Organic maker spaces have sprouted whereever seeds were planted and tended in fertile ground. Hackerspaces.org lists over 1,200 active maker spaces worldwide where the bulk of them is in the U.S. This unfederated group could be a more potent force if organized and the White House took steps to make that happen.
The White House Office of Science and Technology Policy convened a meeting of over 200 experienced maker space leaders from across the country to learn about federal resources, to hash out a going-forward agenda, and to network. It was lead by Andrew Coy who pulled off an impressive day-long agenda. Watch the morning session.
It’s always a question whether an event such as this will result in anything going forward. OSTP certainly put together a good show and the audience was definitely into it. There was interest in continuing the dialog, organizing into something potent, and figuring out an agenda. However makers are independent sorts and the Obama Administration will be around for fewer than five months. Still I hope that something comes of our time together.
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