Jesse Krembs, Author at Laboratory B

Zero to Hero Class: Pirate Box Edition.

I’ll be teaching a class on how to setup a Pirate Box at the Generator on March 22nd. Check out more info and sign up here.

Want to carry around a world of important data, like Wikipedia, and health guides?
Need a way to share a bunch of files with some folks?
Come learn how to make a PirateBox a tool for sharing information in a secure offline manner!

PirateBox is a DIY anonymous offline file-sharing and communications system built with free software and inexpensive off-the-shelf hardware. Perfect for public spaces as a means of sharing interesting data and having offline discussions. piratebox12

During this quick 4 hour class students will learn how to build a Pirate Box. This class will guide students through the process of converting a plain TP-Link MR3020 and USB thumb drive into a Pirate Box.

$50 lab fee covers purchase of Pirate Box and all necessary materials (MR3020 & USB Drive).

What’s a hacker?

I get asked about being a hacker, what’s a hacker, isn’t hacking bad etc etc, all the time. Thanks Nova Labs for putting together this video which says everything I would have!

Warming up the Foundry!

When Laboratory B got started we were excited about the possibility of other hacker/maker/community workshop spaces starting up and sustaining in Vermont. That’s why we created Vermont Hackerspaces Inc as non non-profit designed to help others do great things. The Foundry is a community workshop getting started in the Northeast Kingdom. Building on the grit, and hard work they are going to bring together a community of creators, tinkers, crafter, artist and entrepreneurs. This great community is going to build a great new space for creation and innovation!

On July 7th, Vermont Hackerspaces Inc, agreed to become the Foundry’s fiscal sponsor while they get started. The Foundry is looking to develop it’s own 501(c)3 but it’s a long when from getting going to handling your own books. Check out the website or Foundry’s facebook page and Foundry Info Pack for more info.

It’s the little things.

Nothing super awesome happen at Laboratory B last week, lot’s of little things did.

We got a DreamHost account! We haven’t cut over to it yet but getting it is super cool!
Aaron & Charlie completed this cool sign!
Our hunt for a new space has started! And it’s already paying off
We got a Keurig!
We can now take donations online ——–> right over there!

Also we applied for a tech soup account so hopefully that will come through soon too!

Events in February with Laboratory B

It’s a new month and that means new events with Laboratory B.

Laboratory B is currently working to organize a crypto party right in Burlington. This party will be your chance to learn about cryptography, information security and operational security. How to reduce some of the harmed caused by mass surveillance too. Learn about TOR, PGP/GPG, Pseudo-anonymity, TAILS and other super geeky privacy topics.

We are still organizing a location and time but stay tuned because it is coming soon!

Events:

2/7/2014: 2600 Meeting
Laboratory B is the primary supporter of the local 2600 meeting if you are interested in hacking and security related events in Vermont, check out the 2600 meeting held the first Friday of every month at 5 o’clock at the Food Court at Burlington Town Square Mall.

2/10/2014: What the Hack? How hackathons & makerspaces are sparking innovation in Vermont
In the past few years we’ve seen hackathons and makerspaces spread across the state as creative ways to solve community problems and catalyze collaborations across sectors. Join Burlington NetSquared and leaders of these hackathons and makerspaces for an evening of learning, idea generation and reflection on how we can foster lasting multi-sectoral collaborations–and innovations– through these kinds of events.
If you’ve participated in one of these events, come share your experiences! And if you want to get involved in one of the upcoming hacks or new makerspaces, here’s your chance to ask questions.

Panelists include:
Bradley Holt, Code for BTV
Rebecca Roose, HackVT and My Web Grocer
Jesse Krembs, Laboratory B
Nate Herzog, StoryHack

Meetup info here

2/12/2014, 7-9pm: Crypto-Currency Night.
A semi-regular gathering of Burlington crypto-currency enthusiasts (Bitcoin, Dogecoin, Litecoin, etc.). Feel free to brings thoughts, schemes, snacks and/or beverages to share… RSVP on Facebook

2/18/2014, 7-9 PM: Learn to solder with us at the Lab.
We’ll teach you the basics of through hole soldering with kits from Sparkfun!. If you interested in learning to solder microelectronics please RSVP us at [email protected]

2/26/2014, 7-9 PM: Lock Sport Wednesday:
Generally speaking on the last Wednesday of the month we sponsor Lock Sport Wednesday from 6pm to 8pm. This event is a place for folks who are interested in physical security and locksports to get together. We adhere to the idea of better security through education, and we also follow the law in this matter. Learning how locks works and don’t work is not a crime.

techie.com mentioned Burlington and Laboratory B a cool high tech place..

The BTV Web App Group meets several times a month for presentations and networking. Laboratory B, the local hackerspace, holds regular events. The sustainability-focused Green Drinks meets twice monthly, once in Burlington and one in Montpelier. CodeForBTV, a civic hacking group that meets weekly, enjoys support from Code for America, and they’ve produced several improvements to local systems and organizations. The meetup groupBurlington Net Squared also hosts regular meetups that cover many different tech angles. Tech Jam Vermont is a well-attended annual event sponsored by Dealer.com, which is headquartered in Burlington.

More at http://techie.com/techie-coms-most-promising-tech-hubs-to-watch-in-2014/

The Lab profiled on VPR!

Laboratory B was profiled on VPR the local public radio and NPR affiliate by Jon Kalish. Woot!

January Events

It’s cold outside and the weather is frightful. But the Lab is warm, snug and dry so it’s a good place to hangout this time of year!

2600 Meeting January 3rd 5-8 at the Burlington Town Square Mall, we’ve moved location and we’re going old school!
The Generator is holding “Build a Makerspace Party” January 4th from 10am to 5pm at the Memorial Auditorium’s Annex!
We’ve adjust our open drop in hours to 7-9PM EST on Thursdays

Look for more events coming soon!

Rise of the Tech Ninja….fashion!

As is keenly obvious Laboratory B is center of cutting edge fashion (j/k). Seriously though, we do spend a fair amount of time thinking about high tech fashion either in the wearable way or in a materials way. We are pretty excited by the rise of techninja fashion, which I quipped in just” a monochromatic Vermonter just back from hike!”

Though the pricing is outrageous (isn’t it always in the fashion world) it present some interesting looks (straight out of a William Gibson novel!)

Bitcoinage Discussion!

Laboratory B hosted a bit of coin meetup last week and the local alt weekly (more like just awesome weekly) did a write up about it!

In Vermont, Users of “Cryptocurrency” Bitcoin Are Few But Committed

Last week, in a small, subterranean workspace near downtown Burlington, a group of tech-savvy Vermonters held an open forum on a topic that’s attracted a great deal of attention lately: Bitcoin. Early adopters of the “cryptocurrency” believe it has the potential to upend the entire global economy…..

Also Laboratory B has some cool “I use bitcoin” t-shirts if you need one.