We opted to use Raspbian because it seems to be the more popular of the two [commonly installed Raspberry Pi Linux distributions]. Also, the packaging process for Debian was better understood than that for Arch Linux by the Project Byzantium team. We’re in a rapid development cycle so we wanted to hit the ground running and accomplish as much as possible in the available time before the first milestone.

Congratulations to The Doctor, Ben the Pyrate, and haxwithaxe!

• held classes and workshops on robotics, AVR microcontrollers, bicycle maintenance, electron tubes, Python, visual communications, LED cubes, Scheme, tea, artificial intelligence, disassembly, and many other topics
• launched—and retrieved!—five high-altitude balloons, a.k.a. spaceblimps, the latest reaching an altitude of 118,533 ft
• acquired 501(c)3 nonprofit status, meaning your donations are tax-deductible as allowed by law, so donate now!
• hosted six rounds of lightning talks
• formed W3HAC, an ARRL-affiliated, FCC-licensed amateur radio club
• set up 3D printers, a CNC mill, a lathe, a drill press, and a fully automatic espresso machine with plans underway to acquire a laser cutter
• hatched GrindDC, a weekly “meatup” where biohackers research topics like materials biocompatibility and neurostimulation
• developed Project Byzantium, a live Linux distribution that delivers easy-to-use, secure, and robust ad-hoc wireless mesh networking

We owe an enormous debt of gratitude to founders Nick Farr, Andrew Righter, Alli Treman, Eric Michaud, et al for creating HacDC back when U.S. hackerspaces were few and far between. And since then we’ve thrived thanks to the support of countless members and friends who’ve given generously of their time, labor, and money to make HacDC an awesome community. Please consider supporting us so we can be around to foster curiosity and creativity in technology for the next five years.

In related news, Project Byzantium was a recent runner up for an Access Innovation Award, a set of grants to accelerate projects working in several problem spaces including making networks resilient to blackouts. The team traveled to New York City for the awards ceremony in December 2012 and report that they were honored to have been selected as finalists.

UPDATE: Byzantium Linux v0.3a is out!

Diversity Statement

We welcome you.

We welcome people of any gender identity or expression, race, ethnicity, size, nationality, sexual orientation, ability level, neurotype, religion, elder status, family structure, culture, subculture, political opinion, identity, and self-identification.

As a U.S.- and District of Columbia-based 501(c)(3) non-profit organization we’re obliged to follow applicable laws, but we’re serious about knowing and protecting your rights when it comes to free expression and privacy.

We support maximum freedom of creative expression, and only restrict that when we must for the safety and sanity of other folks. We think creativity is one of the greatest accomplishments of the human mind, and we want to enable that creativity in everyone from pro to amateur. We think neurodiversity is a feature, not a bug. We believe in being inclusive, welcoming, and supportive of anyone who comes to us with good faith and the desire to build a community.

Anti-Harassment Policy

HacDC is dedicated to being a harassment-free hackerspace for everyone. We do not tolerate harassment of members or visitors in any form.

Harassment includes but is not limited to offensive verbal comments related to gender, sexual orientation, disability, physical appearance, body size, race, or religion; sexual images in public spaces; deliberate intimidation, stalking, following, harassing photography or recording; sustained disruption of talks or other events; inappropriate physical contact; unwelcome sexual attention; or violation of any applicable laws. Members and visitors asked to stop any harassing behavior are expected to comply immediately.

If a member or visitor engages in harassing behavior, the board of directors or event organizer may take any action they deem appropriate, including warning the offender or expulsion from the space or event with no refund. Members violating these rules may be subject to termination of their HacDC membership. If you are being harassed, notice that someone else is being harassed, or have any other concerns, please contact a member of the board of directors or the event organizer immediately.

Members of the board of directors and event organizers will happily help members and visitors contact building security or local law enforcement, provide escorts, or otherwise assist those experiencing harassment to feel safe and prevent harassment for the duration of their visit at HacDC. We value your attendance.

bod@hacdc.org
Building security guard hours: Monday – Thursday 6pm – 10pm; Saturday 9am – 2pm
DC emergency services: 911
National sexual assault hotline: 1-800-656-HOPE (800-656-4673)
DC Rape Crisis Center: 202-333-RAPE (202-333-7273)
DC Yellow Cab: 202-TAXICAB (202-829-4222)
Howard University Hospital: 202-865-6100 / 2041 Georgia Avenue NW
GWU Hospital: 202-715-4000 / 900 23rd Street NW

We expect members and visitors to follow these rules at all HacDC-organized events, in the space itself, and in our online spaces including mailing lists and the official IRC channel.

Image credit: Wikimedia Commons

On Saturday, February 2, 2013 from 11am – 11pm (planned) HacDC will be hosting one of many, self-organized, global hackathons to memorialize the late computer programmer, writer, political organizer, and Internet activist Aaron Swartz (November 8, 1986 – January 11, 2013) (Wikipedia article)

Participants will be asked to advance solutions to issues that were near to Aaron’s heart.

Activities for the day will center on furthering work on his repositories, opening access to information belonging in the public domain, developing or contributing to countermeasures to Internet censorship, and exploring code-driven methods to enhance social justice through access to data.

Among the like-minded participating groups will figure HacDC’s resident Project Byzantium and the organizer and team from the District Commons project.

Those interested in participating should register via our MeetUp event.

Those wanting to arrive after 2pm should make note of our telephone number, 202-556-4225, to gain entry as the building will be locked. More location information on our homepage’s sidebar.

Participants are encouraged to bring food and drink and practice good neighborliness. There are a variety of carry out options available around Columbia Heights though some may suit individuals more than others. There may be a group purchase at some point(s) but nothing has been set as of this writing. We’ll update this post as needed.

Related: An event taking place on Capitol Hill, on Monday, 2/4/13, at 7pm, this event memorializes Aaron Swartz and seeks to raise awareness about the urgent changes that are needed in the CFAA. These changes are part of Rep. Zoe Lofgren’s draft “Aaron’s Law” (PDF here).

On 1/26/13 a few of us crowded around TJ as he went through a presentation of slide-based and hands-on instruction covering care & maintenance, jargon, safety, and milling. The fun part of the class consisted of learning to use the software to fabricate a cube-shaped aluminum object with a complicated milled out shape within.

The classes of 2 or 3 students are designed to provide 1-on-1 instruction while maintaining safety. All remaining sessions are filled but TJ will schedule more sessions soon. Because of the small class size, these will likely not be announced via our MeetUp group so if you’re interested, join our discussion email list to find out when they’ll be held next.

These links will take you directly to the indicated lightning talk:

• Next Generation Robotic Ocean Sampler
• My First Patent
• Van Living
• The Planted Aquarium
• Deep Space Network
• Rapid Robot Prototyping with ROS
• DC Community Access Network (DC-CAN)

The TEDtalk description for “The self-organizing computer course,” describes Shocken’s experiment in open learning:

“Shimon Schocken and Noam Nisan developed a curriculum for their students to build a computer, piece by piece. When they put the course online — giving away the tools, simulators, chip specifications and other building blocks — they were surprised that thousands jumped at the opportunity to learn, working independently as well as organizing their own classes in the first Massive Open Online Course (MOOC). A call to forget about grades and tap into the self-motivation to learn…”