i3 Detroit on Kickstarter.com

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We are really excited to announce that we are live on Kickstarter.com.  Kickstarter is a really cool website where projects and groups like us can obtain outside funding.  We have a determined goal of raising $5,000 in the next 31 days to expand and develop our new space.  We are growing and it is time to expand.  But we really need your help for the initial up front costs of this task.  Your money will go towards paint, lumber, flooring, drywall, and even nails and screws. It will help us build mobile tables and electronics benches. It will help us expand our craft area and create more classrooms. It will give us the raw materials to physically build our vision of a better community for all.

Kickstarter is a pledge based system which means you don’t get charged until we have actually met our funding goal.  So when we meet our funding goal on April 4th that is when your donation goes through.  You have time to save up!

One great part about Kickstarter is that we can give back to you when you donate.  For example, a $50 donation means an i3 Detroit Tshirt, button, sticker, card and a Free class.  How awesome is that?!  The community has been such a great supporter of i3 and we want you to know just how much it means to have your continued support.

The best part about all of this is that you can watch where your donation goes.  In fact, you can even come pick up a hammer and build with those supplies that you helped us buy.  We are ready for i3 Detroit v2.0.  Are you?

Bob Ross Paint-Along 2 – March 20th, 2010

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Bob Ross - Happy Little Trees

Back by popular demand, we are bringing back one of our most successful classes in i3 Detroit histroy.  We are bringing back the Bob Ross Paint-Along classes and in a big way. 

Not only are we doing three (3) 10-student classes but we are allowing the public to vote.  There will be a vote on which epsiode will be viewed at each class.  After the class, each painting will be uploaded online and the community will vote on the best one.  The winner will win a free class at i3 Detroit.  Don’t worry.  If you are embarased, you can use a false name.  Based on the ruckuss from last class, there will be many questionable paintings.  We still question how dinosaurs, volcanos and UFOs ended up on the last class’s paintings.

Join us 3/20 at 2pm, 4pm and 6pm for an amazing event where you will find out if you can keep up with the legend, Bob Ross.  Only $20 gets you 1 hour of fun but the mockery you will get from hanging it in your living room will last a lifetime.  All materials will be provided at the class. Voting for the pictures will be posted next week. 

Please RSVP
2:00pm – http://bobrosspaintalong.eventbrite.com/
4:00pm – http://bobrosspaintalong4p.eventbrite.com/
6:00pm – http://bobrosspaintalong6p.eventbrite.com/

Busy weekend: Open Shop, Member Orientation, Open Source Class, Circuit Board Class [updated!]

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Non-members and members alike have three great excuses to swing by the shop some time this weekend. Bring a friend!

Friday night is a party to celebrate the new membership structure. In addition to new dues options ($39 and $89, with special options for students, crafters and coders), we’ve improved the process so you can do the paperwork, get your orientation, and receive your key in one shot.  Plus, Friday means it’s Open Shop so we’ll be teaching tools, hanging out, and working on whatever project you want to bring along! Oh, did I mention the beer, wine, pizza, and snacks? Doors will be open by 7pm…

Saturday evening, we’re hosting an open source software workshop to introduce screen and ssh, two supremely handy tools in the linux admin’s arsenal, which the rest of us can find uses for too. Briefly: SSH is the secure replacement for Telnet plus some sneaky features that’ll help you circumvent restrictive work firewalls and stuff, Screen takes your SSH experience to the next level by adding persistence and multiple windows to name just a couple features. They’re both free, and Saturday’s intro won’t require advanced sysadmin knowledge. Bring a laptop! Talk starts at 7, but doors will be open by 6 or earlier, so come hang out!

Sunday will be an electronics design day, starting with a PCB class at 3pm.   You’ll learn how to lay out a circuit board in electronic design software, then how to transfer that layout and chemically etch a board with it. Materials permitting, each student may get their own board to play with, and when the etching is complete, we’ll stuff components into the boards and solder ’em up, leaving you with a completed LED flasher circuit to take home! This is a really simple circuit and no electronics experience is required to attend.  If you wish to get in on the hands-on fun, please reserve your seat.  This will just be part of a new, regularly scheduled series of electronics classes we will be offering.  Keep checking our site for updates on more classes!

Come FLOSS this Saturday!

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Announcing ‘Open Source Saturday’ or OSS.

We’re starting up a series of meetups, workshops, and classes to meet the growing interest in free and open source technology. All are welcome to attend and learn why free software is a good thing.

This OSS: Workshop : SSH + Screen

Ever wanted to have access to a computer without physically being there? VNC and RDP seem too slow and clunky? Too paranoid to surf the net at a coffee shop, or just don’t trust those on the same network as you? This Saturday we’ll explore the power and wonder of SSH and Screen, probably two of the most used and useful commands. You’ll learn to copy and share files across the net, tunnel your web traffic in a safe and secure manner. Even if you already know SSH / Screen you’re bound to learn something new.  At the very least, come to learn a couple new acronyms and have a good time.

What to expect? You should bring a laptop; or if you don’t have one, a healthy dose of patience.

We plan to start around 7pm
-B

Road Trip – Pumping Station: One

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It’s time for us to meet our fellow makers.  This Saturday, the i3 Detroit members will be making a pilgrimage to one of our neighbors in Chicago, Pumping Station: One. 

Not only is the space planning a hackathon but there will also be a Didgeridoo class and a Cacophony Club meeting.  While we are not 100% sure what Cacophony club is, we know it is loud, noisy and full of circuity musical goodness. 

These events are open to the public and we hope to see everyone there.  For more information check out their site at http://pumpingstationone.org/.