Category Archives: News

Planning meeting for new Hackerspace. :)

IMG_0045It’s time to start talking about getting our (Utah Co.) hackerspace running again. We need everyone that is interested to attend the meeting this Saturday. Details are below:

 

 

 
Location: UVU BRC (Thanks Victor!)
Date/Time: 2015/01/17 19:00 MT (GMT -7:00)

Topics up for discussion:
– Possible Locations
– Leadership Structure
– Other things directly relating to TheTransistor
BSidesSLC / OpenWest 2015
– Upcoming LAN Parties / Events / etc.

See you there!
-0x0d3c4f

P.S. Several of us will be going to Hot Pot afterwards, everyone that wishes to attend is invited. For those that haven’t been, it’s about $15/person (+Tip) and WELL worth it.

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Meetup this Saturday in Orem

IMG_0938_wIt’s a long overdue meetup with very little notice. (Did you expect any less?). :P

Join us for an awesome night of Projects and Presentations. This is a public event. Bring your friends, family, etc. We’ll bring down a couple Soldering Irons for people to use. You bring your project to work on (or just yourself if you want).

We will also be holding very short (5-10 minute) impromptu talks for anyone that has something hacker-related they would like to present on (InfoSec, *nix, Lock Picking, Electronics, Software Dev., etc). We’ll have power and internet available. Hot Pot run may also happen.

Date/Time:
Saturday, October 11, 2014
5:00 PM to 12:00 AM

Location:
UVU Business Resource Center
815 West 1250 South, Orem, UT

See Also: http://www.meetup.com/theTransistor/events/212262492/

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LAN Party

lpWe still don’t have a dedicated hackerspace, but that won’t keep us from having some fun. This LAN party is open to anyone and everyone. Here are the details that we have so far:

DATE/TIME:
Saturday, July 26th Noon-Midnight
LOCATION:
We have a couple possible locations right now, as well as one possible confirmed. We’ll keep you posted, but wanted to get the word out first.
GAMES:
As always, it’s whatever you want to play, but we will try to have servers for TF2, Quake3, and UT3/2004.
FOOD/DRINKS:
BYOSnacks and some $$$ for food. We are talking about a possible Pizza Order or Hot Pot run.

Keep your eye here, or sign up on our mailing list for updates.

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Shutting down for a while. :(

Hackers,

Firstly, I want to express my deepest thanks to everyone who put an effort into trying to make our new hackerspace happen.

That said, I am sad to say that I have bad news. TheTransistor is going to have to keep it’s door closed for another year or two.

The main space we had arranged fell through. We came close to raising the amount needed and several people stepped up (THANK YOU!), but the landlords (a very old couple) just didn’t want “hackers with soldering irons” as tenants. They had given us a counter offer last year, which we raised our offer to meet, but they had just decided that we weren’t fit for their space.

At this point (about a week ago) we started frantically looking for a new space that would work and also meet our financial goals. We looked at a lot of places, but most didn’t fit our needs or were too expensive.

Today, we revisited a building that had three possible suites in it that were for lease. We were told that all three were available. We picked out two options (as the third didn’t have 24×7 access, which was a must). We were told we would be able to move into one of them for sure (both have been vacant for over two years), and that we could move in by July 1st.

Then, literally AS I was writing the email to inform everyone of the good news, we heard back from the Realtor. BOTH spaces were leased out in the last few weeks, and the owner hadn’t notified the Realtor.

At this point, we’re taking it as a sign that this isn’t going to work out this year. The timing is really bad as the core group has several security-related conventions and other commitments we need to attend to in the next month or two. After that the holidays hit. We are afraid we will need to wait until at least February to give this another attempt.

All commitments / prepayments will be refunded tonight. If you would like to stay informed on future going-ons (we do plan on doing some meetings / LAN parties between now and whenever we finally get another space), please sign up for our (newly public) mailing list: https://groups.google.com/d/forum/thetransistor

Thanks again to everyone that has put effort into this. We hope to see you around,
d3c4f

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Damn the man, save the empire!

IMG_2980Hackers,
If you’ve been on the fence about joining; If you want to be a part of an awesome hackerspace; If you want to help support an awesome community; If you want to learn or teach Electonics, Penetration Testing, Information Security, Programming, Robotics, etc; We need your help now!

For the next 3 weeks, we are collecting commitments for members to join our next iteration of theTransistor hackerspace. We are looking for members that can commit at least $50/mo for 12 months.

Most of the details are included in our previous post:
http://thetransistor.com/2014/05/un-hiatusing-meeting-on-the-31st/

If you are ready to join, you can make your commitment at the following link:
https://members.thetransistor.com/

In the event that we reach our goal, we should be setting up July 1st; and your commitment will apply to your LAST months payment. This means that on July 1, members that have committed will be required to make their first months payment.

If for some horrible reason we don’t make our goal in the next 3 weeks, we will refund all commitments to the hackerspace. If you know anyone that is interested, please share this information any way you feel appropriate.

If you have any questions, please contact me at d3c4f -at- [thisdomain] We’ll keep this post updated as new questions come in.

Thanks again! We hope to see everyone involved.

UPDATE 0: A couple people have asked for some pictures of the interior as well as the address of the new location. I am attaching a brochure to this post that includes all the details as well as a few pictures of the inside of one of the suites. The suite we are working on is Suite E.
PDF BROCHURE : CLICK HERE.

UPDATE 1: Here’s a list of some of the building amenities:

  • RFID access control : 24x7x365 Access
  • Common Kitchen, Bathrooms (aka building maintained)
  • Large parking lot, that is mostly empty after 5pm and on weekends
  • Good Environmental Controls. No more warehouse hot/cold.
  • Full service. Everything but internet

UPDATE 2: Some things that theTransistor will have:

  • Internet! We are looking into a few options, but it should be something pretty good.
  • Networking to major areas, wifi for the rest.
  • Electronics Gear : Soldering Stations, Hot Air Rework Station, Misc. Spare Components
  • Electronics Diagnostic Gear : Multimeters, Oscilloscopes, etc
  • Hand tools. Screw drivers, pliers, diagonal cutters, etc.
  • 3d printer(s). Available to those that take some basic training
  • MAME Cabinet(s). We will be bringing in the 4 Player MAME cabinet to the public area
  • Lounge Stuff. Flat-Panel TV(s), Projectors, etc will be brought in again.
  • Classroom : Free to schedule. Will have desks, chairs, power, projector, etc.
  • Game Servers. We’ll be bringing back the games. :P
  • Library. The Transistor Physical Tech-Book Library.
  • Storage. ALL members will receive a small storage cube.
  • LAN Parties. Regularly scheduled LAN Parties.
  • Tech Meetings / Talks. Talks from the Open Source User Groups Communities.
  • VPS : We are working to get some of our server hardware reconfigured to provide each member with a VPS to do testing / etc on.
  • Private Desk areas will include a separate, locked room for each 6-8 Private Desk Members.
  • Security Cameras. We will have our security cameras up again. They should cover the entire space. This helps us provide a more secure environment for all members.
  • Group Projects. Those that have worked on these in the past, can confirm these are super fun.
  • Electronics / Hardware / Security talks : DC801 and theTransistor will be working on providing public talks / classes again. We can’t do this without a space. Help us, and we’ll try to help anyone interested.
  • COMMUNITY : The most important thing on this list! This space will allow us to help cross-interact with the Utah Open Source Community by providing a dedicated space for User Group Meetings. Plus it’s a great way to meet all kinds of interesting people. :)
  • Pranks! Always kind-hearted. And always funny.
  • Community Parties : We generally throw a Halloween and New Years Party.
  • Quiet Work Space* : Home offices can be a little too distracting sometimes. This is a great place to get away and get some work done! (*typically, before 9pm.)
  • HackerSpace Decor : BYO Posters, LED Lighting, etc. We’ll keep the space awesome!
  • Possible Small CNC Machines. d3c4f may bring his small CNC Mill/Lathe in for members to use.
  • Possible Laser Cutter. d3c4f may bring his in after we get going, or we may buy a new one.
  • Possible Vinyl Cutter. Again, this will be if there is space / time available.
  • Possibly the drill press and a few of the safer tools, as insurance will allow.

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DEFCON 22 Electronic Device / Party Entry

Ahhhh yissss! It’s FINALLY ready!

Time to purchase your DEFCON22 DC801/theTransistor “Party Badge”.

This year’s VIP device will be even cooler than before. Just as last year, the VIP device gets you immediate access into the party and express lane to the bar. Each purchase will also come with a +1 paper bracelet. We’ll have live music, lots of “31337” people to hang out with, a massive open bar, and more.

Most of the specifications for this years device are below in the graphic, and the purchase link is at the VERY bottom.

dc22 electronic device quick specs

CLICK HERE to ORDER NOW

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Un-Hiatusing! Meeting on the 31st!

Parker had a hatGood news everybody! We think we may have found a new space. We will be having a meeting in Orem at the BRC for anyone and everyone interested in being a part of this new iteration of our hackerspace.

If you are interested, please make sure to be at this meeting! We need aprox. 30-40 members to get this space up and running. Please see some of the details below, we’ll go into further details at the meeting.



autocadMeeting Place: UVU BRC [directions]
Date/Time: Saturday, May 31, 2014 4:00pm
Topic(s): theTransistor, UTOS, HotPot, the new Transistor video game
  (This meetup is for these topics only. Please no bringing up other hacker/makerspaces/organizations this time.)



Gordon Working on ZombiesWe are currently working on a new location in American Fork. We have a very awesome co-partner in this venture: Utah Open Source. This is a very exciting possibility, and we really would love for everyone to come out and show your support for this cause. To make this happen, we will need a lot of members.



The potential location is in American Fork, just off the freeway. It’s a great office building with good environmental controls, access control, building maintained bathrooms, kitchen, and more.



IMG_0045We are proposing 2 levels of membership. The standard $50 level which will give you 24x7x365 access to the hackerspace, as well as a small space to store your project(s). The upper level will be at a higher rate and include a dedicated desk area in a separate (locked) rooms which will house 6-7 members. As there will be a limited number of dedicated desk spaces, these will be allocated on a first-come first-served basis, and will require a 12 month commitment. Automatic withdrawal will be setup and required for membership. Accommodations for manual payments may be made in special cases.



d3caf and JocafaWe would also like to provide a good internet connection, and possibly a small VPS for each member. We will be bringing in electronics and software gear, as well as the MAME cabinet and a lot of the old gear. We won’t be providing a Metal Shop or a Wood Shop as the liability / insurance is just too high. At this point we don’t believe that we can SAFELY make these work.



mamecabinetOur suite will include 3 large office rooms (with lots of windows), a medium sized-classroom (600 sq.ft), another large office (with no windows), a huge main room, and a private bathroom (with a shower). I don’t know why we are mentioning the shower, but it will probably come in handy at some point.

Come to the meeting if this is something that you are interested in. We’d love to hear from everyone.

P.S. Yes, we are taking a group to Hot Pot afterwards, everyone is welcome to attend. Cost is about $15+tip. Please decide ahead of time if you are going. There is limited seating and we will be calling in a head-count at the first of the meeting.

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Protected: DEFCON 22 Electronic Device / Party Entry

There is no excerpt because this is a protected post.

Meetup

Hackers,

Thanks to Mindjuju, we have a meeting location in Orem! Here are the details:

Who: Anyone who is interested (public meeting)
Date/Time: Saturday, April 26th : 4pm-6pm
Place: UVU Business Resource Center
Address: 815 West 1250 South, Orem, UT 84057
Map: See http://plug.org/uvu

Topics: The future of theTransistor. Are we ready for a new physical location. What needs to be done, etc.
After 6pm: Dinner at Four Seasons Hot Pot in Provo for anyone that wants to come down. Cost is around $15 + tip.

Hope to see everyone there!
-d3c4f

P.S. If you haven’t signed up for OpenWest conference yet, head over to http://openwest.org and register! We’ll be there again this year with DC801 / 801Labs with some fun stuff to do.

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Black Friday LAN Party – Everyone is invited!

lpDon’t fight the crowds for terrible deals you can find online anyway. Grab your laptop (or desktop) and join us this Black Friday (Nov. 29th) for our final event in Orem. Games start at 2pm and go until we are done. Bring your friends, family, etc. Everyone is welcome. We have room for about 50. We’ll also be making a HotPot run around 6-7pm for those interested.
EDIT: Forgot some people might need an address:
1187 s 1480 w
Orem, UT 84058



Things you will want to bring:

  • Computer or Laptop
  • Power Strip
  • Headphones
  • Food, or money for food. (Bring $15 + tip for Hot Pot if you want to go).
  • Up to date list of curse words
  • BYOB(ooze)

We’ll Provide:

  • Heating
  • Electricty
  • Game Servers
    • TF2
    • Quake 3
    • UT3
    • Maybe a few others also
  • Internet access
  • Tables / Seating (If you have a special chair you are welcome to bring your own
  • Your mom jokes and admin-abuse
  • Good company

SEE YOU THERE!

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Shutting Down

We are shutting down. At least for a while.

The SLC Location will become a new hackerspace; keep your eyes out here for updates if you are interested.

The Orem space will be closed entirely for at least 3-6 months if not longer. If we choose to re-open it will likely be a much smaller location and will probably be in the American Fork / Lehi Area; we’ll post updates here.

Thanks again to everyone that helped make the last 5 years a total blast! We’ll keep the IRC channels and member-VM(s) active, and we’ll see you after the break! :)

-d3c4f

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Instructables Build “Night” with Lumi!

My daughter Abigail has been sick this week, so I’ve postponed our build night for one week. I’ll hold it Saturday, September 28 at 2:00 pm.

Anyone is free to come – just email me to let me know if you plan on attending (I need to make sure we’ll have enough Inkodye for everyone). My email is rachel dot faul at gmail (written out this way here to avoid spambots). So… what’s Lumi?
lumi screen shot
What to bring:

a cotton t-shirt or other article of clothing you’d like to “screen” print with Lumi paint

According to Lumi.co, Inkodye binds to any absorbent natural fiber such as cotton, linen, raw silk, jute, hemp, burlap, wool and even raw leather, suede, untreated wood and unglazed ceramics.

For photographic applications we recommend materials that can be rinsed and washed in hot water and textile detergent. This allows the light areas of the print to remain undeveloped.

Inkodye can also be used on cellulosic semi-synthetics such as modal, viscose or rayon. We do not recommend Inkodye for use on synthetic fibers such as polyester or nylon, however blends (e.g. 95% cotton and 5% polyester) may yield good results.

Inkodye will not work on materials that aren’t natural and also materials that can’t absorb the dye; ie. glass, metal, plexiglass, acrylic.

I’ll print out some cool art on the transparencies that came with our kit from Instructables. If you want a specific image, please let me know ahead of time so I can make sure to print the negative – otherwise, you won’t be able to make the image on your fabric.

The kit we received came with a large bottle of orange and a small bottle of red Inkodye. We’ll publish at least two instructables after our build night as part of the agreement (hence the free kit). Let me know if you’d like to help take pictures or type instructions for anything we do.

If you’re new to the transistor, please remember that there’s dangerous equipment for woodworking, metalworking, and other purposes in the building. It’s not a child safe environment, and guests may not use the equipment unless they’ve become members/signed a waiver/received training in the equipment for liability reasons. We won’t need to use any equipment for screen printing. I’m happy to answer any questions you may have. I look forward to seeing a few of you on Saturday!

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Learn a new programming language night: Node.JS

Free Class: node.js
2013/09/12 @ 7:00 pm

Come join us for “Learn a New Programming Language Night”. This month AJ will be presenting node.js

Stop on by, bring a friend, and see why node.js is gaining such a rapid following.

“Node.js is a platform built on Chrome’s JavaScript runtime for easily building fast, scalable network applications. Node.js uses an event-driven, non-blocking I/O model that makes it lightweight and efficient, perfect for data-intensive real-time applications that run across distributed devices.”

You are (highly) encouraged to bring a laptop to follow along. WiFi will be available.

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Lua : Public, Learn a new programming Language Night

lua
Where: Orem Transistor
When: Thursday, June 13th 7:00pm-10:00pm
This Month: Lua
Presented By: Levi (and possible co-presenter)

“A hands-on introduction to the Lua language, and we’ll be using it in the context of writing a simple 2d graphical game. Although it’s the most common scripting language in the game industry, it’s also the scripting language of nmap, wireshark, and MANY more.”

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Etsy Craft Party at the Transistor!

 

The transistor is hosting an Etsy Craft Party!  Member Rachel Faul is organizing this event.

When:  Thursday, June 20, 2013 6pm-10pm

Where:  Orem Transistor

RSVP:  http://oremcraftparty.eventbrite.com/  We need at least 25 RSVPs by May 30 if we want Etsy to send a free box of supplies for us to use at the party!  Space is limited to 50 attendees, so respond early!

What will we make?

*wool dryer balls

*flower finger puppets

*fairy egg in a glass vial pendant

*recycled construction toys

 

Project details from Rachel:

The dryer balls will be more than just that; I’d like to show how to select wool thrift store sweaters for various making purposes, how to unravel them into yarn, how to turn some of the yarn into roving with cheap wire slicker brushes ($4.50 at the grocery store, rather than $25-50 for a wool carder), and how to use felted wool, wool yarn, and wool roving to make a sturdy dryer ball that won’t unravel. Hopefully people will come away with a thorough knowledge of how to recycle a wool sweater for lots of different uses.

I’ll have to pre-cut and pre-drill the wood for the construction toys, but I’ll explain how people can make their own wood parts, and how to cut the plastic hangers and notch them with a simple, inexpensive coping saw to make the beams for the toys. Plastic hangers are notoriously difficult to recycle because of the different kind of plastic in them; they can release harmful chemicals when they’re melted down to be reused, and they take a lot of energy to be melted. It’s much more efficient to recycle a broken plastic hanger with a small saw and some sandpaper to smooth the edges.

If not enough are interested in the homemade tinker toys or if drilling that many wooden parts is problematic, we’ll probably switch to painting sets of wooden blocks. In that case, I’ll show a few color palettes for wooden blocks that evoke different moods in kids. I’ll have acrylic paint at the craft party for simplicity, but we’ll still talk about other non acrylic options for coloring/sealing wood using natural materials – plant based dyes, waxes, and oils, and nontoxic bug secretions (shellac).

If enough people are interested in other project options, there are lots we could do. Some I’m considering offering (depending on interest) are:

bent wood rings
homemade ipad stylus
LED jewelry, possibly with a lemon juice flower battery (depending on interest and time)
sensory toys for autistic kids (and other kids with sensory challenges), especially those made from recycled wool, cashmere, linen, and silk – if anyone wants, we can discuss weighted toys for proprioceptive reinforcement, pocket calming items, communication books/cards, etc.

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