[hackerspaces] Radio Shack Hackerspace Challenge: $1000 Prize!

[Philip Poten]

2013/5/24 Ken Murphy <kenmrph at gmail.com>
> It's part of Radio Shack's "Great Create" campaign, which includes an effort to improve their offerings to the DIY community.
> This is a great opportunity to work on a cool project, compete for a $1000 prize, and get some good publicity for your hackerspace and for the hackerspace movement overall.
>
> Unfortunately, we need to limit it to the US. Sorry!

The hackerspace movement is international and naturally aims to
eliminate barriers.

If you want to do "improve your offerings" (aka increase sales) and
"get some good publicity for the hackerspace movement" (aka use it as
an inexpensive marketing platform to increase sales) then at least
*mean it* and buy the whole cow. You are not providing a specific
venue (you're using the existing hackerspaces) and you're not paying
anyone at the hackerspaces, so why the arbitrary limitation?

I seriously hope the hackerspace community soon starts reacting to
those cheap ploys. Not that I condemn commercial involvement in
hackerspaces - not at all, on the contrary. But why should a company
be able to reap the benefits from the hackerspace movement on a local
basis while at the same time using the global movement in name only?

I can't brain english enough right now to express myself well, but
this all looks very antithetic to me.