^^^ can we keep her? 
Epic response!
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The first time I visited VHS was years ago in the back alley off Hastings. I canât really remember what I was there for or what I talked about.
The second time I visited VHS was last night where I was very excited to discover that more or less all the tools I need to do a project Iâm starting (make-my-own-shave-brush) are available.
Iâve sent a note to become a member and will be keeping an eye out for the upcoming lathe training. Canât wait!
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First visit was really enlightening! Rob showed me around, gave the grand tour as it were, and really made me feel at home. Signed up the next day. thanks!
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My first visit was a few months ago. I looked up the hackerspace after having been to Noisebridge in San Francisco a few times, wondering if there was something similar in Vancouver. I was really impressed by the organization of the space and I was interested in learning how to lasercut and 3D print, so I was very excited by what I saw. I unfortunately canât remember the name of the man who showed me around (maybe possibly Michael?), but he was extremely friendly and helpful. As soon as I left I knew I wanted to sign up.
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Hello everyone !!
My first visit to VHS was great !!
I met the robot maker, Dan Royer, and a very experienced programmer (whoâs name embarrassingly escapes me for nowâŚ)
I brought my friend Eric with me. He sat there blankly. Bored. The culture was just too different for him.
I selfishly ignored his awkwardness and went around mingling with a number of different people. There were visitors in from the Calgary Hackspace. We stood by the vending machine and had a lengthy discussion on how bots will eventually lead to mass unemployment and the attendant security issues humanity faces as machines get smarter than usâŚ
There seemed to be a small laser training session going on. I quietly stood nearby and gleaned whatever knowledge I could for a few minutes.
A lady came in with an oldish looking electronic drumming machine. Dan set about helping her try to hack it back to life. I think they hit a snag when they couldnât find any 1/4" cable connectors to plug into the thing.
I skimmed over the library and couldnât resist taking some books for a donation. Most of them were fairly dated, but they seemed to be on more timeless issues than the latest high level programs & chips in vogue and were more about basic electronics theory & machine shop equipmentâŚ
I had a nice chat with a young man trying to hack together a homebuilt pickup wiring it into his arduino to make a digitally synthesized guitar simulator. (or something approximately like thatâŚ)
Later on in the evening, some folks showed up and brought their kids. That was cool. One day I hope to bring my son along too.
I first heard of VHS on a google search.
The only bad thing about my visit was that it eventually had to end !!
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I was welcomed by en eyeful of fuchsia and if those walls hadnât made me feel happy enough, Andrew (the first guy to welcome me) gave me an orientation and then took it to the next level by offering me some of his home made Ginger Ale! Although secretly hoping it was going to be alcoholic, it was still very tasty. Past the âclever guysâ at the computers where I found Luke and Logan playing in the wood workshop. I instantly felt at home as they talked me through what they were working on; Logan was knocking up a workbench for the space and Luke was making a series of mazes for robots. Down to the end, aaah there it was, the lasercutter. âLooking forward to playing with thatâ I thought to myself. I got a great vibe from the VHS and it wasnât just from the walls; friendly people, chilled environment, helpful attitude; âThis beats MakerLabs and CoLab any dayâ I thought to myself and sign up I did the following week!
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OkâŚwowâŚnot sure what to sayâŚSeriously blown away on my first visit! Very lucky to have meet Denis a few months back, who graciously gave me my first tour! I came to an open house approximately a year ago. The location was different, and everything was packed into boxes and crates bound for there new home on Cook Street. It was chaos. I wasnât sure what to think. Well some time has passed since then and what a difference! The members have done an amazing job setting up the place.
Denis quickly explained the Do-ocracy priciple so i got strait to work!(I emptied the garbage can! lol)
I have many cool projects planned. i mainly like to build props at this point, so any other prop makers please send me a message.
Thanks.
David Black
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Holy smokes the new Hackspace is huuuuuuuuuge. Thanks Kevin for a super in depth tour and answering a trillion questions!
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Iâve been to some of the older locations, but this new one sealed the deal for me and I joined!
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Be sure to join the slack instance! You can get your invite on the âget involvedâ tab of your membership page.
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Where is my membership page?
Unfortunately, I donât seem to have access to that yet, but I will join slack ASAP!
Hello!
My first visit to VHS was long overdue! I used to live in the ARC building art Commercial and Venables and have long been a moderately techy woodworker. I was only vaguely aware of Maker spaces in Vancouver, but always considered them out of my depth. Iâve since moved out of East Van, but have continued working on various projects, including wood, ceramics and 3D Printing.
I recently got the urge to clone a wood-CNCâd milk crate design, and started looking for a maker space with that tool. Around the time of the Culture Crawl, I visited the Maker Labs spaces, the Vancouver Community Laboratory on Triumph and the VHS, all of which impressed me.
Of the three, the VHS was by far my favorite. All I had to do was look slightly confused and I was welcomed along on a personal tour by Greg, wearing a laser-unicorn-kitty T-shirt or some such. All together, the warm and enthusiastic reception, the open DIY atmosphere and the huge selection of (mostly functional) tools blew me away. The welcoming Tuesday night crowd was great too, and I quickly found myself chatting with several people about common interests, and making mental lists of all the available tools. I was stoked.
I returned a couple of weeks later with my wife to show her how great it was, and we did a lathe-turned spoon. That day, I asked some people standing around the table saw if anyone knew how to use the wood lathes; no one did, but we quickly figured it out, made a cool spoon from an old table leg, vacuumed up, and left!
I hope to return soon (pending Covid etc.) to hopefully help resurrect the wood cnc, which brought me in to begin with!
Happy Hacking (but not coughing)
Erich
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Not yet, but jesus gorsh am I excitered!!
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Hey new members/peeps. Weâd love to hear about your first visit to VHS. Please add to this epic thread!
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