The vending machine now provides some more feedback after money is put in.
Source code associated with my contribution is here. I haven't documented
the other components of the vending machine.
https://thomaslevine.com/scm/sudo-vending
Based on the implementation details, it appears to me that
the bill acceptor is in fact plugged into one board (Arduino Leonardo)
that is connected by serial to another board (Raspberry Pi). Why is
the former board used at all? That is, why is the bill acceptor not
plugged directly into the latter board?
Greetings Sudo et al, I'm so sorry but I have to bring to your attention a
recent, very unfortunate, inappropriate, and violent encounter a friend of
mine, Deon Saunders, had with a guy named "Rob", who I don't think I know
personally, although I'm sure he's well known around Omni in general. I
don't believe he's a sudo member specifically, but I believe this incident
sort of came into Sudo territory when Marc became involved; I also really
respect and love what Sudo room provides to the community, and I know that
Sudo is a powerful force within the Omni; as such, I'm writing to you all
now because I believe this issue definitely needs to be dealt with, and not
ignored or brushed aside.
Basically, Deon is friends with Phat Beets and Food First, and has been
frequenting the Omni in order to do work and access the community resources
that are available. To my understanding, he often works in the Sudo room
space. Although this should not need to be said, I can personally vouch for
Deon as an upstanding and generous member of the Oakland community.
Deon was having trouble accessing the space the other day and rung the Omni
doorbell several times, at which point guy named Rob opened the door and
started cursing at him and being very aggressive. After Deon was able to
enter Omni, Rob then started following him around and harassing him, acting
like a cop. Although this is egregious in and of itself, and a terrible
counter-representation of the Omni's values, this all came to a head when
Rob accused Deon of not being "an actual, normal, human being". Whether or
not this was intentional, it evoked longstanding racist attitudes that
black folks have been subjected to, suggesting that Deon was less-than, or
sub-human. Deon was so offended that he promptly left the Omni and has not
been back since.
Besides this very loaded and hateful comment, this general kind of
treatment and attitude, overall, is the EXACT opposite of the way black
folks should be treated when interfacing with the Omni. Rob's actions are
not okay, at all, and I strongly feel that a serious accountability process
should be implemented for this incident. This is not a small matter. I've
spoken with Deon, and he has agreed to participate.
I've also heard that this type of incident has happened before at the Omni,
specifically involving Rob. Correct me if I'm wrong, but apparently, the
attitude that was expressed to Deon was that Rob is one of the main people
that operates (i.e. helps to reproduce and sustain,) the Omni, and as such,
people basically go along with what he says and does. If this is in fact
the case, then an accountability process is even more imperative. In no way
should labor, and by proxy, "power" derived from labor, enable a person to
act with racism against members of the Oakland community. I think it's in
the best interest of the Omni to address this issue immediately, for Deon,
for the Omni, and for the Omni's relationship with the greater community of
Oakland.
I believe Marc was present for part of this incident as well, and although
I know, Marc is so busy doing vital work for Sudo and Omni, it might
behoove him to also participate in this process, as a witness.
I am writing this email not because I am trying to "cancel" or ruin anyone,
but because I care about Deon, The Omni, Sudo, and the Oakland community at
large. This issue seems indicative of larger problems, and if addressed
with love and respect and accountability, could seriously benefit all
parties listed above, and improve the Omni and it's relationship with
Oakland.
I'm not sure where to take it from here, as I am personally extremely busy
with other community-based activities in Oakland right now, but a
mediator/facilitator should be sought out, ideally a black person, but at
the very least, a non-black poc, and probably someone that isn't personally
involved in the day-to-day operations at Omni, sudo etc. If i am able, I
could possibly be this mediator, but I hope other options are sought out
first, because a.) I'm a non-black, mixed race poc, and b.) I have very
little capacity at the moment.
But please keep me in the loop regarding an accountability process for Rob,
and I'll do whatever I can to help move this along and reach a fair and
just conclusion.
Sorry to bring such difficult news to you all, but I could not stay silent.
With love and Solidarity,
Scott
I said "your 'community' space," but honestly, I still want this to be my
space, too. I hardly ever make a fuss about any of this stuff because it's
all so futile, you know? but in this case, I really want to make my point
clear: I think we should rescind our action against Rannette. I think
she's been treated unfairly. Even if she is "aggressive" towards you or
your compatriots, I don't think we need white dudes policing our space of
black women's bodies. Matt, you claim to have acted in another's interest
and you offer an injured third party -- let them speak for themselves,
because I don't think it's your place right now. If there was a violent
incident that threatened our space, let's hear it from a witness or an
involved party. "Something Happened" is not good enough. Otherwise "but
above all the Omni
Commons must maintain a safe, welcoming environment" seems to fly directly
in the face of the lived experience of too many black people.
Sudo Discuss List,
A regular meetup on Fridays on solar punk is proposed.
All of us are sick from the legacy dogmatic patterns that permeate all our
mainstreams.
This meetup will focus on design to realize the nearly forgotten promise of
solar punk.
Hi Sudo Room,
CCL is looking to donate our large liquid handling robot in order to free
up some space in the lab. Would you or anyone you know like it? It's
important that any organization that CCL transfers the robot to is also a
501(c)(3).
Here are some specifics about the robot:
Capabilities:
- Liquid handling
- Freezer with automated door
- With a little TLC, could carry out many basic biology assays and
operations, like plate incubation, PCR, SDS-PAGE, and centrifugation.
The robot includes:
- Robot frame made of 80/20 aluminum bars
- A gantry with a pipette mounted to it that can move in 3-dimensions, plus
actuate the pipette aspirator. All dimensions have limit switches on them
- A Smoothieboard <http://smoothieware.org/smoothieboard> to run the
3D-movement motors
- An Arduino Uno to manage electrical relays
- A Raspberry Pi 2 that can be used to communicate to the Smoothieboard and
Arduino
- A top-loading freezer for storing samples. Parts included to automate
opening and closing the freezer.
- Custom-built table with deckspace for robot operation and storage space
underneath
- Various pieces of labware, including a microcentrifuge and custom-cut
acrylic to allow the robot to manipulate petri plates
State:
- Robot moves in 3 dimensions. The motor for the pipette jogger has been
shown to work, but is currently not connected
- All of the other, non-movement components are included but not assembled
- No software provided, but we can definitely share the documents we've
generated as we learned how to use it
I've attached a few pictures and a short video
<https://photos.app.goo.gl/GhuH4GS2qNGuR58M9> of the robot picking up a
pipette tip and ejecting it to help get an idea of the way it operates.
That said, the robot is very hacker-friendly, so alternative uses are
doable.
If you've got any leads, reach out to me, the CCL Board, or the CCL Space
Committee. Hoping to find a good home for this robot!
-Tim
Dear Sudo Room,
Here's your invoice! We appreciate your prompt payment.
Thank you for stewarding the commons.
Love and solidarity,
Omni Commons
------------------------ Pledge Summary --------------------------
Invoice # : 2035
Invoice Date: 03/01/2020
Due Date: 03/25/2020
Terms: Net 25
Amount Due: $4,000.00
The complete version has been provided as an attachment to this email.
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