NEWSFLASH – Dateline:BALTIMORE -STOP- Harford Hackerspace wins Sparkfun Free Day Text Browser contest -STOP- Snail-mails photos of member Miles using LSI ADM-3A terminal to load Sparkfun Free Day website -STOP- Chosen as winner from over *13* entries -STOP- $100 prize forthcoming -STOP- Photographs available via private courier -STOP- (This telegram is fee on delivery: you owe us 35c for reading it.)

Got junk?  Need more?  Come see us at the 3rd Annual Techno-Swap-Fest!  The HaHas have reserved 4 tables which will be chocked full of recent acquisitions including bulk wire spools, test equipment, electronics part grab bags (only $2!), connectors, military and government surplus, heat shrink tubing, wire wrap equipment, and other indescribable stuff you simply must have.
This event is like a geek paradise.  The HaHas acquired some awesome stuff in the prior two years and this year’s looks to be shaping up to be awesome as well.

BE THERE *AND* BE SQUARE!

National Electronics Museum
Saturday, February 25, 2012
9am – 2pm; $5 entry fee; 15 years of age and younger FREE (proceeds from entry benefit NEM)
Event website

I entered the Panavise Facebook contest in December and won!  Weee!  I posted a time-lapse video of me assembling a Drone Lab kit from Casper Electronics using my Panavise Model 315 on Panavise’s Facebook page and was informed a few weeks later that my video was selected as the December winner.  And, boy, did Panavise come through with the swag.  Their prize package contained NINE individual products, as you can see in the quickie video below. (Sorry about the video quality, I loaned my really good camcorder to a friend so I had to use my iPhone 4S…)  Here is a link to the January 2012 GRIPnews Panavise newsletter where my win was announced.

Merry Christmas, Joyous Kwanza, Happy Hanukkah, and (for the pagans) Enjoy the Winter Solstice!  Please enjoy this video from HaHa’s favorite high-voltage Brit, PhotonicInduction!  Enjoy! (And if you haven’t watched PhotonicInduction’s YouTube videos, DO IT NOW! They will change how you view high voltage forever.)

NPR has an interesting piece about a new wave in Hackerspace funding and facilities: Public libraries are partnering with hacker- and makerspaces in a win-win relationship.  The libraries, struggling with trying to stay relevant in the new digital distribution model for books and media, get the foot traffic they need while the hackerspaces get funding opportunities, proper facilities (not a small task), and an outlet for exposure to new members.  So far, only a few libraries/makerspaces have partnerships, but those participating are satisfied with the arrangement.

All packed up and ready to go!  Public display and judging begins at 3pm!  Wish us luck.  After 72 hours of sweat, rain, and Red Bull, we finished our creation.  Worthy of description by Mary Shelley, our accordion-style mode of transport is sure to eat a few misplaced fingers if folks aren’t careful.  But, when was the last time you had fun that didn’t have a least a little bit o’ danger in it?  Step up, hang on and count your fingers when you’re done…

Even though the weather has been…..terrible…..we’ve slogged on, making some important progress in the last few hours.  Here are some construction photos, a video of our rainy build area and the first video proof that what we made will move in at least some fashion.  Enjoy.

Like the HaHa Red Bull Creation Team on this page to help them win the “People’s Maker Award”.  Come on, we need your help!

Drawing, theorizing and arguing are over.  Now is the time for actual building!  After an additional run to buy some steel and tracking down a ‘big’ Home Depot, the HaHa dudes are in full on construction mode.  RBBB from ModernDevice is being featured in one of the shots.  Spoiler alert: the pictures below contain large portions of the build design.