Difference between revisions of "Meeting notes"

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== Minutes from previous years ==
 
== Minutes from previous years ==
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[[Meeting_notes (2019)]]
  
 
[[Meeting_notes (2018)]]
 
[[Meeting_notes (2018)]]
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== October 29, 2019 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
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== September 2020 and beyond ==
(I thought I uploaded this over a week ago, but maybe I didn't notice an error after I submitted. Sorry! -AMichael)
+
We ended up losing track of the notes that were left in Slack, and now Discord. If you'd like to find the notes for a specific month but you cannot access those platforms, let someone else (or the board) know and we'll try to copy those notes here.
* Introductions
+
 
** 14 members present
+
If you have some time and want to help with that, please go through September 2020 and onward, compiling notes from each meeting and recording them here.
* Ratified previous minutes
+
 
* Financials
+
== February 28th, 2023 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
** We still have fewer members (down from our high in April), so we're on a slow downward trend. I was wrong about being mostly even in the last couple months, since we had those big spikes in net worth. We tend to get an extra 1 or 2 members each month or two, but we also tend to lose 1 or 2 members each month or two.  
+
* We achieved quorum
** Most of our lost members are newer members who realized they were just never coming by. The rest were longer-time members who also were never coming by, and who wanted to redirect their funds elsewhere in their lives.
+
* Year in review:
* Making announcements
+
** Finally back in force after being on break since 2020.
** The board hasn't been properly announcing discussions (and their results) to those members who weren't present at meetings. We're going to try to fix how we report things like that. We've also had a few issues over the years with people misreading ambiguous statements in the minutes, so we'll try to get these proofread. Overall, our goal is to enable every member to join discussions online and be represented in the board's final decision (or membership votes).
+
** We got a whole whack of really old augmented-reality headsets. Most seem to be running an old version of Android. Neat!
* About minutes
+
** There was a burglary into one of the higher floors, and our footage was able to confirm that someone left the building with another tenant's bike.
** We haven't been keeping proper actual minutes. What we have here is more like Meeting Notes, which is what this page on the wiki is called. We should be gathering the meeting's topics, thought out and written down, before the meeting happens, and then using our time at the meetings to come to agreement together. We're going to try collecting those kinds of ideas during regular Tuesday show-and-tell, or whenever a discussion comes up, and submit those to the email list for discussion before the monthly meeting. That way we can enter the meeting informed by the experiences of all members.
+
** We ground the hinges off the door to regain entry after there were errors in the fob system. It may have been a case of loose wiring. The new fire-safetied door has a keyhole for emergencies.
* Coworking
+
** We upgraded various computer system. The fob and camera management computer was toast, so we updated the hardware and the software platform. We also got our hands on a new server with many GBs of RAM.
** Mark C started talking ‌in August with some of the other members who frequently used the space during the daytime, and compiled a list of needs and wishes. The classroom, with its hand-me-down furniture, was barely acceptable as a place to sit and work every day. They then introduced the idea of having the next AntiSocial as a way to raise funds for the renovation of the front space. Chris J and Colin E put it all together and ran it in September with the help of many members. The board used a portion of the funds last week to buy two adjustable standing desks with some accessories and two high-resolution monitors.
+
** We started meeting on Discord.
** Mark has a list of plans when it comes to coworking, but that will require more discussion. At this time, all members present accepted that Mark C and Alex can use the desks during the day. Mark's goal is to receive funding from members' workplaces to improve the space, in exchange for weekday priority use for those members. Plans include new flooring, better furniture, and movable false walls.
+
** We started hosting events on the first Friday of each month again.
** Please note that this does not mean we'll be opening up a general co-working business. Only members could sign up to be co-workers. There's some debate about whether we'll accept new members who are there specifically for co-working, or if we'll offer members the possibility only after they become members.
+
** Finally got our occupancy permit, after more than ten years in the space. We can hold events now.
** There's a thread on Discuss where we're debating whether or not we should introduce any fees at all, whether we can be allowed to place priority on some furniture, and about how we should communicate with members to decide on purchases or policy updates. We discussed the possibility of holding a vote for next month's meeting.
+
* Voting for 2023 board.
*** A few members are afraid that requiring a fee for access to specific furniture would be seen as an increased membership tier.
+
** We had 5 candidates, so the board was acclaimed:
*** Members who helped fundraise don't want to be disallowed from using things bought with that money.
+
*** Edwin Amsler
* Policies, in general
+
*** Michael Kozakewich
** We haven't touched our policies in a long time. The directors can legally set policy themselves, but we should have a(nother) policy of running any changes past the membership first. We should have a discussion in the next little while about what we should do when someone (whether a director or other member) identifies an issue with the way we go things. For example: The directors could announce their initial thoughts to the mailing list, then we can discuss, and the members can choose if holding a vote is necessary.
+
*** Thor Robinson
* Purpose, mission
+
*** Mark Campbell
** A couple weeks ago, Edwin and some members were talking about how SkullSpace has never really (in the last several years, anyway) had a mission statement, or clear goals for the purpose of the space. Edwin proposed that our purpose should be to help people make rad things, and that we should take some time at each monthly meeting to decide on a new project to help with that month.  
+
*** Justin Labrie
** Ben M made a list of possible rules. It should:
+
** We held a mock election for any two of Pirates, Clowns, and Ninjas. The winners were Pirates and Ninjas.
*** not be for profit,
+
* Financial report
*** benefit the space,
+
** We've climbed slowly from dangerous levels back up to an acceptable amount.
*** take no longer than three weeks to complete, and
+
** This was because we got a massive cut in rent, and we've been allowed to set our rent quarterly based on what we can handle.
*** require the skills of four or five SkullSpace members
+
** At the moment, our trajectory is very flat, maybe trending downward slightly.
** Talk to Ben M about his ideas. We'll post it to Discuss at some point.
+
** As we gain members, that'll increase. Then we'll increase our rent to flatten it again. That'll continue until we're back to our 2019 level of membership and our 2019 level of rent.
* Avant
+
** Everything else is pretty normal.
** Chris J is interested in switching our insurance to Avant, since it's nearby and they handled us well for the social. Chris will take a look and see how they compare to our current insurance, to see if it's even worthwhile.  
+
* Other news
* Tech Club
+
** Movie nights are still happening. Next is March 17th.
** We've applied for a per-capita grant from Winnipeg, and we'll probably be getting a grant of $500 for the tech club.
+
** HAX is coming up! We're announcing a list of presenters on Friday, and HAX itself is coming up on March 31st.
** Brad T wants to work with members of the space to hammer out some lesson plans so we can have something to run with when the time comes.
+
 
** Thor was talking about making TinkerCAD logins and preloading a bunch of laptops with software and models so they're ready for lessons.
+
== January 31st, 2023 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* Interior
+
 
** Chris brought an interior designer. She recommended that we clean the place up and move forward with our goals, of course. She also recommends info near the door and more projects on display.
+
== December 27th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* Improvements
+
== November 29th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
** There was some interest in updating the 3D printer's computer. Some members pointed out that the current computer performs strangely in some circumstances. Someone wanted to have a computer for some 3D modelling, and pointed out that the lounge computer might be needed by others at the same time. It was pointed out that the current 3D printer computer is fairly dumb, and is used to slice models and send them to the printers. We might want to get a small, low-powered computer for that and a medium-powered computer for 3D modelling elsewhere. We can discuss it more online to figure out what would be best.
+
== October 25th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
** Someone had mentioned that we should get new soldering iron tips, or even newer soldering stations. We never got around to it, and that's something we should discuss. What are our member's requirements for soldering? We'll make a poll on Discuss.
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== September 27th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
** We pay members back for a purchase that was needed. If we run out of paper towels or pop, or if we have an open request (like for a new 8-foot 1A step ladder for around $150), you can bring something to the space and send us a copy of the receipt, and we'll get a cheque to you. At this point in time, we're trying to get access to new banking tools that would allow two directors to sign an eTransfer to allow immediate payback. Until then, we'll have to meet with you.
+
== August 30th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* Events
+
== July 26th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
** First Fridays this Friday, November 1st.
+
== June 28th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
** Scott from Extra Life is one of our new members. He's hosting a game day this Saturday, November 2nd.
+
== May 31st, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
** November 2nd is The Long Con, Winnipeg's best security conference.
+
== April 26th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
** New-Year's social potentially being planned. We've gotten some attention from our previous social, and people want to know when we're holding our next one. Talk to Colin E for some initial plans. Nothing is really set in stone yet.
+
== March 29th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
== February 22nd, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
== January 25th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
 
 +
== December 28th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
== November 30th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
== October 26th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
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== September 28th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
== August 31st, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
== July 27th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
== June 29th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
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== May 25th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
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== April 27th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
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== March 30th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
 
 +
== February 23rd, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
* Got quorum.
 +
* Year in review:
 +
** This is our 12th online meeting.
 +
** We mourned Chris Johnson's passing in June.
 +
** Thank you to Thor for holding his movie nights.
 +
** Edwin bought us some new tools, third hands, and soldering irons.
 +
** We had the online Hax event in October.
 +
** About three pop-in hackathons.
 +
* Voting for 2021 board.
 +
** We had 5 candidates, so the board was acclaimed:
 +
** Edwin Amsler
 +
** Michael Kozakewich
 +
** Thor Robinson
 +
** Pietra Shirley
 +
** Kyle Martin
 +
* Discussions on whether we can set up a budget for our electricity bill. Either through Hydro our do it ourselves.  
 +
** Not really necessary, really.
 +
* Snack donations haven't been accounted for, but we don't expect much given the lack of attendance.
 +
* Bitcoin endowment fund it's at 0.51687800 of a bitcoin.
 +
** https://blockchain.info/address/35RRPxpKJARa2SrLVpXieRQdQtv2947kMx
 +
* Question was asked when we would be out of money. The estimate is approximately 12 months.
 +
* Concerns were raised about abuse of membership signup process where a member could cancel/renew their membership based on the weather.
 +
** Putting one's membership on hold at a gym, for example, is usually limited to once per year
 +
* Raised that we'd like to have a new rave once vaccinations are in order and we're allowed to assemble.
 +
** Get occupancy permit
 +
*** Probably need railing on back steps up to fire escape.
 +
** Get licensed as a live music venue which allows us to run events when we'd want. (LGCA)
 +
** Expecting to try this around the end of the summer.
 +
** Ben has offered to run through this process.
 +
** There would be a license cost of $500-$1000 per year versus $150-$200 per event and adds the requirement of 4 weeks advance notice. Considered a reasonable investment.
 +
** The donation method of fundraising via livestreams has proven successful, provided a coordinated presentation and well marketed donation initiative
 +
** We're pending further information from the government before re-opening for usual events and gatherings.
 +
** Province sets the public health laws and guidelines
 +
* Meeting ended at 6:56 PM.
 +
 
 +
(We'll have to finally compile all the notes from Slack! Please let me know if you'd like to help with that from September onward.)
  
== September 24, 2019 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
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== January 26th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* Introductions
+
== December 29th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* Ratified last-month's minutes
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== November 24th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* Financials
+
== October 27th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
** The social gave us quite a lot
+
== September 29th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
** Everything else is fairly normal
 
* We're using the money from the social to purchase a couple co-working desks. These will be for people paying for a co-working package.
 
* If the tools at the space aren't good enough for your needs, please let the board know. We have a fund for improving the space.
 
* We should upgrade the 3D printer computer. It doesn't run Windows and is hard to reboot. We should get a small one with 16 GB of RAM or such and enough power to do some 3D modelling.
 
* Brad T presented about an Electronics & Technology Club he wants to start
 
** A workshop for youth to learn electronics skills
 
** Instructors will engage one-on-one with students
 
** Ideally, it'll end up running in the afternoon each weekday. It would probably start only on Saturdays
 
** Students would choose projects, and the teachers would break it down.
 
** Teach them microcontrollers and such
 
** Add components like LEDs and motors
 
** Teach the production of circuit boards
 
** Also cover programming, 3D printing, bike tinkering, CBC, and cybersecurity
 
** We'd have to keep up with social media
 
** We could try to get Tip Top Electronics to sponsor
 
** We'd need to get some grants
 
** We should have some basic tools
 
*** A couple Raspberry Pi
 
*** Blue Pill Arduinos
 
*** Jumper wires
 
*** Breadboards
 
** If we market to parents, it's possible to get $300/month.
 
** We would need people to get background checks before they start helping
 
  
== August 27, 2019 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
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== August 25th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* 6 members present
 
* intros
 
* Ratified minutes
 
 
* Financials
 
* Financials
** Hydro bill was 50% bigger this month
+
** We managed to get a rent reduction of 20% for the year.
** We're at the end of the A/C weather, so we'll be back to normal right away.
+
** We finally got the new directors added to our bank account
** Everything else was fairly steady.
+
** Hydro estimated an extra $100 for no reason. That just means the price will be lower in a later month.
* Social planning
+
** We appreciate any extra donations!
** It's less than three weeks away!
+
** Mark C is willing to fund volunteer work for SkullSpace. He has the money, but not the time. Are you interested in running online classes or live-streaming electronics stuff?
** We've got nearly all the pieces together, it's just a matter of getting that all into place
+
** We discussed power usage. We're going through roughly $30-$40 per week, mostly because of our servers. It would be nice to lower that, but we're not pushing too hard.
* Brad is doing some LED lighting on a show with electronic artist Cyber Girl on August 31st
+
* We put an old Google Meet link on our sites and such, but apparently only Mark has access to it. We might need to make a different link.
* We signed up for another year of First Fridays
+
* Mark J is planning another Hax festival on October 17th.
 +
** Virtual event, live sessions, no pre-bake.
 +
** Payment offered for each half-hour session.
 +
* Edwin is now a director. Pirates won the mock vote against Ninjas.
 +
* September's movie stream: "Fantastic Voyage" and "Innerspace"
 +
** It was postponed from last month.
  
== July 30, 2019 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
+
== July 28th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* 7 members, 5 guests
 
* Introductions
 
* Ratified minutes
 
 
* Financials
 
* Financials
** Thank you to Sean Penn for almost using our space as a filming location. They paid for the space, even if all they did was move out and move back in. We gained $2000 for that
+
** June wasn't super bad. July is super bad.
** Thank you to Helga for a donation after the successful launch of her Shimmer art exhibit. It was great seeing so many members working together on one project
+
** We're losing members at about our usual rate, but we aren't replenishing them with new members.
* Ai-Kon was the previous weekend
+
** We got a bonus from some old gift card funds. (Remember FundScrip?)
** We had Brad's Skulltris with us, and it attracted many eyes
+
** We also forgot about some of Nate's expenses, so I went back and lowered our NYE profits and took out some snack profits.
** We had plenty of members to look after the booth
+
** We're looking into the emergency rent reduction stuff
** We could do a presentation at Ai-Kon some year
+
** It seems like we're supposed to be surviving through our members' CERB payments.
* If we wanted to do presentations, we could use the Millenium Library
+
* We've had a couple people ask about getting tours, so we should start maintaining a presence at the space again.
* We should look into Manitoba Arts Council can give us grants to work with different groups
+
* Reminder: SkullSpace offers email addresses to members. If you'd like one, just send an email to admin@.
* We'll be making an internal list of members who would be interested in doing grant stuff, or running presentations or working with educational groups. At the moment, the best we can do is send it to announce@ to see if there's any interest
+
* We should collect impact statements from all the participants of our TEC workshops.
* Sandbox is dead without a new (graphically powerful) computer. Sand was also annoying to deal with, so we'd need something different
+
* We updated our website with more COVID-19 info.
** If anyone would like to salvage some of the wood (2x4s, painted black), feel free
+
* The election for the new director is on Tuesday. No other candidates besides Edwin, yet. Mark J is our election official, and has plans for encrypted public-channel voting. If there are no other candidates announced, he'll hold a mock vote for Pirates vs Ninjas.
** We still have the Kinect if anyone would like to use it for a project at the space
 
* Les.net wants to hire someone to set up Raspberry Pi relays to monitor things. Email Chris for details
 
* Val, a visitor, is trying to make a sculpture for the Forks. It's currently a model of a bull, but she is going to turn the model into a series of panels with the shapes of books in bas-relief. Then she'd like to 3D print the final proof-of-concept
 
 
* Events
 
* Events
** Missing Maps was on Wednesday
+
** Online board game night next Tuesday (Aug 4) at 6:00.
*** There are new building footprint datasets released by Bing and NRCan for Southwest Manitoba
+
** August's movie stream: "Fantastic Voyage" and "Innerspace".
** First Fridays this Friday. Chris will be here. We're thinking of renewing, but we haven't gotten any members from it in the past year and it's difficult to get members to staff it
 
** Movie night August 23, Weird Science and My Science Project. Snacks!
 
  
 +
== June 30th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 +
* Financials
 +
** It turns out Google Drive wasn't backing up Michael's copy of the books, and so a data-loss event ruined several months of records. No reports this month while he rebuilds it, but we expect that the downward ramp will continue.
 +
* Chris Johnson passed away at the very end of May. There's a notebook at the space for anyone who'd like to record some memories. The book will be given to his parents at some point in the future.
 +
** Because of the new opening on the board, we're going to call some new elections. Edwin has been cleared by his company, so he'll fill that spot if no-one else nominates themselves.
 +
** Some members wanted to work on a memorial project for Chris. There were some ideas on Slack, but a lot of us are probably waiting until we can gather safely.
 +
* Edwin had brought the Prusa printer home some months ago, and was thinking about bringing it back.
 +
* Colin E. had some leads on a donation of synth production gear.
 +
* Michael would like to try to keep up appearances online even when we go back to face-to-face meetings at the space.
 +
* Thor is streaming movie night. This month was "Blast from the Past" and "Bubble Boy". Next month is "Starship Troopers" and "Ender's Game".
  
== June 25, 2019 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
+
== May 26th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* Introductions
 
 
* Financials
 
* Financials
** Net value is even with last month
+
** Starting to see that drop. Memberships down $60 from last month, which will continue.
** We gained some members recently after we lost a few a couple months ago
+
** We tend to get a member or two leaving every month or two, so we rely on incoming members.
** All the numbers this month were pretty average
+
** Everything else is roughly the same
** It's getting into air-conditioning season, so Hydro bills will be higher in the coming months
+
* 16 virus cases in total in MB, so things will either get better and better, or worse and worse.
* Using a larger bit in the CNC machine causes loose material to gum up the rails, so steps will be skipped
+
* Thor has been streaming movie night. This month was 'Ready or Not' and 'The Cabin in the Woods'. Next month is 'Blast from the Past' and 'Bubble Boy'.
** Edwin is dabbling with designs to get the vacuum connected
 
* Helga's rippling tile project is nearly complete! The debut is this Friday, June 28th at 7:00pm at Video Pool (2nd floor at the cinematheque).
 
* Video Pool would be interested in partnering with SkullSpace to offer member's rates to SkullSpace members if they work with Video Pool members to work on and showcase prototypes
 
** SkullSpace members could help unlock the full potential of their more technical equipment
 
** We'll try to go over there on Tuesday, July 30th after the meeting
 
* Planning for Anti-Social 2019 is in full swing
 
** You can join the channel on Slack, and you can ask for an invite if you're not in Slack
 
** We're planning for an afternoon game day as a pre-event. More info later
 
** We're aiming for late August or early September
 
* Next Movie night will be July 23rd, with 'League of Extraordinary Gentlemen' and 'Mystery Men'
 
* The Long Con has opened their call for talks
 
** Have some ideas, but want to collaborate? Talk to Troy
 
** Also, get your employers to give some sponsorship money
 
* A movie called Flag Day will have a scene filmed from within SkullSpace on Wednesday, July 10th. The space will be closed to all members, so let us know if you planned to use the space and we'll make some alternate arrangements for you.
 
  
== May 28, 2019 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
+
== April 28th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
* Introductions
+
* 6:03: Ratified last-month's minutes
* Ratified last-month's minutes
+
* 6:06: Financials
*Financial report:
+
** The net worth is steady, but we will be losing over the next little bit due to member loss.
** Still losing money. After pruning some members last month, we haven't replaced them for this month. More funds will come in next month and the month after, so it should even out
+
** Expenses are pretty flat. Income had quite a bit of food and drink.
** Snacks are pretty low this month
+
** We earned $40.00 from the coffee machine, this month.
** Everything else is pretty average
+
** Membership slightly down - have not been chasing for dues, though we also haven't heard that anyone is unable to pay.
* Events
+
** Michael removed members who didn't respond since February and March.
** OSM night in June will probably be on the third week. It'll be on a Wednesday
+
** Michael will pay a coworking fee for using the fancy desks during April.
** First Friday not this Friday! It'll be on June 7th
+
** Our average monthly cost is $2400 ($1890 rent + $210 insurance + $200 utilities + 70 bank)
** Cookies & Community today. Come talk about business plans or something while eating cookies
+
** A few scenarios:
* Other
+
*** If literally all money stopped coming in, we'd last about three months.
** We discussed getting a ladder at some point. 8 feet high, grade 1A, it could be either aluminum or fibreglass. Colin 0 will probably pick one up when there's a sale
+
*** If only our PAD amounts were still coming in, we'd last about six months.
** New Ubiquity APs! These ones support the 5 GHz band and 802.11ac
+
*** If we continued on as usual, but we lost about three or four of our members, we'd be on a sixteen-month slope unless we held fundraisers.
*** Maybe in five more years we'll upgrade again to 802.11ax or something
+
* 6:31: 3D Printer was making the PETG face mask straps, but clogged. Largely its been operating fine but Edwin will be ordering a replacement bed as the previous one was damaged slightly
 +
* 6:39: Province to announce opening up again soon in a limited fashion and we will keep people up to date
 +
** No events, yet, and use space sparingly.
 +
* 6:40: Need for an IRC bot set up for slack.
 +
* 6:48: If anyone is having trouble paying dues for April/ May, let Michael know in case we can get reimbursed.
 +
** Due to the pandemic, we have lost a few hundred dollars and it would be nice if we could get some of that.
 +
** We might need our members to pay with money from their own government subsidies. That might be how we're supposed to get help from the government for this.
 +
* 6:56: Thor streamed his movie night. The same might happen next month.
  
== April 30, 2019 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
+
== March 31st, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel ==
 
* Introductions
 
* Introductions
* Ratified last-month's minutes
+
* Last minutes
* Financial report:
+
* Financials
** Lower membership from new members dropping out after a couple months
+
** I forgot to arrange some server space with Mark, so instead I made a really long web link for the financial results
*** We sometimes have to trim newer members who lose interest after a few months, but sometimes Michael gets lazy and leaves it for a month or two. Then it piles up
+
** http://rhombitruncated.icosidodecahedron.com/skullspace_financial_reports_as_of_2020-03-31/
** Everything else is fairly normal. On the whole, a small loss for this month
+
** Net worth is holding pretty steady, all things considered.
* Events:
+
** We outlaid some expenses to get groceries and the like.
** Ai-Kon is coming up, July 26-28. We get two passes per day, so let me know if you'd like to watch the table for one or more days. There are events throughout the night if you want to enjoy yourself after the dealer's hall closes
+
** Our drink and snack income were fairly high, so thank you to Nate for restocking that.  
** First Friday of the month coming up:
+
** Membership is holding steady for now.
*** Work-from-Skullspace Day during the workday
+
** I didn't collect enough over-dues.
*** Potential plans for Lunch-from-Skullspace Day if you work nearby but can't telecommute
+
* Stuff
*** First Fridays that evening, starting at 6:00
+
** 3D Printer had problems again. It looked overheated. Edwin will take it home to look at it.
* 3D printer got some extra care. Ordered new print surface using a coupon
+
** The half-taken-apart TV is Edwin's.
* Cookies and Community is held after each monthly meeting. We snacked on cinnamon rolls during the meeting. You should have been here!
+
** The whole place has pretty much been in stasis
* Ended 18:17
+
* COVID-19
 +
** We're trying to reduce the number of people in the space. So far there have never been more than about six.
 +
** We just reached 100 cases of the disease in Manitoba.
 +
** At the time, it could have started doubling every few days, but that's the exact point where the curve-flattening started working.
 +
** “I can’t go out, I’m washing my hands tonight”
 +
** We're not locking the space down, but we are urging members to stay home.
 +
** The ‘modular petting zoo’ is cancelled until further notice.
 +
** Gatherings of up to 10 people should still be fine.
 +
** We updated the front page of the website with a message.
 +
** We'll need to keep on top of lost funds due to cancelled memberships and non-payment. Please talk to Michael K if you need to make arrangements.
  
== March 26, 2019 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
+
== February 25th, 2020 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
* Oops, the meeting minutes weren't uploaded. They should be on the lounge computer, so they should be uploaded sometime in May.
+
* Started 6:00pm
 
+
* Attendance was taken
== February 27, 2019 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
+
* We have quorum. 15 people in attendance, two proxy
* 14 members present; 3 represented by proxy. These 17 members constituted a quorum
+
* 6:04: Year in review
* We decided to wait until more members arrived before we closed candidacy for directors
+
** Movie team paid for the Space and didn't use it. We made $2,000 and they cleaned the windows for us.
* Finances
+
** Two very well received and attended socials. A good mix of a traditional social and our gaming/hangout space.
** Net worth is on the up-and-up (currently at about $2617.44 above expenses)
+
** Earned $1,500 for the first and $1,700 on the second.
** Last year 2770
+
** Year-over-year we're doing quite well as far as earnings
** There was a downward spike last year from a large Hydro bill. Michael has been reading the meter weekly since then.
+
** Presented cashflow, income and expenses from the past 12 months
** Hydro fees are a bit of a guess, we would need to retrieve our login information to find out how much we're charged per kilowatt hour.
+
** Donations for the tech club $500
** We're using about 300 kWh/week without the air conditioner
+
** Helga's donation for our help
** Uncollected dues is at its lowest since 2017
+
* 6:10: Membership count is currently at 58. Down from 60 last AGM.
** Some questions were asked
+
* 6:15: Discussing net worth, how we track what people owe us
*** Might there be a seasonal trend of membership turn-around? At this point we don't know, but Michael will run some numbers some day
+
* 6:15: Rent was not sustainable at one point and we re-negotiated. How are we with the landlord.
*** Are there any common reasons members suspend their membership? Nost who cancelled recently cancelled for the sake of their own time or finances
+
** We checked the property value and it was under $400,000. Could we buy the building?
* Looking back at 2018
+
** We should offer to renew early?
** Got Prusa 3D Printer
+
* 6:20: Revisiting year in review:
** Got a new door and got the push-bar installed
+
** Tech club occurred in October and November which taught electronics on three separate events.
** Started participating in First Friday
+
*** Arduino session, intro to 3D printing, Arduino 7 segment display
** Went to Ai-Kon
+
*** 15 kids aged ten to sixteen came out.
** Got a new vertical Banner
+
*** Funding from the city
** Hosted Manitoba Pinball League
+
*** Super success!
** Gained enough members to cover expense
+
** MGUG events held at least five evenings.
** Thor threw several movie nights
+
** YIMBY events held ten meetings.
* Discussion of what SkullSpace ''is'' came up, a community of technically minded people that are available to help each other out on their projects.
+
** First Fridays have happened.
* 360 tour of the space suggested
+
** Movie nights have been a grand success.
* Suggestion of an advertising campaign. Idea to run more events for post-secondary students.
+
** Helped local artist realize their "Shimmer" exhibit
* The fob management system's power supply had 'technical' "issues" about a month ago. A newer system was constructed, and will be installed soon.
+
** Carl (CNC machine can cut metal things now and is much quieter)
* AR Sandbox table has become just a table, Keith will be contacted to figure out what to do with it.
+
** Began building out an office-like space with the earnings from the first social
* Events
+
*** Two 4K monitors and desks
** Ai-Kon's one-day Winterfest was interesting. We got some interest in our space. One of the 3D pens glitched out
+
*** Built a wall
** First Friday is coming up this Friday, March 1st
+
* 6:30: Discussions about wall building
*** More members at the space would be helpful
+
* 6:33: Final notes
** Petting Zoo upcoming; date needs to be finalized
+
** Thor: Participation is important, letting other members have a try
* Candidacy for board was re-visited
+
** Brad: It was a good experience. Recommend it to build a higher profile
** Only five members announced candidacy, so no vote was needed.
+
* 6:36: New board decided without a vote.
** Directors for 2019:
+
** Chris Johnson
*** Michael
+
** Kyle Martin
*** Chris
+
** Mark Campbell
*** Brad M
+
** Michael Kozakewich
*** Thor
+
** Nate Wild
*** Ben M
+
* Action item:
 +
** 3D print something for the tech club contributors
 +
** Wall builders strike force. Help come build more wall. Next Tuesday March 3rd.
  
== January 29, 2019 - 18:17 @ 200-374 Donald ==
+
== January 28, 2020 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald ==
* Finances are going up at a steady rate.
+
* No introductions needed
* Proposal to have routine Dungeons and Dragons at the space, if interested contact Cameron.
+
* Previous minutes
* Comedy workshop still happening every other Wednesday.
+
* Financial
* This friday is First Friday
+
** NYE Social boosted it a bunch
* Next month is the annual general meeting
+
** We still haven't gotten back up to peak members, so we'd be on a slight downward slope without these fundraisers
** Anyone interested in becoming a Skullspace board member please make a post to discuss.
+
** Everything else is similar. It seems it mostly boils down to membership levels and fundraisers.
* Several members have noticed 555 days of up time is very noisy
+
* NYE Social:
 +
** Got too much alcohol
 +
** Managed to return most of that
 +
** In the end we made about $1400, so it was a success
 +
** More than half our guests used EventBrite
 +
** We keep on underpricing drinks
 +
** The downstairs has been leased, so we can't throw any more of this type of social
 +
*** Or can we? It seems the second floor of the adjoining building is still open, so that's an avenue of discussion
 +
* AGM soon
 +
** Any bylaws or such need to be in by February 4th.

Latest revision as of 05:29, 3 March 2023


This page serves as the index for SkullSpace meeting minutes.

Contents

Minutes from previous years

Meeting_notes (2019)

Meeting_notes (2018)

Meeting_notes (2017)

Meeting_notes (2016)

Meeting_notes (2015)

Meeting_notes (2014)

Meeting_notes (2013)

Meeting_notes (2012)

Meeting_notes (2011)

Meeting_notes (2010)


September 2020 and beyond

We ended up losing track of the notes that were left in Slack, and now Discord. If you'd like to find the notes for a specific month but you cannot access those platforms, let someone else (or the board) know and we'll try to copy those notes here.

If you have some time and want to help with that, please go through September 2020 and onward, compiling notes from each meeting and recording them here.

February 28th, 2023 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald

  • We achieved quorum
  • Year in review:
    • Finally back in force after being on break since 2020.
    • We got a whole whack of really old augmented-reality headsets. Most seem to be running an old version of Android. Neat!
    • There was a burglary into one of the higher floors, and our footage was able to confirm that someone left the building with another tenant's bike.
    • We ground the hinges off the door to regain entry after there were errors in the fob system. It may have been a case of loose wiring. The new fire-safetied door has a keyhole for emergencies.
    • We upgraded various computer system. The fob and camera management computer was toast, so we updated the hardware and the software platform. We also got our hands on a new server with many GBs of RAM.
    • We started meeting on Discord.
    • We started hosting events on the first Friday of each month again.
    • Finally got our occupancy permit, after more than ten years in the space. We can hold events now.
  • Voting for 2023 board.
    • We had 5 candidates, so the board was acclaimed:
      • Edwin Amsler
      • Michael Kozakewich
      • Thor Robinson
      • Mark Campbell
      • Justin Labrie
    • We held a mock election for any two of Pirates, Clowns, and Ninjas. The winners were Pirates and Ninjas.
  • Financial report
    • We've climbed slowly from dangerous levels back up to an acceptable amount.
    • This was because we got a massive cut in rent, and we've been allowed to set our rent quarterly based on what we can handle.
    • At the moment, our trajectory is very flat, maybe trending downward slightly.
    • As we gain members, that'll increase. Then we'll increase our rent to flatten it again. That'll continue until we're back to our 2019 level of membership and our 2019 level of rent.
    • Everything else is pretty normal.
  • Other news
    • Movie nights are still happening. Next is March 17th.
    • HAX is coming up! We're announcing a list of presenters on Friday, and HAX itself is coming up on March 31st.

January 31st, 2023 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

December 27th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

November 29th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

October 25th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

September 27th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

August 30th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

July 26th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

June 28th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

May 31st, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

April 26th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

March 29th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

February 22nd, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

January 25th, 2022 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

December 28th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

November 30th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

October 26th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

September 28th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

August 31st, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

July 27th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

June 29th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

May 25th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

April 27th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

March 30th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

February 23rd, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

  • Got quorum.
  • Year in review:
    • This is our 12th online meeting.
    • We mourned Chris Johnson's passing in June.
    • Thank you to Thor for holding his movie nights.
    • Edwin bought us some new tools, third hands, and soldering irons.
    • We had the online Hax event in October.
    • About three pop-in hackathons.
  • Voting for 2021 board.
    • We had 5 candidates, so the board was acclaimed:
    • Edwin Amsler
    • Michael Kozakewich
    • Thor Robinson
    • Pietra Shirley
    • Kyle Martin
  • Discussions on whether we can set up a budget for our electricity bill. Either through Hydro our do it ourselves.
    • Not really necessary, really.
  • Snack donations haven't been accounted for, but we don't expect much given the lack of attendance.
  • Bitcoin endowment fund it's at 0.51687800 of a bitcoin.
  • Question was asked when we would be out of money. The estimate is approximately 12 months.
  • Concerns were raised about abuse of membership signup process where a member could cancel/renew their membership based on the weather.
    • Putting one's membership on hold at a gym, for example, is usually limited to once per year
  • Raised that we'd like to have a new rave once vaccinations are in order and we're allowed to assemble.
    • Get occupancy permit
      • Probably need railing on back steps up to fire escape.
    • Get licensed as a live music venue which allows us to run events when we'd want. (LGCA)
    • Expecting to try this around the end of the summer.
    • Ben has offered to run through this process.
    • There would be a license cost of $500-$1000 per year versus $150-$200 per event and adds the requirement of 4 weeks advance notice. Considered a reasonable investment.
    • The donation method of fundraising via livestreams has proven successful, provided a coordinated presentation and well marketed donation initiative
    • We're pending further information from the government before re-opening for usual events and gatherings.
    • Province sets the public health laws and guidelines
  • Meeting ended at 6:56 PM.

(We'll have to finally compile all the notes from Slack! Please let me know if you'd like to help with that from September onward.)

January 26th, 2021 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

December 29th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

November 24th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

October 27th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

September 29th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

August 25th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

  • Financials
    • We managed to get a rent reduction of 20% for the year.
    • We finally got the new directors added to our bank account
    • Hydro estimated an extra $100 for no reason. That just means the price will be lower in a later month.
    • We appreciate any extra donations!
    • Mark C is willing to fund volunteer work for SkullSpace. He has the money, but not the time. Are you interested in running online classes or live-streaming electronics stuff?
    • We discussed power usage. We're going through roughly $30-$40 per week, mostly because of our servers. It would be nice to lower that, but we're not pushing too hard.
  • We put an old Google Meet link on our sites and such, but apparently only Mark has access to it. We might need to make a different link.
  • Mark J is planning another Hax festival on October 17th.
    • Virtual event, live sessions, no pre-bake.
    • Payment offered for each half-hour session.
  • Edwin is now a director. Pirates won the mock vote against Ninjas.
  • September's movie stream: "Fantastic Voyage" and "Innerspace"
    • It was postponed from last month.

July 28th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

  • Financials
    • June wasn't super bad. July is super bad.
    • We're losing members at about our usual rate, but we aren't replenishing them with new members.
    • We got a bonus from some old gift card funds. (Remember FundScrip?)
    • We also forgot about some of Nate's expenses, so I went back and lowered our NYE profits and took out some snack profits.
    • We're looking into the emergency rent reduction stuff
    • It seems like we're supposed to be surviving through our members' CERB payments.
  • We've had a couple people ask about getting tours, so we should start maintaining a presence at the space again.
  • Reminder: SkullSpace offers email addresses to members. If you'd like one, just send an email to admin@.
  • We should collect impact statements from all the participants of our TEC workshops.
  • We updated our website with more COVID-19 info.
  • The election for the new director is on Tuesday. No other candidates besides Edwin, yet. Mark J is our election official, and has plans for encrypted public-channel voting. If there are no other candidates announced, he'll hold a mock vote for Pirates vs Ninjas.
  • Events
    • Online board game night next Tuesday (Aug 4) at 6:00.
    • August's movie stream: "Fantastic Voyage" and "Innerspace".

June 30th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

  • Financials
    • It turns out Google Drive wasn't backing up Michael's copy of the books, and so a data-loss event ruined several months of records. No reports this month while he rebuilds it, but we expect that the downward ramp will continue.
  • Chris Johnson passed away at the very end of May. There's a notebook at the space for anyone who'd like to record some memories. The book will be given to his parents at some point in the future.
    • Because of the new opening on the board, we're going to call some new elections. Edwin has been cleared by his company, so he'll fill that spot if no-one else nominates themselves.
    • Some members wanted to work on a memorial project for Chris. There were some ideas on Slack, but a lot of us are probably waiting until we can gather safely.
  • Edwin had brought the Prusa printer home some months ago, and was thinking about bringing it back.
  • Colin E. had some leads on a donation of synth production gear.
  • Michael would like to try to keep up appearances online even when we go back to face-to-face meetings at the space.
  • Thor is streaming movie night. This month was "Blast from the Past" and "Bubble Boy". Next month is "Starship Troopers" and "Ender's Game".

May 26th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

  • Financials
    • Starting to see that drop. Memberships down $60 from last month, which will continue.
    • We tend to get a member or two leaving every month or two, so we rely on incoming members.
    • Everything else is roughly the same
  • 16 virus cases in total in MB, so things will either get better and better, or worse and worse.
  • Thor has been streaming movie night. This month was 'Ready or Not' and 'The Cabin in the Woods'. Next month is 'Blast from the Past' and 'Bubble Boy'.

April 28th, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

  • 6:03: Ratified last-month's minutes
  • 6:06: Financials
    • The net worth is steady, but we will be losing over the next little bit due to member loss.
    • Expenses are pretty flat. Income had quite a bit of food and drink.
    • We earned $40.00 from the coffee machine, this month.
    • Membership slightly down - have not been chasing for dues, though we also haven't heard that anyone is unable to pay.
    • Michael removed members who didn't respond since February and March.
    • Michael will pay a coworking fee for using the fancy desks during April.
    • Our average monthly cost is $2400 ($1890 rent + $210 insurance + $200 utilities + 70 bank)
    • A few scenarios:
      • If literally all money stopped coming in, we'd last about three months.
      • If only our PAD amounts were still coming in, we'd last about six months.
      • If we continued on as usual, but we lost about three or four of our members, we'd be on a sixteen-month slope unless we held fundraisers.
  • 6:31: 3D Printer was making the PETG face mask straps, but clogged. Largely its been operating fine but Edwin will be ordering a replacement bed as the previous one was damaged slightly
  • 6:39: Province to announce opening up again soon in a limited fashion and we will keep people up to date
    • No events, yet, and use space sparingly.
  • 6:40: Need for an IRC bot set up for slack.
  • 6:48: If anyone is having trouble paying dues for April/ May, let Michael know in case we can get reimbursed.
    • Due to the pandemic, we have lost a few hundred dollars and it would be nice if we could get some of that.
    • We might need our members to pay with money from their own government subsidies. That might be how we're supposed to get help from the government for this.
  • 6:56: Thor streamed his movie night. The same might happen next month.

March 31st, 2020 - 18:00 @ Slack General Channel

  • Introductions
  • Last minutes
  • Financials
    • I forgot to arrange some server space with Mark, so instead I made a really long web link for the financial results
    • http://rhombitruncated.icosidodecahedron.com/skullspace_financial_reports_as_of_2020-03-31/
    • Net worth is holding pretty steady, all things considered.
    • We outlaid some expenses to get groceries and the like.
    • Our drink and snack income were fairly high, so thank you to Nate for restocking that.
    • Membership is holding steady for now.
    • I didn't collect enough over-dues.
  • Stuff
    • 3D Printer had problems again. It looked overheated. Edwin will take it home to look at it.
    • The half-taken-apart TV is Edwin's.
    • The whole place has pretty much been in stasis
  • COVID-19
    • We're trying to reduce the number of people in the space. So far there have never been more than about six.
    • We just reached 100 cases of the disease in Manitoba.
    • At the time, it could have started doubling every few days, but that's the exact point where the curve-flattening started working.
    • “I can’t go out, I’m washing my hands tonight”
    • We're not locking the space down, but we are urging members to stay home.
    • The ‘modular petting zoo’ is cancelled until further notice.
    • Gatherings of up to 10 people should still be fine.
    • We updated the front page of the website with a message.
    • We'll need to keep on top of lost funds due to cancelled memberships and non-payment. Please talk to Michael K if you need to make arrangements.

February 25th, 2020 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald

  • Started 6:00pm
  • Attendance was taken
  • We have quorum. 15 people in attendance, two proxy
  • 6:04: Year in review
    • Movie team paid for the Space and didn't use it. We made $2,000 and they cleaned the windows for us.
    • Two very well received and attended socials. A good mix of a traditional social and our gaming/hangout space.
    • Earned $1,500 for the first and $1,700 on the second.
    • Year-over-year we're doing quite well as far as earnings
    • Presented cashflow, income and expenses from the past 12 months
    • Donations for the tech club $500
    • Helga's donation for our help
  • 6:10: Membership count is currently at 58. Down from 60 last AGM.
  • 6:15: Discussing net worth, how we track what people owe us
  • 6:15: Rent was not sustainable at one point and we re-negotiated. How are we with the landlord.
    • We checked the property value and it was under $400,000. Could we buy the building?
    • We should offer to renew early?
  • 6:20: Revisiting year in review:
    • Tech club occurred in October and November which taught electronics on three separate events.
      • Arduino session, intro to 3D printing, Arduino 7 segment display
      • 15 kids aged ten to sixteen came out.
      • Funding from the city
      • Super success!
    • MGUG events held at least five evenings.
    • YIMBY events held ten meetings.
    • First Fridays have happened.
    • Movie nights have been a grand success.
    • Helped local artist realize their "Shimmer" exhibit
    • Carl (CNC machine can cut metal things now and is much quieter)
    • Began building out an office-like space with the earnings from the first social
      • Two 4K monitors and desks
      • Built a wall
  • 6:30: Discussions about wall building
  • 6:33: Final notes
    • Thor: Participation is important, letting other members have a try
    • Brad: It was a good experience. Recommend it to build a higher profile
  • 6:36: New board decided without a vote.
    • Chris Johnson
    • Kyle Martin
    • Mark Campbell
    • Michael Kozakewich
    • Nate Wild
  • Action item:
    • 3D print something for the tech club contributors
    • Wall builders strike force. Help come build more wall. Next Tuesday March 3rd.

January 28, 2020 - 18:00 @ 200-374 Donald

  • No introductions needed
  • Previous minutes
  • Financial
    • NYE Social boosted it a bunch
    • We still haven't gotten back up to peak members, so we'd be on a slight downward slope without these fundraisers
    • Everything else is similar. It seems it mostly boils down to membership levels and fundraisers.
  • NYE Social:
    • Got too much alcohol
    • Managed to return most of that
    • In the end we made about $1400, so it was a success
    • More than half our guests used EventBrite
    • We keep on underpricing drinks
    • The downstairs has been leased, so we can't throw any more of this type of social
      • Or can we? It seems the second floor of the adjoining building is still open, so that's an avenue of discussion
  • AGM soon
    • Any bylaws or such need to be in by February 4th.