TechShop: a community tinkering space
Today on Boing Boing tv, Xeni visits TechShop, an open-access public workshop that's kind of like a health club with heavy machinery and sparks instead of treadmills. Tinkerers, inventors, and hackers pay a membership fee, and in turn receive access to professionally-maintained gear, workshops, mentors, and a community of like-minded makers.
Currently there is only one site in Silicon Valley, and it opened in 2006. But founder Jim Newton (a lifetime maker, veteran BattleBots builder and former MythBuster) plans to open a number of locations around the US -- and eventually, the rest of the world.
John Todd, who you'll meet in this episode, wrote this article about the membership-based machine and fabrication shop in a recent edition of Kevin Kelly's Cool Tools zine. Snip:
I've been a member since before TechShop really even started, back when it was just some guys passing out flyers trying to gauge interest. For $100 a month, members can use any tool in the shop on which they've received training. MUCH cheaper than buying your own gear. The list of equipment is pretty extensive, too, and new items are arriving frequently (like a new hot-wire foam cutter).John shares an additional note with BBtv about the company's business model:
TechShop is unusual in the way it's funded - community members are the financial backers. To date, TechShop has been funded by taking loans from members and repaying them at a nominal rate. Typically backers contribute $25k and up, and are then paid back over several years. There is an "A" round being raised now to fund the nationwide expansion, and the first funding source again is going to be the community instead of focusing on traditional VC sources. It's an unusual way to keep members excited about what they do at TechShop, and to keep them focused on making the whole experience better. Jim Newton (CEO) and Mark Hatch (COO) are looking for additional interested people who want to become members and funders - contact TechShop for details.In part two of today's episode, we take a joyride in a three-wheeled electric car.
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Very interesting episode!
That guy surely talks a lot!
Cute shoes Xeni!!!
Wow, If I spent that much time in a car with XENI JARDIN (nice shirt, btw) I wouldn't yak so much.
I'D SAVE THE CONVERSATION FOR OUR PICNIC ON THE BEACH LATER, LIT BY BATTERY-POWERED XENON LAMPS.
I'd love to have access to something like TechShop in Vancouver.
I thought the laser-cut candle mobiles might have been worth a couple extra shots, and a close-up...those things are more amazing the closer you get. But yeah, the main focus here was to cover the idea and philosophy of TechShop, and illustrate how that carries over into reality...mission totally accomplished. Also, I made it into a few background shots, and the flashy multicolored thing in the beginning was mine. ;) Here's what that eventually became: http://www.flickr.com/photos/macetech/2459016388/
Aw, that poor nerd so excited about his project; with some snarky comments overlaid it could have been another painful episode of Blind Date.
TechShop seems like something many people desire to have in their city; I wish them the best in successful franchising.
"TechShop seems like something many people desire to have in their city; I wish them the best in successful franchising."
Franchising indeed! Let's get a TechShop in Metro Detroit please. I mean, I love my shop and all... but CNC plasma cutters? Win.
Those of us in the rust belt are in dire need of shops like this! Cleveland Ohio is a wasteland of post-apocalyptic CNC shop castoffs of the pre-9/11 era auto industry and small shop gear from piecework outfits that moved overseas and south back in the 1990's.
The really bigger picture to this is a social disaster; schools that have no modern equipment cannot foster interest in such technology in students, and the schools cannot acquire the teaching tools because the industry itself has left our country. Thus will not be a common career field, so we will face a generation with little or no knowledge of the backbone of manufacturing and machining that our country built itself on over the past hundred years.
Fascinating stuff to me. I'll stop rambling for a bit now.
I've talked quite a bit with Jim about their plans for the future. The core of TechShop right now is a very enthusiastic and determined group of experts who are doing their level best to get a TechShop in every city. There will be franchises, and a corporate structure that greatly eases the mystery of legal and insurance matters, uses the collective experience to set guidelines for getting things done right the first time, and helps acquire equipment and drum up investor support. There will be several more TechShops this year already. In a couple years, I hope most people have access to a TechShop and will go learn and do things, and innovate, instead of turning their brain into lump of meat for sale on the television advertising market.
The minute one opens in LA I'm in. Thanx Xeni, I've never laughed so hard at BBTV!
I LOVED this concept. I think that TechShop has tremendous potential in the developing world...where ideas abound, but people largely lack the space and/or money to invest in machines of their own. I'm blogging about this a bit on http://tworque.blogspot.com. If they want to hire someone to test out this theory, I'm available! :-)
Interesting, but I think credit for this idea really rests with the folks at The Crucible.
I think the idea of a community workshop that shares resources and tools even predates The Crucible... but if they need the credit, then so be it. (Sheeesh... those artists can be SO sensitive! ;-)
From what I've seen, the TechShop really caters to a more broad spectrum of members and provides an environment that is more conducive to techie/electronic/precision projects.
Rock on TechShop! I am looking forward to one in my city someday...