Slashdot Visits Metrix Create:Space in Seattle (Video)

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Metrix Create:Space is full of people busily making electronic gadgets. And shot glasses. And everything in between. Some of them saw the street-level sign and stopped in out of curiosity, while others are long-time createspace scenesters. It doesn't matter which you are, says Metrix founder Matt Westervelt. Come in and make something. Need new skills? They have workshops. And lots of great tools.

hackerspaces.org

[EricBoyd]

Metrix Createspace is just one example of a hackerspace. There are lots more all across the world. To see if there is one in your area, check the hackerspaces.org list [hackerspaces.org]. I've been a member at both noisebridge (in San Francisco) and hacklab.to (in Toronto), and it's been a wonderful experience.

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[dyingtolive]

Thanks for linking this Eric. Frankly, I had assumed that there were no such areas around me. The kind of people you meet in midwest sort of breeds the automatic assumption that there are no places like this I was surprised to find 3 around St. Louis.

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[gangien]

I'm a software engineer with 0 background in anything electrical. I've always want to tinker with stuff, and I had no clue places like this existed. I looked online for tutorials and such and never came across these things.

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[Mark Atwood]

If only there was some sort of worldwide network of computers full of information. And if some organization would regularly read all that information into their own computers, and then index it, and give us some sort of simple UI where someone could type something like "hackerspace cleveland" and get a list of all the hackerspaces in Cleveland. Or maybe just one of the computers in that big worldwide network could have a name like "hackerspaces.org", and someone could connect to that machine via some prot

Eh, it's okay.

[Anonymous Coward]

Metrix is okay. I've been by a few times but it doesn't really meet any of my needs. It's a great place for people to go work on projects who don't have any means to work on them at home, but if you have a workbench or workshop in a room or basement at home you'll probably never feel a need to go unless you want something laser cut or printed. I'd go for the social aspect of working on a project surrounded by other hackers, but a lot of my projects involve soldering and that's only allowed in the cloistered-off soldering room, or require equipment that Metrix just doesn't have and so I don't feel like carting my stuff down there to work.

I'd go more, and pay a $10-20 fee each visit, to get access to some more hardware though. I really would like to be able to use an LCR analyzer (that can actually apply decent DC bias), variety of stable test oscillators for generating AF and AM RF, a sweep generator/marker that runs at 455KHz, 4.3 and 10.7MHz, and a VHF FM signal generator, and a nice scope like a Tek with a DM44 or something else that does automatic measurements. Stuff I can't afford, do actually need for my projects, and have to do a lot of wonky workarounds to make do without.

I'd go slightly more if they let me solder in the main room where everyone is.

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[OnionFighter]

Another good one in the area is StudentRND [studentrnd.org], in Bellevue. I went to one of their meetings where everyone was soldering arduino motor shields in a big, garage-type work area.

There are actually a bunch of different hackerspaces in Seattle, though.

I'm proud of my local hackerspace

[Sedated2000]

I'm very proud of my local hackerspace, 757 Labs. They always have classes and projects going on, and they've done some pretty cool things.

757 Labs on Hackerspace [hackerspaces.org]

Hackerspaces are great!

[Anonymous Coward]

I was 22, poor and had no job but my local hackerpace let me come in and practice welding and machining. I'm a frequent visitor now and I'm so thankful for the hackerspaces around me. In my opinion hackerspaces are needed for individuals to pursue ideas without having to spend thousands of dollars to gain access to basic fabrication equipment.

While I applaud the general concept..

[wormout]

These places and the publicity they send out (the one in the article is a prime example) usually have far too much emphasis on making tacky trinkets and other useless shit, no mention of projects that a wider selection of people would actually consider interesting. Where are the workshops on (for example) rooting your phone or PC firmware, building a rocket or UAV, a home made wifi receiver etc. I'm not saying they have to go out fo the way to choose things guaranteed to get them sued or arrested.

There i

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[wormout]

In terms of press, however, all of these places are trying to engage and inspire less technically literate folks (the masses). You don't do this by talking (online) about your most sophisticated/complicated work [this may give you 'geek-cred', but that's about it]. I know of, and have been to, yet another makerspace like this in Seattle and they've created a walled garden; feeling uninviting and intimidating, even from my heavily geekish perspective.

I don't think you're giving the 'great unwashed masses' enough credit. There must be plenty who don't identify themselves as geeks or nerds, yet would jump at the chance to learn how store bought gadgets can be subverted and repurposed for their own ends, it's cool and useful. When people see a club where you get to make little plastic egg cups with flashing LEDs, sorry but it doesn't have quite the same impact. Don't mean to be harsh, that might be the tip of the iceberg of what these places are capable of

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[Mark Atwood]

That sounds like a problem you have there. That is not my experience. The makerspaces I know well in Seattle: Metrix and ALTSpace, are nothing like that. All are truly welcome and encouraged to come play. And the same for the O'Reilly makerfairs. And not via some politically correct faux-welcoming "outreach" either. We have a lot of different kinds of people, working on all sorts of different kinds of projects.

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[Mark Atwood]

Projects similar to what you describe do happen at spaces like this, and in fact *AT* this very space.

One of the regulars at Metrix is currently working with some friends to build a UAV quad copter.

The widely reported FireSheep project was written and demoed at Metrix.

Recently a class was taught at Metrix on how to pick locks.

A team of geeks working at different space in Seattle launched a balloon to the edge of space.

Your ignorance and apathy is showing. What about trying showing up, looking at what peopl

Great staff at Metrix

[feddas]

I went to Metrix just last weekend for the first time. They were the only place I could find in the Seattle area to use a 3D printer. The staff knowledgeable and interested in wanting to make my project work and making sure I knew what it'd cost ahead of time. They frequented my printer job often as it was printing. They also have a ton of interesting projects around to check out and use for examples as they tend to share a similarity for what you want to create. The only downside is parking/bus routes.