Hackers on a Train 2012 tour: Arduino, soldering & more!

What happens when Mitch Altman buys a 45-day Amtrak USA rail pass? Hackers on Train 2012!

I wish I would have posted about this sooner, but upcoming stops still include Syracuse, Buffalo, Ontario, Chicago, Milwaukee, Seattle and Vancouver. Mitch along with Jimmie Rodgers (LoL shield creator) have been stopping at hackerspaces and conferences all summer to do electronics kit soldering workshops. In the case of our Chicago hackerspace, we requested Mitch do his Arduino for Total Newbies workshop which will be happening on August 2nd.

I highly recommend attending one of these workshops if possible. Mitch stopped by our hackerspace for a workshop back in 2010 shortly after I became a member. In the course of the evening, he convinced me I had to go out to California two weeks later for Maker Faire. That turned out to be the best trip I've ever been on!

Cheers,

Drew

Top Replies

R_Phoenix over 13 years ago in reply to Anonymous-58970 +1

How do you guys afford this stuff LOL. I whis I had that kind of time!

DAB over 13 years ago

Hi Drew,

It sounds like a great way to see the country and meet maker fans. Going by train is an excellent way to relax and see the countryside.
I also like the idea of stopping at maker spaces in various cities, both to train/discuss issues and just see what interesting things people are working on.
If we could get a deal by Amtrak, I could see an annual makers march travelling through the various cities with a group of people who are making enthusiasts.

Maybe a cruise venue next?

Just a thought,
DAB
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Anonymous-58970 over 13 years ago

i wish hackerspace was in Visalia California
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R_Phoenix over 13 years ago in reply to Anonymous-58970

How do you guys afford this stuff LOL.
I whis I had that kind of time!
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Anonymous-58970 over 13 years ago in reply to R_Phoenix

im poor LULZ to busy working but the money gos to the bills sense my brotherinlaw not with us no more and havnt made any projects at all
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Nate1616 over 13 years ago in reply to Anonymous-58970

That sucks i missed the Chicago event. Maybe next time. Do you have any idea if/when they will do another tour Drew?
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fustini over 13 years ago in reply to Nate1616

Hi Nate, oh, it's not til Thursday, August 2nd:

http://pumpingstationone.org/2012/07/arduino-for-total-newbies-workshop/

Then that weekend (August 4th and 5th) is Maker Faire Evanston (borders Chicago): http://www.makerfaireevanston.com/. I believe Sector 67 will be coming down from Madison for Power Racing Series at the faire.

If Chicago is too far, Mitch will be at BucketWorks in Milwuakee on August 4th:

http://bucketworks.org/events

Cheers,
Drew
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fustini over 13 years ago in reply to Anonymous-58970

Hi Pablo,

A great place to look is the HackerSpaces.org list: http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/List_of_ALL_Hacker_Spaces

The rapid movement of hackerspaces across the US started after some key folks like Mitch visited Germany in 2007 where hackerspaces have long thrived. Here a good guide to starting and running a hackerspace:

http://hackerspaces.org/wiki/Design_Patterns

Cheers,
Drew
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fustini over 13 years ago in reply to DAB

Yeah, I'd like to do something similar (though shorter given my finite vacation time). It does seem like Amtrak is a good way to explore hackerspaces/makerspaces, especially the ones where major airports aren't nearby.

In a similar vein, Mitch organized Hacker Trip to China earlier this year:

https://www.noisebridge.net/wiki/NoisebridgeChinaTrip2

I know one of the purposes was to meet his TV-B-Gone contract manufacturer in person.
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fustini over 13 years ago in reply to R_Phoenix

Well, 2010 was a rather expensive year for me once I discovered how much I liked California. Definately wasn't one of those years where I had to figure out how to burn vacation time in December

For Mitch & Jimmie, they travel around as cheaply as possible to teach people electronics and sell their kits, so a train tour makes a lot of sense for them.
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Nate1616 over 13 years ago in reply to fustini

Oops didnt read far enough. Thanks for the update Drew. I will have to see what i have going that day.
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