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Many had hopes for the TechShop / Hackerspace paradigm to help with this, but it appears it didn't end up too viable as a business and Hackerspaces were problem

by cdchn 3y ago

Many had hopes for the TechShop / Hackerspace paradigm to help with this, but it appears it didn't end up too viable as a business and Hackerspaces were problematic in their own ways.

ghaff 3y ago
Hackerspaces and non-corporate coworking sort of spaces probably suffer from the fact that people want to have a space in a cool/dense place but don't actually have the means/desire to pay for it which is a big part of why they want the space in the first place.
- burnished 3y ago
  There are some spaces like that in Seattle that seem to be getting on fine, a Makerspace with a monthly fee (appropriate for access to wood and metal shops as well as various printing and cutting options, but too expensive for me when I was working in the restaurant industry) and some tool libraries with work spaces (free, volunteer run) are the ones I'm familiar with. Just wanted to point out that there are probably places to go to get that itch scratched just under a different name - I think my examples actually sort of underline that it isn't exactly a booming industry.
  - ghaff 3y ago
    I'm not saying that such spaces don't/can't exist. Just that the market for individuals plopping down cash for desks/workbenches outside of where they live is fairly limited. I know someone who tried running such in London for a number of years and it was apparently always a difficult business. Of course some areas are much cheaper but the demand is less too.
    - bluGill 3y ago
      There is a hacker space near me - but near isn't good enough to join. By the time I get the kids to bed I couldn't even get there and back before my own bedtime. I can go to my basement/garage and work in that time and do something. I have a nice shed full of tools, but by the time I get out there (it is only 10 meters from the door, but that means shoes, coat...) I can't really find time to get anything done so I end up with a separate workshop with much less tools, but at least it is easy to get to.
      - ghaff 3y ago
        For someone working full-time, especially with family, absent a hobby with a lot of specialized equipment needs like photography back in the day, it's a bit hard to imagine the justification for spending the time the time in a hacker space you pay for more than occasionally. The random Meetup--sure. but somewhere you go to on a regular weekly cadence? Harder to imagine.
rout39574 3y ago
Care to elaborate on those ways? As an officer in a Hackerspace, I'm likely oblivious to how I'm problematic.
- bombcar 3y ago
  The key advantage for a garage is the zero-cost to carry - you can delay without being eaten alive by costs just for the space. The advantage of a Hackerspace is access to tooling.
- cdchn 3y ago
  Look at the hilarious trials and tribulations of Noisebridge in SF.

by cdchn 3y ago

Many had hopes for the TechShop / Hackerspace paradigm to help with this, but it appears it didn't end up too viable as a business and Hackerspaces were problematic in their own ways.

ghaff 3y ago

Hackerspaces and non-corporate coworking sort of spaces probably suffer from the fact that people want to have a space in a cool/dense place but don't actually have the means/desire to pay for it which is a big part of why they want the space in the first place.

burnished 3y ago
There are some spaces like that in Seattle that seem to be getting on fine, a Makerspace with a monthly fee (appropriate for access to wood and metal shops as well as various printing and cutting options, but too expensive for me when I was working in the restaurant industry) and some tool libraries with work spaces (free, volunteer run) are the ones I'm familiar with. Just wanted to point out that there are probably places to go to get that itch scratched just under a different name - I think my examples actually sort of underline that it isn't exactly a booming industry.
- ghaff 3y ago
  I'm not saying that such spaces don't/can't exist. Just that the market for individuals plopping down cash for desks/workbenches outside of where they live is fairly limited. I know someone who tried running such in London for a number of years and it was apparently always a difficult business. Of course some areas are much cheaper but the demand is less too.
  - bluGill 3y ago
    There is a hacker space near me - but near isn't good enough to join. By the time I get the kids to bed I couldn't even get there and back before my own bedtime. I can go to my basement/garage and work in that time and do something. I have a nice shed full of tools, but by the time I get out there (it is only 10 meters from the door, but that means shoes, coat...) I can't really find time to get anything done so I end up with a separate workshop with much less tools, but at least it is easy to get to.
    - ghaff 3y ago
      For someone working full-time, especially with family, absent a hobby with a lot of specialized equipment needs like photography back in the day, it's a bit hard to imagine the justification for spending the time the time in a hacker space you pay for more than occasionally. The random Meetup--sure. but somewhere you go to on a regular weekly cadence? Harder to imagine.

rout39574 3y ago

Care to elaborate on those ways? As an officer in a Hackerspace, I'm likely oblivious to how I'm problematic.

bombcar 3y ago
The key advantage for a garage is the zero-cost to carry - you can delay without being eaten alive by costs just for the space. The advantage of a Hackerspace is access to tooling.
cdchn 3y ago
Look at the hilarious trials and tribulations of Noisebridge in SF.