Friday, March 25, 2016

Not Even Close

Friend:

Not even close. I get the 1970s reference now, and I get the connection between the homeless and recycling. I think it makes a lot of sense to look to the FreeGeek model for inspiration, too. Is there anything going on at Tx/Rx that looks like FreeGeek? What about organizations that address part of the problem, like Compucycle and Compudopt? Where are the gaps in Houston's network of partners and what's needed to make your vision real?

Randy:

Tx/Rx is more like Pumping Station: One than FreeGeek Chicago yet still there $$$ model is based on offering classes and shared maker space for small $$.  FreeGeek is based on being respectful of anyone coming in the door, recycling, refurbishing and reselling electronics loaded with freelibre software with a special interest group committed to open source civic hacking all also bringing in $$.  Compucycle seems to be the same model but within a company instead of an NFP so of course not anyone can just walk in and start learning and helping.  Compudopt, more like Willow Creek Computer Connections, except that schools / students are the main beneficiaries.  My vision would be that there would be a university committed to freelibre and open software and hardware as well as zero waste and a minimal carbon footprint.  I hear pieces of committment to these ideals all throughout Houston until it hits folks that they have to eat and then either fear sets in, an irrational fear that says helping cancer patients will expose your family to cancer or that helping the homeless or other disenfranchised groups will cause you to be disenfranchised.  Bacon's You not you Friend  Then I hear things like never do anything for free or that it is all fine and good to talk ideologically but don't try to do it, or that HR concerns trump transparency.   Yes we can hack and get out the data.  When I was at Exxon a freightening parlour trick I could do was guess a persons salary within a few thousand dollars except for the few who were independently rich.  It would certainly be nice if they just gave us the data though.  I think there fear is that HR issues are indeed rampant and that an accurate picture of financial discrimination and pension dangers will be presented.

Tuesday, March 22, 2016

Randall Baxley

In Houston now and E-waste, Recycling and Treatment of the Homeless have come fast and furious. Currently on a slow and disappointed burn over Houston's Media and at Large 1970's response.

1 · Like · Reply · 2 days ago · Mute

    Friend

    hey Randy, can you clarify?

    Like · 1h ago

Friend

    specifically, how can they improve ewaste/recycling and i'm confused about at large 1970.

    Like · 1h ago
    Randall Baxley

http://www.khou.com/news/city-leaders-push-move-homeless-downtown-streets/93173117

    Like · 1h ago

Randall Baxley

Not a new problem http://www.chron.com/news/houston-texas/article/East-Downtown-wants-city-to-ban-sleeping-on-2081594.php

Like · 1h ago
Randall Baxley

Indeed in the 1970s I was what is now called Homeless in Houston. I lived in my car then in several transient hotels, the Downtown Y and a place called Mainstream. I worked at the docks to get out of the car then at Peakload where I interacted daily with folks living at The Sally, Star and Open Door. Everyone knew if you were caught without an ID and $10.00 you were headed for 51 Reisner.

Like · 1h ago
Randall Baxley

eWaste https://medium.com/@davideads/coding-standards-2-origin-stories-f079439ff23a#.rv5e80pyu

Like · 59m ago
       

Randall Baxley

        recycling where there is a marketable commodity allows for entrepreneurs to operate from the level of meeting a truck at 5am to sell to the truck just as for years we met trucks at 3am to 5am to get newspapers to sell.

        Like · 43m ago
        Randall Baxley
       
        Where there is not a market and there is material we need to look at better use and planning along all phases of the life cycle so that there is a market.

        Like · 41m ago
        Randall Baxley
       
        And of course sweeping people out of downtown and midtown will sweep them onto Metrorail on passes given out by those who are "helping" so they can spend their days on rail platforms and on rail cars cutting into metro profits and keeping all but the poorest or most fool hardy off rail then they will also go out to our neighborhoods on those rails and recycle anything not tied down. So why not channel all that energy into replicating the Compucycle or FreeGeek model in every vacant space in our city large enough to do so. http://www.click2houston.com/web/kprc/news/hundreds-of-overdoses-tied-to-emerging-illegal-drug was also too timely for me not to believe there is a city gov coordination to make us look the other way as human rights are violated.

        Like · 27m ago
        Randall Baxley
       
        Not sure what outsiders can see here https://www.facebook.com/groups/computer.connection/?fref=nf­ but there is the basics here http://www.willowcreek.org/southbarrington/get-involved/computer-connection

        Like · 9m ago
        Randall Baxley
       
        Is that enough depth?