Whatever happened to Lightbox Lab???
Seeing as this site has been very quiet for a long time I thought it about time one of us should update it with the current status of Lightbox Lab. I decided to write this as we often get questions about whether or not we still exist, run workshops, meetup etc. So the answers to all of these questions are, "well kind of".A few hackery makery types :-) started Lightbox Lab back in 2012, the aim of which was to create a hackerspace or makerspace in the Drogheda area to support people interested in all aspects of technology. Be their interests be in exploring, inventing, to work on projects with likeminded people or just to hang out and learn new skills, our aim was to have a space up and running and also run and paid for by its members. We were extremely lucky that the people behind Milmount RDC provided us with space for a number of years to help achieve this aim. However what we found to be very difficult to do was to sustain and build upon our membership. We found over the few years that we were actively running workshops, tutorials, attending events that the interest in the project did not seem to be out there or at least we were not reaching enough people. And so we eventually closed shop in Milmount RDC. We do still meetup on a monthly basis to discuss what projects we are working on and we discuss the ultimate aim of having a hackerspace in Drogheda! so our hopes to do so are still in place, and hopefully when there is enough interest to do so this will eventually become a reality. So if you are interested in seeing Drogheda have its own hackerspace and wish to get involved then contact us through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or follow us on twitter @droghackspace and get in touch.Whatever happened to Lightbox Lab???
Seeing as this site has been very quiet for a long time I thought it about time one of us should update it with the current status of Lightbox Lab. I decided to write this as we often get questions about whether or not we still exist, run workshops, meetup etc. So the answers to all of these questions are, "well kind of".A few hackery makery types :-) started Lightbox Lab back in 2012, the aim of which was to create a hackerspace or makerspace in the Drogheda area to support people interested in all aspects of technology. Be their interests be in exploring, inventing, to work on projects with likeminded people or just to hang out and learn new skills, our aim was to have a space up and running and also run and paid for by its members. We were extremely lucky that the people behind Milmount RDC provided us with space for a number of years to help achieve this aim. However what we found to be very difficult to do was to sustain and build upon our membership. We found over the few years that we were actively running workshops, tutorials, attending events that the interest in the project did not seem to be out there or at least we were not reaching enough people. And so we eventually closed shop in Milmount RDC. We do still meetup on a monthly basis to discuss what projects we are working on and we discuss the ultimate aim of having a hackerspace in Drogheda! so our hopes to do so are still in place, and hopefully when there is enough interest to do so this will eventually become a reality. So if you are interested in seeing Drogheda have its own hackerspace and wish to get involved then contact us through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or follow us on twitter @droghackspace and get in touch.What happened to Lightbox Lab?
Seeing as this site has been very quiet for a long time I thought it about time one of us should update it with the current status of Lightbox Lab. I decided to write this as we often get questions about whether or not we still exist, run workshops, meetup etc. So the answers to all of these questions are, "well kind of".A few hackery makery types :-) started Lightbox Lab back in 2012, the aim of which was to create a hackerspace or makerspace in the Drogheda area to support people interested in all aspects of technology. Be their interests be in exploring, inventing, to work on projects with likeminded people or just to hang out and learn new skills, our aim was to have a space up and running and also run and paid for by its members. We were extremely lucky that the people behind Milmount RDC provided us with space for a number of years to help achieve this aim. However what we found to be very difficult to do was to sustain and build upon our membership. We found over the few years that we were actively running workshops, tutorials, attending events that the interest in the project did not seem to be out there or at least we were not reaching enough people. And so we eventually closed shop in Milmount RDC. We do still meetup on a monthly basis to discuss what projects we are working on and we discuss the ultimate aim of having a hackerspace in Drogheda! so our hopes to do so are still in place, and hopefully when there is enough interest to do so this will eventually become a reality. So if you are interested in seeing Drogheda have its own hackerspace and wish to get involved then contact us through This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or follow us on twitter @droghackspace and get in touch.Security Workshop: dangers of using public wifi
Our next Security Workshop will be held on Saturday 25th May from 11am to 2pm. The focus will be on the dangers of using wifi, free or otherwise in cafes, pubs hotels etc. We will demonstrate the notorious man-in-the-middle attack that when executed can obtain details on another network users authentication and browsing details. We will then demonstrate how a user can secure themselves from such attacks and highlight the dangers of connection to a wireless access point that may not be what it seems. If you are interested in attending the session is free for members and a 5-euro charge for non members. Please send a mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if you wish to register for this workshop
Python Programming Tutorials
On Saturday (9th February) we will be kicking off a rerun of the "Learning to Program
In Python" set of tutorials which we held last Summer. For this course no prior programming experience
will be needed but you will need to bring your own laptop.
Python programming basics will be covered over 4 tutorial sessions. Each
tutorial will be four hours duration with the first session being held on Saturday 9th February and the 2nd in March, further tutorials will be arranged in April to cover more advanced topics. The cost to attend each class is 5 euro for non members and of course free for members. If you are interested in attending please send a mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; text-decoration: underline; color: #6666cc; font-family: Arial, Verdana, TrebuchetMS, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 12.222222328186035px; color: #6666cc; font-family: Arial, Verdana, TrebuchetMS, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.">
Tutorial 1 (Saturday 9th February 11am-3pm in Millmount, Drogheda)
--------------
Some python programming fundamentals
statements,
variables,
comments,
conditionals and loops
Tutorial 2 (MarchDate TBD)
---------------
lists,
tuples
dictionaries
Introduction to Object Orientation
Hardware and Electronics Group Nights
From 20th November and every second week onwards we will be holding a group hardware and electronics group night at Millmount from 19:30 - 21:30. This is pretty much a "learn together" night and will be open to anyone who is interested in getting involved in open source hardware - Arduinos, Raspberry Pi etc. (we have a few spare!) Its also a chance for people to bring a long their own projects, ask questions, answer questions! and to have some fun. Also, hopefully we hope people will learn a few things along the way. It should be worth noting that at least half the group are new to this, hence the "learn together" tag. So if you are interested but feel you don't have the knowledge required don't worry! all you need is an enthusiasm to learn more and get stuck in! feel free to send a mail to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it." style="outline-width: 0px; font-size: 12px; color: #6666cc; font-family: Arial, Verdana, TrebuchetMS, Helvetica, sans-serif; text-align: justify;">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. if your are interested in popping along.
Ruby Tutorial: 10th November
On the 10th of November we will be hosting a tutorial in Ruby, which is a popular dynamic programming language used by web applications like Scribd, Hulu, and Shopify. Ruby comes pre-installed on most GNU/Linux operating systems, but Windows users can get started quickly with tools like RubyInstaller.
The tutorial will cover all of the basics you need to get up and running writing programs in Ruby, and will be suitable for those with or without any programming experience.
To sign up email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Price will be 5 euro and will be based at Millmount RDC.
Meetup 17th October
We had a bi-monthly meetup at #lightboxlab on the 17th October. On the agenda was a review and sign off of the Lightboxlab Constitution with many thanks to the guys at Tog.ie and 091labs.com for allowing us use a copy of their one. Also the Lightboxlab committee was elected so this was a momentous occasion in the history of Drogheda's makerspace. Thanks to all for putting their names forward. The new committee is as follows
Chairman
James O'Sullivan
Treasurer
Jonathan Hope
Secretary
Paul Doyle
Committee Members
Paddy Healy
Bob Long
Declan Dillon
On the night continued work on our Balloon Project took place. We are currently looking at the power requirements for all the kit and also fine tuning the GPS, SMS and Web cam configurations.
We are also looking for any new software/hardware project submissions and idea's from anyone who would like to run or participate in something new. I've posted a New Project discussion thread on the droghackspace mailing list.
Paul