I try to take a neutral stance towards politics at HI Capacity. I don’t want politics to get in the way of our creativity and our movement. The moment someone doesn’t agree with what you believe in, they’ll start dismissing your ideas and slowly….. dismiss you completely. How can you become a fair leader when you dismiss your constituents?

These bills are too broad and would allow for censorship on the internet, stifling our entrepreneurship in Hawaii and all over the United States. A technical examination of the bills proves that even with the best intentions to block piracy, those with nefarious intents can still censor.

When legislature gets in the way of our civil liberties we must act. Last night The Greenhouse Innovation Hub hosted a session on SOPA. While I wasn’t there, I can assure you that the message is clear. We need to contact our legislature and show them our concerns. There are other ways to stop piracy and counterfeiting than blocking web pages.

I contacted Senator Akaka in November to protest the PROTECT-IP act. Here’s what he had to say

Dear Mr. Badeau:

Thank you for contacting me regarding S. 968, the Preventing Real Online Threats to Economic Creativity and Theft of Intellectual Property Act of 2011, also known as the PROTECT IP Act of 2011.

As you may know, S. 968 was introduced by Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT) on May 12, 2011. This measure would authorize the Attorney General (AG) or an intellectual property right owner harmed by an Internet site dedicated to infringing activities (ISDIA) to commence an action against a registrant of an ISDIA's domain name or an owner or operator of an ISDIA accessed through a domain name. In addition, the bill authorizes the AG to commence action against individuals associated with nondomestic domain names. Following the commencement of such an action, the court is allowed to issue a temporary restraining order or injunctions against the nondomestic domain name, registrants, or the owner or operator of an ISDIA. On May 26, 2011, the Senate Judiciary Committee favorably reported the bill to the full Senate where it was placed on the Senate Legislative Calendar.

I support the bill's intent of ensuring the protection of intellectual property. However, in doing so we must ensure that we do not hinder the free-flow of information or stifle innovation. Rest assured I will keep your concerns in mind should the Senate consider S. 968 or related legislation in the 112th Congress. Mahalo again for contacting me.

Aloha pumehana,

DANIEL K. AKAKA

U.S. Senator

I urge you to contact Senators Daniel Akaka and Daniel Inouye and protest the PROTECT-IP act in the senate. Contact Rep. Colleen Hanabusa and Rep. Mazie K. Hirono to protest SOPA. Their stance is currently unknown but have received money from lobbyists in the entertainment industry. Call their office, send them an email, write on their Facebook wall. This will be the only way to change their opinions.

2011 was crazy. Everyone in HI Capacity pulled together and created a community of movers, shakers, and doers. Our community has transformed from a few guys in a taco shop to a growing collection of passionate people getting sh things done. Looking back on the year, it’s amazing what HI Capacity has accomplished.

• Arduino Nights
• Programming nights
• Technical Talks
• Kinect Workshops
• Hackathons (Node Knockout and Startup Weekend)
• Helping the community with apps (StreetGrindz, Lemonade Alley) and showing kids "Life in 3D" at the Academy of Arts
• Soldering Workshop (Pics)

Among our accomplishments this year was opening our Interim Physical Makerspace at The Box Jelly. It proves that Honolulu is capable of having a sustainable, member-funded Makerspace.

We’ve been listening to the Makers in Honolulu; the people that are craving a place to get down and dirty. You want to write on the walls, the floors, and even the celiings. You want to use the Printr Bot that HI Capacity will have in Feburary. Maybe build your own CNC. Create something rad in our workshop. You want to make stuff and you want to make it now.

We know.

That’s why our #1 focus in 2012 is to find our own Makerspace location.

If you’re curious about our Makerspace finding efforts, Jason Axelson wrote a great Google Group post on Spaces We’ve Been Looking At. Matthew Badeau is spending countless hours surfing Craigslist and working with our realtor to find a place HI Capacity can call home.

2012 is going to be an amazing year. We’ll continue to have engaging events and our community thriving. We’ll continue to foster our ultra-important culture of learning and doing.

Most of all, HI Capacity will continue pushing forward so you can focus on the things that really matter - Making.

We’ll be doing an incredibly fun beginner’s soldering workshop led by Jeremy Chan. Jeremy Chan is an experienced electrical engineer working at the Hawaii Space Flight Laboratory.

No tools or experience is necessary, but feel free to bring your own.

After this lesson, you’ll be ready to solder on your own.

What the workshop will cover:

• A quick safety introduction
• Basic soldering concepts and how-tos. We will be practicing on PCBs.
• Then we will be building an LED Christmas tree!

It’ll have blinky lights and will be a gift for you to take home! It’s an ornament you can show off your DIY skills with your family, friends and coworkers.

“That looks really cool, where did you buy it?”, they’ll say.

“I made it myself” responding with a grin.

Cost

$45 for members

$55 for non-members

This event is different than our free events. Your payment will help us cover the following:

• Equipment costs (solder, soldering irons)
• Using the The Box Jelly space. Because we are having a paid event, we will be renting the space. The rate is $280 for 3 hours or 1/3 of our profits, which ever amount is less.
• The LED Christmas tree ornament costs roughly $20 with shipping
• Any remaining profit will directly towards improving our current and future Makerspace.

Where and When

The workshop will be on December 13th at The Box Jelly. It will be at 7PM.

Order your tickets through our EventBrite at http://solderingworkshop.eventbrite.com/

Parking Tips

At The Box Jelly, there will be street parking available, although it is limited. You can park at the Sports Authority across the street. Questions can be directed to maker@hicapacity.org.