Hackerspace in Vancouver

The Vancouver Python User Group (VanPyZ) lost its meeting space. Workspace hosted most of our 2008/2009 meetings. It is closing on Friday August 21st. Looking for another place, someone on the VanPyZ mailling list suggested to contact the Vancouver Hackerspace (VHS). After looking at the website, I went to see what it was.

VHS is a room managed by a group of hackers in a democratic way. This community consists of software & hardware hackers. You pay a small membership fee to access the place: $25 for a basic one, or $50 for a full time access with a key. It’s a place where you can work on your hobby projects and socialize with other like-minded hackers.

I attended the chat/talk on Git Thursday evening. People were easy going and knew their subject. I was sceptic when I first heard of ‘Hacker spaces’, it sounded like an utopian idea; nice in theory but not manageable in practice. After of few hours in this microcosm, I changed my mind. Hacker space is not just a neat idea, it works. Staying at home working on own project alone is not the best way to go. Hacker spaces provide a social environment where you can take you’re creativity to another level. People exchange ideas, help each other, or spread the latest tech gossips. There are tutorials, where you can learn by doing; and more classic talks.

VHS is worth checking if you’re living in Vancouver. If not for the space, at least for the people.