I was a member, I was wearing goggles and smashing walls.

Alex: Members do give Noisebridge money. No godlike powers. Onboarding: Make people good little slaves. Or, if you have a free resource overflowing with good things, good to convert a new participant. Try to convey a thing people might want to do during the tour to encourage participation. I don't know all the things at Noisebridge. Have links into a calendar feed on the walls. Creating special events on 3rd party service is a hassle. There's a whole art to promoting classes and events. Would love if there's an automated system.

End of Meeting[edit]

  • Reprise of the Hackernationale. [This is anarchy - we do what the wiki says!]
  • PGP Key Signing could happen now (if it doesn't happen before any given Meeting). Ask others around the space or check the list to see who wants in on the action.
  • Return the membership binder to its rightful location.
  • Clean and tidy the meeting notes including removing all these really verbose instructions, then save them to the wiki.
  • Send a summary of the meeting notes to the discussion list.
  • Enjoy the company of your fellow hacker, robot, or robothacker.
  • Discuss any items for which there was not time during the meeting.