Laser Election Monday

Laser
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https://calendar.dallasmakerspace.org/events/view/21568

Laser committee elections are this Monday afternoon. I am no longer chair - highly recommend showing up if you’re interested in the future of laser.

I can do a hand off on request for any maintenance/pending orders/etc if wanted by new chair.

Although not required by our rules or bylaws, I encourage anyone who is planning to run for chair to post here with a light version of a statement of intent (What are your plans for laser for the next 6 months, etc)

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When I joined in 2018, Laser used to be a committee full of excited makers building together, and I want to bring that back.

My username is Lazer after all. I have used lasers since 2012, and at DMS since 2018. The lasers were my first reason for joining. The makers here are my reason for staying.

As sewing SiG leader, I created robust machine trainings and curricula with matching Source & Youtube playlists to refresh users’ knowledge after class. As a SiG, we worked together to build skills as a community, and along the way revitalized the cosplay SiG, now any given Sunday the sewing room is packed.

In the next six months I will work to rebuild the committee by:

  1. Clean/maintain lasers and laser area
  2. Improve signage/ designate wood donation area
  3. Upgrade online training with best practices & durable online refresher trainings
  4. Bring back monthly cleaning days
    4a. Certify laser maintainers
  5. Foster laser community through classes and learning
    5a. Foster laser teacher community/meetings
  6. Contract professional help as needed:
    6a. Laser rebuild/maintenance contracts if needed.
  7. Big Thunder
    7a. Clean/assess project
    7b. Cost/benefit analysis (is it worth repairing? how much to finish the rebuild with or without professional help?)
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I’ve spoken to Amelia and heard some of her plans for laser, fully endorse her!

I am unsure if I will be able to make it tomorrow (Alec and I may have last minute work) - If we are not there, Alec S/Cedar and I give our votes to Amelia ( @mreynolds to vote proxy for two please)

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Similarly, I won’t be able to make it to tonight’s election, so I’d like to vote for Amelia by proxy too please @mreynolds

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I also won’t be able to make it, however in my time at the space, I’ve noticed the dedication and commitment that Amelia has to making the space the best it can be, and for that reason I’d also like to proxy my vote please. @mreynolds

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Likewise, @mreynolds please vote my proxy for Amelia.

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I also would like to submit my proxy vote for Amelia for committee chair of laser! Her dedication to the space, knowledge of multiple committees, and being a strong leader of multiple committees and SIGs has proven her ability to help grow our laser team.

-Gena

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I was asked why I’m running at this late hour.

As a long time laser user, the state of the laser committee has been a concern to me for the last year, and in particular the last few weeks.

My tipping point came on Friday, when I came in to use the lasers for a DMS improvement project, and found both Donner and Blitzen were down, with their heads disassembled.

Last I knew we had over 16 lenses, and replacing a lens shouldn’t have been a problem for a healthy laser committee with a robust maintenance team.

This is not a decision I have gone into lightly. The laser committee represents a significant time and energy commitment.

I feel that I could best help by rebuilding the laser education, community, and infrastructure needed to maintain these amazing machines, and keep DMS making.

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Not sure how I became the proxy guy, I just mentioned I planned on going to the meeting :smiley:

Honestly, if anyone they should probably go to the organizer. @Julie-Harris

But I appreciate the confidence, and will carry the proxies with me to the meeting.

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Because you admitted you’d there, and you’re a reliable dude. At least for me.

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Hello Fellow Laser Members,

Tonight marks a crucial moment for the future of the Laser committee. Following the resignation of our former Chair, @jsnowfreedman, a new team has risen to tackle the challenges we’ve encountered. We found ourselves in a dire situation with depleted parts, machines in disarray, and a committee where members hesitated to voice their concerns due to fears of losing access privileges. The atmosphere in the laser area has been less than ideal lately.

Just last Friday evening, we were confronted with the disheartening discovery that the lens on Donner was destroyed, and Blitzen’s lens was in questionable condition. However, thanks to the swift actions of our team and the proactive support of @Julie-Harris, who expedited part budgets that we had the foresight to order before this crisis unfolded, our downtime was minimized to just over-night. We’re making significant strides forward despite the challenges we’ve faced.

We hit the ground running. We’ve engaged in discussions with Laser users about the future and have already initiated educational programs, including a hands-on Laser Bootcamp. We understand that online training alone isn’t sufficient for new Laser users, which is why we’re committed to offering more comprehensive training opportunities.Drawing from successful maintenance programs in the woodshop, we’re implementing the best practices into the Laser Committee. Additionally, we’re fortunate to have the support of highly experienced Laser users as we move forward.

Our collaborative efforts were evident when six people worked tirelessly for hours on Donner to bring it back online earlier in the week. It’s clear that no single person, no matter how well-intentioned, can do this alone. By incorporating motivated Laser users into our team, we’re boosting productivity and making progress more manageable.

Tonight, we’ll present our comprehensive program, including onboarding procedures for new members. We’re not just talking about what needs to be done; we’re already taking action. And if you have any doubts about the capabilities of our team, consider the bustling activity in the woodshop compared to the quiet corner where @AmeliaG Amelia’s Vector committee operates.

While the former Chair @jsnowfreedman may offer endorsements, their management shortcomings are evident in the neglected state of Big Thunder, which has been in disrepair for months.

Choose a proven team that is dedicated to attracting new members and resolving issues proactively. Moreover, with myself being one of four DMS members on the expansion team, our Laser committee will soon benefit from a new, improved space.

Please consider voting for me and our outstanding team. We eagerly await your presence at tonight’s meeting and encourage you to join our winning team.

Best regards,

Burt @swa
Candidate for the Laser Committee

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Meeting time is 7:30 tonight in the Interactive room.

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You do realize that we have like two dozen spare lenses in the lens replacement cabinet. Ones that Thunder themselves have donated as well as some extras that we bought.

Further, Blitzen has been working absolutely perfectly since it’s been rebuilt. Big thunder has been down in part because I was told to expect the new laser area to be built by middle of January, and so metal shop and Laser started switching things around.

From what little I saw about the damaged lenses, and the recent classes, it was actually the super high power and use of effectively the laser as a milling machine in recent classes that probably torched the lenses, especially without having them cleaned periodically during that use. So far, more machines have been down in the last week than in the last few months… So maybe think about that for a minute. I also said that I did not particularly care if somebody else wanted to take over laser/ I did not care what the board wanted to do (I do not want to work under the board directly as a chair anymore) If it was taken as an immediate resignation then well " put words in my mouth" - No one asked me for any information about actually maintaining the lasers. No one checked in the cabinet for cleaning. As far as I know, no one that touched the lasers ‘to repair them’ in this time had previously/ recently been certified as maintainer, even though we have a fair few people that at least know how to correctly change the lenses/ so forth.

But people can and will vote for who they want to do. We’ve allowed proxy votes in the past, if we don’t allow it now, that’s fine- I would recommend/highly encourage that the board thinks about adding in specific rules around this then. I would also like/ think it makes sense for there to be rules that chairs must apply ahead of time and have a small statement of intent, much like the board and other groups do, but -shrug-.

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I’m a little confused how you discovered that Donner had a destroyed lens?

When I found out that evening that both had been red coned, I checked the cams to see if any obvious abuse had occurred.

@cwai2007 had used Donner just 20 minutes or so before you removed the lens unit from both it, and Blitzen. I didn’t notice you testing its functionality on anything before you removed the lens, so i’m not sure why it was assumed that they were bad.

I haven’t done any maintenance on the lasers, and I’m not on that team as I know it is fairly intensive, so I’m more curious than anything so I can learn more about how to recognize these issues.

Maybe Chuck can let us know how his laser job went prior to yours

I’m not sure what the ladies name was that was using Blitzen the same time as Chuck, but she appeared happy with her job and left the area a few minutes before Chuck finished his.

Anyway, sorry I’m curious to learn more about how issues are discovered so I can help better

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This and the air went down on Friday. You quickly discover the lens will draw on cardboard, but not cut through.

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Well I’m am very frequent user of the Lasers and the machines in the Wood Shop. I think “proxy” votes are lazy and wrong even tho they are included in our by laws. It takes action like showing up and doing something … it’s the same reason why a lot of the equipment is in disarray in the Laser area. You can’t just phone in your vote and maintenance wishes. Not attacking anyone, life shows up and it’s hard to keep up with things at time. Well I’m throwing my support for Burt the WoodShop Chair, his team has always been pro-active and fast in getting things repaired and maintained. They are well versed in maintenance and stay on top of things. Not sure if other departments may have as many mechanical fixes on the regular or usage as the Wood Shop and Laser, and whoever takes this position better be well versed and prepared to put in time. Burt and his support team are willing to take this on and bring it back to good working order as soon as possible. I will also join and support Burt’s team to do maintenance on the Laser if he wins the Laser Chair since I depend on them and use them like so many.
Keith

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I think “proxy” votes are lazy and wrong even tho they are included in our by laws.

And honestly I understand that. However, we are also a 24/7 space that likes to state that people have access throughout the night. There’s quite a few of us that work night shifts- there’s those of us that have families, etc that limit the dates and times that we may be available.

There’s a reason that the board elections are done also online - It’s to make it actually fair. We do not have a way of having an online vote for committee chairs, so proxy votes are effectively the only way to do that. I would be at the meeting tonight except for the fact that I have never been at the space on a Monday night for the most part because Monday nights are reserved as the one day a week that I guarantee to friends/family and stuff.

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Hi, I am not sure if my comments are still relevant, but to answer the questions directly:

  1. My laser job on Friday night on Donner came out alright. I noticed that the upper left quadrant was more consistent with what I expected it to do (the lower quadrants were weaker), so I stuck to that.

  2. The lady ran her jobs on Blitzen and they came out per her satisfaction.

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Proxy voting avoids discrimination by effect. Many younger people have jobs and conflicting schedules which do not allow them to come to DMS on a Monday night.

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Proxy votes are useful for members who can’t make it to the meeting.

Proxy votes also have a long history of “proxy bombing” here at the space. Where a clique of members collect votes from members who aren’t active in the committee to push out people they don’t like over personal differences.

To be 100% clear for everyone on this thread, I’m not accusing anyone of that.

I am just explaining why there is a massive distrust of proxies here at the space.

When the board sees proxy bombing take place they will typically not seat that person as chair.

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