Conference calls (including video enabled calls) are free via Discord, and it occurs to me that all we need to do is have a V1E Discord server, and someone who is willing to organize and publish the when and what!
One topic that could be revisited in many different ways: challenging makers to come up with ways to reclaim waste and turn it into something usable or even profitable. For example, I recently made useable, decorative, art gifts from wood flooring scraps that were unusable cut-offs and destined for the waste bin had I not intercepted them. I have currently made about 45 gifts (update: more than 50, about 52 I think). Enough for “Christmas in July” for our whole church (one per family), which is a one-off fellowship event we’re having this coming Sunday.
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Is there a V1E Discord server already?
Seconded! I have so many scrap pieces of wood laying around hoping they will come in handy some day!
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In theory I’m all for it.
In practice not so much - I enjoy a competition and it’s a great way to learn, I regularly enter Prusa competitions for instance, but only if I have a need or an interest in pushing myself in a particular direction. The thing that is lacking from those is any real critique - they are not design competitions per se, they are really about getting clicks on Printables.
One of the problems with critique on an open forum is the offence it causes, whether inadvertently or not, bear with me for a bit, but if we had a section which would be quite different - it would be a place specifically for project advice criticism and help with techniques - “How do you polish aluminium?” Is there a better way of cutting this circle?
Perhaps it could have a warning header that if you post there constructive criticism will occur?
The zoom/discord meeting would be fantastic, but problematic in terms of time zones.
As I write, it’s 10:30 am here, in EU it’s 2:30 AM and in California 5:30 PM yesterday but it would be great to give it a go!
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Just found this, and replied to it here.
I posited there the possibility of a digital (remote) routine/recurring “V1E Creators Conference.”
I would like both lol
A place where I can bounce ideas of ppls brains. A lot of the time a struggle for one person is a simple fix away from someone else. Or a total brain seed different route. The zoom things I would have the time for I am sporadic with my times I get to actually do work stuff.
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Its already working i just ordered a drill vice to rework some boards i made previously because ypu made me 
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Asynchronous stuff is much easier for this group. Because we have such weird schedules. I am sometimes up at 4am and posting gcode tips when I can’t sleep. Sometimes I am cooking and need a distraction while I wait for some step.
That said, we have a lot of async already. So if someone wants to try to include a sub group in a synchronous chat or call, there is plenty of room for something like that.
At my work we have the concept of “lunch and learns” where about 1/month someone will present what they are working on, why it is interesting, and what they are still struggling with. It is great for us (we are a company of focused projects and always trying not to duplicate related work). The presentations are usually at lunch and the people in the office get catering. But they never send me a burrito in CO (I’m not that bitter 
). The key bits are: One person schedules them pretty far in advance, so people think they will be well prepared. Then they scramble to make a presentation a day or two before. It is all pretty chill, because we all know it is hard to present. Constructive criticism is welcome, but it needs to be tactful.
There was also a 3D printing themed friday night chat on discord that was open to the Internet. I think they generally had a few topics prepared each week. But anyone could show something off. I never tried it, but it seemed to get some traction. Maybe a “First Friday” (of each month) chat would work?
Honestly, if anyone wants to volunteer to get one of these started, they can. You don’t need permission from anyone (and if you do, then we will get it). You can’t find a time where everyone in the forums can or wants to join. But if you can get a quorum, then consider it a success. Schedule a few, make it clear it is a trial, and keep them short (to avoid awkwardness and make us want more).
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Interesting. The discord is open for whatever, if you need me to change a setting, I can. I think that only comes to play if we were all to be available at the same time. Might be a good idea to pick something super easy and sorter term to work out some of the bugs. Like a drawing workshop. I have always wanted to mess with giant markers since I always use 0.3mm pens. Then you could get a feel for how things should change a bit before getting into a wood, laser, and metal combined project.
This comes to mind because you might get wild things like Jamie’s 6 color unicorn drawing, when in my head I just think about drawing a Sandify pattern.
I am very willing to offer some sort of award, for each session, as motivation. Then you get into the voting issue. Or maybe the person that runs that challenge gets to choose a couple of people that went over the top as recipients? Thinking forum badges, gift certificates to the shop, maybe a new board. Just don’t make me pick who gets them.
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The drawing sounds awesome. I was just saying today that I would love to try one like you posted from one of the recent shows. The most I’ve ever drawn was the crown lol. Then tried to do the ruler today and got that all messed up lol. That sounds like an awesome first trial run. I think keeping it to a forum post might be better than the discord. We are a group of people spread all across the globe. Nearly impossible to get any decent group of people together at the same time. And for me it’s a lot easier to go though and look at a forum thread than to try and catch up on a live chat. Just my .02
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I tried to search on Discord for @v1 and etc and could not locate anything. How is it listed?
Or just a random number picker, anyone who participates gets a number in the hat.
I would love to see directed projects. I imagine things like laser projects or V-carving, for people that have never done it to have a bigger group all doing it at the same time to help would be easy as it is all fresh in our minds.
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Discord, I have a link at the bottom of the website and top of the forums as well. A lot of people are starting to use it so just know there are setting for things like notifications to make it stop beeping at you all day.
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I get your point with this… But wouldn’t that take the drive to try “harder” out of it? If the person running the challenge picks the “best” then that would give the drive to do more?? idk maybe I’m just over thinking it LOL
Leave it to us site users to miss a link visible on every page! It’s how people are…
For a while now, I’ve been thinking I’d like to invite someone (or multiple ones) on the forum who are expert at a given topic, to have a video call with me, as an interview for my YouTube channel. The same thing could work for this “Forum workshop” / “V1E Creators Conference” type thing. The Discord software is free, and everyone involved pays for their own internet connection and is hopefully in possession of either a phone camera or webcam and mic, etc.
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Maybe create, under the voice channels area, something named “Creator Workshops” or some such?
General should work it does not stay or get recorded. You have to do that on your end I believe. I was part of a large meeting on discord for OpenSauce and they recorded it and posted it the next day.
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My own experience of this thread is a good (and a little unfortunate) confirmation of the asynchronous nature of our community. Waking up there were 18 unread replies on the topic, and the day has been busy - so I haven’t had the time to respond properly.
Well - a few thoughts. Last things first:
Discord - yeah, it would be great to meet up and chat, show projects and just hang out! We’ve talked about this a few times already, but nothing has materialized. What about setting up a poll to find a nice hangout time?
The workshop, some suggestions:
What about “The quarterly v1e workshop” ? Or just “The v1e workshop?”
(each quarter also has it’s own hashtag/topic)
Own category here at the forum.
One “workshop holder”. Can also (together with Ryan) be a jury for some sort of prize. Doesn’t have to be voted upon, but just a recognition of a great process/piece/educational value/etc etc. The criterias can be agreed upon before the workshop schedule is started. The workshop-holder can also chose the next person to have the responsibility for keeping the workshop going and all things to it.
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