[hackerspaces] Help me make it happen for 'hackert0wn' on Indiegogo

[Mitch Altman]

Definitely not a scam.  Definitely super ambitious.  Can they pull it off?  I'd love to find out.  PsyTek and others involved are totally sincere in wanting to make this to happen.  I've been to the site with them -- an old triangular-shaped parking lot.  When I was at AlphaOne Labs this summer, PsyTek had already been working on plans for quite awhile to turn that triangle into the vision given in the video.  He's put a lot of time and thought into it.  If you want details, contact him.

Mitch.

________________________________
> From: wsaturno at gmail.com 
> Date: Wed, 3 Oct 2012 13:12:23 -0400 
> To: discuss at lists.hackerspaces.org 
> Subject: Re: [hackerspaces] Help me make it happen for 'hackert0wn' on 
> Indiegogo 
> 
> I know these guys and it is a real (albeit ambitious!) idea. 
> 
> On Wed, Oct 3, 2012 at 1:06 PM, Aurélien 
> <aurelien at cwb.io<mailto:aurelien at cwb.io>> wrote: 
> Steven Sutton <ssutton4455 at gmail.com<mailto:ssutton4455 at gmail.com>> writes: 
> 
> > I don't think it's a scam, just an ambitious portfolio of projects. 
> > However, I can see where Matt came go that conclusion because of the 
> > lack of Return on Investment data for each of the sub-projects. 
> > 
> > For example, small-scale testing and yield rates for aquaponics are 
> > available from various labs. If crops are grown to be sold, then an 
> > optimistic, pessimistic, and most likely revenue estimate can be 
> > created for a given square footage and used to project the amount of 
> > time that the investment will be paid off. The same for the retail 
> > location (where revenue per square foot data for similar retail 
> > businesses could be used as a benchmark). 
> > 
> > You don't have to get super technical, as that will turn some people 
> > off, but you have to also instill confidence in the worthiness of the 
> > investment and probable success of the project. Unless I see numbers, 
> > I have a really hard time imagining the cost justification for using 
> > hydrogen fuel cells in the initial build. Or the initial $150+ per 
> > square foot cost. Or the lack of maintenance costs and plans. 
> > 
> > If it were me, I would take a phased approach and demonstrate this on 
> > a small scale before going big with it. Looking over the data, I think 
> > it's possible to get 80% of the features for 20% of the cost. 
> > 
> > It's a noble project, but the pitch is difficult to understand from a 
> > technical perspective. I think you need a better model of the project 
> > in order for it to go viral. It has to seem just within reach to get 
> > people excited. That means an achievable initial investment, very 
> > little waste (with each sub project justified), a cost-effective 
> > architecture, and a 10-20 year Return on Investment including the 
> > continuous costs to run the facility over that time period. 
> > 
> > If the facility were to be paid off by member dues alone, 12 months * 
> > 20 years = 240 dues payments, which requires 6000+ members to pay off. 
> > Also troubling is the lack of information about continuous labor 
> > costs, licensing, inspection, impact fees, and contractor costs. 
> > 
> > So why is the pitch so vague? 
> > 
> > Steven 
> > 
> > On Oct 3, 2012 12:09 PM, "Matt Joyce" 
> <matt at nycresistor.com<mailto:matt at nycresistor.com>> wrote: 
> > 
> > Seems like a total scam. The cost estimates are nonsensical and 
> > there is practically zero detail on the project beyond those. 
> > 
> > Probably had to use indiegogo cause kickstarter would have shot 
> > the idea as proposed down. 
> > 
> > -matt 
> > 
> > On Oct 3, 2012 8:57 AM, "Psy Tek" 
> <psytek at alphaonelabs.com<mailto:psytek at alphaonelabs.com>> wrote: 
> > 
> > 
> > Hello, 
> > 
> > 
> > I'm writing to let you know about 'hackert0wn', a pioneering 
> > educational center for clean technology and sustainability 
> > featuring the world's first marketplace for hackers. 
> > 
> > 
> > Take a moment to check it out on Indiegogo and also share it 
> > with your friends. All the tools are there. Get perks, make 
> > a contribution, or simply follow updates. If enough of us get 
> > behind it, we can make 'hackert0wn' happen. 
> > 
> > 
> > http://www.indiegogo.com/hackert0wn?a=1498290&i=emal 
> > 
> > 
> > 
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> 
> Hi hackers, 
> 
> Wow so they have a t0wn, mugs and much more things but no website? 
> 
> No webmaster in a hackertown -_-' 
> 
> -- 
> Aurelien DESBRIERES 
> Ride Free! Ride GNU.org 
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