Last year, I purchased a 1970 Telecaster copy for $120 from Elderly Instruments. The frets were no good and much of the hardware was corroded, so it seemed like a good instrument to hone my repair skills on.
The first thing I did was take it to Hive and bounced ideas around with some folks. One thing I really love is that no matter what kind of project or idea you’ve got, there’s at least one or two people at an open house who have some expertise to share. Continue reading “Guitar Stuff at Hive”
Well everyone, so long, and thanks for all the fission reactors. I’ve moved to Alexandria, VA, to be with m’lady, plan our wedding, start a doggy dating website with some folks, and maybe spread the joy of hackerspaces a little further south. Step 1) figure out the joy of hackerspaces.
It’s a bittersweet change, as I am really going to miss Hive76 and her amazing people. You all taught me a lot and I will forever hold it all in my heart with great appreciation.
I’m not disappearing completely. You will still receive the occasional displeasure of reading some new, overly-verbose, trying-too-hard rambling from me on the listserv and in this blog. I plan on visiting on occasion as well. But regardless, here are a few of those things that I learned thanks to Hive76:
Everything is permitted. There is an avenue for doing just about anything. Don’t let the fact that you’ve never done something before prevent you from doing it now. Don’t ask permission to do it, either. People ask permission to do things in a lot of different ways. They stall the doing by looking for a job in what they want to do, waiting for an employer to give them permission. They research the “best” way to do something, asking questions of everyone around them, never actually just giving it a try. Someone will show up in your life with a need for help and you can help them by just saying, “I bet I can do that”, without knowing for sure if it is so. You win some, you lose some, hence it is a bet, but you always learn something, and that’s almost as good as winning.
Anything is possible. If you put your mind to it you’re capable of just about anything. Things you could never imagine will happen if you just try. Like having a piece of art put into a museum. Or meeting a legend of technology. Or just plain making the block clean for a change. “Luck is what happens when preparation meets opportunity”. A place like Hive can help you always be prepared for the opportunities that inevitably come our way.
It’s okay to do stupid things. Actually, it’s even preferable. We are too serious on most occasions. Having a habit of doing things just to see them done–things that have no inherent value of their own, beyond any spectacle they may bring–is pretty much the only way new discoveries are made; certainly the important ones. Without time for play, there is no art. Without art, there is no culture. Without culture, there is no language, no nation, no city, no people.
Don’t ever let anyone tell you what is right. Not a boss. Not a friend. Not your parents. Not a single person. You have to decide, and you have to get good at deciding, because half of the people out there are wrong and it’s on you to figure which half. Depending on what it is, more than half of everyone is wrong. There aren’t many places where less than half of everyone is wrong. So get good at deciding what is wrong and then trying new things to try not to be wrong. But absolutely, most importantly, respect everyone else’s path to figuring out how not to be wrong, because if you try to tell them you’re right, you’re probably wrong.
I’m stopping at 4 because it’s not wrong to stop at 4 and I’m also tired of typing for the day. Don’t forget to check out Hive76’s Open Houses on Wednesdays at 7pm. I understand they have an opening for memberships now.
Hey everyone, as you may know, Philly Tech Week is coming up in late April. Hive76, as always likes to make ourselves as available possible during the week, and offer as much as we can. We’ll be open from 5pm-10pm Mon-Thur, and Noon-10pm on Saturday while showing off one unique and interesting aspect of what we do each day.Update: There’s no registration required for these events.
Monday: 3D Printer / OpenSCAD modeling class where we help people model ideas with OpenSCAD and Illustrator, and then allow them to print it on our 3D printer.
Tuesday: Combat Robotics Demo: Duke it out with miniature R/C machines in tabletop matches – it’s Robot Wars on a hand-held scale. Choose one from a field of 1-lb robots designed and built by Hive76 to drive and fight in a display of electro-mechanical fisticuffs. Learn the basics of building and strategy, and get a taste of upcoming combat robot classes offered at Hive76.
Wednesday: Open Hack Night, for anyone who wants to come and build, hack, or program. We’ll also have a Microcontoller session for individuals who want to become more familiar.
Thursday: Music Night: Come talk to our best music hackers and learn how to build effect pedals, make anything into a speaker and learn about amplifiers.
Saturday: Hive76 Ultimate Open House and Expo: Hive76 will have everything from the previous week available for display, and to play with.Also available will be Karaoke, Music, Movies, Food and Refreshments.
Michelle doesn’t drink coffee, so she does not own a coffee pot. However, she did have a few coffee filters left over from making cocktail bitters. Fortuitously, she had also finished off a jug of milk the night before, leaving it on the counter because I hadn’t yet taken out the garbage (see! Procrastination pays, probably!) So, the milk jug bottom with a hole cut in the center holds the filter. The milk jug top holds the bottom instead of the filter because the handle was crumpling the filter. The weight of the jug assembly with grounds and water make the chop sticks grip the assembly on top of the jar (my favorite part), otherwise the top-heavy nature of the assembly would probably make it topple over. And now coffee is ready! I can’t tell if it tastes good because it’s freshly ground or because I’m just overly pleased with myself.
