[BNM] geek cafe progress

[Joe Aliferis]

You shouldn't gather together in one place like that, its too tempting !

:-)

> i just posted a flickr set of the first days at the cafe/bar..
>
> you can see it's come along quite a way :)
>
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/joshrussell/sets/72157611303780199/detail/
>
> we're also twittering about all the various things going on at the venue..
>
> http://twitter.com/geminiupstairs
>
>
>
> josh
>
>
>
>
> On Tue, Dec 9, 2008 at 2:51 PM, Josh Russell <josh at overdose.com> wrote:
>   
>> hey all,
>>
>> about 6 weeks ago i started the conversation about the idea of having
>> a geek cafe, dedicated to what geeks need, and as a focal point for
>> our industry locally and it's fringes:
>>
>> http://www.brightonnewmedia.org/pipermail/bnmlist/2008-October/15602451.html
>>
>> since then, quite a lot has happened, most importantly, we're open!
>> we're upstairs at gemini, the one on the beach with hundreds of seats
>> out front during the summer, directly south of the brighton centre..
>>
>> http://geekspaces.com/gemini
>> http://coworking.pbwiki.com/BrightonCoworkingCafeBar
>> http://twitter.com/geminiupstairs
>>
>> some important details:
>>
>> - we're opening every day currently from 11am to at least midnight
>> (except this thursday, we've got our license exams!)
>> - generally we're staying open later than midnight, especially if
>> there's an event going on
>> - we have a 24hr license, and a well stocked bar
>> - we don't turn the coffee machine off until we close
>> - we have fast wifi
>> - can comfortably accommodate between 20-26 people coworking
>> - maximum capacity is 50 people, probably with table moved out of the way
>> - there is a plentiful supply of power sockets (available at every seat)
>> - sunset is currently at around 3.30pm providing awesome views
>>
>> so we've gone from idea, all the way to reality, in 5 weeks, we
>> soft-launched on the 3rd of december :)
>>
>> there's lots still to do, my list grows daily. and we're learning a
>> lot about what it takes to run a space. which is kinda why we're doing
>> it :)
>>
>> we've already had several successful events here, and we're hoping to
>> have something going on every night.
>>
>> the brighton farm freelancers meet is already happening here on
>> wednesdays. brighton bloggers will be hosting their regular meets with
>> us. the girl geek dinners will be making use of the space for some of
>> their social events, and i'm hoping to have flash brighton meeting
>> here too!
>>
>> we're also available for free bookings of one-off events too.. need
>> somewhere for your xmas drinks?
>>
>> i'm hoping that many of the groups on this list will find a home with us:
>> http://sussexdigital.com/networks
>>
>> some things we plan on doing:
>>
>> - getting a projector! (contributions welcome, we're half way there i reckon)
>> - food, we're working on a plan based on what we think is realistic
>> and of course desirable by you hungry lot :)
>> - showing TED talks at lunch times
>> - streaming live talks given at events such as skillswaps or flash brighton
>> - having an updated selection of magazines suited to geeks, such as
>> Make, Wired, New Scientist
>> - last.fm channel for music, that's based on the tastes of those that
>> frequent the bar
>> - games nights, mario kart and street fighter 2 leagues, dare i say
>> warcraft guild nights!
>> - moving nights of locally produced and indy films, and films under a CC license
>> - the list of ideas goes on!..............
>>
>> currently we're basically relying on the support of you guys, coming
>> and buying coffee and beer. we're not making any money out of it yet,
>> anything we do make is going towards nice things like magazines and
>> boring things like cleaners. hopefully we'll be able to pay some staff
>> sometime soon, so we aren't constantly stuck behind the counter making
>> beverages!
>>
>> so come on down, get out of the office, and out of your bedrooms..
>> come and watch the sunset, give us some feedback, and hang out with
>> fellow creative digital professionals :)
>>
>> on a side note, i had a conversation with mike butcher of techcrunch
>> after he tweeted this:
>>
>> "Actually, in the economic downturn, I predict the death of office
>> space and the rise of co-working / "jelly space" eg
>> http://bit.ly/gwKF" - http://twitter.com/mbites/status/1037930329
>>
>> he seems to know what we're trying to do, it's about grass roots
>> collaboration and community discovery, not just having a desk
>> somewhere..
>>
>> "@technokitten @PJWilkinson @azeem @joshr @KellyMai Jelly Space is
>> *not* "deskspace". Wifi, cafe tables, power, coffee. Desks/chat
>> optional" - http://twitter.com/mbites/status/1037963459
>>
>> so this is just an experiment, we'll work out what works, what
>> doesn't, if there's even a need for something! at least after all the
>> speculation, we're having a go, and soon we'll be able to have answers
>> to the question of "wouldn't it be cool to have our own space?"...
>> well i think it would :)
>>
>>
>>
>> josh
>>
>>
>>
>> Josh Russell
>> founder, geek, entrepreneur
>> ------------------------------------------
>> http://joshrussell.com
>> http://metranet.co.uk
>> http://twitter.com/joshr
>> http://www.linkedin.com/in/joshr
>> http://flickr.com/joshrussell
>> ------------------------------------------
>> phone: +447974919282
>> skype: joshrussell
>> msn: joshuarussell at hotmail.com
>> ------------------------------------------
>> come along to the next Brighton Social Media Cafe
>> http://icanhaz.com/nextTuttleBrighton
>>
>>