Pumping Station: One

Pumping Station: One has adopted a new logo!

Our original logo, designed by Nathan Witt and affectionately known as “Bubbles,” gave us a unique identity right from the start, and we will retire it with honor.

The new logo was developed by Jim Burke with the following ideas in mind:

• Scalability – The new design can be easily scaled at various sizes, allowing us to use it for projects “as big as a billboard and as small as a postage stamp.”  Graphic designers rejoice!
• References – Much like our name, Pumping Station: One’s new logo is unique while incorporating a direct tie to our city’s identity.  The new 6-point design was created following the exact dimensions of the Chicago Star on our Municipal Flag.
• Culture – We want the members of PS:One to feel unified through membership as a whole, but we also love that each individual area of focus appeals to different people.  To that end, we’re developing badges (which will become buttons, stickers, etc) to represent each different area of PS:One, such as the Danger Committee or the Homewreckery.  Each badge will use the basic design, but will be customized to represent the personality of that area so that we can internally identify one another’s skill sets and interests.

With that, we proudly give you “Harbinger.”

Pumping Station: One is a do-ocracy. Take, for example, the idea that we needed to disseminate the idea that we need to stop talking and start doing. Eli didn’t talk about it: she grabbed her paint and her paintbrush, and wrote the cardinal rule on our wall for all to see.

The do-ocracy applies to anything in Pumping Station: One. This includes personal projects. This includes group projects. This includes improvements to the space. Nothing in a hackerspace will ever get done unless somebody takes ownership of it and acts to get it done.

This “somebody” is you. Yes, you. Have a project in mind? Just fucking do it.

Dear CCCKC and HacDC: It’s on like Donkey Kong.

Pumping Station: One, CCCKC, and HacDC announced at the DEFCON
Podcaster’s Meetup of the creation of the Warzone Project. As you may
know, the CCCKC network has a separate area dedicated to security
research…both attack and defense. This separate section of the network
was created so that members had a sandbox to attack and defend without
worrying about compromising their own or someone else’s systems and
information. The premise is that of assumed risk, neighborliness and
numerous disclaimers to users looking to participate that they should
know exactly what they are doing (or at least getting themselves into)
by connecting to the network.

We were ecstatic when we were contacted by the Astaro corporation who
loved the idea so much, they not only wanted their hardware on the
network but that they wanted to help expand the Project nationwide by
donating appliances to each of us. Each hacker space has their
hardware and over the next few weeks we will be hashing out the
details and putting together the darknet.

Below you will find the press release which was issued by Astaro at DEFCON.

For more information, you should follow the Warzone Project on
Twitter.  (@warzoneproject)

Astaro Corporation (http://www.astaro.com), a leading network security
vendor, today announced that Astaro has donated three Astaro Security
Gateway appliances to the Warzone Project, a joint research venture
between hacker spaces in the United States. The Warzone Project
creates a secure network between hacker spaces around the country for
information security research.

Hacker spaces are community-operated physical spaces where people meet
and collaborate on all forms of technology, culture and crafts in new
and interesting ways. Members are encouraged to share research and
discoveries and use what they learn to help educate others.

Astaro donated three Astaro Secuirty Gateway appliances to this
initaitve as part of the company’s ongoing commitment to educating the
technology community about network security. The Astaro Security
Gateways will be used to interconnect and build the Warzone
infrastructure. Additionaly, the Astaro Security Gateways will provide
insight into where traffic comes from and will help the Warzone
hackers identify potential vulnerabilities and develop attack
defenses.

“When we began organizing the Warzone Project we knew we needed a
trusted security product for the program be successful,” said Bill
Swearingen (hevnsnt) of the Cowtown Computer Congress. “We approached
Astaro to sponsor our events by donating the appliances because the
Astaro Security Gateway offers reliable Intrusion Protection System
that was ideal for testing the effectiveness of real-world attacks,
and for helping us to develop security standards.”

There is a common misconception that people who identify as hackers
are criminals or engaged in other unethical activities.

“Hacker spaces and the Warzone project are helping to combat the
negative image hackers have acquired by demonstrating that most
hackers are not engaged in criminal activity and are more interested
in finding and sharing information; including possible network
vulnerabilities,” said David Rogers, Vice President, Americas, Astaro
Corporation. “Astaro is proud to be a part of initiatives like the
Hackerspace Warzone project because they will help network
administrators and security vendors create more secure environments.”

The Warzone project will entail a secure “darknet” connecting hacker
spaces from around the country, creating a sandbox environment for
both offensive and defensive research. The first hacker spaces to
participate are the Cowtown Computer Congress in Kansas City and
Pumping Station: One in Chicago.

The Cowtown Computer Congress (CCCKC) is a not for profit technology
cooperative founded to advance technology of all kinds. They are a
member supported organization providing technology classes, workshops
and services to the public free of charge. CCCKC brings together some
of the finest minds in midwest to collaborate on research and projects
for other local groups. Through their affiliate program, CCCKC gives
assistance to specialized technology user groups by providing them
with a facility to hold meetings and work on projects of their own.
CCCKC’s Underground Lab is located 85 feet below the surface of the
earth at 31st Street and Southwest Trafficway in Kansas City,
Missouri.
http://cowtowncomputercongress.org
press@cowtowncomputercongress.org

Pumping Station: One, NFP, is a space to facilitate creativity in and
through the merging of art, technology, and culture. Members enjoy a
diverse community of peers to collaborate with, classes and workshops
on subjects from electronics and programming to welding and home beer
brewing, and 24-hour access to a huge variety of tools, equipment, and
resources for just about any project imaginable. Pumping Station: One
is located at 3354 N. Elston Ave in Chicago, Illinois. To learn more,
visit www.pumpingstationone.org, or contact
press@pumpingstationone.org. This is an Illinois Not-For-Profit
organization.
http://pumpingstationone.org

Pumping Station: One did Memorial Day weekend right in true hackerspace fashion.  A couple members got their hands on a welder for Chicago’s first annual Power Wheels Racing Series and fixed up a trashed scooter with a sweet new handle bar. One of our members graciously donated a mostly functional Commodore 128 that Nicky has already got playing some tunes.  Hopefully she’ll have an exhibit up for Geek Prom on June 13th showcasing her new found computer orchestrating!

The highlight of the weekend was the epic amount of food.  There was a Bacon Explosion, grilled pineapple, hand fried hot wings, reeses and rolo brownies and more that I can’t even remember.  I’d just like to add a quick thanks to everyone who brough food, those who cooked, cleaned and made this happen.  Lets start making up more holidays just for the sake of grilling!

Q: What has 4 legs, glowing eyes, and guards our hackerspace?

A: Our newest addition to the ever evolving workshop, Carl!  If you want to know what’s going on at PS:One this very moment, this is the cat to go through.  You can reach him by following him on his twitter stream here: http://twitter.com/carrrl.  Work is ongoing to further automate his updates including a motion detector that we’ve already acquired.

Read the rest of this entry →

Good news, everyone!  We’ve finally managed to acquire a place of our own.  Thanks to everyone who has helped so far!

It’s hard saying goodbye to the Mercury Cafe, but now we have the keys to our own space, where soon we will be building, breaking, and reconstructing to our hearts’ content and in full compliance with zoning laws.  We have a few more details to iron out before we can start a complete roll-out into the space, but we’re still accepting help.  Anyone have a few spare tools?

The new space is at 3354 N. Elston.  We have about 2200 sq. ft. in a warehouse that’s been recently renovated, with no current tenants other than the landlord himself, who’s a pretty cool guy.  In addition to that, we will have communal access to the front lounge & waiting room, the very spacious garage, a kitchen, and shower facilities for when the dust settles.  Our members are planning the design and layout with many ideas in mind, so if you have something to contribute, join the mailing list and have your voice heard!

For those of you as excited as we are, please attend the first meeting at 7pm this Tuesday, April 21st.  Meetings are always free and open to the public, and we enjoy seeing new faces.  We also won’t have the benefit of a kitchen behind us to keep us in food & drink, so bring something noshable if you’re feeling generous.  And of course, keep an eyes peeled for news regarding a move-in party!

Yesterday, Pumping Station: One was featured in an article in the Columbia Chronicle!  Thanks to Evan Minsker for coming out to our meeting a few weeks ago, interviewing some of our members, and writing the article about us.

Hello and welcome to anyone who came here after reading that article!  The article gives you a good idea of some of the things that we’re up to, but there’s definitely more to explore.  We are a group of people interested in a diverse range of art and technology…chances are that if you’re a person with creative ideas, you’ll find something interesting here.  Make sure you take a good look at our wiki; it’s full of information about who we are as an organization, and what kinds of projects our members are working on so far.  You can also join our public Google group and start talking to people involved in Pumping Station: One, or our  announcements Google group in order to hear about events we have coming up.

If you are intrigued by what you have read and you want to get involved, we’re excited to meet you!  The best way to get involved is to come to a meeting.  We meet every Tuesday night at Cafe Mercury, 1505 W. Chicago Ave., at 7:00pm.  Everyone is welcome to come to our meetings, learn about us, talk about projects, and become a member of Pumping Station: One!

In short, I think Eric had it exactly right when he told me early on in the development of Pumping Station: One that a hackerspace is a YMCA for geeks and artists.

A hackerspace is an interdisciplinary community for learning, teaching, and creating. Instead of starting with a defined range of projects or programming, a hackerspace is driven by its members. It is a place where members have the infrastructure and resources to work on projects that interest them. Hackerspaces promote people to be hackers in the broadest sense: to learn all they can about the fields that interest them, explore their bounds, and create new and interesting ways to apply that knowledge.

The people in a hackerspace also share their knowledge with others who share their interests, through classes, working groups, or day-to-day discussion while working on projects. That is where the fascinating educational potential of the hackerspace lies: there is no finite list of the skills that can be taught and exchanged. People share what they know with members and the community at large, and it results in more people having the knowledge to make something new and tangible out of their ideas and interests.

For some more perspective on Pumping Station: One, as well as the past, present, and future of hackerspaces, watch this fifteen-minute interview of Eric Michaud, president of Pumping Station: One:

HELLO – Eric Michaud, President of Pumping Station: One from Dave Jacob Hoffman on Vimeo.

With fundraising going strong and the continuing bureaucracy of dotting our i’s and crossing our t’s when it comes to zoning issues and so forth, we’re at a newsworthy impass.

What you would only know by attending our meetings at the Mercury Café up until now is that like the true midwesterners most of us are, someones bound to make sure you don’t go hungry.  While vegan cupcakes were discussed at length when we were just getting off the ground, we’ve since seen myriads of cookies and banana bars offered up by our membership.  Heck, there’s even talk of starting an official cooking group.

Whether or not this can be considered blackmail and extortion, I’ll leave to the readers.  And no, membership dues can not be paid in baked goods.  Other treats gladly accepted include fudge, pies, chocolate nanotubes and streudel just as an example.

Here are some pictures from the February 3 PSOne meeting. You can look for these guys if you’re coming to your first meeting.