Hackerspace Happenings for December 6th

Hack A Day Visits Kitchener, ON’s Kwartzlab

The HAD crew visited Kwartzlab in November and posted photos and notes of their trip. Looks like a great space!

Swedish Hackerspace Forskningsavdelningen Marks 3 Years Since Police Raid

On November 29th, 2009, Malmö police raided the Utkanten (“Outskirts”) social center which included a bunch of alternative organizations including a semi-legal night club as well as the Forsk, Sweden’s first hackerspace.

The official reason for the raid was to do a “pub check” because of the suspicion that there was illegal selling of alcohol going on. The allegedly illegal activity was a punk concert, with about 40 guests at the time of the raid. After the raid the cops evacuated the building, searched through it and confiscated a lot of stuff. The police were indiscriminate as to whose effects were removed, taking a lot of equipment from Forskningsavdelningen peoples and staff computers, even though the hacker space was unaffiliated with the group arranging the concert downstairs.

It was a very devastating raid with a large amount of equipment confiscated, none of which was proven to be illegal. The Forsk has never forgotten and recently marked the third anniversary of the raid.

Diyode’s CodeShield Now Sold by Spikenzie Labs

As we mentioned earlier this year, Guelph, ON’s hackerspace Diyode created the CodeShield Arduino add-on. Now, Montreal-based electronic kitmaker (and cool dudes!) Spikenzie Labs is selling CodeShield kits:

The idea is simple: put all the common inputs and outputs on a single board, all hooked up properly. By sidestepping the electronics basics and breadboarding stages of learning (these can come later), we can get new arduino users looking at code within minutes, modifying it right away, and trying new things faster than before.

Crypto Party at Connecticut’s NESIT Hackerspace

NESIT will be holding a cryptography event on December 15th from 10am to 5pm:

A cryptoparty is a commercially non-aligned (Vendor agnostic) event where people learn about basic cryptography, applications, and methods for securing their communications and data. This event is free and open to the public.

CryptoParty will not be completely unstructured in a un-conference format. At the start all participants will gather and create a central agenda of sessions where everyone will have an opportunity to put a session on the agenda. Sessions will range from formal to informal.

Sign up at EventBrite.

Intro to E-Textiles Class at Metrix Create:Space

Tis the season to sew some circuits! Our next Intro to e-textiles class <Tuesday, December 18th at 7 PM. This workshop is an introduction to e-textiles and focuses on integrating ordinary electronics into fabric. We will modify ordinary electronic components and sew them together using conductive thread. You will take home a plush firefly that lights up in the dark.

No prior knowledge of electronics or sewing required, but experience helps. All materials included for $50. Tools are provided, but feel free to bring your own if you like (round nose pliers, round tip pliers, cutters, and fabric scissors). Call (206-357-9406) or come down to the shop to sign up. Space is limited.