Second Old North End Repair Cafe this Saturday!

Hello everyone, here are the results for our first Repair Cafe last month. 70% success rate is pretty good! Especially for our first repair cafe. It looks like 29% bicycle but that’s actually sewing!

The next Old North End Repair Cafe is coming up THIS SATURDAY, July 18th! Come on down to 12-22 North st between 11am and 3pm (we can only accept new repairs until 2:15pm)

More info on our Repair Cafe page

Repair Cafe June 20th

Laboratory B will finally hold our first Repair Cafe this weekend on Saturday June 20th. Assuming the weather is clear (we will decide Thursday night whether to postpone) we’ll have tables socially distanced apart for volunteers to repair whatever people show up with! Whatever you can carry with you, electronics, bicycles, furniture, small appliances, etc,  we’ll do our best to repair it for you. All for free!

If you’d like to volunteer please fill out our volunteer interest form.

  • Saturday, June 20th
  • 11am-3pm
  • 12-22 North st

The main Lab B Repair Cafe page is here

Join us on Mumble!

Come hang out with us on our Mumble server. Mumble is a free, open-source, encrypted voice chat application and we’ve been using it to host our virtual member meetings and open hours. We’re online every Thursday from 7pm-9pm, we’d love to have you drop in and say hi.

Getting Started

Start out by downloading the Mumble client for your device. There are even clients for Android and iOS so you can connect from your phone.

After installing, you’ll want to grab some headphones, and get set up using Mumble’s Audio Wizard. If you run into audio issues after setup, you can always re-run the wizard from the Configure menu dropdown. This step is important so everyone can hear you clearly, and your mic only turns on when you’re talking.

Get Connected

These instructions are designed for the desktop Mumble client. If you’re using your phone, they’ll be slightly different, but the connection info is the same.

You’ll want to add the Lab server by going to the Server menu, then clicking Connect, and Add New. You’ll be prompted for a username, this can be anything, and others will see it when you join.

Mumble "Add Server" dialog

In the Add Server dialog that comes up, enter the mumble.laboratoryb.org in the Address field and press OK.

A list of servers will show up. Double click the new mumble.laboratoryb.org server you just added (under Favorite), and a message will come up prompting for a password. You’ll need to enter the password “laboratoryb” – without quotes.

That’s it! Any time you’d like to connect, load up Mumble and connect to the server you added.

Connection Info

Address: mumble.laboratoryb.org
Port: 64738
Username: this can be anything you’d like!
Label: this can be anything, adjusts the server name in your list

Policies and Activities During the COVID-19 Stay-At-Home Order

At the Lab monthly meeting tonight, we decided on the policies that we’ll be keeping in playe until the Vermont “Stay-At-Home” order is lifted, and also some ideas for virtual events we’ll be putting on in the meantime.

Policies:

      • No public in-person events until the State of Emergency from City and State is lifted.
      • Only one member may be in the space at a time. Members are expected to sanitize door knobs and any surfaces they use when they leave.
      • Members will log their use of the space, and post to Slack if they are headed in so other members will know the space is in use.

Virtual Events:

  • Thursdays, 7-9pm – Minecraft hang-out: Instead of our usual in-person public hours, we’ll have weekly Thursday night hang-outs on a Minecraft server a member created, with audio chat facilitated by the Lab Mumble server. We’re not posting the login credentials publicly to avoid griefers, but friends of the Lab are welcome, so feel free to reach out to a current member for details.
  • Saturdays, 7:30-10pm – FOSS Virtual LAN Party: Each week we’ll pick a different FOSS game to play together, with voice chat on the Lab Mumble server. Check the Lab Facebook page for specifics, but we’ll be starting the series off with RTS 0AD

March 14th Repair Café Postponed

We have decided to postpone the Old North End Repair Café due to public health concerns around gatherings. We are still planning on hosting the Repair Café on April 18th, 2020. We will provide further updates on our Facebook page and here at laboratoryb.org.

We’d like to thank everyone in the community for their interest, as well as everyone who signed up to volunteer. We are greatly looking forward to our debut, so stay tuned!

Feel free to message us on Facebook or send an email to [email protected] with any questions.

Jumping the CoreOS Container Linux Ship

The end is within sight for CoreOS Container Linux: May 26, 2020. For a few years now we’ve made use of Container Linux for hosting the laboratoryb.org website. Sadly, this is where our CoreOS journey ends, with end-of-life coming right around the corner.

We’ve finally jumped the CoreOS ship over to Flatcar Container Linux by Kinvolk, an OSS fork of the original project. Everything has been faithfully copied over and is once again running smoothly.

Thanks to Kinvolk for keeping the Container Linux legacy alive!

Downsizing our Servers to Skin and Bones at 12-22 North

It’s been quite a move for Laboratory B! Our new location at 12-22 North has come with plenty of perks, but at the same time, it’s placed new constraints on things like space, parking and electricity use. As Matt Cropp mentioned in the previous post, the new space has a cap on free electricity use – so as part of the move, we’ve had to temporarily suspend our on-site server hosting policy.

Unfortunately, that conflicts with one of the priorities we formulated during the move – that we should consider migrating away from the locked-down services (offered by Google, Amazon and their ilk), and instead look towards self-hosted, open-source infrastructure to run our day-to-day Lab activities. (After all, free and open-source software is practically in our mission statement.)

So, how could we reduce our power footprint but still run servers? One suggestion was to use virtual private servers (VPS) – but the monthly cost of hosting was potentially prohibitive, and relying on webhosting would bring us further from truly controlling our own infrastructure. The nail in the coffin, though, was probably that we still had a surplus in our budget of renewable electricity – and some napkin math showed it might be enough to run servers with, if only we use the right kind of hardware. Napkin math devolved into discussion about Intel “Avoton” Atom processors and triple-digit-core ARM boards – but discussion matured into dejection when the price tags came up. The Lab did not have loose cash.

Around the same time, I had set up a Dockerized GitLab server on an old Mac Pro at home, to help organize our projects and handle support tickets from AJ, our landlord at 12-22 North. (Context: As a component of our lease, we are granted a rent discount in exchange for rendering IT support, in a sort of skill-share scheme.) I soon discovered, however, that the Mac Pro doubled as a space heater, drawing over 200W at near idle. I needed a solution that wouldn’t cook me alive when the summer came around – and one night, as I aimlessly browsed Youtube, the solution presented itself.

Laptops!

Laptop are plentiful, use cheap RAM, idle at low wattage, have an integrated UPS (the battery, duh!) and KVM – all things a server could use! Plus, if you don’t mind going without one or two of those things, you can find some absurdly cheap hardware – and find I did, in two dirt-cheap X230 motherboards. Long story short, for $100 a pop, I was able to cobble together two machines (i5-3320M + 16GiB DDR3), each of which could rival the Mac Pro, but which consumed a whopping nine watts at near-idle – 5% of what the Mac Pro was drawing.

Stripped-down laptop attached to a keyboard and monitor.
I christen thee Bones Mk1!

As hacky as it is, having a server solution that can be hosted at the Lab means we can house new open-source platforms – Etherpad / Etherdraw, Mattermost, Funkwhale, Mastodon, Matrix … for just now, the GitLab is the lone tenant, but our only limit is how many laptop skeletons we can fit in our server closet.

New Lab B Membership Agreement & Code of Conduct

Lab B LogoAs we settle into our new space on North Street, one project Lab B members have been working on is an updated membership agreement and code of conduct. Members are the core of Lab B: they govern our organization democratically, expenses are funded primarily by their dues, and, as an all-volunteer non-profit, their work is what makes things happen.

Thus, to clearly communicate what is expected of Laboratory B members, the following was passed by a vote of the membership this month:

As a member of Laboratory B, I, _______________________, agree to the following, as well as to terms in any future version of this agreement as amended by the organization’s membership:

Financial Accountability

The Lab maintains our autonomy and flexibility through the core of our funding coming from member dues. Therefore I will…

  • …make every effort to pay dues on time.
  • …make a good faith effort to pay the appropriate dues on the sliding scale relative to my income and wealth, and will reassess my dues level relative to my means regularly.
  • …remain in open and responsive communication with the Treasurer to make arrangements if dues become outstanding.
  • …contribute to supporting the terms of our lease.

Operational Accountability

The Lab is an all-volunteer organization that requires active member participation to function. Therefore I will…

  • …make good-faith effort to attend the monthly member meetings, to participate in asynchronous decision-making on Loomio, and to keep up on operational conversations on Slack.
  • …make every effort to maintain the cleanliness of the Lab and common spaces.
  • …be responsible about the use of shared space and leaving project spaces clear when I leave the space.
  • …be responsible for the actions of any invited guests.
  • …be willing to share efforts in running Lab activities, such as hosting regular public hours, offering skill-shares, volunteering at community outreach events, etc.
  • …shut off lights, lock doors, turn off power strips, and follow shutdown procedures when leaving the building.

Social Accountability

To maintain a healthy community, Lab members take accountability for their behavior towards both their fellow members and the community at large. Therefore I will…

  • …advance and exemplify our mission and vision.
  • …maintain the active sponsorship of a Lab member for issues of mediation and dispute resolution.
  • …contribute to a goal of restorative justice. I will participate in good faith in a restorative justice process if asked to by the Lab community.
  • …maintain confidentiality about information and conversations if asked to by a fellow Lab member, and about topics designated confidential by the membership as a whole.
  • …abide by the Lab Code of Conduct with the following elements, and as may be amended in the future by the Lab membership:
    • Generally: Be excellent to each other!
    • Curiosity: Cultivate a culture of curiosity and exploration. Don’t discourage enthusiasm and exploration of a topic by others because it does not interest you.
    • Respect: Treat fellow Lab members & visiting community members with respect.
    • Disagreement: The Lab encourages the free exchange of ideas, while respecting others’ experiences and perspectives. We agree to work together to cultivate an environment that creates space for approachability and for resolving disagreements safely and productively.
    • Boundaries: Respect the boundaries of others, and be clear and explicit in the communication of your boundaries if you feel uncomfortable. If you have trouble communicating your boundaries, seek assistance from your sponsor or another trusted Lab member. An ounce of awkward conversation is worth a pound of festering resentment.
    • Reputation: Do not sully the good name of the Lab. Operate with respect and conscientiousness in the community in public-facing contexts, and be cognizant of the Lab’s social clout and the ramifications of that identity out in the wider world. Agree to report ASAP any personal or observed actions that might reflect poorly on the Lab community to the Lab President (or another Board member).
    • Humility: As a member, I agree to admit that there will be times that I am wrong. The Lab is full of sharp folks, but intelligence is not an excuse for arrogance.

Lab B Moves into New Digs at 12-22 North Street!

Location of the new Lab B entrance on the exterior of the buildingAfter a heroic move-out effort by Lab members and volunteers, and a month of being a “virtual Lab” operating out of a storage locker, Loomio group, and pop-up event spaces (thanks, Bytes.co!) we’re pleased to announce that Laboratory B once again has a space!

After considering several possibilities, our membership voted to move into a room on the second floor of 12-22 North Street in the Old North End. In addition to our new HQ space, where we’ll be holding public hours, meetings, co-working sessions and small workshops, the lease also gives us access to a number of shared spaces we can use after business hours, including a dedicated electronics lab, a sizeable class/event space on the first floor, and basement storage.

Many things about the Lab will stay the same, but a sampling some of the changes the move offers that our members are excited about include:

  • Handicapped Accessibility for Many Events: In the Soda Plant, all of our space was up a set of steep stairs, limiting accessibility of workshops and other events for folks with mobility challenges. While the Lab’s dedicated room is similarly only stair-accessible, our ability to reserve the large downstairs space means that many of our public-facing workshops and events, such as mobile security night and LAN parties, will take place in accessible spaces.
  • Direct Access to Our Space In Off Hours: In the Soda Plant, the outside door was usually locked after 5pm, so public event attendees needed to ring a doorbell and be guided through a labyrinth to access the space. So, we’re every excited that our new space has a door opening directly to the outside.

    Some members in the new Lab B (after hauling up the first load of chairs and a table)
  • Environmental Impact: In the Soda Plant (and the Hood Plant before it), we were occupying the decaying remains of industrial infrastructure, and it definitely showed in the winter time with heat loss through single-pane windows, etc. By contrast, 12-22 North Street is an optimized energy-efficiency machine: it was built by a worker co-op in the 1980s with a passive solar design, has significant installed solar electric capability (including wiring for DC lighting), and is run by a landlord who works on IoT sustainability and environmental impact monitoring. The fact that we have a monthly kWh cap in our lease has sparked our thinking on how to sip rather than chug energy (no more using out-of-date servers and crypto miners as de facto space heaters in the winter). Whether this transition means our aesthetic center-of-gravity will shift from cyberpunk to solarpunk remains to be seen…
  • Space that is more fully “ours”: At the soda plant, we were subletting from Brandthropology, who were incredibly accommodating partners, but pretty much all of our space was at least somewhat shared, in they needed to walk through our main room to get to the shared Couch Room and kitchen. We now fully control our core space, while also having access to additional shared spaces and resources in the building.

We’ll be spending the next few weeks moving in and setting up, and are planning to host a “Lab Warming Party” for our initial Thursday public hours on February 21 from 7-9pm. For more details, check the Facebook event, and, as always, keep an eye on our calendar for upcoming Lab B happenings!