Vision

Concept Ideas

This document should summarise some of the important points of the hackerspace. Please feel free to add information as you go!

What is syn2cat?

Founded on February 3, 2009, syn2cat is a non-profit association with the purpose of creating, exploiting and maintaining a so-called hackerspace: Definition by Wikipedia:

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A hackerspace or hackspace (from Hacker and Space) is a real (as opposed to virtual) place where people with common interests, usually in science, technology, or digital or electronic art can meet, socialise and collaborate. Typical activities in hackspaces include

• learning and sharing knowledge
• presentations and lectures
• social activities including games and parties

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Purpose of syn2cat

As mentioned above, syn2cat follows the same goals as mentioned in the hackerspace definition. As such, our non-profit association (lux : ASBL), seeks synergies and collaborations with clubs and associations, sharing the same interests as syn2cat. Furthermore, syn2cat has the profound belief that sharing knowledge, resources and localities gives way to productive and interesting synergies.

As such, syn2cat tries to share its space with people interested in technologies, electronics, arts, and any other kind of engineering field out there. The fusion of several disciplines is what makes a hackerspace interesting for everyone involved.

Public work

Considering the basic idea of a hackerspace, syn2cat furthermore believes that young people can be taught to see the fields of modern creativity from another perspective. In fact, our ASBL tries to interest young people (starting from XX years on) to a wide area of modern appliances (like technology, electronics, arts, etc) and share their members' expertise and know-how in order to awake a new passion in the youngsters.

Why syn2cat?

Spreading knowledge on a wide basis being one of the major goals of syn2cat, we strongly believe that this can be achieved best by sharing one single infrastructure, where everybody shares not only their know-how but also responsibility over the premises. The hackerspace should function as an open space for sharing opinions, technology, knowledge and spread enthusiasm and inspire the attending crowd with all sorts of new ideas.

How does syn2cat work?

Syn2cat is a shared space which can be used exclusively by its members - either persons or associations (clubs) and their invitees. Our hackerspace proposes several rooms, some shared, some private. Private rooms can be locked and reserved for a certain period of time for specific projects. Furthermore, the hackerspace includes meeting facilites with capacities up to XXX persons. The shared places of hackerspace is reserved through a common calendar <INSERT LINK HERE>. In order to plan meetings and prepare the facility for a certain happening, it is vital, that everyone interested reserves at least YYY weeks in advance with a small description what the purpose of the reservation is.

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Not sure on this one :

• Supplementary hardware like beamers, computers or software of any kind are the responsibility of the reservee!

OR

• In order to have your meeting room fully equipped, please do not forget to reserve your laptop/beamer/whatever as well trough the same system!

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Internal regulations

Policies

There should be some policies to keep order clear for everybody. Policies include...

• General order (noise, general use, keys)
  • Law in state counts. Normally, no noise is allowed between 21h00 and 07h00 In between these hours, please respect your neighbors, you might need them sometime! ;-)
  • Keys are available from XXX and can be posted back to XXX after use. Should there be a need to use the hackerspace more than once, special arrangements can be made. Please mail us at here for more information
• Smokers
  • hackerspace should be a non-smoking area. However, there should be a place (outside?) provided for smokers
• Cooking
  • using the cooking facilities (aka kitchen) with its equipment is possible under the condition that any users clean up after use.
• Housekeeping
  • everybody using the hackerspace is responsible for the equipment to stay in good shape. Using bathrooms, kitchen, chairs and table include cleaning after use.
• Dishwasher/dishes/kitchen
  • Preparing a meal using the provided plates and glasses includes cleaning and washing up of the latter.
• Food and disposal of old food
  • Everybody taking food and/or drinks to hackerspace is supposed to check regularly for their expiry dates and dispose of them, in case they're no longer consumable. You should check to dispose waste in an appropriate waste-bin and separate trash if possible!

These texts were inspired from metalab, port20

Hardware

All hardware inside hackerspace should be registered in an inventory which can be queried from <INSERT LINK> a website.

• Donations

All donations are welcome. However, in order not to turn hackerspace into some kind of special waste disposal, donations need to be conform to our <INSERT LINK> hardware laws.

Procedures

Procedures help fulfill important tasks using the same standards/methods every time for all users. It is important to have some for our not-so-regular members...IMHO

• Startup
  • Entering the sny2cat locations implies starting up all the systems that are there. <LOCATION OF POWER SWITCHES, INTERNET CONNECTIVITY, ETC HERE>
• Shutdown
  • The person "renting" hackerspace (ie. who has the key), is also responsible for its proper shutdown. Before leaving syn2cat, please make sure that the following was checked :
    • Everyone belonging to your group (including invitees) must leave the house
    • Power needs to be cutted <PLACE HERE>
    • Check that all computers are down, except those who are supposed to be running, namely <INSERT SERVERS HERE>
    • Control the fridge and other food/drink reserves you/your group used. Do not leave anything opened or unconsumed lying/standing around!
    • Are all the lights turned off? Check the outside lights as well!
    • Make sure you lock tightly before leaving the place!
  • Do not forget to return the key at least 48 hours after you rented it to the address you were given.