[Noisebridge-discuss] Turing: Equipment Removed

[jim]

    Please read this. I do not believe this email is drama. 
I've tried to articulate a problem and am asking for direct 
responses at the least from Ben and Tom. 

    Not only do I ask that you read, I ask that you read 
thoughtfully. 
    How did the drill press and saws get into the dirty 
workshop? For that matter, how is it that the dirty workshop 
is there? Likewise for the darkroom and the electronics area 
with its 'scopes and soldering irons and lots and lots of 
wires, semiconductors, passives.... Likewise for the sewing 
area with the machines and the bins of material and drawers 
of tools and supplies. 
    How about the Tastebridge territory with its special 
refrigerator and shelves of jars and so on, not to mention 
the related kitchen with its shelves and cupboards and so on? 
    Put things in member shelves? There are a couple of issues: 
* spacebridge stuff occupies a number of shelves. Why?
* member shelves are subject to mismanagement, it's now obvious. 
    As to Turing, do you have plans to remove the whiteboard 
and/or the electrical conduit? 

    Generally, the answers are that people saw opportunity for 
making use of some area for some particular purpose. The 
discussions preliminary to setting up various areas were as 
varied as the areas and people who set them up. None of them 
were subject to a meeting's discussion or consensus process or 
anything else. Each was do-ocratically established, in some 
cases with negotiations with others wrt their interests (e.g. 
I negotiated the "library" space with those who'd claimed that 
wall for photo display). 

    The multiple discussions about classrooms in which I've 
participated have noted the need for a classroom area that has 
a projector and sound system, similar to the main area, and to 
provide an alternative area so that smaller groups aren't stuck 
with using the projector and sound system in the main area 
(which allows people in the main area freedom from the needs of 
a group using the main projector, etc.). Turing makes good sense 
as such an alternate area. 

    From time to time there have been do-ocratic efforts, both 
in the space and on the mailing list, to clean things up and/or 
reorganize and/or impress conformance. 
    Those that took a positive tone to make improvements, in my 
recall, were more successful (especially with respect to 
emotional storms on the discuss list) than those that included 
a negative proscriptive component. 

    Questions that arise in my mind include "why are you focusing 
on the turing classroom?" "why are you not focusing on the little 
storage and rack closet?" Those are real questions, I'm hoping 
for answers. (I've noticed Ben's response re "electrical closet".) 
    I've not experienced such negatively oriented interference 
in any other development of an area in our space. I'd like to 
know why Turing and why now and why in this obnoxious manner. 

    My intention is to set up the Turing classroom so that it 
supports classes. I have a lot of experience as a classroom 
lecturer--something like ten years in accredited schools, with 
notable success. 
    Note that I intend to continue setting up the Turing 
classroom to be a good and useful classroom, and I expect, in 
the spirit of do-ocracy and noisebridge's history, that you 
will respect my efforts to do so. 
    As far as I know, there has been no time when the Turing 
classroom didn't work for a meeting or class. Space in that 
room has not been at a premium so far, even with the stuff 
that's been squirreled in there under tables against the north 
wall (much or most of it not related to any building or 
improvement that i know of). 
 
    A people reading this may recall my occasional pleas in 
Tuesday evening meetings for people to step up and take 
ownership of various spaces. A few of you have done so, and 
with respect to electricity, when you've asked for electrical 
devices, I've tried to help out: 
* outlets on the south wall (now buried by shelves) 
* large capacity run to the kitchen area 
* removing and reorganizing the electrical mess that we 
  inherited 
* totally rebuilt the guts of the primary three-phase sub-panel 
* installed interior entrance lights 
* brought three-phase availability in the dirty shop 
* all darkroom electricity 
* east end lighting improvement 
* laser cutter dedicated circuit 
* main room ceiling lights and switches 
* infrastructure closet lighting and power 
    I've given up trying to defend order in the infrastructure 
closet, having built all shelves and storage areas to see them 
trashed, filled with random stuff, shelving materials removed, 
and noisebridge electrical supplies removed to piles, wrecking 
the organization I'd worked hard on. 

    As long as I'm building this list, I'll add: I was one of 
the few who championed improving the floor before we moved in 
and I put a lot of hours working on the prep and sanding and 
filling and finishing. 

    Can you understand that the censorious manner you're taking 
to my work to improve the Turing classroom is irritating? 
    As I wrote earlier in this email, I have not witnessed such 
an approach as you have taken with respect to any other area in 
the time we've been either here, at 2169, or at 83C weisse. I 
ask again: why are you acting in this way? 
    Note I'm not complaining about trying to improve things; I'm 
complaining hard about the way you're demanding behavior that 
has been actually sanctioned for every other improvement in the 
past. (Note also that the build-out policy is that people can 
bring and leave their personal tools and supplies needed to do 
their work as long as they label their tools and supplies.) 
    I expect that you will, at the least, let me continue to 
try to improve the Turing classroom by curtailing behavior that 
demands foolish conformity and is contradictory to established 
Noisebridge norms for improving the space. 
    I welcome cleaning and organizing efforts. I have pretty 
much given up on trying to rescue or reorganize Noisebridge 
supplies such as (expensive) copper wire. When we run out of 
wire, I'll not resupply--I've spent enough already. If you've 
thrown out the wire that Noisebridge has paid for, please go 
to an electrical supply store and replace it. 
    I'd like positive support, but i'll gladly take silence. 



On Sun, 2012-02-26 at 22:19 -0800, Ben Kochie wrote:
> Jim, storing things in the classroom, while traditional, is still not
> the intended use for that space.  We have been trying to clean up the
> room and make it more habitable and inviting for classes of all kinds.
>  The things you talk about are in their appropriate locations.
> 
> Yes, I know you teach classes in there, but that's only a day or two a
> week.  If you want to setup a permanent location for teaching Linux
> serving, please talk to me on Tuesday night.  I'd love to help.
> 
> I cleaned out the ewaste and some other garbage from the electrical
> closet.  I have a bit more organizing to do, but there should be more
> than enough room to hold all the electrical spare parts in there.
> 
> On Sun, Feb 26, 2012 at 19:02, jim <jim at well.com> wrote:
> >
> >
> >    Do you plan to take the saws and drills out of
> > the dirty workshop? remove the refrigerator from
> > the kitchen area? How about the sewing machines
> > and oscilloscopes?
> >    I'd like to meet you and talk.
> > jim
> >
> >
> >
> > On Sun, 2012-02-26 at 17:41 -0800, Tom wrote:
> >> As I said on the list almost two weeks ago, then announced at last
> >> week's meeting, I have removed the computer/audio equipment and
> >> speakers from Turing, and placed them in the e-waste pile. Please find
> >> them a better home on your hacker shelf, or somewhere else where space
> >> is not a premium! If you do so, go ahead and use them for classes in
> >> Turing, but remove them afterwards. If these items end up stored in
> >> Turing again, I intend to remove them permanently.
> >
> >
> > _______________________________________________
> > Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> > Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> > https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss
> _______________________________________________
> Noisebridge-discuss mailing list
> Noisebridge-discuss at lists.noisebridge.net
> https://www.noisebridge.net/mailman/listinfo/noisebridge-discuss