Weeknotes

Week 460 – Doing Our Bit

30th March 2020
"Week 460 – Doing Our Bit"

Each week we’ll endeavour to publish some details of the interesting things that members of DoES Liverpool have been up to over the past seven days. You can find out a bit more about them in our introductory post.

And remember, if you’re involved with DoES Liverpool at all, let us know what you get up to so we can include it here!

Covid-19

Click here for details of the measures we’re currently taking related to the COVID-19 situation. We’ll keep you updated if anything changes – make sure you’re following us via our Google Group, and/or via social media.

Things of Note

Coming Up in the Next Week

Thursday 02 April, 7:00pm – 9:30pm    Maker Night online at https://meet.jit.si/bubblino

COVID19

We’ve set up a new Git repository to help manage the things we’re doing to help in the current crisis. You can check out the issues there and see if there’s anything you want to get involved in: https://github.com/doesliverpool/covid19

Somebody Should

The DoES Liverpool to-do list is stored in the issues of our Somebody Should repository on github. Head over there if there’s something you’d like to report, or if you want to help out fixing things.

See all the issues…

Issue counts: 320 open, 1096 closed

4 new issues:

Featured issue: Improve health and safety in the space. Can we move this on or close it?

4 issues closed:

Thanks ajlennon, DoESsean, johnmckerrell!

Week 459 – When Shit Got Real

23rd March 2020
"Week 459 – When Shit Got Real"

Each week we’ll endeavour to publish some details of the interesting things that members of DoES Liverpool have been up to over the past seven days. You can find out a bit more about them in our introductory post.

And remember, if you’re involved with DoES Liverpool at all, let us know what you get up to so we can include it here!

Covid-19

Click here for details of the measures we’re currently taking related to the COVID-19 situation. We’ll keep you updated if anything changes – make sure you’re following us via our Google Group, and/or via social media.

Things of Note

Coming Up in the Next Week

Tuesday 24 March, 7:00pm-9:00pm Wearable Tech Group – Online Show and Tell
Thursday 26 March, 7:00pm-9:30pm Maker Night (online – follow us on social media for more details)

Somebody Should

The DoES Liverpool to-do list is stored in the issues of our Somebody Should repository on github. Head over there if there’s something you’d like to report, or if you want to help out fixing things.

See all the issues…

Issue counts: 320 open, 1092 closed

3 new issues:

Featured issue: Work out and set up an induction process for the CNC router. Can we move this on or close it?

3 issues closed:

Thanks amcewen, johnmckerrell, MatthewCroughan!

Corona virus hand wash sign

DoES Liverpool COVID-19 Plan

17th March 2020
"DoES Liverpool COVID-19 Plan"

Following the updated government advice regarding COVID-19, and the need for social distancing, we have taken the difficult decision to cancel all DoES Liverpool Events, including Maker Nights and Maker Days, starting immediately and until further notice. We will not be supporting external events as we will not have staff available to supervise them.

The space will still be available for use, although it will no longer be staffed and we cannot guarantee that access will be possible without a fob. Anyone who has a fob can access the space as usual.

We realise that many of our members use the equipment at the space to do their job and so we need to support them at an already tricky time.  That means that if you come in on an ad-hoc basis and don’t have the out-of-hours access but do have a fob, you’ll still be able to come in as you do now.  As there will be nobody around to take payment, please email hello@doesliverpool.com with details of what you need to pay. 

You should only come in if you need to work on something or to collect something from the space.  Please do not attend purely for social reasons.

The membership of our community encompasses a broad spectrum of people, some of whom fall into the “high risk” bracket posed by this virus. Please do not continue operating business as usual; we all have a duty of care to manage the threat this virus poses, if not to you specifically, to other more vulnerable members of society.

Please do not attend the space if you are unwell, especially if you have got a new persistent cough or a fever.  

It is everybody’s responsibility to ensure that the space is kept as clean as possible; as such we are requesting that you wipe down all surfaces before and after use, as well as other areas such as the fridge door handle.  Surface cleaning spray is available by the workshop sink in the kitchen. The space will still be cleaned as usual, this is an additional precaution.

It goes without saying that one of the best ways to protect yourself is to regularly wash your hands and avoid touching your face, especially when you have been interacting with other people and spaces.

If you have any questions about access, or any other issues relating to this, email hello@doesliverpool.com.  We will be responding to communications, just not staffing the space itself.

DoES Liverpool Online

DoES Liverpool was set up to stop people feeling lonely from having to work on their own at home. As such we want to continue to help you feel less isolated during this situation. We have a few ways in which you can stay connected to the DoES Liverpool community and we’d love to hear your suggestions too!x

Obviously that’s just a start.  We know that the DoES Liverpool community will be working out all manner of ways to connect and cope and have interesting things to share.  As always, there’s the #weeknotes hashtag for letting others know what you’re up to, and let us know if there’s anything you’d like us to share.

Finally, look after yourselves and keep an eye out for any vulnerable members of the DoES Liverpool Community as well as in your local community.

Week 458 – Mixed Media

16th March 2020
"Week 458 – Mixed Media"

Each week we’ll endeavour to publish some details of the interesting things that members of DoES Liverpool have been up to over the past seven days. You can find out a bit more about them in our introductory post.

And remember, if you’re involved with DoES Liverpool at all, let us know what you get up to so we can include it here!

Things of Note

Coming Up in the Next Week

PLEASE FOLLOW OUR SOCIAL MEDIA AND GOOGLE GROUP FOR THE LATEST SITUATION; IN THE CURRENT CLIMATE EVENTS ARE BEING CANCELLED AT SHORT NOTICE

Tuesday 17 March, 6:30pm-9:00pm Liverpool Sewing Club
Wednesday 18 March, 6:30pm-9:00pm XR Liverpool
Thursday 19 March, 1:00pm-2:00pm Community Meeting
Thursday 19 March, 7:00pm-9:30pm Maker Night
Sunday 22 March, 1:00pm-4:00pm
Plastic Playgroup (DoES Workshop)

Somebody Should

The DoES Liverpool to-do list is stored in the issues of our Somebody Should repository on github. Head over there if there’s something you’d like to report, or if you want to help out fixing things.

See all the issues…

Issue counts: 320 open, 1089 closed

5 new issues:

Featured issue: Events space doorbot (doorbot1) failing. Can we move this on or close it?

1 issue closed:

Thanks jackie1050!

Week 457 – WLED Neopixels, AYAB Knitting

9th March 2020
"Week 457 – WLED Neopixels, AYAB Knitting"

Each week we’ll endeavour to publish some details of the interesting things that members of DoES Liverpool have been up to over the past seven days. You can find out a bit more about them in our introductory post. Read More

Week 456 – Making Money Cows Moo

2nd March 2020
"Week 456 – Making Money Cows Moo"

Each week we’ll endeavour to publish some details of the interesting things that members of DoES Liverpool have been up to over the past seven days. You can find out a bit more about them in our introductory post.

And remember, if you’re involved with DoES Liverpool at all, let us know what you get up to so we can include it here!

Things of Note

Coming Up in the Next Week

Monday 02 March, 6:30pm-9:00pm XR Liverpool
Tuesday 03 March, 6:30pm-9:30pm Hack the Space Evening
Tuesday 03 March, 7:00pm-9:00pm Liverpool Sewing Club
Thursday 05 March, 7:00pm-9:30pm Maker Night
Saturday 07 March, 10:00am-6pm Ladies of Code Liverpool Coding Hangout.

Everyone welcome.
Saturday 07 March, 10:30am-1:30pm An Introduction to Rubber Stamping (with Darran)

  • SOLD OUT
Sunday 08 March, 1:00pm-4:00pm Plastic Playgroup (DoES Workshop)

Somebody Should

The DoES Liverpool to-do list is stored in the issues of our Somebody Should repository on github. Head over there if there’s something you’d like to report, or if you want to help out fixing things.

See all the issues…

Issue counts: 312 open, 1082 closed

1 new issue:

Featured issue: Write some tweets/FB posts/etc. the Fabric District can send out to tell people what we offer. Can we move this on or close it?

3 issues closed:

Thanks Sean-anotherone, johnmckerrell!

Week 455 – Puppies and Chips

24th February 2020
"Week 455 – Puppies and Chips"

Each week we’ll endeavour to publish some details of the interesting things that members of DoES Liverpool have been up to over the past seven days. You can find out a bit more about them in our introductory post.

And remember, if you’re involved with DoES Liverpool at all, let us know what you get up to so we can include it here!

Things of Note

Coming Up in the Next Week

Tuesday 25 February, 7:00pm-9:00pm Wearable Tech Group
Wednesday 26 February, 7:00pm-9:00pm IoT Liverpool
Thursday 27 February, 6:00pm-9:00pm AWS Liverpool Meetup
Thursday 27 February, 7:00pm-9:30pm Maker Night
Saturday 29 February, 10:30am-1:30pm An Introduction to Rubber Stamping (with Darran)
Sunday 01 March, 1:00pm-4:00pm Plastic Playgroup (DoES Workshop)

Somebody Should

The DoES Liverpool to-do list is stored in the issues of our Somebody Should repository on github. Head over there if there’s something you’d like to report, or if you want to help out fixing things.

See all the issues…

Issue counts: 314 open, 1079 closed

4 new issues:

Featured issue: Rear fire escape shutter is dysfunctional, does not close.. Can we move this on or close it?

6 issues closed:

Thanks amcewen, Sean-anotherone, DoESsean!

Week 454 – Repair, reuse, recycle (inc. 80s PET)

17th February 2020
"Week 454 – Repair, reuse, recycle (inc. 80s PET)"

Each week we’ll endeavour to publish some details of the interesting things that members of DoES Liverpool have been up to over the past seven days. You can find out a bit more about them in our introductory post.

And remember, if you’re involved with DoES Liverpool at all, let us know what you get up to so we can include it here!

Things of Note

Coming Up in the Next Week

Tuesday 18 February, 1:00pm-6:00pm Rail Innovation Event
Tuesday 18 February, 6:30pm-9:00pm Liverpool Sewing Club
Wednesday 19 February, 6:30pm-9:00pm XR Liverpool
Thursday 20 February, 7:00pm-9:30pm Maker Night
Thursday 20 February, 7:00pm-8:00pm Community Meeting

Somebody Should

The DoES Liverpool to-do list is stored in the issues of our Somebody Should repository on github. Head over there if there’s something you’d like to report, or if you want to help out fixing things.

See all the issues…

Issue counts: 316 open, 1073 closed

2 new issues:

Featured issue: Replace toner (and belt unit?) in the OKI colour printer. Can we move this on or close it?

1 issue closed:

Thanks jackie1050!

The DoES Liverpool Three-step Plan for Success

11th February 2020
"The DoES Liverpool Three-step Plan for Success"
Mug showing the three-step plan animating through

Step One: Do Epic Sh**

Do. Lots of people talk about amazing things, but then don’t make a start on them. We want to focus on and encourage the doing.

Doing is hard. We’re a community that helps and supports each other to do. We understand that sometimes it’s you pushing forward while someone else answers emails or empties the bins, because next week it’ll be the other way round.

Everyone wants to save the earth, but nobody wants to help with the dishes.

Photo: Copyright Dr. Laura James

DoES Liverpool isn’t providing a service to customers who pay us money, we’re a community that spreads its costs between its members.  Recognising, appreciating and acknowledging that all that behind-the-scenes, less sexy support work is what allowed the epic headline-grabbing sh** to happen.

What do we mean when we say “epic sh**”?

Julian experimenting with new control systems for CNC mills; Hex Ceramic developing new techniques for clay-work using laser-cutters; Patrick helping social enterprises to thrive; Ross scattering card reading stations along Hadrian’s Wall to build a distributed RFID card text adventure; Baylee coming along to 3D print herself a new prosthetic hand; Jax helping others level-up at coding through Ladies of Code Liverpool…

As you can see, “epic sh**” is many things to many people. It matters less what everyone else thinks about what you’re doing, and more that you’re pushing yourself into new ground.

Step Two: Tell People About it

If you’re putting the effort in to do the work, you owe it to yourself to tell people about it. This is often as hard, if not harder, than doing the work but it’s important.

At the very least, post something about it to any social media accounts where you hang out (if that’s Twitter then include “#weeknotes” so it will get picked up and shared in the next weekly blog post).  If it’s something you can take a picture of, or film a short video of it in action.  Show the thing.

Social media is great for short-term sharing, but things quickly disappear into the stream.  The next step is to have some sort of home on the Internet where you can collect things.  That could be a portfolio website or a blog, whichever is easier for you to set up.  Having your own domain is even better because it gives you some protection for when you need to change the underlying service.  If I want to recommend you to someone, or show them your projects, I should be able to send them a link; not suggest they sift through your social media profile looking for the important bits.

Make the time to write up a blog post about the project at the end. Get into the habit of taking photos and videos of things as they progress. Write things yourself and find your own voice, or make room in the budget to pay someone to film it or write about it for you. Or both.

It’s not about Marketing, at least not what anyone imagines when they think about marketing with a big M. It’s just about talking to people about what you do. Don’t worry about repeating yourself, just find different ways to talk about and show what you do rather than posting the same tweet again and again. We’re humans, not robots.

We’re also a community. One full of people doing amazing work.

We should support each other in sharing our work.  Remind and encourage each other to post photos or write things up.  Shout about others’ achievements: it’s always easier to talk about someone else’s work than your own, so we should do that for each other.  It’s not about mindless retweets, but sharing good work and interesting projects when you see them.

Step Three: Go to Step One.

Success isn’t about discovering “this one neat trick” to short-cut the work.  It is built on lots of small steps and achievements.  The next big thing is a lot of small things.

Week 453 – The Big Fix

10th February 2020
"Week 453 – The Big Fix"

Each week we’ll endeavour to publish some details of the interesting things that members of DoES Liverpool have been up to over the past seven days. You can find out a bit more about them in our introductory post.

And remember, if you’re involved with DoES Liverpool at all, let us know what you get up to so we can include it here!

Things of Note

Coming Up in the Next Week

Tuesday 11 February, 7:00pm-9:00pm Wearable Tech Group
Thursday 13 February, 9:00am-6:00pm Jelly Liverpool
Thursday 13 February, 7:00pm-9:30pm Maker Night
Saturday 15 February, 11:00am-3:00pm The Big Fix at DoES Liverpool
Sunday 16 February, 1:00pm-4:00pm Plastic Playgroup (DoES Workshop)

Somebody Should

The DoES Liverpool to-do list is stored in the issues of our Somebody Should repository on github. Head over there if there’s something you’d like to report, or if you want to help out fixing things.

See all the issues…

Issue counts: 315 open, 1072 closed

6 new issues:

Featured issue: Install a hearing loop inside event rooms. Can we move this on or close it?

2 issues closed:

Thanks jackie1050, johnmckerrell!

Scroll to top