OxHack

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 oxfordhackspace.org.uk         /____/

Oxford Hackspace - In creation!

We are a group of volunteers working to set up a hackspace in Oxford, UK - a community space to meet and collaborate on ideas and projects spanning art, technology, science, DIY and beyond. The word "hack" in this context is used to mean creating and combining items in new and delightful ways, often to benefit the public, and the worldwide hacking movement will soon have a home in Oxford!

Planning for the city's new Space is in its early stages as of June 2012, and new participants are always very welcome. Come introduce yourself to the community on the mailing list! Your ideas and enthusiasm are sure to be met with excitement here.

Oxford: A "Brilliant" Place for a Hackspace

The City of Oxford has a unique character which makes it perfectly suited to host the grand social, democratic and scientific experiment which is a hackspace.

Think about it: as the home of the University of Oxford, the city has been an ancient seat of scholarship going back a thousand years, and during the Second World War it also gave birth to one of the best know poverty-eradication charities in the world, Oxfam International.

It thus has dual traditions of world-leading scholarship and of working for great social good on a worldwide scale. These represent wonderfully fertile soil for a hackspace.

Add to that that the population of the city is one of the youngest in the country due to the students of several schools and universities, and that the network of rivers for punting and 6th century, secret pubs are perfect for incubating the next "eureka!" moment, and you can see how this community would be a goldmine for brilliant creatives.

We believe that there is a groundswell of ingenuity and goodwill in this city that is just waiting to be tapped by a community hub and startup incubator like the Hackspace!

Our Members

Here are some of the things our members are currently interested in:

Crafting - carpentry, embroidery, fabric dyeing, sewing, weaving, welding

Visual Art - drawing, photography

Social - group organizing, physical space optimization

Human Optimization - polyphasic sleep, productivity and flow models, motivation & procrastination studies, hypnotism

Programming - open source software, physical computing, improving the NHS through building better apps and systems

Electronics - data logging, home automation, open source hardware, resource-tracking, soldering

Sciences - DIY (citizen-led) biology, high-altitude ballooning

Unusual Skills - lockpicking, poi dancing

...and way too much more!

Join Us

• Join the mailing list: https://groups.google.com/group/oxford-hackspace
• Talk to us on IRC: #oxford-hack-space on freenode
• Meet us in person: we have been meeting on an informal routine of meeting up at The Jam Factory on Sundays Because sunday morning often clashes with people's desires to invest some quality time with their duvets, we are also looking to hold meetings on tuesday evenings. Follow the mailing list for confirmation on specific dates and times.
• Find us on Google+
• Follow the #oxhack hashtag on Twitter