Meeting Notes 2014 12 16: Difference between revisions

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Revision as of 22:11, 16 December 2014

  • Moderator: Mitch
  • Note-taker: Leif

Steve explains what NB is about:

  • anarchist collective space for working on projects together, open whenever possible, not quite 24/7 currently. 501(c)3. One rule: be excellent to eachother

Attendence

  • Mitch - co-founder, travels around the world giving talks and teaching soldering and turning TVs off
  • Steve - new member, physicist, developer, getting in to computer security
  • Duncan - Tel Aviv hackspace member, Galway hackerspace member, dev, metalworker,
  • Jade - studies psych, compsci, part of neurohacking group, coming here for almost 2 years now
  • Dan - member of the community, not a captial M member of the hierarchy, programmer, interest in art, neurohacking
  • Bill Hill - been coming around NB since before it was even here, once in a while. Current big interest in being here is cooperative sociology. Feel like writing a thesis on cybernetics of cooperative sociology. Communal household in fairfax. Coops all have the same problems. NB has gone through a lot of problems but is still here, why is that?
  • Torrie - bussiness card says engineer, probably true. Dismantling NB cabal from inside out.
  • Josh like taking things apart
  • Pod media artist/activst, on tour with citizen kino, cinema hacking, has done two shows at NB so far. Sticking around SF til maybe end of February. Won't make it to 31C1 sadly, but hopes to organize screenings at NB
  • Bob - mostly a programmer, other hackerspaces
  • Leif - old member visiting from Berlin, writes software, has done some journalism lately
  • Kevin - co-host neurohacking, interested in right textiles to stay dry biking, witnessing NB decision-making process.
  • Monad - geometry, paper arts, working on a fractal called MegaMenger.com
  • Kevin - interested in community spaces and how they interact
  • Distance - came from lake isabela near bakersfield, hithiking for 12 years, documenting native plants, likens, fungus, recently co-authored book, first wild-harvesting coop in the country, has smartphone app with gps / time of year plant identification, another book coming soon "civil right self defense", following civil rights supreme court cases. wildwillpower.org
  • Lucy - checking things out, former copywriter,
  • Fiona - first came for SQL class in 2012, here checking things out, studying elec eng in east bay, interested in robotics and rock climbing
  • Nathan - first day here. comp eng, likes hardware, software, microcontroller dev, windsurfing
  • Frank - first meeting, wants to get more involved. likes LEDs
  • Raven - seamstress, performer, recently fixed the industrial serger, looking for people interested helping with that
  • Gustavo - metalworker, electronics, experimental audio

Upcoming Events

  • This friday at 7pm: Tahoe-LAFS Cryptoparty at Noisebridge

Announcements

  • Torrie: Lots of books in boxes, not on shelves. Naomi is organizing to build an archimedies spiral bookshelf. Talk to her to help.
  • Friday 9am: EFF is fighting surveillance in a federal court here in SF. Wear a suit if you go.

Membership

Torrie explains: membership not required to participate. Only gives power to block. To apply, get two sponsors, fill out the form, your name is read at each meeting for four weeks... no rush, hang out for a long time before applying so everyone knows you.

Membership applications

  • Signal / Andrew McMurray (sp?) - sponsored by Naomi, Torrie, and Jarrod. Second week.
  • Sam Tupper - sponsored by Kevin and Monad. Week four. Not present.

No new members tonight.

Monad: we should have more members taking care of the space

Mitch: agreed

Torrie: Also we need cash.

Financial report

  • We're broke.
  • No we're not!
  • We have three months in the bank. $27,868, roughly $10k of which is NoiseTor.
  • Would be nice to have more.

Patrick is working on splitting NoiseTor money from Noisebridge. Also working on figuring out who is and isn't a member. He'll be at 31C3 so don't expect updates in the immediate future. We'd also like to have a fundraiser at congress. Lots of BACH people will be at congress.

Some questions about what 31C3 is. Mitch and Torrie explain.

Lots spent on electrical work for the reboot, getting ready for inspection. Money was well-spent.

Someone asks if indiegogo funds paid for projectors; no, that was Rubin. Thanks Rubin!

A visitor suggests charging for classes. Discussion of how Noisebridge has avoided that ensues.

Consensus items

Kevin relays rayc's proposal that consensus be required to close the space. It is noted that Rayc was recently banned. Kevin doesn't want to sponsor it as a consensus item but would like to discuss it later.

Kevin describes Noisebridge's consensus process. Proposals, discussions, takes two meetings minimum. Requires that no members are in strong opposition.

Torrie: another term for a block is a principled objection. WHen you feel so strongly you'd walk away if proposal went through. Also distinguishes capital c Consensus (the formal process) from lower-case c consensus (ad-hoc general feeling).

Mitch: people should work toward compromise when raising objections. Weak objections should also be addressed.

There are no items up for consensus tonight.

Discussion items

  • Mitch: Passed electrical inspection, still need building inspection. Comments?
  • Mitch: Rayc is someone almost everyone in the community likes but he is now no longer welcome at Noisebridge. We should talk about that. (will return to this)
  • Kevin: Noisebridge being open for the holidays.
    • Dan: Should be OAP: as Open as Possible.
  • Raven: Funding the serger repairs and related improvements to the sewing infrastructure.
    • Mitch: explains Noisebridge's instant crowdfunding practice. Put up a wiki page and ask for donations.
    • Raven: in this case, machine already exists, Raven has already paid $80 for improvements out of pocket. Rayc suggested reimbursment might be possible.
    • $180 spent; one serger is now in good working order, other machines not. Got a quote for ~$160 for fixing other industrial machine, other industrial serger.
    • A hat is passed around the meeting for donations to reimburse Raven.
    • Raven's phone number is on the machine. Call her if you need help using the serger without damaging it. It's a really good machine, please don't damage it.
      • The Sewing mailing list is mentioned.
      • Will Raven teach a class? It sounds likely.
    • Mitch recently spent a few hundred $ on LED panels in Singapore, and would also accept donations.
  • Someone asks if 5moF still happens. What's that? Mitch explains: 5 minute lightning talks on the 3rd thursday of the month. Historically a very popular event. Started by aestetix long ago, several curators have run it, most recently John Shutt. Currently on hiatus. Someone should pick it up again.
  • Naomi coordinating with Neil about preparing for building inspection. Not too much needs to be done. $7k extra being charged by electricians by surprise; Naomi is trying to figure out what happened with that. Total was supposed to be under $20k, is now significantly over.
  • About Rayc
    • What happened?
    • Mitch:
      • this tears me apart :(
      • He has become very hurtful recently. He was screaming and yelling violently at people.
      • Rayc has been doing excellent things for Noisberidge in the last few months.
      • Noisebridge has been through his cycle several times
      • First time Mitch has been on his shit-list.
      • Was caught sleeping on top of the elevator. Never did take responsibility. Was temporarily banned by consensus. Didn't stay away for the whole 6 months; people let him come back early.
      • Recently after a long negative part of his cycle, yelling, it became apparent that he was living here again recently. Was again asked to take a break a few days ago, but didn't, more screaming and yelling violently.
      • People need to help him find help outside of NB.
    • Kevin:
      • Last week, late at night, there was an agreement from Rayc with Kevin and Torrie that he would take a break. He went to sudo room for a day, and then returned.
      • Can this be another temporary break instead of permanent?
    • Mitch: needs to be years
    • Torrie: everything is temporary.
    • Bill: i find it hard to believe he does things out of no reason. ok, he was living here again, sounds like he's homeless. So, if he isn't here, he has nowhere to be? How to help him?
    • Pod: commenting as an outsider, only known him 2 months. Haven't seen his dark side, always super positive, very sad to hear he won't be around here to work with. Did see some progression of him getting a little nutty with devotion to the electrical project, seen this before where people put a lot into a community and then expect some support in return. Can't this community support him now?
    • Mitch: not in the space anymore.
    • Torrie: He needs love and support. We've given what we can.
    • Fiona: maybe people who've worked with him can do some sort of intervention to get him to seek professional help. wide range of services available in SF, but only he can do it. also make it clear it isn't a permanent ban.
    • Mitch: he has gotten a lot of support from people in the community; seems impossible to get past a wall once he decides something is a certain way. Anyone else would've been kicked out long ago; people like him.
    • Mohammed: what problems do people have with him?
    • Torrie: will go into details after the meeting
  • Mitch: about keys: rayc and pirate matt both had keys to the door. Pirate matt was asked to take a break for a month; he came back last night (after more than a month). Working on self-improvement, returned his upstairs key. But others had keys, so upstairs lock was changed. Downstairs key remains same as ever.
    • There are currently 7 people with keys to the new upstairs lock: Mitch, Torrie, Naomi, Jarrod, Patrick, John Shutt, Rubin. Kevin should also have one but doesn't yet.
    • Torrie: Elevator lock has 2 keys: torrie and casey
    • Leif: how does that work? these 7 people coordinate to open NB every day?
      • Mitch: this is very new. right now NB is sometimes closed when it shouldn't be. Soon there will be an RFID system for the upstairs lock.
    • Some discussion of historical events, good and bad.
  • Dan: on a pragmatic note, while Mohammed is here, I'm a 10 minute walk from the space, have spent many days and nights here. Offer myself as someone who is going to be here at least until Jan 5. Would like to be here a lot, would like a key. Mohammed has been responsible here at night and helped get people out of here. Lets keep it open over the holidays.
    • Mitch: would like to see it open during the holidays. NB should not be all about the 7 keyholders. OTOH don't want to see NB abused, keeping people who belong here away. Have been rebuilding our immune system post-reboot.
    • Steve: which of the 7 people are gone for the holidays? At least John and Jarrod will be here.
    • Steve: proposes that Mohammed, John, Jarrod, and Dan all plan to open the space at 10am and close it by 10pm over the holidays whenever they are available. Give upstairs keys to Dan and Mohammed.
    • Torrie: needs to go home, no objection to this proposal.
    • Kevin: lets leave the time up to the people here
    • Mitch: not comfortable leaving the space open at night when so few people are here.
    • Mohammed: we should have a schedule so people can check online to see when the space will be open during the holidays.
    • Leif: big C consensus on this proposal is impractical since the next meeting will be sparsely attended. New key thing seems by doocracy so far, so I hope new key holders will give Dan and Mohammed and Kevin keys.
    • Duncan: you're falling into a keyholder clique, this is a really bad pattern. DANGER! I've seen this tear multiple communities apart.
    • Steve: we're aware of these problems and will address it soon with RFID.
    • Kevin: conversation has been inverted. instead of consensus to close noisebridge, now we're talking about consensus to give keys to new people.
    • Dan: have a good feeling about the tone of this meeting, good to talk about these things, we'll get it right.
    • Mitch: will you keep rayc out of the space?
      • Dan: yes.
    • Bill: could there be a number for people to call to get the space opened?
    • Mohammed: yes, we can do that.
  • Some talk about RFIDs, logs (do not want), threshold encryption.

FIN