So we never made it out to First Friday. It was sorta rainy, a lot of
us were burned out, Marc had spent 48 hours straight trying to fix a
sudomesh bug, and I was focused on the TWAC show. But that's really ok
because I don't know if FF could have compared to the quantity and
quality of outreach we got from TWAC. The space was totally packed
with rad queer women, a lot of whom were very excited about what we're
doing and want to get involved. We had 3D printers running the whole
time, did a bunch of impromptu tours and 5-minute speed classes in
printing, coding, etc. Sudo provided a nice low-key hacking
environment as an outlet during show intermissions.
They raised over $1k for the camp - which, to reiterate, will be an
entirely free event for women, trans & genderqueer people to learn and
skill-share about activism and all kinds of life-hacking and other
hacking. They don't use the word hacking but that's totally what it
is. Sudo built hella good will with a community of great folks last
night. Also for such a huge event (at least 200 people came through)
cleanup went really well. We only had to do a little bit this morning
- collect bathroom trash, take trash & recycling downstairs and some
light vacuuming.
Things we still need to do better:
* have extra toilet paper ready ahead of time, do regular bathroom checks
* bag/rebag all trash cans ahead of time
* Make sure the air control system actually works - things get
uncomfortable with that many people and no ventilation. Don't be
afraid of pressuring George to actually go on the roof and
double-check that the power switch is actually on.
When we introduce Sudoroom to the audience, remember don't stray too
far off message. Some major bullet points need to be:
* we're entirely free, volunteer-run and always accept (need)
donations to keep us open
* we're a community space for everybody, you don't have to identify as
an artist/activist/hacker
* we do awesome projects that benefit the community
* we are open and welcoming and always want more members - we tend to
shut the doors when the show gets loud, which is understandable as
we're trying to hack/concentrate, but it also can make people feel
intimidated. So it helps a lot to just give specific strong
invitations for people to come in and join. A few people suggested a
large sign on our door saying as much.
* please respect the space as our guests - please recycle your beer
cans, please clean up spills, please never write graffiti on the walls
or bathrooms - as tempting or legit as the message may be, Sudoers are
accountable to the landlord and have to pay the price for it.
Well I'm a software engineer now & I love learning .. I'm good at book learning & am an autodidact so I don't think things are so bad for me in the future
But what about the rest of the job market?
I've pondered this over the years. Can you retrain factory workers to be tech workers very easily? Some people with experience tell me no
Interesting article
Sent from my iPhone
Begin forwarded message:
> From: Romy Snowyla <romy(a)snowyla.com>
> Date: April 5, 2014 at 11:08:50 PM PDT
> To: Romy Ilano <romy(a)snowyla.com>
> Subject: Automation Alone Isn’t Killing Jobs - NYTimes.com
>
>
> http://mobile.nytimes.com/2014/04/06/business/automation-alone-isnt-killing…
>
> Automation Alone Isn’t Killing Jobs
>
> Although the labor market report on Friday showed modest job growth, employment opportunities remain stubbornly low in the United States, giving new prominence to the old notion that automation throws people out of work.
>
> Back in the 19th century, steam power and machinery took away many traditional jobs, though they also created new ones. This time around, computers, smart software and robots are seen as the culprits. They seem to be replacing many of the remaining manufacturing jobs and encroaching on service-sector jobs, too.
>
> Driverless vehicles and drone aircraft are no longer science fiction, and over time, they may eliminate millions of transportation jobs. Many other examples of automatable jobs are discussed in “The Second Machine Age,” a book by Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, and in my own book, “Average Is Over.” The upshot is that machines are often filling in for our smarts, not just for our brawn ― and this trend is likely to grow.
>
> How afraid should workers be of these new technologies? There is reason to be skeptical of the assumption that machines will leave humanity without jobs. After all, history has seen many waves of innovation and automation, and yet as recently as 2000, the rate of unemployment was a mere 4 percent. There are unlimited human wants, so there is always more work to be done. The economic theory of comparative advantage suggests that even unskilled workers can gain from selling their services, thereby liberating the more skilled workers for more productive tasks.
>
> Nonetheless, technologically related unemployment ― or, even worse, the phenomenon of people falling out of the labor force altogether because of technology ― may prove a tougher problem this time around.
>
> Labor markets just aren’t as flexible these days for workers, especially for men at the bottom end of the skills distribution. Through much of the 20th century, workers moved out of agriculture and into manufacturing jobs. A high school diploma and a basic willingness to work were often enough, at least for white men, because the technologies of those times often relied on accompanying manual labor.
>
> Many of the new jobs today are in health care and education, where specialized training and study are required. Across the economy, a college degree is often demanded where a high school degree used to suffice. It’s now common for a fire chief to be expected to have a master’s degree, and to perform a broader variety of business-related tasks that were virtually unheard-of in earlier generations. All of these developments mean a disadvantage for people who don’t like formal education, even if they are otherwise very talented. It’s no surprise that current unemployment has been concentrated among those with lower education levels.
>
> There is also a special problem for some young men, namely those with especially restless temperaments. They aren’t always well-suited to the new class of service jobs, like greeting customers or taking care of the aged, which require much discipline or sometimes even a subordination of will. The law is yet another source of labor market inflexibility: The number of jobs covered by occupational licensing continues to rise and is almost one-third of the work force. We don’t need such laws for, say, barbers or interior designers, although they are commonly on the books.
>
> Many expanding economic sectors are not very labor-intensive, be they tech fields like online retailing or even new mining and extraction industries. That means it’s harder for the rate of job creation to keep up with the rate of job destruction, because a given amount of economic growth isn’t bringing as many jobs.
>
> A new paper by Alan B. Krueger, Judd Cramer and David Cho of Princeton has documented that the nation now appears to have a permanent class of long-term unemployed, who probably can’t be helped much by monetary and fiscal policy. It’s not right to describe these people as “thrown out of work by machines,” because the causes involve complex interactions of technology, education and market demand. Still, many people are finding this new world of work harder to navigate.
>
> Sometimes, the problem in labor markets takes the form of underemployment rather than outright joblessness. Many people, especially the young, end up with part-time and temporary service jobs ― or perhaps a combination of them. A part-time retail worker, for example, might also write for a friend’s website and walk dogs for wealthier neighbors. These workers often aren’t climbing career ladders that build a brighter or more secure future.
>
> Many of these labor market problems were brought on by the financial crisis and the collapse of market demand. But it would be a mistake to place all the blame on the business cycle. Before the crisis, for example, business executives and owners didn’t always know who their worst workers were, or didn’t want to engage in the disruptive act of rooting out and firing them. So long as sales were brisk, it was easier to let matters lie. But when money ran out, many businesses had to make the tough decisions ― and the axes fell. The financial crisis thus accelerated what would have been a much slower process.
>
> Subsequently, some would-be employers seem to have discriminated against workers who were laid off in the crash. These judgments weren’t always fair, but that stigma isn’t easily overcome, because a lot of employers in fact had reason to identify and fire their less productive workers.
>
> In a nutshell, what we’re facing isn’t your grandfather’s unemployment problem. It does have something to do with modern technology, and it will be with us for some time.
>
> TYLER COWEN is professor of economics at George Mason University.
>
>
>
> Sent from my iPhone
On Sat, Apr 5, 2014 at 11:42 AM, Danny Spitzberg <stationaery(a)gmail.com> wrote:
> http://sfbay.craigslist.org/eby/zip/4408735122.html and I just emailed the
> person who posted to inquire about it
>
> yay? nay?
yay but idk where we'd put it right now :/
HoneyBee3d, who recently opened a 3D Printing Store in Oakland and soon San
Mateo are hiring CAD teachers for kids and adult classes
email liza(a)honeybee3d.com to get details, they don't seem to have a job
posting up
www.HoneyBee3d.com <http://www.honeybee3d.com/>
I swear I stayed awake for the whole meeting and I really don't recall
"getting naked" being a primary bullet point in our agenda, or even a
secondary bullet point. I'd have probably raised some questions or
objections.
At worst this is creepy. At best it's false advertising.
Hi! Anyone up for this? Let me know and I'll get you in touch! I might also
point them to Cryptoparty for general preventative advice. ;]
---------- Forwarded message ----------
From:
Date: 03/04/2014 10:43 PM
Subject: [sfchalkboard] Malware removal
To: "sfchalkboard" <sfchalkboard(a)lists.riseup.net>
Cc:
> Hi Chalkies
>
> Need to find someone affordable or willing to trade for handmade beauty
products to help me remove malware from a website I run.
>
> S.O.S.
>
>
---------- Forwarded message ----------
Subject: [sfchalkboard] Trying to sell Honda generator
My buddy is leaving the state this week and is looking to lighten his load.
He is selling a Honda EU 2000 generator along with a 1500 watt power
converter.
Name your price.
Has to be gone by 9 AM TOMORROW
Call [PM Vicky for this number]
Located in west Oakland
