DIY enthusiasts come to Royal Oak with Hacker Space

Ever wish A place (workshop) existed where you could build a project, somewhere to relax while programming, be able to think and share ideas, and learn while lending a helping hand?   Well you are in luck,  Royal Oak being the home of many arts, crafts and entrainment outlets, has gained its first Hacker Space.  A 1500sqf environment dedicated for builders, crafters, thinkers, and coders, is equipped with a workshop, classroom, loft, future AV room, and many other possibilities.

After months of weekly meetings at The Coffee Beanery in Berkley,  i3Detroit has made its home located downtown at 322 East 4th Street Royal Oak Mi.
Weekly meetings are held currently each tuesday at 7PM at the new location.  If you are interested in finding out more about the group and would like to be apart of it please visit! i3 is actively accepting new members.

The grand opening will be hosted the first weekend of October, opening the doors to the public to come and see what i3Detroit is all about.  With the first class
“Intro to Small Scale Web Advertising (Part 1)” scheduled for Monday, October 05, 2009 from 7:00 PM – 9:00 PM (ET) i3 will feature many lectures available to the public to learn topics presented by various hosts.

Anyone is allowed to visit i3Detroit, though Membership allows full access to the premises 24/7 onsite storage, voting rights,  and other various perks.  Non-members are allowed to visit the space while another member is willing to accompany them.

http://www.i3detroit.com

EPIC REVIEW (ExPo ICrontic) 2009

EPIC 2009 Icrontic.comEach June, Located in and around a home in Warren MI. Geeks, Gamers, and FRIENDS from all around the nation… hell the world meet up for a week long EXPO. Among the Expo this year included a viking from Norway, being the only international to make the trip for the 2009 Icrontic EXPO.  Previous years have included some Euros
If you have never experienced EPIC, ExPo ICrontic, it is held each year in June. People come from all over to compete in tournaments, Board Games, join in some interactive classes, or just to hang out at the Icrontic HQ

This year (June 23-28) marked the largest attendance to date hitting 60 attendees, 5 days of gaming, a food tour extravaganza, lots of beer, and prizes supplied by sponsors such as, OCZ Technology, ATI, Duck Brand Duct Tape, NZXT Guardian, Thrustmaster, EA Games, Sumo Lounge Furniture and Futuremark.

We changed the name and the concept to indicate that this huge summer gathering was about way more than computer gaming; it was about being an Icrontian, and Livin’ the Icrontic Life. We renamed the gathering to reflect this, and “EXPO ICRONTIC” was born (EPIC for short).” – Icrontic.com

Events Included:

  • LAN Gaming (Team Fortress 2, Left 4 Dead, and more)
  • Tastes of Detroit food tour
  • Duct Tape Challenge
  • IC Golf Outing
  • Boardgaming Area
  • Rock Band
  • Moar

The Icrontic.com community is dedicated to each years events, planning generally starts before the last handful of attendees have even finished leaving the year prior. People arrive days in advance just to hang out at ICHQ and help with the preparation.

Internationals guests tend to stay around 3 weeks enjoying as much as possible of Michigan, and sometimes a trip or two into neighboring great lake states. Some of the competitions involve board game challenges, Team based death matches, and strategy based games. The winning team would earn prize tickets to enter a raffle for certain prizes. Ranging from portable console cases, games, new pc cases, power supplies, and ram.

As the last day came to an end, late into the night as after the last tournament ended, prizes were awarded in a Chinese raffle, Drinks were raised, some departed some slept, while some just refused to sleep, savoring their last remaining hours together pulling pranks on those that choose to sleep randomly around the house. Some relaxed on the back porch until well after the sun had risen and the birds and squirrels were awake.


“So to summarize, EPIC is the biggest Icrontic event of the year; the most fun, the most hectic, the most social, the most…. Epic! ” – Icrontic.com

Well until Oktoberfest

Links:
What is EPIC
Icrontic