[frgeek-michiana] Lab Notes, 12/16/04
- From: Tom Brown <tbrown@xxxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: FreeGeek Michiana <frgeek-michiana@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>
- Date: Thu, 16 Dec 2004 23:31:54 -0500
Lab Notes, 12/16/04
:: Kroc Foundation Grant Approved
For those who missed lab or didn't watch local TV news shows last Tuesday...
The Joan Kroc Foundation approved $35 million dollars to build a community
center in South Bend, IN. The funds come in the form of a matching grant.
The local Salvation Army must raise a little over $8 million in order to
receive the Kroc Foundation funds. The $8M must be raised by August, 2005.
The Sally can lose the Kroc funds if it doesn't raise $8M on time.
Jody Montgomery assures me, when the facility is built, it will have a
state of the art computer lab. In my mind the whole facility, not just the
lab, should be wired _and_ wireless. I envision the computer lab supporting
teaching, development, audio and video recording and mixing and other
technologies.
I don't doubt that Microsoft and Apple software will play a role in all
this. But so will FOSS as long as FGM has a say. Jody tells me FGM will be
called upon to help spec the lab in the development document next Spring.
:: Short Term Plans
1. Storage
Volunteers have organized the new storage room and thinned out the clutter
upstairs. Even so, the new storage room is almost full.
Jay will be receiving a large components donation over the Christmas
holiday. Henry (Davis) will let us store the components at his company's
warehouse so we can sort through the stuff before bringing it to the Sally
or taking it to The Barn.
2. FreeBox classes resume in January
We are installing VL 3.2 on as many hard drives as possible at lab, and
this will continue until we are out of drives. Next week we will begin
matching the drives to computers, setting up X-Windows and testing FreeBoxes.
Mike is looking for the deluxe version of VL 3.2. The deluxe version has
what is missing from the download (free) version. VL sells the deluxe
version to raise funds. Mike ordered a deluxe CD set but has not received it.
I will begin contacting students for the classes in January. Terry and I
will teach classes together. Once Terry feels comfortable teaching on his
own, he and I will alternate Saturdays so neither of us gets burned out.
Hopefully we will be able to conduct a class every weekend for several
months and empty out the storage rooms enough to solicit more donations.
Terry and I would like a volunteer to assist us at the classes.
3. IRS 501(c)3 status
Jay is working on the IRS application. Apparently, our pro bono accountant
lost the documents we sent him in a hard drive or system crash. Jay kept
copies of all but one doc. So we are recovering quickly.
4. United Way funds
The Sally received final approval to disburse the United Way grant to us.
So the FGM officers and/or active members need to meet, look the budget
over and plan our purchases.
We need to work out a purchasing process with the Sally -- they don't use
credit cards, don't have accounts set up with vendors and don't use
purchase orders. The Sally wants us to give them firm estimates, invoices
or receipts so they can issue checks. I prefer they give us the the funds
all at once, and we provide them with reasonable and adequate monthly
accounting reports and supporting documents. I doubt that is an option, but
I'll ask. We may have to prove we are responsible with money first.
5. Nisource grants
The United Way grant demonstrates community support for our mission,
confers legitimacy on us and opens funding doors regionally. Jay or Henry
found an environmental grant program run by Nisource. So I have begun
research. Nisource is the monopoly gas and energy company for northern
Indiana. Their maximum environmental grants are $10,000, and their average
grant is several thousand dollars.
6. Netvistas
I am hoping to bring the Netvistas to the storage room in the next few
weeks. The Netvistas are not a pressing problem so they are not a high
priority for me.
7. Dev team web applications
Goose has a FGM dev server running at his house. It has Debian Linux,
apache, tcl, postgresql and other tools. The team must migrate the current
FGM website to the new box before January 15 and convert the web pages from
aolserver/tcl to apache/tcl in the process. This is the first major step
toward learning to develop web applications.
8. Additional lab supervisor
As Terry and I begin to teach classes, and, as the FGM dev team starts its
work, I will have less time free than ever before. I believe we need a lab
supervisor to alternate Tuesdays with me. Are there volunteers?
9. Selling scrap
We have a load of scrap steel and electronics to recycle. Jay says the
market for recycled steel drops at the end of each year and perks up again
by February. So we should be planning ahead to load the steel in a trailer
and take it to a recycler. The scrap steel market is uncharacteristically
high right now in the Midwest. Hopefully the trend will continue into the
new year.
Tom
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