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Tour Houston's Texas-Sized Hackerspace (Video 1 of 2)

Posted by timothy on from the power-tools-make-me-quiver-with-joy dept.

That things are bigger in Texas is sometimes more than just a cliche. A few weeks ago, on the way to LinuxCon, I stopped by what is certainly the biggest hackerspace that I've ever seen; is it the biggest in the world? Whatever the answer is to that, Houston's TX/RX Labs is not just big — it's busy, and booked. Unlike some spaces we've highlighted here before (like Seattle's Metrix:CreateSpace and Brooklyn's GenSpace), TX/RX Labs has room and year-round sunshine enough to contemplate putting a multi-kilowatt solar array in the backyard. Besides an array of CNC machines, 3-D printers, and both wood- and metal-working equipment, TX/RX has workbenches available for members to rent. (These are serious workspaces, made in-house of poured concrete and welded steel tubing.) Member Steve Cameron showed me around, but TX/RX Labs is so large that we broke the tour into two parts, with the other one set to display next week.

57 comments

  1. Ninfa's by Antipater · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Hey, that's like two blocks from the best Mexican food in the city, Ninfa's on Navigation. Great location choice!

    --
    Everything is better with chainsaws.
    1. Re:Ninfa's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

      Also, it's about 1/4 mile from a very cool game room / bar with about 100 vintage video games and pinball: Joystix. The anti-advertising AC troll can blow me.

    2. Re:Ninfa's by timothy · · Score: 0

      That's good to know! I intend to get back to TX/RX sometime soon, and food recommendations are why the internet exists :) Thanks.

      --
      jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
    3. Re:Ninfa's by ArhcAngel · · Score: 1

      Yeah Ninfa's is great but I prefer the other Laurenzo restaurant El Tiempo right down the street. Their Parrillada (Mexican BBQ) is incredible!

      I'll have to check out TX/RX Labs next time I'm over there.

      --
      "A person is smart. People are dumb, panicky dangerous animals and you know it." - K
    4. Re:Ninfa's by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Actually El Tiempo is closer and better, I like my food without roaches.

    5. Re:Ninfa's by ZFox · · Score: 1

      In my opinion, it has gone a little downhill, since "Mama Ninfa's" death in 2001, but it is still one of my top 3 Tex-Mex restaurants in the city (maybe still #1, but no longer a shoe-in). Also, there are other Ninfa's locations in Houston, but I have always had a much better experience at the original location (even more recently). Ah, I finally see why: "There are still "Ninfa's Mexican Restaurants" in Houston and elsewhere operated by independent owners who previously received licenses to use the name from the Laurenzo family".

    6. Re:Ninfa's by conoviator · · Score: 1

      And it's a stone's throw from Last Concert Cafe -- a great place for a quick lunch. Used to go there years ago before relocating to the Pacific NW. http://www.lastconcert.com/

  2. Audio by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    ...is broken.

    1. Re:Audio by VortexCortex · · Score: 1

      Install Gentoo

  3. Tx/Rx Labs Open House by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0, Redundant

    Tx/Rx Labs has an open house every friday at 7, Come on Down and See us, at 205 Roberts st Houston, Tx right down the road from Minute maid Park,
    txrxlabs.org

    1. Re:Tx/Rx Labs Open House by HeckRuler · · Score: 1

      I read that 205 robots st and though "damn, how cool is that". Then I re-read it. You should talk to your mayor and have it fixed.

  4. You lost me at Houston. by whargoul · · Score: 3, Funny

    The only thing worse than being in Houston is driving to Houston.

    1. Re:You lost me at Houston. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      Perhaps the only thing worse than driving to Houston.. is driving in Houston.

    2. Re:You lost me at Houston. by timothy · · Score: 1

      A good call. I've lived in Texas for a chunk of my life, but not explored nearly as much as I'd like, including some of the big cities -- the odd, usually short visit is all. Driving both to (and as someone else already noted) *in* Houston is sort of an ordeal, partly for congestion, partly because of just how big the place is. I have friends with a Houston mailing address who are something like 20 miles from downtown.

      I understand it's a great city in many ways, but getting around is unfortunately a bit of a turnoff ;) If I lived in a city like that (where getting around by car is a frequent need) I think it would drive me to finally get an electric car of some kind, or at least a hybrid, for the low-speed driving that eats my gas at present.

      The TX/RX neighborhood is certainly an interesting one, though -- parking is easy, too.

      --
      jrnl: http://tinyurl.com/c2l8yr / foes: http://tinyurl.com/ckjno5
    3. Re:You lost me at Houston. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I hear ya. We have friends moving to Houston from the - by comparison - much cooler and less humid Northern California and I think they're going to be in for a rude awakening.

      I don't want to live anywhere that has "legendary" humidity.

    4. Re:You lost me at Houston. by steveg · · Score: 2

      Guess it depends on perspective. A buddy of mine used to work in Louisiana. They used to like to visit Houston because it was so *dry*.

      I visited Houma with him. He had a point.

      --
      Ignorance killed the cat. Curiosity was framed.
    5. Re:You lost me at Houston. by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      As someone who lives in Austin, if one is commuting around the city core, I'd probably second the electric car, or at least a plug-in hybrid (Volt, Prius, Ford C-MAX, i-MiEV, etc.) The main reason is to save gas when idling and running the A/C.

      What was sad was going to Houston for a week recently, finding it had better traffic and commute times than Austin. Since Austin hasn't seen a traffic improvement since 1995 (highway 183), other than toll roads, the city is almost unlivable. Want to visit a local park? Hah. Zilker is locked up tight for the next two weeks due to ACL, and most parks have no way near them unless you don't mind a 30 minute bus ride. Houston, I was almost flabbergasted by being able to drive into Bear Creek Park with some friends, find easy parking, and hit a pavilion to eat, and then look at the fairly rudimentary zoo there. Closest attraction like that with free parking is probably the Domain, but instead of animals and park benches, you get to watch wild hipsters at coffee shops.

    6. Re:You lost me at Houston. by Hillgiant · · Score: 1

      Living in Houston is like living in a dog's mouth. Hot, wet, and smelly.
      It is the armpit of Texas.

      --
      -
    7. Re:You lost me at Houston. by antdude · · Score: 1

      "Houston, we have a problem."

      --
      Ant(Dude) @ Quality Foraged Links (AQFL.net) & The Ant Farm (antfarm.ma.cx / antfarm.home.dhs.org).
  5. Re:It has the same problem as anything else in Tex by firex726 · · Score: 3, Insightful

    Major cities are actually quite nice, Houston, Dallas, Austin; all nice places to live or visit depending on your interests.

  6. The dissapointing thing... by Bartles · · Score: 1

    ...about hackerspaces, is that there are always a few members who are the Elite, and are somehow allowed to break the rules. In this case it appears to be "Mark", who has managed to fill an entire bay with obsolete junk, depriving others of desirable and useful bench space.

    1. Re:The dissapointing thing... by darronb · · Score: 2

      Actually, there is a membership level where you can get spaces that big. Also, I believe Mark does a lot of mentoring, teaches classes, etc. There's also an upstairs section in that area you haven't seen yet with more people space. Try not to prejudge based on what you think you see in a panning video shot, eh? I've been there a couple times on the open house nights. It's a pretty neat place.

    2. Re:The dissapointing thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      For what it's worth, I wouldn't have watched the video if I hadn't first read the GP's comment - I wanted to see the cluttered bay. :)

      I don't think it's fair to call it 'prejudging' - there is a huge space that is unusable because it's filled with Mark's stuff, regardless of how great a guy he is, or how much mentoring he does. I think Bartles makes a fair observation - I think the issue of a successful space like this becomes one of people and personalities, which is a harder problem than getting space or tools. That said, I would love to have something like this in my town.

       

    3. Re:The dissapointing thing... by Lennie · · Score: 2

      He did say Mark was renting that space. It might be a good thing for a non-profit to have some regular income.

      --
      New things are always on the horizon
    4. Re:The dissapointing thing... by Bartles · · Score: 1

      Granted, I don't know Mark, and have no knowledge of this space's rules or arrangements. But this is a pattern I see repeated in every hackerspace I have visited.

    5. Re:The dissapointing thing... by HeckRuler · · Score: 1

      fill an entire bay with obsolete junk, depriving others of desirable and useful bench space.

      I dunno about your setup, but this is kind of the status quo at the QC-colab in Davenport, IA.

      I mean, "obsolete junk" is pretty subjective. We've got the sewing machines that are working perfectly, but nobody's touched them in years. The giant robotic arm is completely busted and would need a monumental reverse engineering to get up and running, but it looks damn cool when you enter the electronics room. The pile of literal scrap PCBs below it, not so much. The kilns have massive potential, we want to start smelting, but nobody has had time. The whole thing is kind of one giant circulation of broken dreams and half-thought out projects which move around making way for more of the exact same thing. And somehow cool shit slips through the cracks and makes the whole thing worth it.

    6. Re:The dissapointing thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      Useless??? Clearly you do not have a discerning eye for what lies in that space. Study your history and your electronics test bench equipment and get back to us.

    7. Re:The dissapointing thing... by ZFox · · Score: 1

      is unusable because it's filled with Mark's stuff, regardless of how great a guy he is, or how much mentoring he does.

      It still sounds like you are jumping to conclusions; what if he pays a monthly fee for that much space? They have a membership level that provides you with your very own workbench. They also have membership levels that provide you with shared workspaces and lockers (this was before they moved to their larger location; I'm assuming it is the same). If you still think that is unfair then it does not matter, anyways--you are obviously not a Texan (yes, I am fully aware I just made a logical fallacy--it was a joke).

    8. Re:The dissapointing thing... by ninlilizi · · Score: 1

      I've been a regular member of the London Hackspace for a few years. And this is something that I've never seen as being a problem here.

      There have been a few issues with anarchists and activists showing up, trying to import politics and generally walk all over the rules. But firmly bouncing them from the premises till they got the message such disruption is unwelcome solved the issue each time.

    9. Re:The dissapointing thing... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 1

      In general Tx/Rx charges more money per square foot as you rent more space. This is because what is valuable to use as a non-profit is for people to be working on projects not people renting space from us. Also as when you are renting space from us it is part of the deal that if you do not use it we may take it back so other people may utilize the space for projects and or other table memberships.

    10. Re:The dissapointing thing... by firex726 · · Score: 1

      Exactly, more members, means more income, means even more spaces.

    11. Re:The dissapointing thing... by Bartles · · Score: 1

      What if someone were to pay a monthly fee to rent all the space and use it as storage space. Guaranteed income for a non-profit, but doesn't that kind of defeat the purpose?

  7. Tx/Rx Labs Open House by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Interesting

    Stop on by Tx/Rx Labs has an open House every friday from 7pm-11PM we are located at 205 roberts st
    just down the road from Minute Maid Park.

  8. Not the biggest by TwoStep · · Score: 1

    Artisan's Asylum in Somerville, MA is 40,000 square feet (this place is 14,000)

    --
    There are 10 different types of people in this world... those who understand binary, and those who don't.
    1. Re:Not the biggest by Khyber · · Score: 1, Funny

      Everything's bigger in Texas. Even our lies.

      After all, we got Bush, Jr. living here.

      --
      Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
    2. Re:Not the biggest by djbckr · · Score: 1

      Everything's bigger in Texas. Even our lies. After all, we got Bush, Jr. living here.

      Really, this thread isn't about politics, and it didn't need to devolve there. There are plenty of other places to whine about politics.

    3. Re:Not the biggest by Taxman415a · · Score: 1

      Yeah not the biggest, but they look like they are doing a good job and that's all that matters. Gotta love /. haters finding something to whine about (not you TwoStep, the people whining about other things). If you can't get excited about a place where geeks and people that want to make stuff can share equipment that few people can afford on their own, so they can make cool stuff, go read somewhere else.

      The Geek Group also has 42,000 square feet, but it appears to be a work in progress.

  9. At least they have clear pricing unlike Metrix by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Metrix Create:Space in Seattle hides their pricing in a tiny JPEG with compression artifacts. Last time I went, they wouldn't honor the prices that I think are in their price list. Honestly, it's so hard to read that I don't know how was right. Either way, they lost their temper and angrily told several of us that their price list was not something they wanted shared.

  10. It's a shop by Princeofcups · · Score: 2

    Hackerspace? It's a shop. We don't have to keep making up new words where there are perfectly good ones available.

    --
    The only thing worse than a Democrat is a Republican.
    1. Re:It's a shop by HeckRuler · · Score: 1

      Oh good! A shop.

      How about a little red Leicester? I do hope you're not out of that particular cheese.

    2. Re:It's a shop by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      I believe that you are thinking of "shoppe".

    3. Re:It's a shop by firex726 · · Score: 1

      Well generally a hackerspace is a bit more broad in scope.
      It's not JUST a shop, many will have smaller electronics areas, or even arts/crafts areas. When someone mentioned a "shop" they dont really think painting easels and sculpting tables.

  11. Re:It has the same problem as anything else in Tex by Khyber · · Score: 1

    Dallas used to be nice but Deep Ellum is going to crap, Bar of Soap is no longer there, half of the good bars have closed down, bleh.

    --
    Still waiting on Serviscope_minor to wake up to fucking reality and realize that Jessica Price isn't going to fuck him.
  12. Re:It has the same problem as anything else in Tex by bored · · Score: 1

    Well in a way he is right.

    Living in Texas there are a number of things lacking. For, example national parks... Which is true of other parts of the country, but if you live in say, Austin, it takes the better part of 9 hours to get to Big Bend.

    The state parts are nice, but putting a couple 1000 acre parks here and there tends to lead to massive overuse, and parks where you don't feel anymore isolated than the greenbelt behind your house.

  13. I've said it once... by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    And I'll say it again: FIX THE FUCKING PAN ON YOUR SOUND!!!! The production value of some of the videos you put out makes it look like your working with Movie Maker on Windows XP

    Fucking annoying.

  14. No by Ryanrule · · Score: 0

    stop giving money/ideas to third world states.

    1. Re:No by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

      If you can define any word that you just used then I'll give you a cookie.

  15. Re:It has the same problem as anything else in Tex by firex726 · · Score: 2

    That's more an issue of how large Texas is. Parks, Rivers, Lakes, Campgrounds; we got them, but becuase our cities are so sprawling and spread out, it'll take a while to get to them.

    I do agree though that we could help out matters by making more smaller parks, then a few giant ones. Visiting them during the weekend or any holiday is just a waste, since they will be swamped with people, many who will be out watching TV, blasting a radio, or getting drunk and starting fights. Don't like it? Well we have another park literally across the state, and will take all night to drive to, and will have the same issues.

  16. Re:It has the same problem as anything else in Tex by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Its not just how large the state is, but the proportion of the state that is park/forest land. What you are describing is a problem of people/parks (aka to many people, not enough park land).

    See this http://seguingazette.com/opinion/community_columnists/article_2d389008-57f0-11e0-8b15-001cc4c03286.html which talks about why Texas doesn't have any parks. Frankly, I'm not sure that article is completely correct, because the state I moved from nearly doubled its park land in the early 2000's due to a a couple large buyout programs where the state purchased rights to land in rural communities for conservation.

  17. Not the largest - TechShop by Skynyrd · · Score: 1

    14,000 sq ft is a lot of space, but it's certainly not the largest of the hackerspaces.

    TechShop has 6 locations, and one more opening next month, that all have 15,000+ sq feet indoors. Monthly fees are $100 to $125 for access to everything. They have newer equipment, as well as walls between the woodshop, metalshop and machine shop.

    It's great to see places like this opening all over the country.

  18. Re:It has the same problem as anything else in Tex by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    We have a huge park is right off of Downtown Houston. It is just a block or two from city hall. Yes, there are a few freeways going over parts of it, but really, it's just west of downtown.

    Where I live, there's a park (and a good sized one too) just two blocks away. We also have a ten mile hike and bike trail (connected to two real parks, and one patch of land they call a park) another two miles away. Finally, if you like your parks really big, there's the old battlefield (where Texas won its independence from mexico just on the other side of Houston.

    While it is possible to have more parks, Houston doesn't seem to be lacking. There's even a park featuring a water wall right next to our largest shopping mecca, the Galleria. And I haven't even mentioned Herman Park, which is between downtown and the medical center, featuring an outdoor theater, the museum of natural science, the Japanese gardens, outdoor water play areas, two playgrounds (little kids and big kids), multiple picnic areas, a pond with paddle boats and sectioned off nature areas, a miniature train, the zoo, and a 18 hole golf course.

    Now, the weather might make these parks a bit of a challenge at times, but you can't accuse the parks of not existing.

  19. mine's only 5000 by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 0

    Wow. I thought my 5000 sq ft shop, er, "hackerspace" was big! I guess if there's more than 1 person using it...