tl;dr: Next Meetup 11/14 @ New City Brewery, Talk & Tinker recap, Maker Tip of the Week, links
Hi all!
Our next meetup is at New City Brewery on Tuesday 11/14 from 6-9. There is wifi if you wanted to bring a laptop or other small device along, though we won’t have space there to get into any other physical projects. But bring your ideas! Lets talk about the next steps in bring MakeFixHack to life, possible workshops or classes to offer, projects we’re working on or want to start, and anything else that comes up. New City does not serve food, but they do welcome you to bring along snacks or dinner, and they are family-friendly if you happen to have younger makers in tow. As always, keep an eye on the calendar for upcoming events and reach out if you have any questions.
At this week’s Talk & Tinker we measured and designed a modified adapter ring for a camera lens shade, did some diagnostic disassembly on a malfunctioning Macbook, and talked about everything from 3d modeling apps, to kayak-carrying bike trailer design, to training "AI" systems, and more. The next Talk & Tinker meetup at River Valley Co-op will be on Tuesday 11/28 from 6-9, so if you have something you’re trying to fix, a project you want to work on, or just want to chat and see what other’s are into, you’re more than welcome to join us there.
Inspired by this past Talk & Tinker, this week’s tip is Tinkercad.com. If you’re at all curious about 3d design but have no idea how to get started, check out their tutorials for quick lessons on everything from navigating around their app to building simple and complex objects. It’s free for personal use, web-based (so there’s nothing to install), and easy for kids and adults to understand and have fun with. Aside from the fact that it’s what I’ve been using to design things like the stamp mold I mentioned last time and case opener coins I’ve been giving out at events, I have no affiliation with the site. I just think it’s something cool and useful. If you have a maker tip you’d like to share, let me know and we can feature it here.
If you’re looking to get in touch with other local makers, hackers, crafty people, and other just generally interesting people, join us on Discord at https://discord.gg/wHMgMpg6. It’s a server set up by one of our members for all sorts of local topics: from bikes and native plants, to local events and community concerns. Plus repair, freecycle, tool exchange, and other "maker" topics as well. If you join, just remember to make a quick post in introductions to help everyone get to know you.
And one final link: https://www.westernmassmakerhub.org/ is a site set up by another community member to collect and help highlight all sorts of local maker events and resources.
Be well and keep making things!
Bill C.
MakeFixHack is a growing community of makers, tinkerers, hackers, crafters, and other like-minded people, sharing knowledge and working to create a community workshop/hackerspace here in Easthampton. MakeFixHack is an open and welcoming community and strives to be a safe space for all.
Be safe and keep making things!
- Bill C.
Where to find us:
MakeFixHack is a growing community of makers, tinkerers, hackers, crafters, and other like-minded people, sharing knowledge and working to create a community workshop/hackerspace here in Easthampton. MakeFixHack is an open and welcoming community and strives to be a safe space for all.