[Noisebridge-discuss] Access control and the DJ booth

Wed Sep 30 21:15:43 UTC 2009

I think we need some anarchist violence in the space to spark off a heated
debate next time.

Christie
---
Pigs can fly given sufficient thrust.
    - RFC 1925

On Wed, Sep 30, 2009 at 2:13 PM, Ani Niow <v at oneletterwonder.com> wrote:

> Is it just me or do we seem to have a lot of mailing list drama right
> before a big event that introduces a lot of new people to Noisebridge? The
> thread about kids happened right before Maker Faire and this is happening
> right before Arse and our anniversary. It's almost like we *want* people
> to see us at our most argumentative.
> Any ideas on how to top this for the next time a big Noisebridge related
> event happens?
>
>
> -Ani
>
>
>
> 2009/9/30 Dr. Jesus <j at hug.gs>
>
> There was some discussion earlier tonight about putting a gate on the
>> DJ booth. Although I wasn't planning on doing it anytime soon, I
>> thought I'd write up my thoughts to prompt some discussion because I'm
>> not sure I covered all the details earlier tonight.
>>
>> Basically, I thought it would be nice if we repurposed one of the
>> gates and installed it in front of an enclosed area, probably the DJ
>> booth.  I don't know whether I should install a lock or not, but if I
>> did it would be keyed to the same key used for the rest of the locks
>> at Noisebridge.  Door access would be audited by timestamp only, so
>> anonymity concerns would only apply to the same degree they did with
>> noisedoor (and no one has complained to me so far.)
>>
>> Locks in the space are a touchy subject, which is why I mention using
>> the door keys.  This requires people who want access to the resources
>> in there to participate in the existing web of trust model we use for
>> access to the rest of the space.  It's not strong security by any
>> means: I'm sure someone's going to program the makerbot to spit out
>> keys in the near future.  Think of it more as an IQ test.  I honestly
>> don't know whether the idea of installing a lock keyed to the door
>> keys is offensive, so apologies in advance if it is.  The alternative
>> is using an unlocked doorknob set and that's nearly as good, since the
>> main thing about the gate is it provides a fixture on which a magnetic
>> access sensor can be installed.
>>
>> There are several justifications for doing this.  First of all, it
>> allows the computers hosted there to be troubleshot more effectively
>> because the door access can be correlated with system failures.
>> Today, it is not possible to reliably tell the difference between a
>> hardware problem and someone using the machines for self education.
>> There have already been two such situations at 2169: the DSL modem
>> resetting and storage problems on pony.
>>
>> Second, it allows people who want to temporarily store expensive or
>> medically related things at Noisebridge to have a some level of
>> assurance that access to the gear is mostly limited to people included
>> in the existing web of trust built out of the physical key
>> distribution.  For example, when we host an event there will sometimes
>> be objects present in the space which cannot comply with our general
>> policy of being available for hacking.  Again, this is not so much
>> about securing the gear as making sure that there's a mechanism for
>> knowing -- possibly in real time -- when someone's been in there.  If
>> what I heard about the last party is true, I think our average
>> gathering might be pretty chaotic and it might be a good idea to have
>> some island of stability where we can put things without worrying
>> about drunken partygoers.
>>
>> Third, I think it would be a good idea to have a backup fire
>> extinguisher, flashlight, and first aid kit in an area with access
>> logging just in case the ones in the space are tampered with.  Sure,
>> there's no guarantee that someone's not going to screw with the
>> backups too, but I think it's less likely to happen accidentally due
>> to chair hockey.  I also think it would be nice if the safety critical
>> controllers like the fire and flood alarms are access audited so that
>> when access is logged unexpectedly someone can go check them out to
>> make sure a rat didn't get in there and eat them.  Being able to trust
>> the integrity of those controllers isn't just nice, it has real world
>> financial consequences.  I don't want to give an adjuster an excuse to
>> bone us on a claim because we don't have reliable safety equipment in
>> the space.  This is doubly important if we get that laser cutter that
>> was discussed recently.
>>
>> Fourth, I found myself needing to have a private conversation earlier
>> tonight on my netbook and I couldn't find a place at 2169 where there
>> was reliable Internet, privacy, and distance from the noise being made
>> on the far side of the space.  In my case the bathroom would have
>> raised some uncomfortable questions since it was a video chat.  I'm
>> sure other people might find it convenient to have a place to have
>> less than public conversations as well.
>>
>> The bottom line is, do you care and if you do, do you want the gate to
>> be lockable or not?  Please vote along with your (civil) comments.  If
>> this rubs you the wrong way and you'd like to tell me to eat a dick,
>> let's keep that off the mailing list.  I can send you my mailing
>> address for cock-related packages privately.
>>
>> To preempt some points I think might come up:
>>
>>  - Yes, I have been treating parts of the DJ booth as my personal
>> shelf, mainly because I had to store a few bulky and easy to lose
>> items I'm using for working with the locks and controllers.  Most of
>> those will go away in the near future because they're going to be
>> bolted to a wall somewhere.  I'm planning on continuing to keep the
>> remaining items (lock rekeying set, repair kit, glassware) out of the
>> way in the DJ booth and have any personal projects on a regular shelf
>> elsewhere.
>>
>>  - I am in no way married to the idea of enclosing the DJ booth in
>> particular for satisfying the use cases above.  Any other area would
>> be fine.
>>
>>  - Yes, even without locking the gate, adding access logging could be
>> interpreted as a lack of mutual trust between members and our guests
>> and this could have a chilling effect on our interactions.  I'm not
>> going to rebut this because that interpretation is an opinion.
>> However, I should point out that we did basically the same thing at
>> 83c on a coarser scale with noisedoor and as far as I know that
>> chilling effect didn't occur.
>>
>>  - Yes, I know the current staircase is mechanically incompatible with
>> the available gates.
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>
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