Welcome to the IOPA forum! Introductions thread

Hi @nowbreakit :wave:t4: welcome to the conversation. The first project that comes to mind is World Librarians (WL), which is a socio-technical solution to responding to research and other inquiries from schools in rural Africa. The system is reliant on providing open access/openly licensed content that is both topically and culturally relevant. I know that there had been some inquiries received in the past regarding FGM and sexual/reproductive health, but I am not certain how many; I would recommend reaching out to them to see if there is call for/a need to develop and deliver any of the Wisdom of Pearly content via this system: CONTACT

Another collaboration of interest that is related/a collaboration with WL is BloomBox, a repurposed shipping container that provides an entirely self-sustaining open-concept learning environment/computer lab. More information from one of inventor Sofie Roux’s gofundme campaigns.

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Hi Sam,

This is a great project. How do you want me to be a part of this?

I look forward to hearing from you.

Thanks

Ebuka

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Thank you so much for these pointers!

I’ll look them up and check how we can perhaps conceptually integrate them. BloomBox also sounds like it could be a good complement / hub & spoke kind of thing. :+1:

I’ll try and discuss this with Eric soon.

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I’ve just now (in the last few weeks) re-energized the topic with a super-talented spoken word artist / writer and she was excited to learn about it.

She’ll likely be setting up an NGO in Germany (which would really help get this to the next level). I will be happy to set up a topic and get into discussing more details, ideally with her joining in.

But I also want to be mindful that this is just an “introductions thread” and not derail it too much :upside_down_face:

But if you have any specific thoughts or questions on this - I am happy to delve into it more.

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Sounds interesting.

I’d like to be a part of what you’re doing. Just keep me updated as events unfold.

Thanks

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Regarding spoken word/media production @nowbreakit - allow me to introduce a colleague (via the World Librarians program) of mine, Wachira Warukira (Waruks), who is based in Kenya and is the Founder/CEO of a media production agency.

@waruks is also working on setting up a makerspace in Merti, and I thought it would be great to connect him with Stephane Fandanka, @Fadanka, as well - as one of our recent OKW award recipients, he is currently conducting research on best practices in the development/implementation of makerspaces in Cameroon along with mapping their locations and available machinery.

I leave it to you all to connect - and am excited to see what develops.

Sounds good!

Let me know if you need any help connecting w/ Bloombox - I met with Sofie Roux (she’s brilliant) in Nairobi a week+ ago, and am close colleagues with the other lead on the implementation of a Bloombox WL lab in the Dzaleka refugee camp in Malawi.

Hi Everyone! I’m Will Ruddick from Grassroots Economics (https://grassecon.org) based in Kenya -and sitting with @schutton right now and super excited about IoP. Also working with David Johnson at https://www.inethi.org.za/

What we do is create vouchers (on-chain Celo) that trigger access to mesh networks and soon other IoT stuff like power.

@schutton and I would love to put up some upcoming projects on the opportunities channel soon. Feel free to get in touch.

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Hi all! Hopping on this thread to introduce myself. I am Bri, and I serve as the community coordinator for the Gathering for Open Science Hardware (GOSH) Community. Our goal is to make open science hardware (OSH) ubiquitous, and we do this through our annual Gatherings (and other events), where we bring together developers, artists, researchers, and more from across the world.

I often find myself working with folks from the Alliance, as many of us in GOSH are very interested in decentralized manufacturing for OSH. We have a project directory running on our website that pulls OSH projects with an Open Know-How manifest, and I look forward to seeing how things progress with both Open Know-How and Open Know-Where!

GOSH also has their own council, so I am curious to learn more about your governance structure (and task force!) as well!

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I’m here because I’m curious what Sarah means by Want.

I am here due to Sarah Hutton’s work on Maker Passports due to discovery from Tibi who is part of the Sensorica Network:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_qM2j30bYv4&start=1437

TBH, I have had a habit of avoiding further formal education if I can, so I don’t know if reorganizations there would help me. For me a credential might be a verified proof of my projects, knowledge, and associations. (signed json-ld payload??) Twitter tends to be a pretty good snapshot of my activity and attributes of my identity. I usually am uncomfortable sharing what university credentials I have because it leads people to jump to conclusions and it can be limiting because I have to talk about my interactions and experiences in school and experiences and relationships elsewhere seem to take a backseat.

I have kept a Distributed economy blog for years:

It was oddly satisfying to be a member of this hackerspace:
A Distributed Economy: Photos of Ohm Space HackerSpace/MakerSpace . Somehow having it be a group of folks gathering in a warehouse and not necessarily associated with or trained by conventional institutions was oddly gratifying.

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Hello @bshambaugh / Brent :wave:t4:

I believe you may be referring to the what of the People and Skills spec, and yes json web tokens aren’t far off the mark.

So, starting with:

WHAT do makers need to prove as part of the digital passport?

When attempting to establish a spec that could serve as a framework across a global network of fablabs/makerspaces - attempting to develop something that includes all possible skills needed is pretty far-fetched. The approach instead was to establish categories of skills (the WHAT), and develop a spec / input form to create a user record that allows for expansion/recognition of specific skills and knowledge at the local level. Following text analysis, literature review, interviews and surveys with makers and makerspace leaders across Africa, Europe, and North America, here are the categories:

  1. General Orientation
    Examples: general understanding of a makerspace or fablab, what equipment is typically in the space, depending on population it serves, and standard approach for use.

  2. Health and Safety
    Examples: general first aid training and knowledge, such as dressing wounds, CPR, or other emergency first aid procedures.

  3. Electronics
    Examples: soldering circuit boards, microcontrollers/Arduino, Raspberry Pi, circuitry components/VCAs.

  4. Woodworking
    Examples: Woodshop safety, operating wood lathes, bench/table/band/miter saws, CNC routers, handheld woodshop power tools, and widebelt/other sanding tools.

  5. Laser Systems/Cutting
    Example: Laser cutters; etching on glass, wood, plastic or stone; engraving.

  6. 3D Modeling/Printing
    Example: Experience with 3D modeling software such as Maya/Autodesk, Sculptris, and SolidWorks; experience and training with common 3D printers such as Prusa, Ultimaker, Makerbot; printer maintenance and repair/extruder replacement, knowledge of filament and different printing types such as nylon, PLA, metal, etc.

  7. Sewing
    Examples: repairing or making items such clothing or upholstery; using Singer (Quantum Stylus or others), Berina (Sergers or others), or Industrial Grade (Consew) machines.

Every space interviewed has a baseline orientation/operations training - whether in person, online (as a class), or documentation that is required for users to complete before using the space, whether a part of a membership program/package, or for day use.

And, research is ongoing!

The big takeaways from makerspaces/makers who are currently testing the spec, it is clear that it is tricky to give examples of ‘what training’ (that is to state, citing explanatory examples like Master Sewing and Design Professional (ASDP), *Laser Safety Officer (BLS), ANSI Z136.1 / Z136.3-*Compliant *Laser Safety trainings (health, industrial, cosmetic), CITF Trainings (Carpentry) and so forth is not useful, since certifications vary wildly by regional in some case - but more importantly, citing specific certification bodies gets back to the issue of traditional educational models/accreditation/degrees being at the root of the problem with credentialing systems.

So my question for you @bshambaugh is: would you like to be a part of the working group that is discussing these issues? I am in the process of setting up group chats for the remainder of the year, now that everyone’s back and sorted from summer holidays and fall activities are getting back into the swing.

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@schutton , thanks for the lengthy response. I absolutely have an interest in these sorts of things; so much so I came up with a “Manifesto for a P2P Enterprise Platform” as well as a conceptual model I called EISPP.

I was aware of open badges due to Nate Otto’s work as well as efforts by Mozilla Science Lab. I put it in EISPP here.

At the moment I’m very much influenced by Kim Hamilton Duffy , Manu Sporny and Christopher Allen. … as well as the workshop they frequent on identity. There can be a lot of bike shedding, especially outside on lists, but I expect to visit this workshop this fall and quite possibly put on a session about peer production as anyone can suggest anything but cannot expect anyone to come or stay.

Your post demands more analysis, but my brain is tired at 1:26 am (duh). The short answer to your question is YES.

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Excellent! What is your timezone this month? I’ll be puling together a meeting of the PSS working group soon - took quite a break over the summer, and there are many updates to share from ongoing testing! :smiley:

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Nice. I’ll be in central time this month.

Hi everyone,
My name is Ziadi Nsabimana, Am a maker from kigali Rwanda, I passionate about open source hardware innovation projects using trending technology and Digital Fabrication to solve global challenges. Am happy to join this community and Am looking forward to learn, explore as much as I can.
Best,
Ziadi!

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Hi @Ziadi and welcome to our forum!

It looks like you have developed interesting projects related to smart beehives… very cool! Are there any specific areas of connection you might be seeking? Our upcoming events (which are open for ALL to attend) are a great way to get a sense of our ongoing work and to meet new people.

Here’s what’s coming up in the next couple weeks:

  • Thursday Oct 19, at 3:00PM GMT | Open Know-How (OKH) Initiative Meeting | AGENDA |
    Location: BBB, OKH Working Group (advance registration not required)

  • Tuesday October 31, at 3:00PM GMT | Monthly Community Call | Topic: Business Models Catalog | REGISTER in advance to reserve your spot

We look forward to seeing you soon!

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Thanks Sarah for welcoming me in.
I would love to join those sessions thanks for inviting me again.

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Hi All, I am Ricardo, from the Global Innovation Gathering - Berlin/Brazil

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Welcome Ricardo @doutorsocrates Happy to have you here :sunny: :slightly_smiling_face:

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Hello Ricardo, welcome! :wave:t4:

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