GIG vs The World: A Panel Talk from Andrew Lamb 

GIG vs The World: A Panel Talk from Andrew Lamb 

By Ann Joshua Comment Closed
A catalyst. Often a catalyst is seen as a person or event that quickly causes change or action. The causation of a catalyst can vary, but most often or not, the result is usually positive and in the case of this talk we find that to be true. Andrew Lamb, in his talk titled "GIG vs The World," dives deep into the inner workings of becoming a catalyst and what that means for him. As we listen we find out the causation for his catalyst was burnout - typically recognized by persistent fatigue, sentiments of dissatisfaction, pessimism, and skepticism towards work-related duties'; however, such feelings toward his previous work fostered a breakthrough moment that changed the trajectory of his career and how he sees the world now.  Andrew Lamb, for 4 years, was the chief executive of engineers without borders in the UK. It started as a Student Club, and what was a charity soon evolved into something bigger. As more...
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Exploring identity and contesting racism through games: a co-design lab in Brazil

Exploring identity and contesting racism through games: a co-design lab in Brazil

By Ricardo Ruiz Comment Closed
Racism is a pervasive and complex problem, affecting individuals and societies differently. How can we address this issue creatively and engagingly? How can we use games for empowerment, awareness, and education? These questions motivated a co-design lab in Brazil in a partnership between GIG and the University of Bristol and its collaborators. The co-design lab is part of the project Contesting Algorithmic Racism in Brazil, funded by the AHRC Impact Acceleration Fund. The project explores the cultural responses to racism embedded in data and digital technologies, such as algorithms, machine learning, and artificial intelligence. The project also seeks to create games and other interactive online resources that challenge and address algorithmic bias in Brazil. Date: 2008 - 2012.Location: Piscinao de Ramos, Rio de Janeiro, Brasil. Description: Black man uses sunblock cream on his arms over a chess board in front of a glass with beer at Ramos Public Swimming Pool. Credit: Julio Bittencourt The co-design lab consists of online workshops with...
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Distributed Manufacturing: A Talk by Independent Researcher Peter Troxler

Distributed Manufacturing: A Talk by Independent Researcher Peter Troxler

By Ann Joshua Comment Closed
In the 10 Years of Global Innovation Gathering Conference, Peter Troxler engaged in a dynamic conversation defining distributed manufacturing in the 21st century and what the future of it might look like. To answer the question of what distributive manufacturing is, one must look at the history of open source hardware. The year 1993 marked the year of the first documented open source community in modern times through TAPR Radio Amateur - although there were other sources done before 1993 up until most of them became patented. An exemplary embodiment of what the modern open-source movement resembles is evident in the Bang & Olufsen speakers introduced in the 1970s. Bang & Olufsen made a significant impact on the audio industry by introducing wireless capabilities, revolutionizing the way speakers were used. Prior to this innovation, speakers were typically connected to audio sources through wires, limiting their mobility and placement options. Bang & Olufsen transformed this traditional setup by developing a wireless...
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Maker Faire Cairo

Maker Faire Cairo

Maker Faire is a gathering of fascinating, curious people who enjoy learning and who love sharing what they can do. From engineers to artists to scientists to crafters, Maker Faire is a venue for these "makers" to show hobbies, experiments, projects. We call it the Greatest Show (& Tell) on Earth - a family-friendly showcase of invention, creativity, and resourcefulness. Glimpse the future and get inspired! ...
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Business Model Talk on Plastics Recycling

Business Model Talk on Plastics Recycling

This month’s Business Models Talk will tackle the topic of Plastics Recycling with Wajim Yakubu Nuhu Chief Operating Officer at Ifrique Eco Solutions and Sören Lex CEO of Plasticpreneur who will be sharing insights from their own organisations. As always, participants are invited to share their own experiences too. Each month we host a community discussion focussed on a different aspect of how to make the maker ecosystem more financially sustainable. We invite you to join us and share your experiences, gain insights into how to grow your makerspace, and discuss different revenue streams and business models. ...
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Vulca Seminar 2023 | Learning Networks

Vulca Seminar 2023 | Learning Networks

About Vulca Seminar Vulca Seminars were created as a following step of Vulca Tours, enabling the makers’ community to interconnect with each other, deepening the sense of belonging to the community VULCA is developing. Through Seminars, we want to emphasise different makers’ communities in Europe. Each year, our seminar is organised in a different place and country in Europe, and topics are adapted based on key efforts of the welcoming community. Seminars are open to everyone who thinks the maker movement makes a positive impact and we want to encourage everyone (makers, hackers, researchers, …) to meet and discuss with each other. 6th EDITION (already) Previous editions of VULCA Seminar brought us to several European countries such as France, Poland or Portugal. In 2023 VULCA community will be reunited in Ljubljana, Slovenia. We visited Slovenia in 2017, meeting Kreator Lab in Maribor, and then Zavod 404, Poligon and Rog Lab in Ljubljana. Years after, we kept relations with some of them through different projects and events. 2023 is the right moment to organise something together, and the new CENTER...
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Critical Making Mentoring Program 2022 in Review

Critical Making Mentoring Program 2022 in Review

By Melanie Chan Comment Closed
As part of the H2020-funded Critical Making project, we embarked on a series of initiatives that resulted in various interactive tools and literature tailor-made for academia, practitioners, and educators. A true gem among these initiatives was the Critical Making Mentoring Programme, a remarkable 9-month journey where makers received invaluable guidance from a group of esteemed mentors. They include Saad Chinoy, Co-Founder of SpudnikLab; Georgia Nicolau, Founder of Instituto Procomum; Bahar Kumar, Strategic Advisor at Communitere; Emilio Velis, Executive Director of Appropedia Foundation, and Aravinth Panch, Co-Director of DreamSpace Academy. We're thrilled to bring you the exciting highlights of the mentoring program and our talented mentees' inspiring experiences. Together, they explored the fundamental principles of the critical making framework in open science hardware, social innovation, and environmental sustainability. Our program welcomed 13 ambitious mentees from around the globe, including Brazil, Ecuador, Tanzania, Kenya, Uganda, Iraq, and beyond! It was a meaningful co-learning experience where mentees gathered online to share their visions of addressing specific...
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Saad Chinoy : Curating A Curious Mind That Goes Beyond Conventional Thinking

Saad Chinoy : Curating A Curious Mind That Goes Beyond Conventional Thinking

By Ann Joshua Comment Closed
Covid-19 one could say, is a thing of the past. However, the lingering effects can still be seen today. Although pain, suffering, isolation, and many online Zoom calls are associated with this period, some positive outcomes have emerged from the pandemic. For example, we can look towards the trailblazing organization TechForGood. It utilized the pandemic as a source of inspiration to bring individuals from the community to uphold principles that employ appropriate technology, design thinking, and sustainability to create assistive tech. As Saad Chinoy states, "an unintended consequence of being forced to do online things has this unexpected positive benefits of equalizing everyone and so.. we are relatively better now at trying to troubleshoot tech issues, and so that's exactly the skills the people who volunteered could bring to the table and trying to apply that skill [to help fix tech]". The Professional Geek individual Saad embodies the qualities of a geek, a maker, and a coffee enthusiast and, as a...
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My Hardware, My Choice – A Panel Talk by Teresa Dillon, Linda Bonyo and Maximilian Voigt

My Hardware, My Choice – A Panel Talk by Teresa Dillon, Linda Bonyo and Maximilian Voigt

By Ann Joshua Comment Closed
During this panel discussion, Teresa and Maximilian (later on followed by Linda) come together creating a dialogue around the Right to Repair - discussing what impacts the latter has on topics such as sustainability, value chain, economic impacts around the world, culture, and how technology is dealt with and treated within such context. What Do You Think Right to Repair Means and Looks Like Today? Starting the discussion, Teressa initiates the discourse by shedding light on more that just the topic of repair and delves into the realms of care, maintenance, and healing cultures - arguing that repair holds a significant position, particularly in a localized context. Some examples of data research supporting the concept of repair acts can be through trade and electrical repair services; other similar approaches are also seen through Tales of Care & Repair, an initiative used to collect stories of everyday repair including creating data where people upload costs of what/how they have repaired and their motivations....
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SCoPE Recycling in Lomé, Togo, Has Been Awarded the Ez-Klein Projektfonds by NSB

SCoPE Recycling in Lomé, Togo, Has Been Awarded the Ez-Klein Projektfonds by NSB

By Fadia Elgharib Comment Closed
Another collaboration is celebrated between GIG and its Hub Member, WoeLab, based in Lomé, Togo. As part of the GIG partnership with NSB North South Bridges Foundation - through submitting a joint proposal with WoeLab, to fund a new cycle of the SCoPE recycling project. Today, GIG gladly reports that NSB has approved the proposal, and the implementation of the project is already underway.  SCoPE's goal is to create a circular plastic life cycle for the waste dumped in WoeLab's Neighbourhood by mobilizing the community to collect, sort, shred, and sell it as raw material for recycling companies. It also aims to co-create meaningful objects using part of the collected plastic and reintegrate it for new uses by the local community.  SCoPE has run two pilots since 2020, and this iteration aims to integrate the building of Precious Plastic Machines and teaching the community how to use these machines to create meaningful products, some of which can be integrated into the lab’s...
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