Weekly Staff Meetings/2012-01-03

Location: XinCheJian 7:30 p.m.

Props

• Paul and Ricky for Arduino workshop
• Clemence for Max/Msp workshop
• Michael and Paul for spaghetti bridge competition test run
  • [1]
• Min Lin for organizing and promoting processing class and Raven for giving it
• Ricky for recruiting Yi as event manager
• Yi for joining as event manager
• Min Lin for City Pictorial interview
• Shyu for teaching SMT soldering to Ricky & Nelson
• Michael xmas and the new year party
• Lio xmas party on the 22nd
• Clemence for coming even with a cold
• Paul and Edward and Sherry for coming back for the meeting
• David for giving up his family and coming to the meeting
• Lio for the arcade cabinet
• Nelson for spending time with us

XinCheJian 2.0

Timeline

Decide on the local Chinese delegates

• Chinese company since WOFE takes months to create, less flexibility
• Chinese passport holders XinCheJian members (transferrable)
  • Ziyun: study in the US?
  • Edward: 2 years time, move to another country
  • Qichen: need to ask...
  • Wife of David

Legal representative: Lio, Ricky

• all signing powers
• represent shareholders

TODO(Lio): check with MSHR for being a Fa Ren

Two more positions:

• Treasurer: two full day classes on accounting 101
  • TODO(rngadam): ask James Coombs to see if he wants to be the treasurer for XCJ 2.0

Fa Piao Machine? Either we have this, or pay the higher service tax rate

Investment first year

Final book from XinCheJian 1.0

• • Money left (31K) and reimbursed
  • 8K left at the end for XCJ 2.0
  • Min Lin financial overview

Initial investment

• Investor capital investment sheet
• Initial money by investors on Monday January 9th
  • TODO(rngadam): Check back to see what people can afford as first 3 months (upfront) as investment
• Kicking in 30K at the start
• 120K registered first year (has to be greater 100K)
• Initial investment from real shareholders
  • we put 3 months initially, must be filled within the first year

Brainstorm names, TODAY

15-20 names for the legal entity

TODO(staff) to staff@: 3-4 names for XCJ 2.0

Application process

Should have legal entity by mid-February.

• Sign delegate application before the 9th (before the money!!)
• Dedicated agreement on who owns the shares by proxy
• Name verification 2-3 days
• Signing contract in name of the new legal entity
• Application for legal entity (2000RMB loaned by David)
  • 4 weeks to get chops and licenses

New space

• Update on negociations for new space
  • signing the contracts
  • March 1st. Waiting for us to sign!! Need the company name!
  • Decorations? Susan is having an architect renovating...
  • Month by month (old space)

• Final book from XinCheJian 1.0
  • Money left and reimbursed
  • Min Lin financial overview

• Update on negociations for new space
  • signing the contracts

Important things that need to get done

• Inventory
  • electronics, boards, computers, etc

• Purchasing

• Cleaning the space
  • Ricky's cleaning all the time, alone!!
  • People putting away the stuff
  • Vacuum cleaner

• Scheduling: Yi!!!

Events Recap

• Arduino workshop
  • only 3 persons came, in the future at least 5 persons
  • People bought starter kits
  • 2 out 3 stayed for the MaxMSP project
  • the other worked his project

• Max/Msp workshop
  • Demo version was used
  • Need more time, 2 hours is too short - 3 to 4 hours at least (part I, part II)

• "Cooking" a product
  • good brainstorming but no follow up, no realization, not enough time to start making a prototype
  • one day event

• Processing class
  • Good source of revenue twice in a row (3800RMB, 2500RMB for XCJ).
  • Planning for the 3rd time in February
  • Need to get more feedback from participants
  • Could we try to schedule English processing class, maybe? perhaps expats interested?

• Spaghetti bridge competition test run
  • Nice feedback from Weibo, people interested to participate
  • What about the event now?
  • one of our best event
  • some friction in some teams

• Saturday MIT MITERS presentation
  • showed up a little late
  • people were coming for the MIT brand
  • Feedback from Weibo: lack of preparation, should concentrate more on projects
  • 6 people interested by the organization, the rest by MIT itself
  • TODO(rngadam): send presentation to audience who signed up
  • 23 persons signed up online
  • TODO(Edward): custom module for Weibo for registration

TODO follow up

• Edward: Tech Yizu/XCJ Building Bridge Challenge
  • Confirm date/time/location
  • Finalize rules and publish online
  • Promotion and registration

• • Preparing materials needed
• Infy: Freescale Board XLSTAR Competition
  • maybe try to find another project?

• Paul: qt113, attiny85 (Edward has ordered 100 from the US!! Digikey!)
  • TODO(Paul): xinchejian@googlegroups.com

• David: urban/window farming kit and workshop
  • Alex CG, Jeff Rust, Edward Kraus (Beijing) all interested
  • Need more doers and convince more people to do

• Ricky & Shyu
  • FPGA, SMT teaching to both Ricky and Nelson
  • stereoscopic machine vision (learning OpenCV)
  • Python interpreter on ARM microcomputer

Maker carnival April 21st, 22nd

• Website coming on Friday
• "Makerfaire in China"
• Burning man machine?
• looking for projects to fund and transport
• gizmos, installations, gadgets, etc
• everybody should submit
• send proposals before the Chinese New Year

Singapore (Edward)

• GUI: Ground Up Initiative - also want cheap Arduino
• DFRobots hook up with SG Robots to provide DFDuino
• EBay?
• Medical devices with Arduino, looking for partner to make PCBs
  • setup interface to make prototype
  • contact (English)
  • similar to the 3d printing model
  • cut a deal with seeedstudio?

Coming up this week

• Wednesday topics
• Wednesday PCB workshop (Nelson)
• ITP presentation from NYU
• Arduino workshop (Chinese)
  • do we have enough time? enough registered participants?

This Saturday afternoon: Insectbot? 6 persons could come. Son's birthday... 13 years old.

• Conflict with Arduino workshop? Moving to Sunday.
• TODO(David): ask Lutz, otherwise Min Lin
• we can open it to the public

Next week?

• Introduction to Milkymist
  • Event description is too long
  • Need to add Chinese version of the event and pictures/video links
  • Need to edit the event page, TODO(rngadam): blog access

Coming up in the coming months

• Putting things on the Google Calendar: everyone should have access
• Event management

Events

• Useless machine exhibition - mid-January
  • TODO(Edward): build more, do another workshop? maybe January 14th
• Jan. 15th Tech Yizu/XCJ Building Bridge Challenge
• JUE Music+ART festival March 9th-25th
  • Organize Dorkbot at XCJ to kickoff the festival, getting sponsors
  • Milkymist workshop
  • Invent new music instruments, demos at music concerts

• China Maker Carnival April 21st, 22nd
  • Projects submission
  • Trip planning

Workshops

• Mini-Maker faire in Shenzhen April 7th-8th
• February workshops, events
  • Processing class (planned on Feb. 4th)
  • Feb. 26th? Roboracing competition
  • TODO(paul): introduction line follower workshop planning, etc
  • TODO(paul): fill up the calendar with the roboracing competitions in the next year

• Milkymist "Becoming a VJ" workshop, potentially

• Filmmaking class, French filmmaker (English)
  • TODO(rngadam): follow up and schedule filmmaker workshop
  • Hackerspace movement in China short Ars Electronica (Austria): March 1st deadline

Classes

• Stanford Machine Learning and other classes

Visits

• Mitch Altman & Co. from Noisebridge and other spaces visiting Shanghai (around April 11th)
  • US delegation of hackers
  • Lady Ada coming?! she should!
  • Factories tour? contact
    • PVC factory
    • Beer factory
  • Hackday or workshop with USA hackers?

Miscellaneous

• Opening hours during Chinese New Year
  • Away: Paul, Michael, Ricky, Min Lin
  • Update calendar with trips and also pick up free slots (Monday, Wednesday evenings and Saturday, Sunday afternoon) to open the space
• Inventory count
• TODO(Min Lin): order some basic components (jumper cables, breadboards, resistors, etc...)
• Prepare some Arduino starter kits.
• Order more Arduino Chinese books? Paul think the book is stupid. Good for people that want to continue... Chinese Arduino book, someone is ready to publish. Month by month magazine.
• TODO(Edward): write articles (or get someone to write it)
• Buying drinks? Alipay account for XCJ? Need legal entity.
• TODO(Clemence, Yi, Min Lin): Geek girls hacking night