[hackerspaces] Hacking the Spaces: A critical acclaim of what was, is and could be a hackerspace (or hacklab, for that matter)

[astera]

Hey all,


On May 11, 2009, at 3:36 PM, webmind wrote:

As far as I'm concerned it still is, and is this list a way of sharing
ideas on hackerspaces, like 'we' are doing right now (not so much we as
you I supose :).

Hackerspaces.org is little more then a place to share ideas for/with
other hackerspaces, like how you think organizing a hackerspace works
best or what you think is important for a hackerspace. If you think
running your collective from a highly leftist-activist perspective is
important, do so. If you think it should be highly rightwing-capitalist
oriented, same story. Just never force it on another hackerspace.


This is exactly my opinion on the subject, too.

The thing that most people on this list have in common, as I suppose,  
is that they think differently than the broad mainstream. They re- 
think things. They analyze. They care a whole lot for what they feel  
matters to their lives. And this is, what makes us hackers, in my  
opinion. A couple of these people in one location, where they can meet  
or discuss or explore or hack or scheme or learn or just be? I think,  
that must be a hackerspace then. However, I don't think any place  
would be more or less of a hackerspace because the people there are  
more interested in aspects like politics/hardware/you name it!

Since I think this discussion is a very interesting one on the one  
hand side, but on the other might never get to a result we could  
probably be proud of, and in thoughts towards the plan of some kind of  
a press folder that was discussed on this list earlier this year, I  
thought it could be a good idea to brainstorm a version of the  
discussed text that is broad and unconfining enough - while at the  
same time coming from contributors from hackerspaces all over the  
place that obviously do care - to be published in a press release!

Therefore, I plainly added this wikipage: http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Rewriting_Hacking_the_Spaces
I really hope it's not just my naivety and sheer unrealistic optimism  
that makes me believe that together we could work this subject out in  
an openminded and productive way, and come up with a great text.

Hack on,
/astera