GIG #rp17 Closing Dinner at c-base

GIG #rp17 Closing Dinner at c-base

Originally published at kairokoshary.com. For the fifth year, the Global Innovation Gathering (GIG) was held in Berlin, Germany. ​As with every year, it was tied to the infamous re:publica conference that takes place in early May.  The conference focuses on internet & society, which ties perfectly to the booking innovation sector in what is called in development parlance, "The Global South". GIG fits perfectly into this context brining talent from around the world, including the southern hemisphere, to re:publica. Here, the latest in amazing topics with regards to tech hubs, makerspaces, innovation, and entrepreneurship in countries from Brazil to the Philippines and many in between (actually this year had reps from 20 countries.) From the rp website describing the annual makerspace setup on the floor of re:publica: "... the GIG Makerspace is bringing you the best of 3D printing, laser cutting, soldering, wiring, moulding and building. 2017 is surely no exception. From fashiontech to custom-made DIY limbs to knitted generative patterns: have a look at our awesome demo, exhibition and...
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Digital Africa – Arte cross-media project

Digital Africa – Arte cross-media project

„Digital Africa“ is a multi platform project about digital innovations in Africa, produced by Berlin based film production company Berlin Producers in cooperation with French-German TV ARTE, GIG, re:publica, Shrinkfish and others. The project consists of four elements: Documentary Film A DOCUMENTARY FILM (52‘) will be broadcasted on German – French TV ARTE in 2018. Starting from Berlin GIG founder and re:publica curator Geraldine de Bastion goes on a journey through Africa. Geraldine discovers digital inventions and innovations, interviews creators and pioneers, and experiences the application fields of new developments. Webpage A WEBPAGE hosted by GIG provides additional information to digital innovations in Africa: An interactive map, information to various projects. Blog Geraldine´s travel blog is published here as well as articles of other bloggers on this subject. Geraldine is open for ideas before and even during the journey. Please leave your comments, ideas and invitations below!   Web-Clip-Series A provocative WEB-CLIP-SERIES presents six European problems and six African inventions. Animation artists Ebele Okoye and Shrinkfish (Nigeria) will “bring” these inventions to...
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3D printed solar clock

3D printed solar clock

Samer Shawar is one of the founders of Vecbox, the hackerspace and knowledge hub in Ramallah, Palestine with a focus on civic tech and digital rights. I had the chance to 3D print a solar clock that i always admired and liked to make it in my childhood by using just a stick and small stones. But this 3D printed version is totally different and impressive by using the sunlight beams to pass between the model gaps – it shows the clock in digital numbers. This is an open source model that i found on Thingiverse, it works from 10:00am until 4:50pm. The purpose for me to print it was to explain to kids how in old times people got to know the time and also to trigger their imagination when they see how ancient tools and concepts can be adapted. For example, an outside sensor added to the clock could track the sun's position on the sky, and that will make changes on the...
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Towards an IoT from the Masses

Towards an IoT from the Masses

re:publica is Europe’s largest and most inspiring conference on internet and digital society. It attracts to Berlin over 7000 participants to discuss, in a 500 hours program with more than 850 speakers, themes and topics concerning our interconnected society and creates a space for bloggers, politicians, scientists, business people, artists and activists to come together. The founders of re:publica GmbH, newthinking communications and Spreeblick Verlag have been involved in internet policy and digital culture and society for over a decade. They are also the founders of two of Germany’s most well-known blogs: netzpolitik.org and spreeblick.com. This large background on digital policies cleary drove the main themes of the 10th anniversary festival edition – called TEN (or NET), on the first week of May, 2016. One could get a full perspective on world´s worst policies for digital (software and hardware) innovation or enjoy a pleasure talk about the ethics around digital design; a lecture about the economy loss of new migrations...
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Science is a type of energy

Science is a type of energy

There’s something magical happening here in Berlin. Every year the Global Innovation Gathering brings people from all across the world who create empowering community spaces together, and this year we have our friends from Basra, Palestine, and Egypt as a part of our crew. The Global Entrepreneurship and Maker Space Initiative [GEMSI], has been supporting the development of collaborative community spaces across MENA and I took the opportunity to be with our crew in person to discuss some of our history and some of our dreams for the future. (more…)...
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GIG 2016 at re:publicaTEN

GIG 2016 at re:publicaTEN

70 innovators, makers and hackers from 25 countries DOWNLOAD THE OFFICIAL PRESS RELEASE GIG Makerspace and GIG Stage focus on global Maker Movement and innovation ecosystems DIY workshops and talks on grassroots innovation, circular economy and industrial (r)evolution   Berlin, 27 April 2016 - Just a few days left until Global Innovation Gathering (GIG) returns to re:publica for its 4th iteration. This year, we are celebrating re:publica’s 10th anniversary (#rpTEN: 2 - 4 May 2016) and we’re inviting over 60 GIG members from 25 countries. These innovators, makers and hackers from across the world will present tech innovation and maker projects from Asia, Latin America and Africa. The GIG network brings new perspectives from across the world to Europe’s leading conference on the Internet and society, re:publica. With three days of workshops at the pop-up GIG Makerspace and a full day of stage programme, GIG is one of the largest and diverse tracks of this year’s re:publica. The full #GIG16 @ #rpTEN programme can be...
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Discover the world of makers

Discover the world of makers

The GIG Makerspace is back! If you were at either re:publica ‘14 or ‘15 you will no-doubt remember the awesome 3D printing, laser cutting, soldering, wiring, moulding and building going on in the GIG Makerspace. This year we’re back with a fabulous third iteration sponsored by Autodesk and equipped by Fab Lab Berlin, and are happy to be able to join in the celebration of re:publica’s 10th anniversary. In past years, the GIG Makerspace featured some of the most innovative projects and people from the global maker culture: home made laser cutters, 3D printers made from e-waste, self-made solar-powered phone chargers, LED graffiti and singing vegetables. This year promises to be even better! (more…)...
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Making it in Lahore

Making it in Lahore

Notes on building a Maker Space in Pakistan Originally posted on Max's tumblr blog. […] IDDS came and went. There were about 30 old friends and 30 new ones and generally a month full of happiness. Several people have written about it, and I recommend checking out their posts. I have written down some of my thoughts too, but never published, so maybe I will do so in the next few days. Here you find Hermes' thoughts, here Simon's, here Shehzil's and here Catherine's. I have become very very comfortable in Lahore, I guess for several reasons. Without a car or motorbike but with a good dose of fear for Pakistani traffic I was not very mobile in the beginning. That changed when I figured out how to use Rikshas, so I can roam all over town and beyond now. IDDS also changed things quite a lot for me. The organising team came over a week before the event started and exploring the...
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GIG is the global network of social and technological innovators. WHO? Global Innovation Gathering (GIG) is a vibrant, diverse community of innovation hubs, makerspaces, hackerspaces and other grassroot innovation community spaces and initiatives as well as individual innovators, makers, technologists and changemakers. WHY? GIG is pursuing a new vision for global cooperation based on equality, openness and sharing. We aim to enable more diversity in the production of technology, and global innovation processes and support open and sustainable solutions developed by grassroot innovators. WHEN + WHAT? The GIG network has been growing steadily since its founding at re:publica 2013 and was registered as a nonprofit association in Berlin in 2016. HOW? With strong roots in the global south, we share, collaborate and work together globally. GIG provides a platform for meaningful exchange by fostering knowledge exchange and collaboration between its members. Members convene at different events throughout the year to create synergies among themselves as well as with other event attendees. In addition, the network maintains continuous exchange...
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Musings of a Maker

Musings of a Maker

Originally published as a two-part post on the iHub blog. The maker movement is a trend in which individuals or groups of individuals create and market products that are recreated and assembled using unused, discarded or broken electronic, plastic, silicon or virtually any raw material and/or product from a computer-related device. That up there is the definition of the maker movement/culture as laid out by techopedia. I read it, reloaded the page and read it again, trying to pick out what the words really spoke to. Even with my engineering background, I've always found the maker movement to be a rather vague concept; a sort of 18th century romanticismmeets 21st century technologistideology. Going by the technopedia definition above, it's easy to envision what a maker movement might look like, especially if you live in a country like Kenya where the informal sector accounts for a large proportion of its economic activity. If you actually do live in Kenya, then it's easy enough...
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