This is a letter I wrote... about 2-3 years ago, I think - about Maker House long before it came into being. It's only been edited to take out identifying stuff. There was a second section to the letter that wasn't Maker House related, so I didn't put it in. Kind of interesting to see how I've begun to carve out a non-physical space for my hacking since then - a portable Maker House I can take with me, so to speak.
I'd like to dream about Maker (Yellow) House for a while. I know the last time we talked about it didn't go too smoothly. For me, Maker House isn't a workshop full of cool gadgets - I love tools, love designing spaces, and definitely want a kickass floorplan and toy chest.
For me, MH is a community, not a Nifty Gadgetland. Being free and random to hack comes so naturally to you; you can do it anywhere, with anyone. I can't. I know it's all in my mind, but no matter where I go... there's always a voice following from society saying... don't do this; I need a place where those voices will go away, and so I want MH. It's not so much to workshop to me as a home where I can be who I am (which is, in large part, a hacker).
So forgive me if I gloss over the floor plans and don't start looking for drill presses just yet. I'm trying to find people, figuring out a locale and a source of funding - all the things you have to do to get a roof over your head before you can start hacking the stuff under the roof.