[hackerspaces] National Fab Lab Network Act of 2010 (111-HR6003)

[John Griessen]

On 09/23/2010 04:06 PM, Far McKon wrote:
> IHMO, it would be both awesome and sad if there was a 'Kinkos' of
> hackerpsaces (which I think Tech Shop wanted to do in the 90's).
> Awesome on lowering the bar to innovation, play, and design.  Not so
> awesome to opening up systems to getting into the guts, and improving
> them.

Yes. You know the govt. program managers will only be able to perceive benefit in
buying from existing suppliers in the US for natl security, jobs creation mythical reasons.

Having a Hurco CNC machining center in the fab lab would not get me upset...

They would not naturally support development of open hardware CNC tools, and might oppose them.
At lest the law as written now says, mission is to create fab labs not manage their
activities.

On 09/23/2010 09:10 PM, Far McKon wrote:
 >  From my reading of it (IANAL) it looks like it just makes a nonprofit
 > entity under the supervision of the govn't, but with no funding from
 > the government.  So, other than the 'lets get a big name behind' the
 > project aspect, I don't understand how it would be any different than
 > if we incorporated a nonprofit ourselves.

That's how I read it.  The donors might be private, corps, or govt. and the
waiting list sets up prospectives for receiving the kinds of donations available
and the holding co. owns the equipment in case you fail to meet objectives and
they take it somewhere else.  Might land a Hurco machining center in your lap.
Of various commercial 3D printers.  Probably no funds for developing anything new though.

John