Next General Meeting:
Meeting Preview—Danbury Hackerspace-with Mike Kaltschnee
Date: Tuesday, November 5, 7 p.m.
Location: Danbury Hospital Auditorium
Directions

By Bill Saturno

If you have ever assembled a Heathkit project, gathered with others at a local SIG to discuss programming, or tinkered with tubes at a meeting of a Ham Radio club, you will be glad to know that the innovative, creative tech culture is alive and well today. A renaissance has bloomed recently, as shown by the resurgence of the “Do It Yourself” movement. This movement is no longer a niche - Time and Forbes magazines acknowledge the growing maker movement as well as the places where these creative souls congregate. The DIY movement is often referred to as “making” or “hacking”, and their clubs and workshops are known as “makerspaces” and “hackerspaces”.

The November general meeting welcomes speaker and DACS member Mike Kaltschnee, co-founder of the Danbury Hackerspace at The Innovation Center. This facility, opening in Danbury later this year, will be one of the newest hackerspaces in Connecticut. The Danbury Hackerspace will be linked with the Danbury Innovation Center, which encourages new local business development and provides resources for growth to businesses in the local community. Mike will discuss the involvement of the City of Danbury in the project, which included a $550,000 commitment to renovate the facility space.

The Danbury Hackerspace will be open soon and Mike will explain the types of activities and events the space will run for makers, entrepreneurs, artists, hackers, and craftspeople. In addition to discussing the Danbury Hackerspace, Mike will describe makerspaces in general, coworking spaces, as well as the recent growth and influence of crowdfunding (Kickstarter, Indiegogo, etc.). Mike will also cover CT Next, Maker Faires, as well as providing information about established hackerspaces in our area, such as CT Hackerspace, NESIT, and Make Haven.

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DACS meetings are usually held at the Danbury Hospital auditorium. (Click here for directions and parking information.)

Doors open at 6:30 p.m. for registration and casual networking. The meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. with a question and answer period (Ask DACS), followed by announcements and a short break. The featured evening presentation begins at 8:00. The meeting is scheduled to adjourn at 9:30 p.m.

DACS General Meetings are free and open to the public. Members and prior attendees are encouraged to extend invitations to anyone interested in this topic.

Danbury Area Computer Society (DACS) is a registered nonprofit and has been serving the region since 1990.