Dear Sudoroom,
There is an issue of great importance to Omni Commons being discussed on the
public Consensus email list, and Sudoroom needs to convene and discuss our
position so that our delegate can represent us in this discussion.
Basically a relatively new member collective of Omni (CLP) is unilaterally
blocking TANC (Tenant And Neighborhood Councils) from joining Omni Commons.
https://baytanc.com/
They have given shifting reasons for their opposition but it's starting to
look like CLP is actually some sort of radical group that is trying to control
Omni. They literally say so on their website:
"Omni Commons Reorganization Program May 2022-Present (Oakland, CA)
Our organization was invited to be a part of the Omni Commons in May of 2022.
CLP has revitalized the work at the Omni, making efforts to engage the local
community and host events in the space. We are seeking to revitalize and
revolutionize the space as a base for building revolutionary power and
programs in the East Bay."
https://www.communityliberationprograms.org/our-programs
This needs to get figured out right away. TANC has the enthusiastic approval
of all collectives of Omni except for CLP and they were ready to move into the
building and start paying rent (something that CLP does not do at all) which
is something we really need if we have any hope of keeping the building.
Meeting notes from September 7th delegates meeting:
https://omnicommons.org/wiki/Event:2023/09/07_Delegates
Public archive of Omni Consensus mailing list for September:
https://omnicommons.org/pipermail/consensus/2023-September/date.html
We (sudoroom) really need to discuss this
-jake (sometimes delegate of sudoroom)
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Sun, 10 Sep 2023 11:22:50 -0700
From: Z Silver Zahn <natashazahn27(a)gmail.com>
To: Sarah Lockhart <sarah.ee.el(a)gmail.com>
Cc: "consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org" <consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org>,
communityliberationprograms <communityliberationprograms(a)proton.me>
Subject: Re: [omni-consensus] Follow-up 9/7 Delegates Meeting
Over the past few months, TANC has been diligently working through the
Omnis collective process to propose becoming a collective organization
within Omni. Unfortunately, CLP has launched a counterattack aimed at
blocking our proposal from moving forward.
I would like to highlight some concerning actions that CLP has taken, which
have raised alarms within the Omni community and appear to be driven more
by personal political agendas than the collective interest of Omni. CLP's
actions have stirred deep mistrust among the collectives, but I believe
this issue should be framed as CLP versus TANC, rather than Omni versus
TANC. The nature of the concerns raised by CLP should be shared with the
collectives during our meetings rather than springing them on us without
prior consensus.
During our recent meeting, CLP raised concerns about the composition of
TANC's membership, specifically that it is predominantly made up of DSA
members. DSA, a nationwide socialist organization, had previously disbanded
the Palestinian Youth Movement (PYM) from decision-making roles in one of
its chapters. It's essential to clarify that this viewpoint does not
necessarily reflect the beliefs of East Bay DSA, an organization that we
collaborate with and host at Omni. During the meeting, many articles and
pieces of information were presented hastily, making it challenging to
understand the full context. It was also mentioned that TANC originated
from DSA but diverged due to shifting political views, which led to its
independent organizing.
Members of TANC at the delegate meeting clarified that some of them were
not affiliated with DSA, and those who were represented a small portion of
TANC's overall membership. However, CLP continued to press for more
information about DSA, turning the discussion into an examination of DSA
rather than focusing on TANC as a collective. CLP's actions demonstrated a
lack of trust and an unwavering fixation on their assumptions. This
behavior can be seen as gaslighting and hindered our efforts to build a
productive relationship. It denied us the opportunity to truly connect and
collaborate. Such accusations, withholding valuable resources from a
mission-aligned collective, resembles an abusive weaponization of power.
CLP's motives remain unclear, but their tactics bear resemblance to
colonization—imposing a superior ideology on others.
It is worth noting that every other collective expressed support for TANC
joining Omni, and I personally have built trust and enthusiasm for this
prospect. However, CLP has remained private and closed off in the past
year, contributing to a sense of isolation.
In addition to gaslighting and a fixation on a superior ideology, CLP
weaponized the suffering and struggles of PYM as a defense mechanism. They
implied that PYM must grant their blessings to TANC if they were to change
their vote, without obtaining consent. Amirah, a Palestinian individual who
joined the delegate meeting for the first time to support the media lab
proposal, initially felt solidarity but became uncomfortable when her words
were used for political gain. She asked CLP to respect her country and
remove it from the conversation, a request that was ignored. CLP's actions
sought to undermine TANC and Omni as a collective. During this discussion,
another delegate, John, was facing an urgent situation, but CLP did not
pause their agenda to acknowledge his safety.
CLP's behavior has become hostile, harmful to the Palestinian struggle, and
exploitative of Omni's volunteer labor. In light of these developments, I
propose that we move forward with voting by consensus, with the exception
of one vote against. Furthermore, I suggest suspending CLP's voting power
until the end of 2023. During this time, I hope CLP can gain clarity
regarding collectivity, rebuild trust, and foster better relationships
within Omni Commons.
On Sun, Sep 10, 2023 at 9:21 AM Sarah Lockhart <sarah.ee.el(a)gmail.com>
wrote:
> to follow up on Patrik's thoughts -- in re PYM having had regular meetings
> and events at Omni: both TANC and EBDSA have regular events and meetings at
> Omni. TANC, currently, has more frequent use of Omni for events than
> CLP does. These facts were what had led me to hope that, like the
> stereotypical bumper sticker, CLP could "coexist" with TANC as a member
> collective.
>
> It appears that the problem isn't TANC or DSA using Omni's space and being
> present at Omni on a regular basis, as I would have assumed CLP would have
> expressed opposition to their events prior to this.
>
> So it seems that CLP's concern is over TANC becoming a member collective
> and participating in building governance? I am wondering what specific
> things, if any, there are concerns about in that regard?
>
> Sarah L
>
> On Sun, Sep 10, 2023 at 3:33 AM Patrik D'haeseleer <patrikd(a)gmail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> A quick correction first: you may have missed this in the chat during the
>> delegates meeting, but some of the TANC representatives very explicitly
>> identified themselves as NOT being part of DSA. I believe it was also
>> mentioned that most of TANC's membership is not part of DSA.
>>
>> I definitely did not get the impression that the TANC folks were
>> dismissing CLP's questions, or were being disingenuous in their answers. I
>> felt that CLP was being adversarial in how they questioned TANC from the
>> start, but that the TANC folks did their best to answer questions and
>> clarify the relationship between TANC and DSA, the national DSA's
>> banning to its Palestinian WG, and the East Bay DSA's opposition to that
>> ban.
>>
>> I asked at the meeting whether there was a record of EBDSA speaking up in
>> favor of the Palestinian WG. Someone forwarded me the following doc
>> afterwards, which contains a resolution by the EBDSA to reaffirm their
>> "Commitment to the Liberation of Palestine and to Endorse the statement For
>> an Internationalist DSA":
>> https://www.eastbaydsa.org/general-membership-meeting-april-30-2022/ I
>> think that definitely satisfies my own concern that the East Bay branch of
>> the DSA at least should not be tarred with the same brush when it comes to
>> their position on Palestine.
>>
>> CLP kept bringing up as justification of their veto against TANC that
>> they wanted to respect the Palestinian Youth Movement's boycott of DSA
>> (PYM has held regular meetings at Omni before), to the point that the only
>> Palestinian present at the meeting got frustrated and asked the
>> participants to leave Palestine out of this. Has anyone actually *asked*
>> PYM whether they have an opinion about TANC?
>>
>> I really wish CLP had brought up this objection to TANC based on their
>> association with DSA sooner, because that could have avoided a lot of
>> wasted effort, confusion, and frustration. Omni has been in discussion with
>> TANC for two months, and we've already made some significant space
>> rearrangements to be able to accommodate them. If you were "alarmed by the
>> pressure to agree with the rest of the Omni collectives", perhaps that's
>> because none of the other collectives had heard a word about this
>> issue with DSA before, and CLP's veto of TANC seriously adds to Omni's
>> existential financial crisis.
>>
>> Patrik
>> (not affiliated with TANC, and had to ask someone what DSA stands for...)
>>
>> On Sat, Sep 9, 2023 at 5:08 PM communityliberationprograms <
>> communityliberationprograms(a)proton.me> wrote:
>>
>>> Good morning everyone,
>>>
>>> On September 7th, we held a delegates meeting to discuss various topics,
>>> including the decision to vote for TANC to join as a member collective. We
>>> posed a question to TANC representatives about how many of their members
>>> are in DSA, due to DSA's decision to bar their Palestinian Working Group
>>> from national leadership. They deflected the question by claiming that TANC
>>> is not a DSA project—despite the attending members admitting to being in
>>> DSA themselves, TANC being originally founded by DSA members, as well as
>>> having approved an official partnership with EBDSA in March 2021. It is
>>> hard for us to seriously consider inviting an organization into power at
>>> Omni when they are already dismissing a fellow member collective's
>>> questions in their own candidacy meeting, and being disingenuous in how
>>> they represent this information. We were alarmed by the pressure put on
>>> us to agree with the rest of the Omni collectives while we have
>>> legitimate concerns that need to be addressed in order for our membership
>>> and community partners to feel safe bringing TANC into Omni's
>>> decision-making processes. Stating that CLP based our vote on "guilt by
>>> association" is an unfair analysis of the situation; CLP membership's
>>> concern stems from our fundamental organizing principles and mission. The
>>> reaction we received from TANC's membership when we asked for transparency
>>> was unprofessional. We ask that other member collectives respect our
>>> decision in this process.
>>>
>>> In solidarity,
>>>
>>> CLP
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> consensus mailing list
>>> consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org
>>> https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus
>>>
>> _______________________________________________
>> consensus mailing list
>> consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org
>> https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus
>>
> _______________________________________________
> consensus mailing list
> consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org
> https://omnicommons.org/lists/listinfo/consensus
>
As always, participate in person or remotely from 8 - 9 PM!
http://meet.waag.org/turtlesturtlesturtles
We will be discussing plans to do a member outreach event at Temescal
Brewery on the 21st of September! We'll also discuss our complicated,
onerous new member process.
If you'd like to add something to the agenda, reply below!
Cheers,
*Andrew R Gross, (he/him)*
412.657.5332 - shrad.org <http://www.shrad.org>
MIDI 2.0 development for Arm64 lags way behind, so I'm switching to Intel and-or AMD architecture. Who do I talk to about donating my Raspberry Pi 4B 8GB RAM, Pisound Audio and MIDI Interface hat, and case?
Image link to my build here: https://wp.me/aeX3Aj-75
Technical specs here https://blokas.io/pisound/
Hi everyone,
You're getting this email either because 1) you're on the sudoroom discuss
email list, or 2) because I BCC'd you directly.
Tonight I'll be hosting Sudoroom for those who want to come hack on whatever,
in person, or through telepresence (see the last link in this email)
ALSO NOW FEATURING: SoftWEAR hacking too: the Media Lab / Sewing area at Omni
Commons (in the basement) is also active so bring your fabric and textile
projects and technical repairs; we've got heavy duty and serger sewing
machines available. You're also welcome to bring your own machine to have it
checked out and tuned up for tip-top operation or to just sew alongside
others.
in the past few weeks, we've had about 5-15 people over the course of the
evening, not including remote participants who logged in through telepresence
Here it is on the sudoroom page:
https://sudoroom.org/events/categories/sudo-room-events/
I am usually there by 8PM but people do show up before me!
if you get to the door (at the corner of 48th and shattuck) and you can't get
in, call me or someone else who's there to let you in! Email me if you don't
have my phone number. Actually a great way to get our attention is to join the
video chat link at the end of this email!
We don't always hear the doorbell and I don't answer it anyway!
You should get on this sudoroom discuss mailinglist! click here:
https://sudoroom.org/lists/postorius/lists/sudo-discuss.sudoroom.org/
and you should donate monthly to sudoroom, monthly, by signing up here:
https://sudoroom.org/humans
and if you want to make a one-time donation, you can go here:
https://sudoroom.org/donate
if you can't make it in person: join the jitsi videochat with the room, and
chat with each other as well as a giant TV screen/speakerphone on the wall:
https://meet.waag.org/turtlesturtlesturtles
see you soon!
-jake
I know this might look like spam but it is actually a real opportunity for
someone who wants to manage a makerspace in exchange for housing!
-jake
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Fri, 8 Sep 2023 11:53:38 -0700
From: Jason Price <jason(a)stochasticlabs.org>
To: info(a)sudoroom.org
Subject: [sudo-info] Rent-Free Housing in Berkeley for Shop Manager/Handy Human
Dear Sudo,
Greetings!
Could you please share the following unique opportunity among your
communities, colleagues, and circuits? Flyer attached.
Thank you,
Jason
***
Stochastic Labs <http://stochasticlabs.org/>* (*located just a few blocks
north of the UC Berkeley campus) is currently looking for a* very part-time
shop manager and all around handy human *to keep our building and workshop
in tip-top shape!
*This live-work position includes* *a fully private, beautiful 1-bedroom
apartment,* rent-free, all utilities included, in one of Berkeley's most
sought after neighborhoods. You will have 24-7 access to all onsite tools,
including laser cutter, 3d printers, shopbot etc.
Stochastic Labs supports world-class artists, engineers, scientists, and
entrepreneurs working at the uncharted intersections of their fields. This
is truly a dream opportunity to engage with, support, (and build!) an
incredible community of creative and dedicated innovators.
*To apply: *Please send resume/cover letter to work(a)stochasticlabs.org
highlighting
any specific carpentry, handyperson, and shop experience.
--
Jason J Price, PhD
Program Manager
Stochastic Labs <https://stochasticlabs.org/>
pronouns: he/him/his
So, I had an idea that I wanted to run past everyone: What if we invited people (both within Sudoroom, and perhaps some of the creative/art groups at the Omni) to redecorate our giveaway laptops? My reasons for suggesting this are as follows:
- It's fun
- It's an opportunity to introduce other Omni people to Sudoroom
- People who might not be comfortable coming to sudoroom for technical stuff might be interested in a creative project, and find us friendlier than they'd expected
- A lot of the laptops just have IT stickers on them indicating machine iDs and such, that don't mean anything anymore.
What do you all think? Would a weekend be good for this? Maybe a Saturday?
I've been thinking about network and computer access for seniors this for a couple of years, and recently finding a YouTube channel named Linux for Seniors gave me just the little extra push I needed. https://www.youtube.com/@linuxforseniors
I've committed to trying to be regularly present and helpful at sudo room on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday evenings, so if anyone is available with knowledge about what hardware is available their help would be appreciated as would the support of those experienced with configuring systems for people with visual and physical disabilities.
So, I was looking into setting up a Matrix space for Sudoroom (I think it'd be a great way to improve internal communication, and could be a helpful collaboration tool on software projects), and I was surprised to learn that there is already a Matrix channel (not space) already set up, with integrations with the IRC channel, video chat, and the website. I was wondering who set this up, and if they'd be interested in combining our efforts to set up a more robust Sudoroom presence on Matrix.
Hey everyone,
I've been focusing on serving the membership working group for a few
months, and I'd like to highlight some issues I see with our new member
joining process.
*1. It's not clear what membership means.* Longtime sudo room members have
told me that membership isn't necessary to participate, it's just a
designation that allows you to weigh in on consensus proposals and endorse
members. This isn't the impression the word has with any new members I've
spoken to, though. The term for most people signifies belonging, and an
allowance to attend events, and this misunderstanding is particularly
accute in my experience when dealing with BiPOC folks, women, anyone new to
tech or hackerspaces... just anyone who doesn't arrive with a preexisting
sense of belonging to the dominant cultural ingroup.
*2. The new member process puts up a lot of barriers to joining.* When
people discover Sudo Room, they often arrive with a sense of excitement to
dive in, and then when I start walking through the steps, I watch all that
excitement dissipate. The endorsement process, for instance, feels like a
massive mud patch on a foot track. It seems to interrupt people's ability
to focus on learning about who we are by creating an open-ended social
challenge. Once again, I don't think tech bros who show up or have been
members since the begining experience this at all, but if you're new to the
town, or you've never been part of a hackerspace, this is stressful and
confusing. I felt this way when I joined, and a new member just told me
exactly this: they're non-white, their non-male, and they've never felt
like tech spaces were built with them in mind. They really went outside
their comfort zone and met people at events and got the endorsements, but
it seems to be working completely against our interests to put up an
obstacle that selectively filters people like this. Then there's a long
wait where nothing happens, and often no one ever tells a new member that
their membership was approved.
As an exercise I would like to invite people to respond to this email and
answer these two questions:
*What roles you think exist in our community?* and *What processes are
effective for helping people enter into it?*
I'm not interested in hearing defenses of the current system. That's not
the exercise. Imagine we're starting from scratch. Maybe, we'll come to
find that the current system actually fulfills certain aims well, but I
don't want to frame this as a change, I want to imagine the process for
helping people become at home at Sudo from a blank page.
Cheers,
Andy
*Andrew R Gross, (he/him)*
412.657.5332 - shrad.org <http://www.shrad.org>
A friend of mine is selling some four high-speed oscilloscopes that need
work.
They are posted on ebay but you can make an offer directly if you want and
i'll pass it along
"4 Tektronix digital oscilloscopes? 2xTDS540, 2xTDS520 in various state of
repair. One converted from picture tube to LCD. Likely enough good parts to
assemble 2 working scopes and part out the rest for good money. 2Ms
sampling rate"
https://www.ebay.com/itm/285452652435
-jake
(Just got back from traveling & an illness)
Are folks still at Burning man and travelling in Europe for the Chaos
Congress? [Trying to figure out this week at SudoRoom]
Since so many folks were travelling, or going to the Burning man festival
maybe we can have a small 5 minute "today I learned during my travels"
segment for fun at a meeting or at the hardware hacking tuesdy.
=============================
Romy Ilano
romy(a)snowyla.com
Hi everyone,
Omni Commons needs some rooms locked up with electronic locks. I volunteered
us to make everything and all the software. We can ask for some rent relief
or other favors in exchange for making this stuff, because otherwise they were
going to spend money that we don't have, to buy stuff that wouldn't work.
Who wants to help with this stuff???
We have a bin of keypads and another bin of solenoids and another bin of servo
motors, and plenty of arduinos. The plan is to build a couple of these things
and tune up the software and get them going, and install them on the rooms.
I'm thinking an N600 wifi router flashed with openWRT and python, with an
Arduino plugged into it over USB. The Arduino connects to the numeric keypad
and solenoid latch, and a beeper. The software on the arduino can be
basically this:
https://github.com/jerkey/doorkeypad/tree/twocol-eeprom
and then the N600 linux machine can host stuff like what i made recently for
the omni front door magstripe reader (ask me about it) so that people from the
events group who are not technical can add and remove codes from the systems.
here is what Phillip from the events group has put together to describe what
they want the system to do:
Feature List:
● Remote access by Omni events staff to unlock or see if the door is currently
closed/locked
● Ability for Omni events staff to admin the system for these doors
● Numpad next to door for renters to quickly unlock with 4 digit pins
● Timeline recorded of each door access for lookup later by Omni event staff
● (optional) log of when door is closed
Feature Expectations:
● Omni events staff admin abilities
○ Delegate additional admins
○ Add/remove renters with a pin access
○ Set dates when renter pin starts and stops working
Planned Doors:
● DJ booth above bar with sound system control
● Tech room side of stage where sound equipment is stored
basically there will be about three parts of the project:
1. hardware on the sudoroom tables (wiring stuff up and making things talk
to
each other and fiddling with early software tests)
2. copying the basic hardware setup a couple of times and making a third or
fourth spare setup, for fiddling and hacking and maybe additional doors
after
the needs specified by the events group
3. writing more software together and concurrently writing notes on how to
use
it, and composing instructions to send to end users like people in the
events
group
4. installing the hardware at the required doors and configuring and testing
5. writing emails to events group people explaining how the system works and
handling their replies and ongoing tech support requests.
I will be back in two weeks and ready to work on this stuff in person!!
butt
in the meantime if anyone wants to get started (especially on the software)
let's not hesitate! I've been writing lots of software remotely.
if you want to see the CGI door access stuff i've been working on which will
be pretty relevant to this project, send me your github username so I can
grant you access
as for the hardware, people can start by grabbing an N600 router and
flashing
it with openWRT and installing python and configuring things... or you can
find a working arduino and wire it up to a numeric keypad and a couple of
LEDs
and a beeper for testing, and that involves a bit of soldering and software
flashing.
-jake
On Sat, 26 Aug 2023, ch1rxpy3 via sudo-discuss wrote:
> I can't commit to the entire project but I do need to work on networking
> skills and would be interested in flashing a router. What sort of machine
> would we want to use?
>
> -------- Original Message --------
> On Aug 25, 2023, 4:00 PM, Laura Wesely via sudo-discuss wrote:
>
>> Thanks for including me in this! I am very eager to support by lending
>> what I can: some time, brute force, impeccable instruction-following, and
>> strong executive functioning and spacial reasoning skills.
>>
>> Beyond that I lack technological knowledge and experience to be of much
>> help.
>>
>> I short: tell me what to do and put me to work.
you not short
>>
>> XO
>> Lo
>>
>> On Fri, Aug 25, 2023, 15:08 Jake <jake(a)spaz.org> wrote:
>>
>>> Hi everyone,
>>>
>>> Omni Commons needs some rooms locked up with electronic locks. I
>>> volunteered
>>> us to make everything and all the software. We can ask for some rent
relief
>>> or other favors in exchange for making this stuff, because otherwise
they
>>> were
>>> going to spend money that we don't have, to buy stuff that wouldn't
work.
>>>
>>> Who wants to help with this stuff???
>>>
>>> We have a bin of keypads and another bin of solenoids and another bin
of
>>> servo
>>> motors, and plenty of arduinos. The plan is to build a couple of these
>>> things
>>> and tune up the software and get them going, and install them on the
rooms.
>>>
>>> I'm thinking an N600 wifi router flashed with openWRT and python, with
an
>>> Arduino plugged into it over USB. The Arduino connects to the numeric
>>> keypad
>>> and solenoid latch, and a beeper. The software on the arduino can be
>>> basically this:
>>> https://github.com/jerkey/doorkeypad/tree/twocol-eeprom
>>>
>>> and then the N600 linux machine can host stuff like what i made
recently
>>> for
>>> the omni front door magstripe reader (ask me about it) so that people
from
>>> the
>>> events group who are not technical can add and remove codes from the
>>> systems.
>>>
>>> here is what Phillip from the events group has put together to describe
>>> what
>>> they want the system to do:
>>>
>>> Feature List:
>>>
>>> ● Remote access by Omni events staff to unlock or see if the door is
>>> currently
>>> closed/locked
>>>
>>> ● Ability for Omni events staff to admin the system for these doors
>>>
>>> ● Numpad next to door for renters to quickly unlock with 4 digit pins
>>>
>>> ● Timeline recorded of each door access for lookup later by Omni event
>>> staff
>>>
>>> ● (optional) log of when door is closed
>>>
>>> Feature Expectations:
>>>
>>> ● Omni events staff admin abilities
>>>
>>> ○ Delegate additional admins
>>>
>>> ○ Add/remove renters with a pin access
>>>
>>> ○ Set dates when renter pin starts and stops working
>>>
>>> Planned Doors:
>>>
>>> ● DJ booth above bar with sound system control
>>>
>>> ● Tech room side of stage where sound equipment is stored
Hey, I mentioned to the building working group that we need to do an ewaste
run, and Silver said they could help us out.
Where do we normally go for ewaste and does anyone from sudo want to help?
The building working group meets on Sundays. Im not available then but can
help add more stuff to the pile from our unsorted areas.
Paige
Sunday August 27th 2pm @ Embarcadero Plaza, San Francisco
Join our protest in solidarity with LGBTQ Singaporeans, who are under
many threats from fascism in their country, including some of the same
right wing theocrats pushing anti-trans laws here in the USA. For full
details, please see https://safetyforsingapore.com/
Please forward/re-post/share widely! Numbers matter and every body
counts, so please show up to support! We'll be nice and give you
covid-safe air hugs.
RSVP if you'd like a reminder Sunday morning or rides to BART ;)
Dear Sudo Room,
Here's your invoice! We appreciate your prompt payment.
Thank you for stewarding the commons.
Love and solidarity,
Omni Commons
---------------------------------- Invoice ---------------------------------
4799 Shattuck Ave
Oakland, CA 94609 US
+1 5105456582
https://omnicommons.org
Invoice #: 3009
Date: 09/01/2023
Due Date: 09/25/2023
Terms: Net 25
Amount Due: $2,000.00
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Bill To:
Sudo Room
4799 Shattuck Ave
Oakland, CA 94607
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
****************************** Account Summary *****************************
08/01/2023 Balance Forward $1,850.00
Other payments and credits after 08/01/2023 -1,850.00
New charges (details below) 2,000.00
Total Amount Due (activity through 09/01/202 2,000.00
****************************************************************************
<u> Date </u><u> Activity </u><u> Qty </u><u> Rate </u><u> Amount </u>
09/01/2023 Furnishing Fa 1 2,000.00 2,000.00T
____________________________________________________________________________
SubTotal: $2,000.00
Tax: $0.00
--------------------------------------
Total Of New Charges: $2,000.00
Total Amount Due: $2,000.00
Greetings Sudo Room!
This is your monthly donation invoice. Thank you for stewarding the
commons!
Love and solidarity,
Omni Commons Finance Working Group
Has anyone else heard about this protest someone is organizing at Moscone Center on Tuesday? Apparently it's opposed to Project Nimbus? I got an email about it, and was wondering if anyone else was planning to check it out.
Hey Sudoers,
There's a new hackerspace just south of Oakland !
The Sun Gallery Makerspace in Hayward will be hosting it's Grand Opening party this Saturday August 12th 1 - 4pm,
You’re invited to our Makerspace Grand Opening & Art Meets Tech Show.
Location: 1015 E Street, Hayward, CA
It's been a long-time goal of the Hayward Techies & Makers to get our own hackerspace.
More info here:
https://sungallery.org/makerspace-grand-opening-art-meets-tech-show/
cheers
-Carl
One thing that comes up at nearly every meeting I've been to is a desire to see more people using the Sudoroom space itself. Aside from Hardware Hack Night on Tuesdays, we generally seem to be seeing lower attendance at events. Part of this may be inertia in getting new events started up that have more interest, but I think it might be helpful to start a discussion about how the space itself can be made friendlier, and more pleasant to be in. I'll get things started with a couple of ideas, but what I'm really hoping for are some great ideas from people who currently aren't making much regular use of the space.
- Air Circulation. The nature of any workspace, especially one with so much legacy hardware, is to be dusty/musty. There are numerous possible solutions here (open doors, fans, etc.)
- Water. I'd love to have a small water dispenser in the space, perhaps that we share with CCL. If this idea is approved, I'm happy to keep my eyes peeled for a free/cheap dispenser on Craigslist, and to help with doing water runs on a bi-weekly basis or something like that.
- Reading area. We have space set aside for a library, but because our main seating area doubles as a workspace, there's often a lot of hardware around. As we continue to clean out unwanted items and consolidate our storage, perhaps we could set up a small nook (maybe under the stairs?) where people can read?
These are just a few ballpark ideas.
Jonathan
---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: kal spelletich <spellkal(a)gmail.com>
Date: Tue, Aug 8, 2023 at 6:42 PM
Subject: [dorkbotsf] Fantastic Part-Time Job for the right Builder/Maker
To:
Hello,
The amazing Stochastic Labs has an interesting job position open. Please
pass it along to any interested parties (possibly students with maker
skills who have recently graduated or are soon to!).
I can vouch for them for being one of the best live in residencies anywhere
(as well as the other projects they get up to). It is an extremely rare
place of innovation, play, inquiry and magic.
Hope all is well,
Kal
*++++++++++++++++++++++++=*
*Stochastic Labs <http://stochasticlabs.org> (*located just a few blocks
north of the UC Berkeley campus) is currently looking for a* very part-time
shop manager and all around handy human *to keep our building and workshop
in tip-top shape!
*This live-work position includes* *a fully private, beautiful 1-bedroom
apartment,* rent-free, all utilities included, in one of Berkeley's most
sought after neighborhoods. You will have 24-7 access to all onsite tools,
including laser cutter, 3d printers, shopbot etc. No Pay.
Stochastic Labs supports world-class artists, engineers, scientists, and
entrepreneurs working at the uncharted intersections of their fields. This
is truly a dream opportunity to engage with, support, (and build!) an
incredible community of creative and dedicated innovators.
*To apply: *Please send resume/cover letter to work(a)stochasticlabs.org
highlighting any specific carpentry, handyperson, and shop experience
--
https://www.tttelematiccc.com/galactic-scale-inquiries-into-the-nature-of-t…
--
PEOPLE DOING STRANGE THINGS WITH ELECTRICITY
---
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.
correction: Pro Arts not Safer DIY
---------- Forwarded message ----------
On Thu, Aug 3, 2023 David Keenan <dkeenan44(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> Hi -
>
> Apologies if someone else has already responded -- I only skimmed but
> wanted to just briefly clarify that Safer DIY doesn’t pay rent / occupy
> space at Omni.
>
> Best,
> David
On Thu, Aug 3, 2023 Z Silver Zahn <natashazahn27(a)gmail.com> wrote:
My apologies!
I meant Pro Arts , which Sarah is apart of.
She is also apart of safer DIY and I mixed up the groups!
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Date: Thu, 3 Aug 2023 15:28:32 -0700
From: Z Silver Zahn <natashazahn27(a)gmail.com>
To: consensus <consensus(a)lists.omnicommons.org>
Subject: [omni-consensus] Updates
Update CSC will formally move out of the current room and is pending their
decision on moving to the current omni office or sticking to their other space
by the end of the month.
Also ANV gave their 30 day notice and is moving out of Omni , (they recently
got city slicker farm as their new csa location whoo)!
However if CSC moves on then we will earn $200 a month less in rent + ANV
office space which is $675. Losing total of $875 monthly rent income.
Reminder that collectives pay monthly rent of :
Sudo room : $2,000
Counter Culture Labs : $2,000
Sudo Mesh : $200
Global Women Strike : $200
Food Not Bombs : $500
Village of Love : $1,800 (months behind on rent)
Myriad Outreach Program : $100
Safer DIY : $300
Monthly rent will be around , $6,100
Events have been averaging $5k for the year of 2023.
I don’t have the number for donations but it’s definitely not a lot and
averages $1k.
So our income is roughly 12k (Sarah please correct me if I’m way off, this
is just my newbie research) Huge thanks to Sarah for book keeping and
making sure events and tenants know where they are at with their invoices!
And so much more in the finance realm that i'm still trying to grapple!
I report monthly how much we make from events , (the cost of the event that
occured that month and not invoices previous or future events)
and can try to report monthly expenses on our contractors.
Example : Event Coordinator Budget Tracker
<https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/14-JhFQ8GUHyDI4IRe0inoVg6KUe0NMw-k-8…>
* Curious if any financial experts can support monthly reports of our expenses?
feel inclined to join a finance working group to help understand our accounts more!
*Collective financial transparency is liberating!*
Our expenses in July was around 17k+ which is our average utility/insurance
etc costs plus contractors costs that began from Hellman grant, for Billy
and myself at $30 an hour for events. Sarah was already contracted as our
book bookkeeper and Susan as our grant writer.
Meaning if we keep things exactly the same we will be losing $5k a month
which is how much we give our mortgage lender.
*Things are financially unwell and I think we need to focus on bringing in
a new collective vision aligned with who can pay monthly consistent rent.*
We were dependent on events to help raise revenue but we hardly get
requests. I think it’s a combination of decay neglected entrance hall that
easily turns people away. The building WG for the last few months has been
meeting weekly on Sunday tending to the common spaces and the next big
action item is a dump run day! This would be greatly done collectively ,
does Sunday afternoon anytime noon to 6pm work for folks?
+ We approved a budget for building cleanliness. I suggest paying part of
that budget to Phil who has been cleaning Omni for years as a volunteer.
Deep cleaning all the bathrooms taking out all the trash mopping commons
areas, etc.
Secondly our outreach and website needs to be ramped up. I have been doing
a lot of the work and think it’ll only be successful in a collective manner!
*We approved $2k for a website contractor and outlined the scope of the
work. I suggest we empower the website working group to hire the best
candidate!*
Also with rooms opening up to collectively decide what we want to rent out
and for how much. I’ve proposed moving the Omni Office to VOL smaller room
(that room was Joey's suggestion) to ease their monthly rent so we can rent
out the current office to so man interested collectives! Or even moving the
Omni office to the current mail room?
The Den and ANV office is available for future tenants as well~
Lastly I would suggest renting out the ticket booth room for a collective.
It hasn’t been functional since I volunteered back in 2018. Now it has some
scaffolding but it hasn’t been used for years as well.
Also as Sarah mentioned a committee to actively invite possible new
tenants.
I'm losing a little hope as delegates meetings have been feeling like
containers of blockages. Especially since most delegate representatives
don’t participate in any working groups that need support rather than
blocks. I encourage delegates to participate at least in one working group~
That being said I’ve posted marketing and outreach coordinator (approved
from Hellman grant) for more capacity building and for my slow transition
out of Omni Commons.
Sorry for the long rant , these are just concerning thoughts. I believe we
can pull through this financial deficit with some collective creativity!!
Last year our private loan investor extended our balloon payment by a year
due to the incredible fundraising efforts with people power.
This year we’re losing collectives, money, general activation &
participation. Thats not encouraging our lender to continue their
investment by the end of this year of our due date of 890k .We are not a
viable candidate for refi with loss of revenue .
Maybe we should start talking about plan B if refinance isn't feasible?