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We had our first indoor meetup in many years at the Main Library. For me (Lakota), this brought back nostalgia from the Wednesday meetups used to hold there in 2018. A small group of us found a quiet table on the third floor, and we had an enjoyable time. An opened cassette rewinder was brought for donation, and we were able to observe the intricacies of the internal mechanical parts. It is truly amazing how so many sets and layers of gears are required for a seemingly simple, yet delicate and precise task.

However, a major source of entertainment came from something very low-tech: a windup toy caterpillar from the dollar store. Kids’ cheap windup and battery-operated toys can contain useful and intriguing parts that can be hacked and repurposed for other projects. Sometimes, it’s just fun to open them up and see what’s inside.

Needless to say, we dissected a caterpillar for science at the library, and it worked properly when put back together. 🙂

We will have future meetups at different locations (some of our favorites from before the pandemic and potentially some new ones), but overall, this one was a blast.

With the COVID-19 pandemic rocking the world, our meetups up until last year had been entirely online over Zoom. Zoom proved and continues to be a useful resource for many people in the group, as it eliminates commuting from the various parts of Ottawa. Additionally, it has enabled the group to connect with other makers and robotics enthusiasts outside of Ottawa. For a time in 2020, we (consensually) Zoom-bombed a robotics club in Sheffield, England and had several laughs and interesting conversations. We’ve also had ongoing connections and virtual meetups with the Vancouver Robotics Club.

However, despite the benefits, we’ve had far fewer opportunities to capture fun memories and share them. Our website has been very quiet over the years as a result. In 2023, with the coming of summer, we began holding in-person meetups once a month at Britannia Park or Remic Rapids. They have been well attended and have helped to reinvigorate the spirit of our group. We did park meetups again this summer and in the colder months hope to continue meeting at least once a month in an indoor location.

Both online and in-person meetups have their advantages and disadvantages, so we aim to maintain this hybrid model into the future to accommodate the preferences of all in this unique maker community.

All branches of the Ottawa Public Library will be closed on Sundays for the summer starting June 30th. This means we will not be able to use the Imagine Space on Sundays for our meetups until the fall.

For the summer, we will be holding meetups at different locations. Some locations being considered are the uOttawa Makerspace and Minto Park. There have also been suggestions from a few members about holding meetups on Saturdays so the Imagine Space can be utilized.

The calendar will be very tentative for the duration of the summer. Meetups may be held less frequently depending on turnout and host availability.

Your feedback is very important. If you have location suggestions, please voice them in the Google Group forum. If suggestions are proposed by the main hosts, please provide your opinions, both supporting and dissenting.

Proceed to the Hack613 online discussion!

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1. Click the Discussion link above.
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