Sudo Room

Meeting Notes 2015-05-13

  • Sudo Room Meeting, 13 May 2015

Intros

icebreaker :one idea of how we can save sudo / how sudo can save itself

  • faust - rent the space as a partnership fundraiser (high profile?); 24/7 web cam maybe on robot arm; dancing night; pancake breakfasts - publicity!)
    • maybe have the meeting on a different day
    • Anti-Maker Faire in the Omni?(ffaust thinks lucrative)
  • jenny - hacker happy hour; reboot subiir; monthly fundraiser parties
  • torrie - crypto-anarchist; parties are good; marc handed her a spoon; it was accepted with grace
    • no one's talking about the lack of people showing up to meetings
  • marc - crypto-antichrist; working on implementing stripe with sudo-humans; giver of spoons
  • dante - unintelligible noise; i'll make key lime pie. renting an hour in a catering kitchen
  • yar - fuck gratipay. we should encourage people to not use gratipay.
  • matt - being anticapitalist has alienated some of our more well endowed contributors; same with the political markup of this community compared to broadway; we could attach to the borderline anarchist/hacker tech workers as a bigger base of sudo; alcoholic mate will make us filthy rich;
    • Nobody stuck around long enough to have a meeting
  • Kelly - more projects and collaborations; more hack sessions; get more people to come here and work on projects in the hardware community;
  • Brendan - Saving itself? We're part of the omni now. Is sudo room really its own thing? I don't see us moving from here unless the
    • Mark - it is!
    • Getting the tools into a working state would help a lot
  • Dante - donation coffee
  • Sam (remote) - trick members into hosting more events?

New Members

  • Dante! after one-month extended pondering

Announcements

  • sudoroom.org is going to be on a new server tonight or tomorrow! send your public key to yar if you want an account
  • jake: vending machines are nearly operable, still working on the software. think about what should go in them
  • torrie: Noisebridge is hosting a 5 Minutes of Fame next Thursday the 21st at 8pm! - come and bring a weird story! Talk to me if you want to come and give a talk - tdfischer@hackerbots.net
  • Jenny: Standup Comedy benefit for the Chiapas Support Committee - all proceeds to autonomous Zapatista schools - this Friday at 8pm @ Omni - https://omnicommons.org/calendar/events/chiapas-support-committee-zapatista-benefit-5/
  • Jenny - If anyone is interested in learning how to use the print collective stuff, they're having a weekly openhouse at 5pm on sundays!
    • Matt - I was promised it is not a meeting.
  • Jake: Substack and I had a great session on the door access system last night

Finances

  • $1,750.76 in Internet Credit Union account
    • Expenses are $2.5k/mo
  • Last week's Gratipay payment didn't go through, we need to upgrade to a 'Team' account tonight
    • Yar - If their TOS is changing, we should consent to it
    • Matt - I'm happy to follow through closing the gratipay account
    • Yar - There will still be people using it, but we should actively encourage people to not use it. There will still be a trickle of money.
    • Matt - then I'm all confused now. I thought they weren't going to be able to handle our usecase now.
    • <some discussion about square>
    • Jake - I volunteer to just use stripe and build our own hardware and build our own square
  • We need to implement Stripe. We have an account: (Mark's got it, yo)
  • Marc is finishing up the Stripe payment implementation on sudo-humans (our new membership system)

Conflict Resolution Updates

  • Request that the ChrisB ban be lifted for the single exception of unloading Munchery meals
    • We got him established in a new temporary housing. He's not interested in coming back to sudo room or the omni. However I do need his aid with munchery on saturdays to get food into the space.
    • Matt - To clarify, the original decision was back in December. His access can only regain after he's demonstrated consistent long-term housing outside of omni.
    • But if the deal is that he'll bring crap in, I'm cool with that.
    • Jake - I guess at this moment we're asking if its okay for him to come and help with munchery. I'm okay with that.
  • Doc's blown Matt off twice, so that mediation isn't moving forward
    • Matt - I was being conflict steward. Wanting to talk with them and figure out whats going on between them and other people. So we set a time and we'd meet the next day, but they didn't make it and a bunch of reasons why he couldn't. Handed it to Rachel, though it took some time. When they made, it went into details that weren't related about the conflict.
    • Later, he came around, pulled me away from what I was doing. Rachel and I went off to the side and talked with him. His energy was very high, he wasn't listening, he wasn't willing to think at all about his own actions. No acceptance of responsibility. I don't know if he understood the whole situation.
    • I made it very clear that there is a path to resolution. He's no longer engaging.
    • If they dont want to engage with us, we dont need tp waste energy on it.
  • Jenny - Nick came here before the meeting.
    • Dante - He just sorta dropped by unannounced
    • Marc - Even though we told him it wasn't cool the last time.
    • Dante - Should he come to the next meeting?
    • Jenny - Something I've been thinking about with these patterns, such as people who have been asked to leave multiple times could do something, like write a letter?
    • Dante - I think its something he could work on, but I need to ask the people who were uncomfortable with him if they're still uncomfortable.
    • Matt - We could ask people what they have learned during their exclusion
    • Its very easy to assess someone's learning by just talking to them.
    • Dante - Okay, so I'll bring his response back here next time and we'll discuss it.


Discussion

  • Matt talks a bit about how nobody shows up to meetings and who we're alienating
  • Kelly talks about hack sessions and getting people here to hack a thing
    • Dante - maybe advertise around UC Berkeley? Like the computer science people. Invite them down here and they'll find people who have also taken the same classes and are working on stuff
    • Matt - Do you think due to the scheduling change, there'd be a better opportunity for students to come around?
    • Faust - We'd want to see about synchronizing with courses happening
    • Dante - Check out soda[sp?]
    • Matt - its the lonliest saddest place to program.
    • Dante - They can come here! Its a cooler place! With awesome hardware!

~~idea brainstorming~~

  • Faust sez: Have a webcam on the robot that is always on, all the time
    • Maybe in a couple of months, after makerfaire, we could have a smaller laid back mini maker faire
  • Matt: Make Media is really protective about their Makerfaire #brand
  • Brandon - We could open it up to let people start their own things in here
    • Faust - Do we have public ocmputers?
    • Jenny - We used to but then people would just use them for facebook and bunch up things.
  • Dante - I think the donation coffee thing is a good idea. But La Commune doesn't really have any all the time and no donations.
  • Matt - I think what Jake has brought up is realy good. Lots of people come to hardware hacking Tuesday. They know that they'll come in and get advice. Folks from the south drove up here to see Mark's vending machine project.
    • Jake is looking for someone to host a software hacking thursdays.
    • Some weekday night of software hacking.
    • Linux Install Fest Fridays!
    • Its a good opportunity for people to feel out the space and see if its for them.
    • Brendan - We could make things that we use. We've done a lot of work on this robot arm github codebase
    • Matt - Something I've learned about sudo room. Its really easy to come up with ideas, but really hard to start a project moving
      • One newbie came in, and I said the server rack was a fire hazzard. Some sysadmin person came in and was terrified of Linux.
      • Point being, the project was so totally huge that they were overwhelmed.
  • Brendan: One tangible project is building a CNC machine - lots of interest
    • Matt: 'Machining Mondays'?
  • Faust: We should teach more crypto!
    • Jenny: I've been looking for a co-facilitator to help run cryptoparties. Used to be every third sunday. There's still interest for people to come. Its not that people weren't coming, its that I wasn't confident facilitating it solo
      • Sam: I am happy to co-facilitate crypto events, when I am able/in town
  • Faust: IRC is sad and empty
    • Maybe there should be a sudoer who is there to chat
    • Brendan: Most of my meaningful conversation that happens IRL goes over IRC
    • Marc - Maybe if there was a robot that explained its asynchronocity
    • Yar: I don't see too many people coming in, talking and leaving in #sudoroom
    • Brendan - I've wanted to hack on that for a bit!
    • Marc - Its on sudo's github. Just add to it!
    • Jenny: We've got a robot now that IRCs when someone swipes into the door
    • Brendan - Some kind of Omni Hotline, like Labitat has
  • Matt - We've got a big donation of a lot of stuff. Like a phone with a wireless satellite. We could set one up by the front door.
  • Matt - Another weird but strange idea. I've been holding onto it for 2 years. Theres this Hackmeet unconference.
    • Somewhere, hackers help hackers setup squats. I think this would be a perfect venue where we host a work party. Invite all the hackers to come to Sudo Room to skill share and practice.
  • Faust - Last year, someone wanted to rent a piece of equipment from sudo room.
    • Dante - Like what?
    • Faust - Like, a server or a tool.
    • Marc - They could rent a camera with a camera person. There's a film collective here.
  • Matt - Some sort of service where you list your tools and services, and can buy and sell services and tools. I'm not sure if there's anything here that we could offer for that.
    • Faust - Lets abolish money!
    • general agreement all around
  • Jenny - One thing we haven't talked about is applying for grants [ https://sudoroom.org/wiki/Funding_opportunities ]
    • I can volunteer to schedule or coordinate a grant-writing hackathon.
    • Matt - every time I've thought grants were wrong, i've been wrong.
    • Faust - We could have project pages. Maybe not per project, but something like "the 3d printer". Then for the grants we'll have record of what we've done.
    • Matt - A documentation hackathon! The wiki is full of lies and out of date.
      • What equipment doesn't work.
      • That one printer was broken at some point. Then the wiki was wrong.
      • Brendan - Weird stuff got those printers fixed. Weird. Stuff.
  • Jenny - How's the vending machines?
    • Marc - We've gotten to the point where about 10 of the spirals work now. The software is not quite done. I'm focusing on two other projects before I get to it. Gratipay, then the new door access. After that we can get the machines running. Not a lot of work, just some frontend bits.
    • Jenny - sweeeet
  • Jenny - t-shirts and swag!
    • Are our stickers here?
  • (something about bitcoins)
    • Matt: Whats the new coin? coincoin?
    • Yar - There's a fuck you coin. Read all about it.
    • Dante - Whats up with dogecoin?
  • Jenny - Maybe people could volunteer to facilitate or co-facilitate at the next meeting
    • Faust - Is there a facilitating guideline on the wiki?
    • Jenny - Good question. Maybe. Yes, there's one on sudo's wiki but the omni's is better. They're just called Facilitation
    • Coming to a delegates meeting is also good. We've got that shit down.
  • Matt - We have nine people who are in here who are members. If we get one more we'd have quorum to consense on a new delegate.
    • I've opted to act as the sudo delegate until someone is available. I'm willing to do it and I usually go to the meetings anyways.
    • Yar - I see the delegates as more of a pool of people we've consented on instead of having to pick one every so often.
    • Matt - There's not a clear line of communication between the members and whats happening in the omni.
    • Should be clear who you can talk to about omni crap, 'specially if you just want to hack a thing.
    • Jenny - I agree with Yar that the pool of delegates already exists [ https://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/omni-delegates has 9 subscribers ]
    • Yar - We already have that though.
    • Matt - I think we can do better about visibility
    • Jenny - That should be brought up more at a sudo meeting
    • Torrie - Do you think we're doing that sort of visibility now?
    • Matt - I think it isn't easy to communicate between members and the omni community
    • Jenny - Where do you hear about this?
    • Matt - My impression is from inactive members who don't come along all that much
    • Jenny - They should come to the space if they want their space heard. The notes are always available
    • Yar - What problem are we trying to solve
    • Matt - I think we're getting off track.
  • Faust - I don't think the available resources are being utilized, people aren't voicing their opinions and not feeling heard because the information is not being digested. I'm not sure why.
    • Matt - < a list of people subscribed to omni-delegates >
    • I don't think most of the people in sudo room are clear that these are the people you're supposed to talk to about Omni
    • Yar - I haven't really seen people asking about this on the mailing list?
    • Matt - An example: C wanted to have a sudo room sponsored event. They asked me if I knew how to schedule a thing. At the time I wasn't acting as the delegate. I couldn't give an answer because I didn't have insight into where we stood in Omni.
    • Jenny - I could answer that question. He should've come to me.
    • Matt - Is there anyone on this list who shouldn't be on the list?
    • Yar - I don't know if this is a commuication issue
    • Matt - I don't understand why this is a kind of contentious issue
    • Yar - Its not contentions its confusing.
  • Kelly - If there were more hardware projects, I could collaborate in ways that by myself would be really hard.
    • Jenny - We should have kits. In the vending machines.
    • They'd have a very tangible project they could take it with them.
    • Matt - We should document things on the wiki to see whats going on about those

'~~Jake appears and is caught up to speed~~

  • Matt - I think it'd be helpful and important in general if we could make an effort to make incentive to be at our meetings to make sure people know whats going on with Omni.
    • I'd like to advertise those people to members. They're the ones handling that and it should be explicit. So, would there be anyone who would want removed from that list.
    • ~private discussion of the list~
    • Thats more of what I wanted. Consensus on pruning the list and a mechanism to get people added to the list.
    • Matt - I think we could say that we want people on that list to be more active. Pruning the list might poke them to be more active.
    • Yar - Do we need to like, consent on this? We haven't ever disempowered someone from being an omni delegate.

~~blissful consensus~

  • Jenny - There are some other agenda items. Dante is now a member!
    • Dante - What about Kelly? She applied the same day.
    • ~general agreement that kelly is a member~


Consensus Items

  • Sudo Room will prune the approved Omni Delegates for sudo room who have been inactive lately, which include Max Klein, Pat Xu, Tom Fitzsnaggle and Rachel Wolfsohn. Further, the current active approved delegates will be announced again (and periodically) to the general membership. Finally, to act as an Omni Delegate for sudo room one must:
   (a) be a sudo room member
   (b) ask at a sudo room meeting, where a quorum of sudo room members consents to this proposal
   (c) be added to the sudo room's omni delegates email list: https://lists.sudoroom.org/admin/omni-delegates

   (d) have intact that thingy that connects brain hemispheres
   (d) <-- Unfortunately this is revoked because it presents discrimination because some people have their corpus collosum severed in order to prevent seizures (I believe this tactic is hit-or-miss)!

Action Items

  • Program sudobot to greet newcomers to the IRC chat and explain its asynchronicity [Brendan]
  • Finish Stripe payment integration [Marc]
  • Coordinate regular Hackmeets with Bill [Matt]
  • Update Funding Opportunities page & coordinate grantwriting hackathon [Jenny]
  • Make sure we get our Gratipay sorted out by tomorrow morning [Jenny]
  • Set up a Square on a tablet [Jenny]
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