September 27th Meeting Minutes

A total of 14 members and 1 guest attended the meeting.

BarCampMilwaukee6 is this weekend!

If you haven’t yet, go visit their website at http://barcampmilwaukee.org/

Membership Promotion

Jason proposed that we actively engage the public and recruit new members.  He volunteered to lead a small group and make contact with people at area schools and colleges.  More to come shortly.

Jumpstart Sponsorships

Rich presented an idea to sponsor people who regularly attend meetings and help out at the space, but lack the disposable income necessary for membership.  Candidates would be eligible for two or more months of part-time or student level membership.  A fund has already been set up using donations from other members.

Jason noted that PS:One and other groups offer incentives to bring in materials, clean the space, teach classes, etc. and earn points which can be redeemed for merchandise, discounted dues, and more.  More details to come.

Doorbell Project

It was noted that Shane, a regular at the space but not quite a member, was left waiting outside in the rain last Friday without anyone to let him in.  People were in the space, but did not know he was out there.  The group discussed the need for a doorbell to alert occupants to the presence of guests waiting outside.  Ross volunteered to help build a system with a bell and lights and began working shortly after the meeting.

Electric Car Club Meeting October 9th

As usual, the Electric Car Club will be meeting on the second Sunday of the month.  Tom asked for a few volunteers to come to the space and help direct any guests that attend the meeting.  People will hang out between 10:00 AM and 4:00 PM with the meeting somewhere in the middle.  Tom noted that Ben is working to make the group an official chapter of the Electric Automobile Association.


Makerspace as video studio

A few days ago, I used the Makerspace as a video studio.

A while back, I made an instuctional video on building electric cars, but I have never really done enough promoting of it. I figured a good way to do it is simply to make a pitchman-style YouTube video.

I already had my seamless paper at the Makerspace for our movie night and the band at our opening. So, I set up the paper backdrop and a few of my lights. Instantly, the place went from looking like a metalshop to a video studio.

I WAS filming during the day, so there was a little noise from the neighboring business, but not too bad. It’s much quieter at nigh. There’s also a little echo there. For industrial videos, video blogging, and machine training this is no problem.

Here’s the video that I shot.

Just imagine the giant Makerspace logo right behind me.

-Ben