With Steven's help, I visited the U0fM Reuse Center last Thursday and purchased 10 matching, stackable, reasonably comfortable chairs for the classroom. This ties in nicely with Wammie's thoughts elsewhere in the forums. Please keep these chairs in the classroom unless they're being set up temporarily for an event elsewhere in the HF. (In other words, lets try to keep the upholstery as clean as we can.)

Matching chairs in the classroom will go a long way towards improving the "look and feel". Stacks of "spare"chairs allow us to be more "agile" in using the space for lectures, presentations and cabarets. I'd like to get 10-20 more (assuming they're still available). Unfortunately, I can't go any further out of pocket for this so I'm creating an ad hoc "adopt a chair" project. The chairs are $10 each (with a tax round-up of 2 cents per each ten purchased--no worries, I can cover that!) If you want to participate, bring an "extra" tenspot (or more) to the meeting on Wednesday and find either me or Karin (because you all know who she is.) If you won't be attending the meeting but want to help, get in touch with me to arrange paypal or whatever--I can front a reasonable amount towards this project on a short term(very short) basis. I'll take whatever is collected (or pledged) to the U on Wednesday and buy more chairs.

If we collect too much--or if they're low on chairs--I'll toss funds to McSteve for the super cool small electronics parts cabinet ($80, but he's already pledged $20) that I also found, or toward "other furnishings" that become known to us. (You can specify "chairs only" with your donation--but unless otherwise advised I'm going to assume that we're all cool with these relatively small sums going towards transportable "capital" improvements.

Please insert whatever legal disclaimers necessary regarding this not being an officially sanctioned HF project. Boiled down to brass tacks you're giving me money, and I'm promising to use it to better our space, donating the objects purchased to the Hack Factory, rather than spending it on hookers and blow.

They also match our purple floor!

I know a thing or two about design.

put me in for $10

Quick update for those who haven't been "in" recently. Thanks to the generosity of various makers (or perhaps to Karin's strong-arm tactics) enough money was collected to add 10 more chairs to our inventory. They debuted to a sitting ovation at the Mini'app'les meeting on Thursday night and I believe they add to both the room's appearance and comfort. Thank you to all who gave. (If you wanted to donate but missed out, may I suggest McSteve's "parts drawers"--still $60 shy of goal--as an equally valuable alternative.)

There is some debate about whether these chairs should be in daily use or be "reserved" for special events. My take is that if they're taking up space, they need to earn their keep. To that end, I suggest they be pressed into service as needed, but that we make every effort to keep them "nice"--I.e. not use them as footstools, work surfaces or archery target supports--and returned to the stacks when they're not in active use. I also suggest that they be primarily used in the classroom or lobby. They can be set up for special events in the shop areas, but these upholstered chairs are not well suited for "hanging out" in the wood or metal shops.

Thank you.