I was thinking about considering to start a Society in Eugene, Oregon
Every Friday night, my girlfriend teaches a milonga here in Eugene, leaving me home alone until the wee hours. Which is fine by me—I hate going out on Friday nights, especially in a college town.
So I've been toying with an idea: Having people over to my house. To sit in my garage. And Do Things.
Do what I'm not exactly sure, but I was hoping we might be able to work on projects together, sip a few beers, maybe bring in guest speakers, sit in chairs, smoke pipes, debate the merits of carburetors versus UNIX. Sort of a cross between a technology meetup (without so much schmoozing) and hackerspace (except I am inept) and a Victorian club.
In fact, the only thing I'm really sure about is that I'd like to call it the "Baker Boulevard Geographic Society".
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Joel, Sounds like you should start a JELLY! http://www.workatjelly.com/
Sounds like fun. I'm in. Can we have beer too?
Hello sounds great. Can I steal your idea for the San Diego area?
Fellow Geek
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Thanks for the enjoyable blog
Uh oh. If you start a Society, you're going to need some Bylaws.
That is incredibly kick-ass. You need to come up with a sweet logo pronto (or have that be part of the first meeting)
Just a note as I post this. It says "Name: Anonymous" above, but I'm logged in. Even says "Hi, killdeer" at the top of the page.
But the real question is why you don't go with your girlfriend to "milonga"?
You've just summarized most scooter clubs. (or motorcycle clubs, I imagine.)
Get together and repair and tinker on bikes- with this usually consisting of most people drinking beer and then telling somebody that they're doing it wrong.
Eugene is too long a drive from Portland 8'
Or ... you could learn to dance.
Even better: both.
I live in Eugene. I think you might have something there. You're not a Scientologist or Amway salesman are you?
Start a Maker group? (Make Magazine)
Start a home brewers society. It's the best amalgam of geek science meets delicious beer. You can debate for hours about the finer intricacies of roasted barley, or wheat. Plus, who doesn't like fermenting stuff in their basement (or garage)?
Do it, Joel!
My name is Red Cell and I live in Santa Fe, NM. Contrary to popular belief, Santa Fe is supremely boring. So I began "The Process", a non-profit group that takes its cue from Gertrude Stein's "Salons" in the 1910s and 20s. Gertrude would basically force/ask her amazing friends to perform for each other in her living room. The Process feels that time had come again! The Process puts on events in our member's living rooms and art galleries, believing that these intimate settings encourage interaction and genuine involvement with live music, art, film, spoken word, performance art and each other.
We have had performers from all over the world come into our houses and leave inspired to do the same thing in their own towns and homes. The Process hopes in doing these shows to bring artists and audience together in a unique way in our hyper-virtual lives and inspire our artistic community.
SOME PAST PERFORMERS:
Carla Bozulich w/Evangelista
Sunburned Hand of the Man
Pillars and Tongues
Shelley Hirsch
Michael Hurley
Rio en Medio
Gregg Turner (OF The Angry Samoans)
Nat Baldwin (of The Dirty Projectors)
Megafuan (of Animal Collective)
Brooke Sietinsons (of Espers)
Meara O'Reilly (of Feathers)
Melody Sumner-Carnahan
Rainbow Arabia
Michelle Webb
Idris Goodwin
True Primes
J.A. Deane
and many others...
@TheChicGeek: I'm going to start homebrewing again soon, so this very well may be an order of business.
@RedCell: Okay: Awesome. That is definitely an inspiration!
I was thinking about starting an Alchemical Society of Alcoholic Concoctions. No one shows up to a meeting without the gear and components to make or demo one new brew, cocktail, or apparatus...the more arcane and elaborate, the better. Participants can demo distilling, mixing, brewing, bottling, corking, decanting, yeast cultivation, etc. You could make it even more like the Victorian parlor tricks and scientific lectures by staging a nice drawing room or parlor and encouraging everyone to show up in full Victorian costume.
I live in the Portland area, and I would totally commute to Eugene weekly for that.
Your ideas are way healthier than mine. Mine involved starting a nerd biker gang, drinking ridiculous amount of Mad Dog, and wrestling shirtless on the trampoline.
Maybe in my old age I should start a Society.
count me in. i'll bring Ninkasi.
Hey, I wanna be part of a society! But I live in Portland. Others in Portland? Go?
Ooh, it could be rival societies! "If they aren't past the 75th parallel by august, they haven't a chance of making the pole before our boys!"
Or us Portland area folk could make it a road trip every now and again.
I'm down for a Portland branch of an as of yet unformed Eugene mother society.
"Thinking about considering to start..." sounds like your still a step away from starting there, hippy.
I might take you serious if you were thinking about starting or considering starting. Not thinking about considering to start.
Hold this one back and change the title.
Sounds awesome, but a 2 hour drive from Vancouver is a bit much for me and my wallet.
Buy a pinball machine or 2.
Wow, best thing I have seen on the blog in ages idea wise, and I am stuck in a ski resort in colorado. I will shake my fist angrily at the sky for you. And try something like this when I move to denver.
I had a somewhat similar idea last year, a chance for people to come together ti work on whatever weird ideas/projects they had, or bounce ideas off each other, or just BS while they work on whatever.
I call it the Mad Scientists Union[1], and I open up my garage in West Hartford CT once a month for it to be invaded by whomever feels like coming down.
In fact, out next meeting is this weekend. I have one friend who is hoping to work on converting a busted electric kiln into a propane forge. My SO & I are going to be working on a set of leather & copper costume bat wings, and I'm adding further embellishments to my steampunk stilts.
If anyone in the area is interested in joining us, contact me at pixel (at) blert.net, or via the mailing list link below.
[1]I just discovered the Mailing list link is broken, until it is fixed the correct signup page is here
I had a somewhat similar idea last year, a chance for people to come together ti work on whatever weird ideas/projects they had, or bounce ideas off each other, or just BS while they work on whatever.
I call it the Mad Scientists Union[1], and I open up my garage in West Hartford CT once a month for it to be invaded by whomever feels like coming down.
In fact, out next meeting is this weekend. I have one friend who is hoping to work on converting a busted electric kiln into a propane forge. My SO & I are going to be working on a set of leather & copper costume bat wings, and I'm adding further embellishments to my steampunk stilts.
If anyone in the area is interested in joining us, contact me at pixel (at) blert.net, or via the mailing list link below.
[1]I just discovered the Mailing list link is broken, until it is fixed the correct signup page is here
I had a somewhat similar idea last year, a chance for people to come together ti work on whatever weird ideas/projects they had, or bounce ideas off each other, or just BS while they work on whatever.
I call it the Mad Scientists Union[1], and I open up my garage in West Hartford CT once a month for it to be invaded by whomever feels like coming down.
In fact, out next meeting is this weekend. I have one friend who is hoping to work on converting a busted electric kiln into a propane forge. My SO & I are going to be working on a set of leather & copper costume bat wings, and I'm adding further embellishments to my steampunk stilts.
If anyone in the area is interested in joining us, contact me at pixel (at) blert.net, or via the mailing list link below.
[1]I just discovered the Mailing list link is broken, until it is fixed the correct signup page is here
I had a somewhat similar idea last year, a chance for people to come together ti work on whatever weird ideas/projects they had, or bounce ideas off each other, or just BS while they work on whatever.
I call it the Mad Scientists Union[1], and I open up my garage in West Hartford CT once a month for it to be invaded by whomever feels like coming down.
In fact, out next meeting is this weekend. I have one friend who is hoping to work on converting a busted electric kiln into a propane forge. My SO & I are going to be working on a set of leather & copper costume bat wings, and I'm adding further embellishments to my steampunk stilts.
If anyone in the area is interested in joining us, contact me at pixel (at) blert.net, or via the mailing list link below.
[1]I just discovered the Mailing list link is broken, until it is fixed the correct signup page is here
I had a somewhat similar idea last year, a chance for people to come together ti work on whatever weird ideas/projects they had, or bounce ideas off each other, or just BS while they work on whatever.
I call it the Mad Scientists Union http://madscientistsunion.org/ [1], and I open up my garage in West Hartford CT once a month for it to be invaded by whomever feels like coming down.
In fact, out next meeting is this weekend. I have one friend who is hoping to work on converting a busted electric kiln into a propane forge. My SO & I are going to be working on a set of leather & copper costume bat wings, and I'm adding further embellishments to my steampunk stilts.
If anyone in the area is interested in joining us, contact me at pixel (at) blert.net, or via the mailing list link below.
[1]I just discovered the Mailing list link is broken, until it is fixed the correct signup page is here: http://madscientistsunion.org/mailman/listinfo/mwahaha_madscientistsunion.org
I had a somewhat similar idea last year, a chance for people to come together ti work on whatever weird ideas/projects they had, or bounce ideas off each other, or just BS while they work on whatever.
I call it the Mad Scientists Union http://madscientistsunion.org/ [1], and I open up my garage in West Hartford CT once a month for it to be invaded by whomever feels like coming down.
In fact, out next meeting is this weekend. I have one friend who is hoping to work on converting a busted electric kiln into a propane forge. My SO & I are going to be working on a set of leather & copper costume bat wings, and I'm adding further embellishments to my steampunk stilts.
If anyone in the area is interested in joining us, contact me at pixel (at) blert.net, or via the mailing list link below.
[1]I just discovered the Mailing list link is broken, until it is fixed the correct signup page is here: http://madscientistsunion.org/mailman/listinfo/mwahaha_madscientistsunion.org
I had a somewhat similar idea last year, a chance for people to come together ti work on whatever weird ideas/projects they had, or bounce ideas off each other, or just BS while they work on whatever.
I call it the Mad Scientists Union http://madscientistsunion.org/ [1], and I open up my garage in West Hartford CT once a month for it to be invaded by whomever feels like coming down.
In fact, out next meeting is this weekend. I have one friend who is hoping to work on converting a busted electric kiln into a propane forge. My SO & I are going to be working on a set of leather & copper costume bat wings, and I'm adding further embellishments to my steampunk stilts.
If anyone in the area is interested in joining us, contact me at pixel (at) blert.net, or via the mailing list link below.
[1]I just discovered the Mailing list link is broken, until it is fixed the correct signup page is here
As a fellow Eugenian, that sounds pretty cool. The sad reality of my life is that kids have made it challenging to hang out much, but perhaps something could be accomplished. I'm not really a pipe smoker or beer drinker, but I'm fond of all things Steampunk and tinkering with robots. I also have a small bit of nerd fame making modules for Neverwinter Nights. Wander over to adamandjamie.com for more.
What you are talking about is a salon. Not the Vidal Sassoon kind, of course, but the 19th century kind. Go for it. I might do the same for boring old West Hartford, Connecticut.
As a fellow Eugenian, that sounds pretty cool. The sad reality of my life is that kids have made it challenging to hang out much, but perhaps something could be accomplished. I'm not really a pipe smoker or beer drinker, but I'm fond of all things Steampunk and tinkering with robots. I also have a small bit of nerd fame making modules for Neverwinter Nights. Wander over to adamandjamie.com for more.
In for starting the Australian branch
Franchise this!
There's a whole generation of people who are looking for something along these lines -- but don't want to join Rotary.
If there can be garage bands, why not garage tinkering clubs.
And by "tinkering" I don't just mean fixing stuff. Tinker with ideas. Tinker with drinks. Tinker with games or philosophy or politics or anything. Tinker: semi-aimlessly explore how something works. But in a group. In your garage. With beers.
Love it.
Franchise this! I'm nowhere near Oregon, but would love to participate in a group like this.
In fact, there's a whole generation of people who are looking for something along these lines -- and don't want to join Rotary.
If there can be garage bands, why not garage tinkering clubs?
And by "tinkering" I don't just mean fixing stuff. Tinker with ideas. Tinker with drinks. Tinker with games or philosophy or politics or anything. Tinker: semi-aimlessly explore how something works. But in a group. In your garage. With beers.
Love it.
Franchise this! I'm nowhere near Oregon, but would love to participate in a group like this.
In fact, there's a whole generation of people who are looking for something along these lines -- but don't want to join Rotary.
If there can be garage bands, why not garage tinkering clubs.
And by "tinkering" I don't just mean fixing stuff. Tinker with ideas. Tinker with drinks. Tinker with games or philosophy or politics or anything. Tinker: semi-aimlessly explore how something works. But in a group. In your garage. With beers.
Love it.
Sounds wonderful, good luck! Before designing the logo, find a humidor, kegerator, and mini wine cellar, in no particular order.
It's like you live in some crazy world where Call of Duty online isn't available. Spouse out? Get your war on.
It's like you live in some crazy world where Call of Duty online isn't available. Spouse out? Get your war on.
What did you mean by starting with "I was thinking about considering..."? I ask because it sounds like a reference to a quotation, but google sends me back here.
Or was it just some very meek way of suggesting the idea?
Prepare to prepare, Joel. ;)
There is something seriously weird with the comments here. When I was trying to post earlier it kep giving me an error that it couldn't find something and my comment wasn't posted. SO I kept trying thinking it was a glitch in my comment itself. Nothing showed up for a couple hours, and now there are all the multiple attempts showing up. And it looks like the same thing happened to others.
I tried reporting the duplicate comments, but the "Take a look at this" link brings up a "page not found" error.
Below is the error I just got for my new comment above, This is different than the error i got for my earlier comment attempts. that one said it couldn't find some string that looked like a URL without at domain at the front.
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Boing Boing Gadgets
Comment Submission Error
Your comment submission failed for the following reasons:
Publish failed: An error occurred publishing entry 'I was thinking about considering to start a Society in Eugene, Oregon': Publish error in template 'Entry': Error in tag: error in module Entry Detail: Publish error in template 'Entry Detail': Unknown tag found: RecommendVoteText
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It's all fun and games until you start punching each other and making soap.
Why didn't you move to Walsall, UK instead of Eugene, Oregon, Joel? This sounds like just my cup of tea.
I'll join you for an evening when I win the lottery :)
I know what society you CAN"T have in Eugene anymore......
http://www.boingboing.net/2009/04/08/oregon-passes-bill-t.html#comments
I will attend your Salon. Perhaps I will bring cheese dip.
I propose we focus entirely on writing manifestos.
Also: Tuesday nights Jo Federigo's (by the 5th St. Market) has an open-ish Jazz Session that I have thoroughly enjoyed spectating lately, if you and your lady friend need some getting-out times, too.
Pipes? Cigars? Lets get together and bet who is the first to die of cancer.
Joel lives in my town? Weird. I'd be up for something, especially if it includes Ninkasi.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gentlemen%27s_club
Mister Jalopy did one of these and we built a Hilsch Vortex Tube.
www.misterjalopy.com/wp-content/uploads/poker_night.pdf
Another Portlander here, thinking it sounds like a great idea.
Can girls come too? :D
What's wrong with just playing D&D or GURPS?