(27/07/2018) "Mini maker week"

What the f... Mini maker week ?


Mini maker week was an idea to make in one week many workshops to promote the activity of the makerspace, invite people to come and visit us and improve our place. I was responsible to organised everything so it was difficult and first time for me to connecting many workshops, partners and communication. Obviously the team was here to helping me during harder moment.


And this was the program
Monday - initiation 3D printing and modeling 2h, come saturday to bring your 3d prints
Tuesday - initiation coding with Mblock and writing a song workshop 2h
Wednesday - Make a Vr movie (1/2 part) 4h (for kids between 12 and 16 years)*
-Evening retrogaming
Thursday - Make a Vr movie (2/2 part) 4h, watch the movie saturday on virtual reality headset*
-Evening discovering coding toys
Friday - Initiation robotic and create your own jewelry 2h

Saturday - Makerspace opening from 10 to 20h

During the week many workshops was ran by some intervenant like Brigitte Wild an french artist who was running the VR workshops assisted by Piotr Kedielski, Marek Kocon (Nut cane) who was running the music workshop, Aleksandra Otrowska for the Jewelry also Michal and Ida Fischer for everything during the week and Ana Elke for translation and communication with parents.

 During the week we also had a visit of the office of unemployement for showing to entrepreneer, unemployed people in the way of creating company, an example of "solidarity company" different that what public are used.

 The calm before the storm.


And an original song wrote by kids, it's about an hamster.

(23/06/2018) Last month

June is also my last mont in the Evs adventure... The end of discovering an new culture, country, way of living, inhuman crazy cold winter...
What can i say...

RRRRIIINNNGGGG (old phone style ringing)
What ? I heard good ? 2 month more of EVS, For sure I accept.

So maybe it,s time to talk about volunteering with Erasmus+. Last year at the same period i was aware about the existence of the Erasmus+ program concerning mobility project and mobility for youthworker because i'd apply to participate to one in Luxembourg. It's clearly after this training about "makerspace in digital youthwork" and the meeting with many interesting peoples that my practice of making started to have access to an higher level, an european level.

it's an really nice adventure to do volunteering abroad because everything is little bit new and different so new taste... A taste of Europe

A selfie from my shitty previous smartphone one year ago (in July in fact)

In my geek practice we don't really have border we are doing stuff and exchanging with peoples on internet from everywhere around the globe without taking care from where are people, what color they have or religion... We are just sharing information and good time.
So experimenting that in real is completely different and is the reason of the existence of hackerspace, makerspace, fablab... we needed a place for sharing a coffee.. or a beer !

During my studies i never heard about European volunteering service and i think it's sad because it can change lives, give you another point a view of the world and your place in. I was really lost in my studies but one year to think and live an experience can help you to find you and what you want to do.

The Pralnia team offer me also to maybe stay after my EVS, and work for them to continue the projects i started and develop the place and more. They offer me to also take a part of the recruitment of new volunteers for the next year and be in charge a part of their activities be one of coordinator and take care of them. It's really an great proposal because it's an really good way to share my experience and give opportunities to upgrade the project. 

(23/06/2018) Relaxing month ?

June, it was one of the month
In Poland, the winter was an not so rude experience finally i was more scared about before and in fact i possible to survive so i was waiting to see the summer coming... Sadly or strangely summer was not here during June but autumn YES ! arrrrgh the most depressing month grey everyday and often an small rain between some thunderstorm... and i just wanted a barbecue...

Anyway i spend a long time inside and it gave me time to improve my skills in 3d printing, i tried new settings, adjust temperature, speeds... and the spiralize mode really interesting for fast printing.
It create empty object just a shell strong enough to be touched and manipulate and be used like decoration object.
So i print some design find one the web for decorate the makerspace.

i was waiting for when i was a child, it's the beginning of summer and the announce of great moment during vacation.
As i said it was the end of school and the beginning of the vacation, so less work 'outside' and more groups was coming to the makerspace. It's really nice to "work at home" no needs to search the remote of the video projector, the electricity plugs... So easier but also nicer because all thoses kids was giving more life to the space.
The space is clearly not perfectly finished and some work left but step by step is operational.

So we hosted an groupes of space architect to design Mars houses some looks really similar of on our planet but somes designs are more interesting, we can maybe send that to Nasa ;-)

Bonus or not

EUH.... Is that the beginning of summer in Poland ?

(01/06/18) Travelling

I tell you the destination and my occupation For May but one interesting part of travelling is... the travel ! And i take time on the both way of my travel to visit two most knowned city of Poland. Warsawa and Gdansk... yeah visit was a big words because i didn't stayed enough time to visit all the things thoses cities who have many things to offer about architecture, art, culture, food, parks...

One my way i needed to stop to Warsawa for take the plane to france but also to renew my papers because my ID card was expired and i had for travelling an 'emergency passport' (available for one year only). So two possibilities was offred to me renew my papers in France and wait 1 month and half or make it in the French Polish ambassy and wait 3 weeks and take them from Wroclaw the city close than Sokolowsko...Honnestly, i didn't think about it two much ;-)

This picture is sponsored by Deadpool !


On the way back i stopped to Gdansk, one of the Trojmiasto cities in the north of Poland, they're called Trojmiasto or ''three cities'' in Polish because there is Gdynia,Sopot and Gdansk connected to each other on the side of the Baltic sea.
I only visited Gdansk and Sopot, maybe Gdynia the next time.
It was an good occasion to see architecture between old and past and some boats... and PIRATE BOATS ! AAAAAARRGH

(01/06/18) THSF and vacation

Ah !

The month full of non working days perfect for take some vacation, yes ? But not only it's also the month of my birthday, and what is better for me than participate to an hackers festival ??? I don't know for now but if i find it i will let you know.

So after all this cold time in the polih winter i'm back in France for somes days but as some know me i like join the usefull and the funny part so during this festival i joined an french organisation and share a stand during the THSF (the hackerspace factory or festival).
The topic was about langages so we choose to create an activity about sharing message with an introduction of coding inspired by the movie 'the martians'.

As you know or maybe not it's forbidden to make pictures in this kind of event but i made one of our stand. (you can also recognize my bestfriend who come to see me during the festival or maybe more drink beers with me for my birthday party ;-) )

The festival was 11 to 13 may and my birthday is the 15 of may... So during this festival in Toulouse was also the time for make party with my old friends. Yeah my friends are there because we grow up in this region for most of them around Carcassonne... an nice city if you have some time in the South of France.

Anyway Pastis (french alcohol), cheese (french passion) and barbecue (another french passion), it was really to see all of them and share moment. Many if them are travellers so it was nice to speak about expériences.


It was also a moment to see France with my new travellers eyes and a little start not of nostalgy but the inverse... i don't want come bak there. Life in Poland is really diferent and i'm feel more in adequation than in France... I don't if it's everywhere and for everyone the same kind of feelings but it's not so comfortable.

(24/04/18) Exhibition after aerial residency

This month was the month of the biggest part of the residency for Barbara Stelmachowska the artist who was selected for be the first artist who make a residency in the makerspace.
After one month of research and trying diferent options, she finally choose to represente ''the smog'' who was the starting point of the topic of the residency, like an flushes.
Under this softness and fluffy apperance her idea was to create an shapes who invite to dialog about the polution and the using of coil in heating system.

(22/02/18) Aerial Residency

Aerial Residency

   One of new project of Pralnia, it's an artist/maker/designer residency. The topic of this residency is the "smog" because in the village many people use coil for heating and it's create a lot of smoke, but the village is surrounded by mountain so the wind can't be come and put smog away. Finaly we are in the mountain in the middle of nowhere with national park everywhere but the air is polute like in a big city.
   The objective of this residency is sensibilate locals to this problem but also introduce Pralnia not only like an geek place for technicians.
   And the biggest honor is the team offer me a place in jury for help to choose the artist/maker.

Facebook page :  https://web.facebook.com/aerialresidency2018/

Open Air Project
Pralnia Makerpace is one of the locations of the OpenAirProject network, which aims to build a network of cheap but precise air quality sensors. You can check and see how the situation of air quality in Sokołowsko looks like (and it does not look good): https://openairproject.com/ The reason for this is that most households are heated using old installations together with poor quality fuel.
It is an open source project and more information can be found here: https://github.com/openairproject/sensor-esp32

(22/02/18) Elder's presentation, Erasmus+ deadline done !

Elder's presentation, Erasmus+ deadline

   Marcin is an member of Pralnia but is also involved in diferent project and he ask me to make an presentation of our activities and show some technologies able to be connected with elders.
   So i presented 3d printing (for sure), Lofi robot and coding but also my favorite Makey makey and scratch with an fruit piano... you have question about that ? it's pretty simple when you touch an fruit you create an electric connection and the makey makey give this information to the computer, and for finish on scratch (the coding software) i wrote a code for playing music.
   The presentation was in an new kind of library in Wroclaw.

For Erasmus+ with big surprise and hard work it was possible to finish every projects before the deadline !! So now... just need to wait for the answer.

(04/02/18) Mid term meeting in Torùn

Mid term meeting in Torùn

   Finaly i survived of the week in Torùn with Erasmus+ activities and in fact it was not so bad... The first day was not really funny because i spent all the day in transport bus to Wroclaw, train to Poznan, train to Torùn finaly i took a cab until hostel.

   I was afraid about games and stupid activities like ice breaking... But it was not the main point of this week, the idea of this was more about make a point and have an reflexion about EVS, what kind of difficulties we had met, what was our expectative before the EVS, what is the reality for us and what is our project for the future after the Evs.It was really interesting moment, for think about ourself.
   The second interesting point was met somes other volunteers from diferents country with the same kind of problems, same good moments and experiences...
   We have spend an good week, make new friends, visit the city and follow the program of Michael and Voytech two greats trainors, there program and their tools was incredible and really interesting.
   After that i see more clear in my future, i want stay in Poland after the Evs and continue the project. I really like this country, architecture, history and peoples... For now i want stay and we will see.

   Torùn is an beautiful city with an medieval history of Teutonic knives and many kings, in France i like history and castles and it was really intersting for me to discover new things on another point of view. There is also many museums and churchs i hope i will have time for spend more time to visit this city.

One partcicpant made an video of the week... follow the link https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-y227-3gR2A

 I leave this picture in color, black and yellow... it's like the theme blog.

(22/01/18) New year and winter break

New year and winter break

   I don't speak to much in this blog about friendship because it need to be an report of the work but there is no too much job in this period, kids have vacation, the team also... But i start to have many friends in the village so i stayed for christmas and new year.
    For the new year, Radek opened a bar in the village, so now it will be the place to be for drink somes beers with kind peoples, and also good place for pratice my polish... yeah i learn more how to swear like a real polish but... you know it's also learning ! ahah

   So for the new evening i was seek so i don't have spend all the night awake, but i've speak and met many person from the village or families coming for christmas. At midnight, Polish have the same tradition as German they put firework everywhere in the street it's like an big mess with car alarm ! But after that champagne and all peoples make hugs, it's was really surprising for me.

   The other surprise of January was the coming of my best friend Martin from France, we had spend many good time together and visit Wroclaw and good place for drink somes beers.
    We had visit the "museum of games an computers of the past era" it's an small museum about videogames and computers like the name told ! It's an place with a lot of accessible videogames and we are geek so we have spend many times on Metal Slug, Mario kart 64, duck hunt.... The guy working in the museum was really cool and i've speak with him about the possibility to mkae an partnership and organise somes workshops in their place.

   Happy news of the day ! we planned to visit Warsaw because Martin had is plane there to come back to Toulouse, but i received an email and i need to be in Torun for the Mid term meeting... So sad ! I don't like this kind of meeting with group and games... I hope it will be good.
So i will be there 29 until 2 february...

Martin, me an Radek block in the snow...       

(10/01/18) Erasmus+

Erasmus+

   Like i told after the Luxembourg Ka1, i kept contact with some participants of this training. And with them and friends from France we prepare differents Erasmus+  project. This is the lists of project we are working on. For all projects we included Pralnia makerspace for connect them with the european maker movement.

-Ka1 "Noisy stuff": It was an idea of 2 guys and me,  to create an training course about making but on the theme of music, music making and instruments making will be the main part and for that we will need to introduce the digital fabrication, CAD and electronics...
This training will take place in Pralnia makerspace, in Sokolowsko.

-Ka2 "Environmental éducation and digital youthwork": For this project the idea is make an bridge between environment and technologie, The main idea is make an experience to connect one plant on an weather station controled by computer and connected on internet. The same equipment will be in different school in diferent country and we will create an web platform to exchange and follow results.

-Ka2 "W3M4KE": Coordinate by the city of Rybnik on initiative of the internet education of Kielce, this project have to objective to develop makerspace in Poland but also the non formal education in makerspace for youth in collaboration with schools.

It's a lot of work before 15th February, but we can do that and it can be really interesitng to Pralnia to be connected with different organisations and country !

(20/12/17) Lofi robot

Lofi robot

   So we had split there is two "team" now for workshops thursday, i don't open anymore the Pracownia Orange but i go with Kamila in Mierosow to make workshop after school. We had 2 groups one 9 to 11 and 11 to 13, and each week we have one group.
   The program for this serial of workshops will be coding with Lofi robot, it's an robot from an little company from poland it work with arduino compatible with scratch but we will start with an connected apps Lofi blocks (scratch clone but simplified).

    We will follow the internet course for teach robotic to kids, it will be 4 session
        -Difference human/robot and electronic component, how they works
        -Building the Robot with screws and wood parts
        -Start to code and connect sensor
        -"free" session with coding and component build you own robot

One of our team of proud robotic ingeneers !

(12/11/17) New workshops and school presentation

New workshops and school presentation

   This month, the same kind of workshop with kids but know i ask to draw somes spaceship in the context of mars exploration ideas it's funny and spaceship it's an topic really open for creativity, everything it's possible all shapes are goods and kids have a lot of imagination.


   Too many kids start to come so i start offer other activities because it can be boring to draw all the time 3d models on computer this is why i've start to introduce Scratch (an software developped by the M.I.T to teach coding) with Makey Makey (it's an microcontroller for create diferent interface between human and computer).

   With Martyna we've also make two intervention in school for present what kind of activities we can offer in Pralnia Makerspace. It was during the english course so it was in english and kids was questions if they're understand and translate to others and when it was not enough Martyna was here to explain them.

   The topic offer was
       - Lofi robot, an programmable robot
       -Scratch and Makey makey
       -Tinkercad and 3D modeling
       -Raspberry Pi an nanocomputer

   This month was also the first month of work with Miro but...  It was really problematic with misunstertood and bad communication, before the second school presentation i have ask to Martyna and Kamila to organise diferent activities and mission for each other because i'm not able to work with him.

    For me the Evs is an important task like any job and i want to be serious an create confident with the team, for create better projects and more interesting activity. I quite sad to be "alone" or don't have other volunteer with me to exchange and share feeling about Evs experience.

    I hope it will be possible to have the possibility to don't work together anymore.

(03/11/17) Zortrax and the workshop building 3D printer

Zortrax and the workshop building 3D printer

   I was used to use 3D printer in France, but only on cheap printer like Prusa i3, cartesian printer or microdelta from Emotiontech... But when i arrive in this makerspace they had only one 3D printer an Zortrax m200... Professional look all in black steel... and ZORTRAX !!! Sound like the name of a dragon in Dungeon & Dragons roleplaying games.
   The fact is the machine is sold with an software Z-suite the software is not realy open you don't have choice for many settings but it's working and availalble in English. Oh ! yeah ! The company is Polish like the menu on the machine not so easy for the beginning but an good way for catch some new polish words. Finally it's easy, also for not polish speaker so it's good. the bad point it's there is only ABS for print (ABS is from petrol so... not so good) i will encourage them to buy some PLA better to everyone and easy to print.

   Last weekend i have also particpating to an workshop animate by Cyryl Sochacki for build our own 3D printer under 250€ you can find the tutorial on internet, the name of printer it's GIMLI XL.
   Michal was my partner for this workshop all in polish hopefuly i found the english tutorial on internet for helping us during the bulding.
   2 days of building and it was not so easy because sunday morning there was no electricity in all the village, so the first task was to find an generator and connect it for have some lights and electricity for soldering machine or computer.

(27/10/17) "Encounter of the third type"

Encounter of the third type or start to work with kids

   So i have allready introduce the name of Martyna, she is my coordinator so i will work the most of time with her and give report to her (it's like this in Evs you have an coordinator/mentor his/her the privilegies contact for speaking about everything).
   She also my polish teacher... It will be hard learning polish don't look like an easy task... She's my english teacher because i hurt her ears with my bad speaking so she give me some tips and courses about english. Generally after polish and english lesson i sleep good... and my brain burn !

   My flatmate/teammate is arrived, his name is Miro, he had 31 and he's from czech republic. For me it's not new to share a flat with people but the guy had diferent ideas on many topics and not really open minded with things diferent than his mind or people. It's interesting to confront my ideas and vision but we don't speak too much.

   So every week, the wednesday we go to an orphanage for make some english leeson but it will be more games with english words because kids need to have entertainment because they leave between rules in an strange space... The building look like an bad mix between a school and a jail with all the stupid bullshit of architecture from the 90s, not funny... Yeah there is roughcast and pink/beige fucking colors...
   In fact my first contacts with kids was not so hard, they don't scream and bite all the time. they're kind with me, i don't speak polish so they try to help me and somes kids try to translate to others. The biggest things was my scared and the pressure (put by me) for working with children.

   In Pralnia there is a program "kobity dla kobiet" it's workshop animated by women for women, we know girls and women are not encourage to take a part in IT work and in Poland the situation is worst than in France because many girls don't have access to a computer before highschool, this is why the task is important. So during this workshops for "kobiety" (women) i have the mission to make workshop for kids, for the beginning i have choose the simpliest for me to be on an comfortable subject in uncomfortable public and langage...
   I asked them to "rysować" (draw) "łódź" and "domy" (Boat and house) on Tinkercad, Tinkercad it's an free software on internet for 3d modeling it's for me the best tool for begginer.
   After the workshop i'll print results of their drawings.

(20/09/17) Filtrator, Pracownia Orange, Pralnia... WTF ? and Start

Filtrator, Pracownia Orange, Pralnia... WTF ?

   Yeah before starting i think i need to introduce what are this organisation i think it will easier for you to understand and for me to see more clear in this big mess ! Ahah.

   So i make an Evs for Filtrator, this is an organisation working about culture and environment and there action is local but they also work sometimes in Wroclaw (the big city not so far).
   This organisation is the spine of other project because their animate and Pracownia Orange. this kind of space are sponsored by Orange to create activity for yound and elder, give access to internet, some course and workshop for recreate link. Kamila explain there is already some interesting (for the geek i am) workshop about coding, computing, 3d modeling... and one my mission will be to animate somes workshops and keep the place open 2 days per week.
  The other space is Pralnia makerspace... i will not lie the most interesting for me, i'm involved in the maker movement for 4 years, i have left jobs and i want to create mine in this field. Between technologie and non formal education, between robots and videogames, between past and future... it's quite complicate and my idea is not fixed. So this makerspace is really they opened the place but for now is not readyready, miss heating system, double glasses windows, somes furnitures.... and peoples and project ! so it will be the biggest part of my job involved the movement in this space.

Start

   For the beginning i will work with an shy workmate, Michal, he understand english and speak better than for remenber we are september and i start to spoke english in July for my first "real experience"... Like a kid who parents throw in water "swim or die !". So i'm happy because we have a lot of point of agreement with Michal, we have the same favorite video on youtube, i put a link for you https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_3J5wkJFJzE&t=12s.
   I love also woodworking so i think we will spend great time if he speak to me ! We need to help each other for speaking better in english. And fuck... it's so hard becasue we need to learn many name of tools, materials, parts.... everything ! so complicate
   Our first mission is put somes double glasses window because "winter is coming", and the polish technic is for me realy disapointing... break the old windows for now i agree, clean the hole ok, present the new window and equilibrate, so normal but polish put just expansive foam and it's ok.... strange but it's working i'm realy surprise, no screw, no piece of woof or something... it's quick and easy so why not ?!
  The second mission is installed an big heating system with fan and pipe... quite big job with big cleaning and removing the old one.

   No pictures of job because... it's dirty and i don't have time for that. But i have a 3d model of the space i draw that for thinking about future furnitures and organisation of the space.

    There still a lot of work !



 

(28/08/17) First day in Sokołowsko and Pralnia makerspace opening

First day in Sokołowsko and Pralnia makerspace opening

   The first day in Sokołowsko was really short because i arrive really late around 11pm and i was really tired after the visit of Wrocław. My first impression was it's so dark and quiet... like in Sheitan movie... i was hoping just survive the first night.
   And it's was the case at the morning the sun was awake and me too, the weather was not so bad (for a french guy from the south) i maked a tour of the village buy something for the breakfast and cooooofffeeeeeee ! After the coffee it was the beginning of the day and the opening of Pralnia.
   All the team was there, Beata introduce me everyone Kamila (the boss), Marcin, Ola, Stacjek, Martyna, Ida, Michał... an somes local from the village or citys around. But i met also people from diferent fablab in Poland, łodz or Warsaw for example.
   It was really cool to met all this peoples all makers, artists, woodworkers, crafters, musicians... or peoples passionnated in so much topics. During the day many kids and parents come and take part to diferent activities like electronics to make an Minnion's bliking badge, play with makey makey, try the screen printing, building some chairs...
   The place was effervescent so much peoples, so much strange food (for me) an delicious vegan bread from Katarzyna and a lot of beers ! Just missing the barbecue... you know for french when there is sun... Pastis and barbecue are the only for live !

And when the sun come down party in the makerspace !