Meeting Notes 2025 03 04

These are the notes from the The 802th Meeting of Noisebridge.

Date	2025 03 04
Note-takers	Loren, Mark, (you)
Moderators	Mark

Previous Meeting Edit redirect [Last meeting]

Next Meeting Edit redirect [Next meeting]

Meeting Summary

• Fundraising Update:
  • 2 10k grant applications we're pursuing
  • Help drafting grant proposals this week, or on weekend.
• Announcements:
  • Laser is back up. Do not do-ocratically change the filters. Please inform @laser-trainers of issues as they arise.
  • March 15th event, Luis, with Ellen, Judy, SF Writers -- connect with older bridgers
    • "Funding the commons" at Internet Archive, 3/15 10am also.
  • Kenny -- Sunday visit with group of students
  • 3d printing maintenance workshop, #3d-printing
  • Heph Adams memorial
  • Website is back up. Help volunteer to maintain!
• City bureaucracy
  • Reached out to Supervisor Fielder, or will soon. Tour with planner on Friday.

• Finances: (assembling during meeting)
• New members:
• New associates:
  • Daniel A @teaearlgraycold
• Consensus Items:
  • "Guild's right to refuse" discussion continues. "Reverse theft" from before (stealing space from NB for things). Many need separate conversations for (sewing VS any guild with dedicated space VS any guild) X for each of (accepting donations, disposing or selling of equipment)
• Discussion Items:
  • Community survey (by Lane/Elan), seeking suggestions https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Jpzd6cbmTfab5zvdAPxGW9pugg1IhclNhHCS6Lz9dZg/edit?usp=sharing
  • Safety -- we should update the QR codes for safe space reporting.
  • DTG printer update: it's set up upstairs. Landing is reorganized.
  • Seeking consensus, affirmed that NB woodshop wall would should be done under explicit direction of project supervisor
    • 86ings (we can be more excellent, let's be more excellent)
      • Charlene -- disrumptive immediately upon return despite ATL, (mediation invited)
      • @ForkBomb/Tony -- concerns about misuse of moderator power, concerns about coordination
      • JLB -- affirming, documenting existing practical understanding

Introductions

• Ask people to share their name, access needs, and preferred gender pronouns what they do at noisebridge

Mark - Hosting , I like Games
Daniel - I like to defy the authority of the US mint in subtle but legal ways
Wheezy - coder by day, musician by night, pick locks, run around, ride unicycles, I <3 NB!
Ken - been working on remodeling the woodshop, i lurk around various areas of the space
Erik - observing, been coming since december
Chris - From SoCal, just checking out NB, I like to sail in the AM, I also code
JD - I do leatherwork, dealing with City beauracracy currently
Corey - I build robots and like teaching others how to as well!
Elio - EE. Like working on electronics. RC Blimp project - talk to me about it!
Kenny - first time here, I work in educational travel!
Lucy - third meeting. Working on building microwave furnace. melts metal so you can make complex geometries
Luis Filipe - formerly active, like 12 years ago, based in east bay. Teach anthropology.
TJ - AI, robotics stuff, just hangin out
Anh - I like everything - graphic design and games in particular
Loren - you will hear from me about the treasury. Come to software infrastructure meetup on Monday!
Elle - I like fundraising, organizations and bureacracy. I like sewing and writing. Mixed feelings about NB right now. 
Ray - singer songwriter, freelancer, entrepreneur, skatboarding and surfing
Nick - love making games, been working on Direct to Garment printer upstairs
Blue - I like to restore old stuff and make things out of wood! Including walls
Jams

Elan

Short announcements and events

• 60-second description per item in bulletpoint.
• Copy-paste any pre-announcements for the upcoming meeting from Announcements.
• After announcements, copy them to the past Announcements list. Retire any from the Next Meeting list that aren't marked ONGOING.
• (See https://www.noisebridge.net/ and https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Category:Events for events, and welcoming people)

JD - laser is up and going, still working on diagnosing with the filter company. see # fabrication-and-lasers in discord. Please DO NOT do-ocratically change the filters - please inform @laser-trainers of your intent/any issues when they arise

Luis - March 15th - trying to put togethr an event with Ellen and Judy from the SF writers workshop. Trying to connect older bridgers with some of the newer folks!

"Funding the Commons" is also that day at the Internet Archive, starts at 10AM. (Mark suggests planning for the 'member happy hour at NB' to happen after that so people can go to both!)

Kenny - have a group of students coming from Toronto tomorrow - want to bring them in Sunday afternoon around 2 o clock.

3D Printing maintenance workshop - see #3d-printing

Heph Adams Memorial Gathering This Saturday the 8th - early afternoon, 3pm we think?

Website is back up! Help volunteer excellent maintainers!

Excellence

Our One Rule is to Be Excellent to Each Other. (On first Tuesdays, seek a few definitions. Other Tuesday, give a 1-3 sentence summary.)

Use common sense. Was giving tour today to Kenny - tried to explain to him how we have many nice things here, but we like to share. When you share stuff, you want to try your best to share kindly and nicely.

We aim to provide egalitarian access to tools -- ensure your use doesn't impede the future use of others.

Try not to rely on people here too much, dont be a burden on others, carry your weight somewhat. Remember that everyone is a volunteer - like you!

What does that mean? Please see our page on excellence https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Excellence!

Anti-Harassment Policy & Community Standards of Excellence

Noisebridge has an Anti-Harassment Policy https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Anti-Harassment_Policy Everyone is expected to follow the Anti-Harassment Policy, please familiarize yourself with it.) TWO MINUTES MAX More approachable & specific guidelines, https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Community_Standards https://safespace.noisebridge.net/ is one way to quickly raise issues which will be seen by people in Slack.

Brief Kudos

Recent examples of excellent behavior, say 3, unless the passion moves you.

To Loren and Travis for helping get the website back up!

Ken for putting up the columns in the woodshop! And for bringing up issues at the meeting about it!

Kudos to Elle for helping Daniel get access to a paper cutter!

Kudos to Loren for finance stuff!

To JD (and Paolo) for following through on thorough laser filter replacement and testing and documention. And for the city bureacracy stuff!

Kudos to all the teachers -- who put themselves out, who pay for things -- they are the face of noisebridge, even to people who just come once

Kudos to Ken, and Nick E (sewing), for painting and finishing the floor in sewing -- it looks great and new.

Kudos to spacebridge Nick, for supporting Spacebridge, and bringing his father and his children by to see & learn about the space.

Kudos to Nick Charney Kaye for setting up the DTG printer upstairs, (and Loren) for moving things around in the upstairs hackatorium.

Zoning & Permitting Standing Item

Status this week? Helpful broad asks to the community? NB city bureaucracy WG -- JD & Alice, among others.

Dear Supervisor Fielder and Staff,

My name is Elan, and I'm writing to you today as a representative of Noisebridge, a unique and vibrant community space located in the Mission. We'd be thrilled to introduce you to our organization and discuss how we contribute to the rich tapestry of San Francisco, specifically District 9.

Noisebridge is a non-profit 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to fostering creativity, learning, and collaboration in the fields of art, science, and technology. We provide a physical space, open to all, where individuals can explore their interests, share knowledge, and work on projects ranging from programming, woodworking, art installations, and scientific research. Our motto, "Be excellent to each other," reflects our commitment to building a safe and inclusive community.

We believe Noisebridge embodies the spirit of San Francisco: innovative, collaborative, and driven by a passion for making. We're a hub for the kind of grassroots creativity that makes our city so special. Our members come from all walks of life, united by a shared desire to learn, create, and contribute to the community. We offer workshops, talks, and collaborative project opportunities, fostering mentorship and knowledge exchange.

We would be honored to schedule a meeting with you to provide a more in-depth introduction to Noisebridge. We can share examples of our projects, discuss our community impact, and explore potential areas of collaboration. We believe that supporting organizations like Noisebridge is an investment in the future of San Francisco, fostering innovation, creativity, and community engagement.

Thank you for your time and consideration. We look forward to hearing from you soon.

Sincerely,

JD Durst

Read aloud in meeting, or variant: "Noisebridge is under threat working with by San Francisco regulatory officials to improve acessibility and useability to our space. Discussions with the city are ongoing, and lobbying may become necessary as the city's requirements become more clear. If anyone who is attending the meeting this week has a close connection to Jackie Fielder or other officials, please speak now so that we can connect you to the working group."

Architect Corey is coming on Friday. JD and Mark will greet and answer questions so that hopefully we do not trigger weird fines based on some kind of bad/wrong usage designation.

New Members/Associate Members

What are they? Is anyone trying to become a Member or Associate Member? If not move on. No long discussions.

Noisebridge has 2, or 3, levels of membership. 1) Members of the community, everyone and anyone who comes in. 2) Associate members "philanthropists" agree to be responsible for the space. 3) Members agree to be responsible for the community, can sponsor others, and block consensus.

• Elle -- temporarily withdrawing application, because a member said they would block it. Will be discussing, and bring it back.

• Daniel A (@teaearlgraycold) appying (Mark/@arity sponsor) -- professionally a web developer, doing some coding and soldering here.
  • Why you want to be an associate member? Already clean things up reasonably often, already donating. Already doing the work, would like to get some of the benefits.
  • How do you feel about closing up at night -- safety wise? and asking people to leave? Ready to, able.

Financial Report (first Tuesday of month only)

Anarchist societies under a capitalist state need money to survive and thrive, yo.

• Monthly revenue, expenses. Big projects. Big fundraising events. Reserves in bank.
• Any other details by those participating in handling our financials
• The latest financial reports from the treasurer are available at https://noisebridge.net/wiki/Finances

Spending Needs

Gotta spend money on XYZ (i.e. Gate, wiring etc.). WHO CAN SIGN THE CHECK OR LEND THE CREDIT CARD!?!?! It doesn't matter if we agree to do something and it can’t be paid for.

Fundraising Update

How's it all going

We do have a 10k$ grant open for application, we need to gather together a set of receipts, in 2 categories: equipment, or, physical space improvements.

If we can't total 10k with the receipts we have, we can make purchases, but those purchases MUST be made this week!

We have an opportunity here we should hop on! I have really limited time for drafting, but if someone can hop in and help me, we can crank it out!

Can anyone step in to help Elle? (few hours of work)

Blue offers to help this weekend. Nick Charney offers as well.

Big C Consensus Items

Nobody likes 3 hour meetings, only explain if new people are present. https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/Current_Consensus_Items

Consensus Items

Only for talking about Big C consensus items, small c consensus items should be discussed with people at the space at the time of the change/new item.

Draft Consensus Item - Guild's right to refuse

GDoc of suggested edits: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1JkvFKU3ODeFHbWrCUShc1N_7dcOE6s-AeAukZNmB2l4/edit?tab=t.0

Not convinced we need more language or discussion. The Consensus item is simple enough - do guilds have the right to say no to items?

Ken - I think our issue is connected on the do-ocracy level with the discussion item I was going to bring up, vis-a-vis, "leaving the professional work to the professionals".

Corey - there was an effective messag NB used years ago called "Reverse Theft". When you bring something to NB and Noisebridge has to pay to get rid of it. This was brought up in the context of limbolandia some time ago. I threw away something like 20 computers one time. Had to use my discretion.

One more rule that triggers when certain conditions are met maybe doesn't solve the underlying problem. Want preventative measures.

Simple rule proposal: No donation without a tag.

Elle: they're trying to make their stuff our issue. Reverse Theft.

Cory: saying we may throw it away -- may just be an invitation to dump stuff here and make it our problem.

Elan: I was under the impression that that is already the case.

Elle: Its not just any community member, but its also Guilds that are responsible for that area...

Ken: post-it notes in the space, may work for some. It's a matter of responsibilty.

Loren: we may need to differentiate drive-by donators and donations from highly involved donators and donations.

TJ: in the past we've had an issue with over-commitment to work on large object-projects. It makes sense to have a guild.

Loren: is this a sewing thing, or a general thing.

JD: if this is general, it doesn't make sense -- because there's aren't maintainers for soldering, etc. It's worth considering whether this is specifically about sewing.

Elle:

Loren: It sounds like we're not making progress -- let's break this down into pieces and address each of the pieces individually, to make progress

- for sewing / or all responsible guilds / or all guilds

- on signage, proposed consensus items.

Discussion Items

Template... [num]: [topic-short]

From/Raised by: Seeking: decision/outcome/advice/[?] On topic:

(discussion item) 1: [Community Survey]

From/Raised by: Elan on behalf of Seeking: decision/outcome/advice/[?] On topic: Feel free to suggest question ideas https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1Jpzd6cbmTfab5zvdAPxGW9pugg1IhclNhHCS6Lz9dZg/edit?usp=sharing

No real discussion. Please do-ocratically contribute!

(discussion item) 1.5: Saftey

From/Raised by: Elan Seeking: decision/outcome/advice/[?] On topic: NB Safety Poster QR Codes

Current QR codes outdated.

Maybe they should be updated to ping somewhere more frequently checked, like the discord safety council channel? Or ping specific people who hold a role?

(discussion item) 2: [DTG printer update]

From/Raised by: Nick [outrightmental] Seeking: keeping the community informed On topic: Moved in the DTG printer to its new location upstairs and re-arranged things in the upstairs hackatorium. See log entries from last week: https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/DTG_Printing#Move-in_and_Setup_Log

Moved in the printer on wednesday, it is in upstairs hackitorium, left after going up stairwell. Still doing work on it.

Next step is to put the real ink cartridges in, and talking to manufacturer about getting an account set up for us - they keep track of each machine of theirs. Putting it in my name.

(discussion item) 3: [topic]

From/Raised by:Ken Seeking: decision/outcome/advice/[?] On topic: Doing work as "professionals" in the space

Ken - I want to address do-ocracy and bring a little light to the idea that "not all do-ocracy is equal". Im working on infrastructure for the space. It requires a certain amount/kind of professional attitude to ensure what is acceptable to be done. Say, for example, on the woodshop wall.

Experience shows, once you leave it up to free do-ocrats, they could do the job, but could do it wrong, while under the impression they were doing it right all along.

For instance, I assumed leadership of shop wall project, being a contractor for 20 years.Recently the crew do-ocratically put up some drywall, but not so well. Particular work should be done under someone professional's supervision. This is a case where we should supercede do-ocracy.

Corey - any change to NB that costs money, changes the structure, needs to be something classified as a "project", with project leadership, like a Member. Shop wall is absolutely one of these. Do-ocracy has limitations. Projects should respect project leaders as authorities. Its no ones fault, certain things just need to follow the right course.

JD - first, I would like to move that we appoint Ken leader/supervisor of the wall project. All work on wall project should go through him. As far as the city is concerned, Matt Tripoli (external contractor we hired) is the supervisor for the project. Ken and Matt will be in touch about the project.

(discussion item) 4: Charlene, 86, beyond ATL

From/Raised by:Elan Seeking: decision/outcome/advice/[?] On topic: 86 Charlene

They came in to the hackitorium tonight, but then went upstairs. Don't want this place to be a minefield for people. Lets make it clear to her that she is not welcome, but can seek mediation to potentially resolve to come back.

She was ask to leave, did we contact her about that? Other clear repeated unexcellence: streaming from the space, and preventing many others from using the space, despite rebuffs, until they left, making the space unwelcoming.

Charlene did some unexcellence, documented in previous meetings. Just want to make the unwelcome status more clear to her.

She also showed up tonight, proved more disruptive to others working by themselves here. And hasn't responded to requests for mediation.

WE-Z has volunteered as point of contact, mediator.

Discussion item 5: atl? 86? of @ForkBomb/Tony, related JLB

See Server > Audit Log

Josh: This stuff should definitely exist and be write-only

Corey: don't want to be heavy with the ban hammer.

But this is someone entrusted with NB privileges.

Elan: Action being sought right now?

Loren I'm relatively ban hungry here, because our systems can be weak, someone had power, they abused it. I'm not saying JLB caused this, but it is in line with his interests. Whether or not it was something he specifically asked for, we need to be actively resilient to potential coordination, i.e., "altering established facts in pursuit of personal interests"

JD: I'm with Corey, not against asking him to take a break.

Josh: response to cloud -- is it possible to remove access for mods to modfiy history. Wrong question. We should instead have a tamper-evident log. (Mark: discord hides some stuff from us -- there's not a question "what" happened this time.)

Nelson: is deleting your own messages an issue? > Ppl: no?

Loren: Do we need to 86 here? Asking him to leave for a time may be fine.

Corey: to the severity of banning (86)? 1) it's curable. 2) noisebridge needs to respond clearly to behavior of this magnitude. ATL? can be more lightwieght, doesn't need to be a trail for it. 86 -- it can be remedied. This requires a degree of record. This behavior happened, we don't condone it. 86 with invitation to mediate. We're happy to cure.

WE-Z: Mark are you admin? No -- LX/LXPK is admin.

TJ: I can't tell if this is temporary or not.

Mods do similar things with 1) clear and present [offense] and 2) with pre-agreed discussion. We also proactively give notice, even after the fact. It shows goodwill in even in situations that are ambiguous. Is this self-aware self-interest, or irresponsible acquiescence to requests of others. Either way it's not acceptable for someone with community trust. There's room to mediate -- and I want a clear committment to not violating noisebridge boundaries for personal or corporate gain.

Cloud: I've had to screenshot, in the harassment case before, all of the interactions of someone else harassing. Excpecting modification of the evidence.

Josh volunteers to mediate. Ken volunteers.

Discussion item 5: follow-through JLB 86

Prompted by deletion of a picture of him sleeping in the space, by someone else, we raise the issue again.

He avoids the space now, I would guess to avoid further concerns or provocation. Has stood outside waiting for others while they go in.

There's a pattern in the community -- where people announce "I quit" before "86" ban is finalized. In other cases, they were nearly banned once, twice, and only on the third time, the ban stuck.

It sounds like he was all but 86'd by the community, without bureaucracy follow-up.

Justin -- sleeping in the space, pattern of disruptive behavior and trolling the meeting, by his own admission to others, seeing how much he could get away with, and agrue through the meetings.

JD: it sounds like we should just consider this a procedural oversight from 2 years ago. Declare it, and be done.

Do-ocratic Task Board

Participation also means doing stuff to contribute to the space. Propose new tasks or pick some tasks from Github, from what needs to be done around you, or whatever, and see if someone will sign up to work on that task. Anyone can sign up and it's a great way to show you are contributing!

End of Meeting

Note taker posts the notes

• Clean and tidy the meeting notes including removing all these really verbose instructions.
• Fill out the short summary at the top listing just announcements, consensus items, discussion topics, and names of new members and philanthropists.
• Copy paste the notes to the next meeting page. (They will become Last meeting at midnight.) https://www.noisebridge.net/index.php?title=Last_meeting&redirect=no
• Email the meeting summary to Noisebridge Discuss and Noisebridge Announce lists.
• CC on the email treasurer@noisebridge.net and secretary@noisebridge.net if there are new members and philanthropists.
• Edit the Current Consensus Items if anything is proposed for consensus next week.
• Edit the Consensus Items History if anything was reached consensus or failed to reach consensus this week.

Fun things to do after

• Do a 10 minute cleanup, bring dishes up stairs and wash them, clean the bathroom
• Have some beers on the patio
• Prepare the next weeks' meeting notes
• Lick the walls. Or just draw on them
• sing the Hackernationale (this almost never happens)