A Los Angeles Hackerspace
Two Processing Classes
Posted on October 17th, 2011 by jbum • Filed under Events • No Comments
Join us October 26 and November 2 for two Processing classes with Jim Bumgardner. All proceeds from these classes go towards Crash Space’s legal fund!
Processing 101, Wednesday October 26th, 7:30pm
An introduction to the Processing language and development environment. Processing is an open-source language and development environment which is popular with designers, artists, and DIYers. It’s a great language for learning computer programming because of its simplicity and immediate visual rewards. You can use Processing to build a sketchbook of reusable code snippets for future projects.
This class will cover installation and introduce graphic programming techniques in Processing.
Students will learn
- Basic vector drawing and color manipulation in Processing
- Simple image processing techniques
- How to effectively use randomness.
- Make an animated logo
- Make movie files with processing
Where: CRASHSpace
When: 7:30PM, Wednesday October 26
Cost: $60 ($40 for members)
Instructor: Jim Bumgardner
Processing for Musicians, Wednesday November 2nd, 7:30pm
An introduction on how to mix Processing with music. Although Processing was originally oriented around visual design, it can also be used by musicians to input, output, and synchronize to musical events.
This class will introduce a variety of ways to incorporate music into Processing. Students will learn
- How to play music and sound effects.
- How to hook Processing up to a MIDI keyboard or instrument.
- How to control Processing with an iPad or iPhone
- How to control animation with a keyboard
- Methods for sound synthesis within Processing
Where: CRASHSpace
When: 7:30PM, Wednesday November 2
Cost: $60 ($40 for members)
Instructor: Jim Bumgardner
For both classes, students will need a Windows, Macintosh or Linux laptop. For the music class, it helps (but is not required) to have a working MIDI setup.
What, a $4200 T-Shirt?!
Posted on October 11th, 2011 by at0mbxmb • Filed under Events • No Comments
You heard right! In an effort to raise funding for our 501(c)3 non-profit status, we’ve set up an eBay auction to sell a custom, collectible, state-of-the-art $4200 T-Shirt!
Mark Frauenfelder of MAKE Magazine supports our righteous cause
The shirt features a Crash Space logo, a totally-genuine-and-not-fake quote by THE PRESIDENT, and was signed and worn by Mark Frauenfelder!
Show and Tell for Make Magazine
Posted on October 2nd, 2011 by mikeout • Filed under Events, News & Updates • 5 Comments
Make Magazine is the ultimate printed resource for folks looking for Do-It-Yourself projects that generally involve electronics, crafts, and hands-on science. So when Editor in Chief Mark Frauenfelder suggested the idea of having a night where Crash Space would host a Show and Tell of projects people have been working on -AND- the presenters could score a paid gig writing about the project for Make, we jumped at the chance!
Friday night, we had a dozen projects to show off and Crash Space members presented them in a fun discussion format guided along by a 10 minute timer. Mark found all of them to be possible candidates for various sections of the magazine. A feature article, full DIY write-ups, one-page overviews, projects in three steps, and a potential new section entitled “ReMake” were all exciting possibilities.
List of Projects!
- Clever Furniture Repair via Michelle
- Dazzling Laser Light Show via Chris
- Internetable Robotic Heartbeat via Theron
- DECO Cosmic Ray Detectors via Levi
- Safecast GPS Geiger Counters via Mike
- Wii Interactive Whiteboard via James
- Arduino iPad Emulation via Russell
- Sparkles the Unicorn via Matt
- Timelapse Video Mount via Matt
- Daryll’s Digital Dominos via Mike
- Store Front Music via All
- Physics Defying Waterfall via Naim
The night was an awesome example of the diversity and creativity people have in devoting their time and energy to a project. We explored a side of invention that includes the practical, the instructional, the important, the ground-breaking, and just plain cool. I hope to see these projects covered in future issues of Make. But more than that, I am excited to see how others discover, build, and expand on these projects and go on to make their own.
The next Pitch Make Night is expected in about a month. Let us know if you have a project YOU would like to show and tell!
Help us become an official Non-Profit – First Attack
Posted on September 29th, 2011 by carlyn • Filed under News & Updates • 7 Comments
CRASH Space has been operating with the soul of a non-profit. We’ve kept costs as low as possible for classes that don’t get taught much of anywhere else, or, when they are, cost an arm and a leg. We run a skin of our teeth budget for the space. I’d say 90% of what’s in there is donated or on loan from people who are excited about sharing their passion and expertise with the world. Everything we do is brought about by the hard work of volunteers. However, it won’t be official until we complete the process to obtain 501(c)3 status.
Becoming a non-profit will open up new funding sources to help CRASH Space further it’s mission. We’d like to continue to teach people interesting, useful stuff they wouldn’t otherwise have learned as cheaply as possible. We’re hoping to be able to subsidize a “scholarship” fund, perhaps even help fund some opensource community projects, etc.
To complete the process, we need cash for the application fees and a lawyer with California 501(c)3 (and CRASH Space) experience. He is going to file for our change in status as well as totally reinvent our corporate structure as a membership based corporation. We are hoping to raise $5,000 (US) to cover his fees, taxes, transaction costs and hopefully to put any residual into the scholarship fund.
We hate to ask, but we all want CRASH Space to not only live long and prosper but really make an impact here in LA and in as part of the bigger hackerspace movement. The membership has piles of ideas and crazy antics on-hand for raising this much need funding, but the most efficient way to solve the problem is through donations, so please help us start the process by giving here:
To borrow a trick from public radio, if you participate in the pre-fund-drive-fund-drive, we’ll have to do less interrupting of our usually awesome blog for things like this.
Thank you so much, from all of us!
Created from pictures taken by the Crash Cam
Lock Picking from The College of Lock Picking
Posted on September 24th, 2011 by carlyn • Filed under Events • No Comments
Saturday, October 1st from 7-9pm
http://collegeoflockpicking.
You can pick your friends.
You can pick your beer.
But can you pick… a Lock?
Join us on Saturday, October 1st from 7-9pm, as we embark on an ancient mechanical adventure to explore the inner workings of a modern lock, first developed by the Mesopotamians and Egyptians over 4000 years ago. Led by lockpickers Eric Michaud and Jamie Schwettmann, this workshop will cover – soup to nuts – everything you need to know about how common locks work… and how to pick them open.
Whether you’re a complete novice curious to find out what pin-tumbler really means, a homeowner protecting your family’s treasures, or a veteran lockpicker with questions about advanced locks and techniques, this event is for you! With 2 solid hours of history, mechanical diagrams (“lock pr0n”), and hands-on lockpicking instruction… first we’ll open your minds, and then we’ll open some locks!
To properly learn this ancient art, you’ll need the proper tools. By registering for a ticket with a lockpick set, this guarantees you a seat at the workshop, and reserves – all for you – a brand-new 10-piece custom lockpick set by Southern Specialties, hand-picked by Eric and Jamie to maximize utility for beginners and locksport enthusiasts alike, and offered for only $30.
If you already have some picks you’re itching to practice with, you can bring them along, and your workshop cost is only $40!
BONUS: CrashSpace members get $10 off a ticket or pick set! (Code posted to te member list)
See ya there!
- Eric.
P.S. Don’t forget to Like our Facebook page ( http://www.facebook.com/
Introduction to Life Casting
Posted on September 21st, 2011 by Tom Dilligan • Filed under Events • No Comments
On Saturday, October 1 at 1:00PM we’re having an introduction to life casting. This is a hands on class (everyone will leave with a cast of their own hand). We will also discuss techniques for making effects prosthetics. We will be using alginate as the mold material and plaster as the casting material.
This class is limited to 12 attendees. Please register before Wednesday, September 28.
If you are interested in using a material other than plaster for the cast please contact me ahead of time to discuss any additional costs.
Where: CRASHSpace
When: 1:00PM
Cost: $50 for non-members (materials and space cost). 25% discount for members.
Materials: Provided, but we will be working with plaster so old clothes are recommended.
Safecast Hackathon
Posted on September 19th, 2011 by rknLA • Filed under Events • No Comments
If you’ve been to some of our meetings lately, you may have heard about a little project that some of us are working on called Safecast, a non-profit that is taking a bunch of GPS-referenced radiation measurements and throwing them up on Google Maps.
This weekend, starting on Saturday at 5pm, CRASH and Safecast are hosting a 24 hour hackathon to rally up some LA volunteers and do Cool Things™ with the internets. The focus will primarily be on all of the web-related things that it takes to make Safecast happen: database design, data visualization, user experience, and any interesting ways of interacting with the data that you can think of. Right now the database has over 600,000 measurements, and it’s going to grow substantially in the next year.
This is a great opportunity to experience new technologies and big, real-world databases while helping out a group who’s mission is to empower people with accurate, open data to make their own decisions.
All levels are welcome. Coffee, some food, and cat gifs will be provided to keep us going through the night. Please RSVP to kevin@safecast.org so we can get a headcount for the event.
Soldering Iron Unicorn Chaser
Posted on September 16th, 2011 by mikeout • Filed under Events • No Comments
Here is an awesome piece of artwork by Jim B. to chase away the cute little zombie from a previous post.
Created from pictures taken by the Crash Cam Flickr feed
Introduction to Power Supplies
Posted on September 14th, 2011 by Tom Dilligan • Filed under Events • No Comments
This Wednesday, September 14 (tomorrow) at 8:00 we’re having an introduction to power supplies. The first session will include a basic introduction to electronics and discuss basic AC to DC transformer based linear power supplies, and introduce concepts used in switch-mode DC to DC power supplies. The class will emphasize practical applications over theory and is geared towards the maker community.
This class will be part of an ongoing series: future classes will include a more in-depth discussion of switch-mode DC to DC power supplies, design examples, and regulated DC to AC power supplies.
Where: CRASHSpace
When: 8:00PM
Cost: FREE (non-members 12 dollar suggested donation)
Materials: None
Disaster Readiness Meetup
Posted on September 14th, 2011 by matt • Filed under Events • No Comments
This Monday, September 19th we’re talking about disasters and how you’ll deal with them. There are many strategies and local resources. Knowledge and preparedness are key to your continued survival once the earthquakes and zombies strike, but together we can help a lot more folks.
Last year we had the first draft of an Armageddon Bag workshop at the space. An “Armageddon bag” or Bug Out Bag is something that is pre-packed and ready to go so that you can just grab it as you run out the door. What would you put in it?
Luckily you are not alone in the event of some disaster and with more of us prepared we create a safer environment for all. The fire department runs training programs and maintains local caches of supplies for emergencies. Amateur radio operators operate networks for the transmission of messages, find people, and to help coordinate emergency workers.
Where: CRASHSpace
When: 8p
Cost: FREEE
Streamed: yes!
Bring: your ideas, your bug out bags, and your links!
Chip In!
Crash Space is a community-focused organization and we need cash to continue to do cool things for people. Help us out! Financial contributions aren't tax-deductible, but we are working on becoming an official non-profit.
Or you can
Buy a shirt
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