Welcome

Welcome to Sudo Room! This page should help answer any questions you might have about Sudo Room, how to be a member, how to access the space, and more!

What is Sudo Room?

Sudo Room is an open, non-hierarchical, collaborative community of humans, including tech developers, citizen scientists, activists, artists--and all combinations in between and beyond!--who are interested in and working towards social change. Our goal is to create the first inclusive, dedicated hackerspace in downtown Oakland, to share ideas and projects in citizen science, digital citizenship and literacy, environmental sustainability, community engagement, and self-government. Sudo Room is committed to access, empowerment, transparency, and public/social good. Sudoers have a great diversity of interests and we emphasize respect and solidarity among ourselves and with others.

Who is welcome at Sudo Room?

Sudo Room is committed to ACCESS, so anyone is welcome! You don't have to be "techie," you don't have to be a member, you don't have to know about computers or know how to write code. If you're not sure whether you are the kind of person who is welcome at Sudo Room, the answer is YES.

Where is Sudo Room and how do I get in?

Sudo Room is located at 2141 Broadway in downtown Oakland. The entrance to Sudo Room is on 22nd St. (West of Broadway). There is a sign on the sidewalk that says Sudo Room. To get in, hit the buzzer to the left of the entrance by the Sudo Room sign ( and a friendly sudoer will answer and let you in!). We are upstairs and the easiest way to get upstairs is to take the elevator at the end of the hallway. Full info on where we are and how to get in (with screenshots!) here.

What are Sudo Room's hours?

As of Dec. 2012, we are solving a few technical problems relating to the outside door, so unfortunately the space is not open all the time. People are usually in the space most evenings and weekends. We are also here for any events (check our Calendar for events). Before we fully solve our access issues, the space is open when another member is here to let you in. To get in, ring the buzzer at the 22nd St. entrance (see here) and if someone is here, they will open the door. To find out ahead of time whether someone is here, the best place to ask is in our chatroom. Alternately, you can email the listserv and ask if someone is at the space.

What kinds of things take place at Sudo Room?

Sudoers use the space to do everything from working on their own computers to building desks! We make 3D printed jewelry, develop inventory systems for hackerspaces, meet up to work on volunteer projects like Oakland Wiki, use our library to learn new things, test the limits of cooking in our limited kitchen (food hacking!), and build radio stations. Check out our full list of projects here.

What equipment is available at Sudo Room?

We are adding new equipment daily but our current major resources include a 3D printer, woodworking equipment, laptops, soldering equipment, sewing machines, workspace, meeting space, library, audio production equipment (incomplete as of 12/12), and CNC router (not yet online as of 12/12).

How can I get involved with Sudo Room?

There are a number of ways to get involved, but the easiest is to come by the space and check it out. You can also sign up for our listserv, join our chatroom, or come to one of our weekly organizational meetings that take place at 7PM every Wednesday.

What are the benefits of membership?

The primary benefit of being a member is getting Sudo Room, an open, non-hierarchical, collaborative community of humans, including tech developers, citizen scientists, activists, artists--and all combinations in between and beyond!--who are interested in and working towards social change. Access to the space and to all the Sudo Room resources is one of our core values, so everyone is able to access the space and use our resources whether they are a member or not. However, members have guaranteed access to the space and Sudo Room assets. For more information on member benefits, see our Articles of Association.

How do I become a member?

Sign up and start contributing!

How do I pay member dues or donate to Sudo Room?

There are three ways to pay member dues 1) Direct deposit to the Sudo Room 2) Check made out to Sudo Room (easiest to bring to Wednesday night meetings) 3) Cash (easiest to bring to Wednesday night meetings) 4) Online donation at sudoroom.org

How is Sudo Room funded?

Sudo Room is currently exclusively funded by member contributions.

What is the history of Sudo Room?

Sudo Room started as a website in 2011. After holding meetings in cafes, then at the downtown coworking space | Tech Liminal, we moved into a small space in 2135 Broadway in July 2012. In Dec. 2012, we moved into our current space at 2141 Broadway.

New members:

Check out our Articles of Association. The articles outline how we run our organization, how we do our budget, how we run our meetings, how membership is determined, benefits of membership, conflict resolution, and more.
Come to our meetings at 7PM on Wednesday nights.
Say hello on the listserv or in the chatroom.
Drop by any time and meet everyone!