NYTimes Visits Menlo Park's TechShop

ridgecritter points out this interesting article in the New York Times on TechShop, a membership resource (a.k.a. hackerspace) in Menlo Park, CA, for building stuff. "From hammers to 3-D printers and laser cutters. Fun!" Along similar lines, and also recently in the NYT, a quick on-the-train conversation with Bre Pettis of MakerBot.

New San Jose location?

[inio]

The article mentions a new location coming is San Jose this year, but their locations page doesn't. Anyone have more details about this? San Jose would be a lot more convenient for those of us on the other end of 17 from the valley.

Re:Strip Mall Crap Fest

[Anonymous Coward]

If you took the time to check the prices of equipment such as a 3D printer or a CNC mill, you'd see that it's rather cheap to get a membership at one of those places instead of trying to buy it for yourself. Also, a lot of people live in apartments and wouldn't even want to have such equipment in their living quarters. I can't imagine trying to explain to my neighbours that the noise is from a CNC mill working an aluminium block and that it'll be over in about 3 hours...

Re:I like the idea

[carp3_noct3m]

Just do a google search for hacker spaces in europe. I know that there are least 2 or three that are considered to be some of the best in the world that are in europe I just cant remember the names. Hacker spaces really are awesome!

Hackerspace for Students

[lappy512]

I'm a student in the Seattle area and we're trying to set up a hackerspace, but more geared to high school students. If there are cool spaces for students to hang out and work on science/tech projects, we'll be able to get more students interested in science and technology. Link in my sig.

RDU Techshop (TSRDU)

[eagl]

The Raleigh-Durham techshop had to move due to a non-renewed lease, but they're rapidly converting the new building and will be up to full speed again soon. I know the owner and he is a true builder and experimenter himself, an enthusiast owner if I've ever met one. Anyone in the RDU area needs to check this place out - it is a great resource, having access to literally hundreds of thousands of dollars worth of tools and expertise, plus shop and storage space, for a small fraction of the cost. With a complete woodshop, an electronics lab, all the way up to high power laser cutters, they have pretty much everything you could need for any sort of project you can imagine.

When I toured the Menlo Park techshop, I was blown away by the facility and the projects that were in progress there. This new one is more of the same.

http://www.techshoprdu.com/ [techshoprdu.com]