High Tech Trade School.

So I think now is an opportune time to delve a bit into the nuts and bolts of IQCO. This, in essence is our elevator pitch.

You have heard of makerspaces. You know of skill shares. Heck, half of you may even know about the Exploratorium.

This is none of those. This is all of those. And more. This is the high tech trade school of da Vinci, Tesla, and Tony Stark. To prove a point, I will be teaching a class about how to forge rings as well as attempting to create a Farnsworth Fusor. I am helping create traditional makerspaces and am self publishing. I am working on a network and humanitarian engineering. 

So my dream for IQCO is to let people of any niche work doing whatever they love. People need to start working jobs that they actually like. Science, math, history, astro, computers, art, literature, metal smithing, anything. Learn what is actually interesting to you. 

Apply for a science fair. Look for an angel investor. Produce an LP. Publish a book. 3-D print. Mentor. Apprentice. Start a business. I know I've harped on this before, but it's because it's true. 

Imagine a place where you can learn all the cool things school never taught you. Build all the fun stuff you could jot down on the side of your notes. Create the job you wished you could have. And without paying the thousands of dollars to get there! 

Explore the world around you. 

Learn. Create. Innovate. 

And remember, 

Keep calm and hack on. 

-IQCO Mgmt

Start. Switch. Repeat.

Art by Sage Asakawa -> amazing artist btw

So in the past few days I've managed to become a director of another non-profit. I've found a space to start IQCO Labs. My plan for there federated hackerSpaces is now being rolled into the non-profit, which made me have to completely rethink my business model. 

I've only just got three rest of the information I needed to get started on the start up cup, and am taking to the owners of an arcade bar, Press Play about hosting networking parties there. I'm going to start being a dj for a pirate radio station. And I still have my seminar at the university next month. 

I've been working on my book. And working with my employees. 

This Friday I'm meeting an author for lunch with another guy in my city. We are in the same book. More on that later. 

Somewhere in here is a point I'm trying to make. Things change. Quickly. I'm looking at a huge contract for engineering. I had to reinvent my company structure and income model. I'm involved in so many more projects. I have about four interviews this week. 

So you needed to go with it. Roll with those punches and enjoy the ride. Always keep an eye for new opportunities. I'll elaborate more on the Laboratorium later. Along with the summation of my updates. But until then, look for how things are changing. Work with that. Never be obstinant in the face of life. 

So keep calm and science on, everyone. 

AND: listen to Canker Blossom

(They are on FB)

And a StartUp Cup

So apparently I am going to be hosting a startup competition here in Boulder County where IQCO is currently based out of. 

It will be in 4 months. 

I decided this 4 min ago. 

This is a good exercise on learning to stop procrastinating. Because I don't have time to procrastinate. And you shouldn't either. I am going to be working on an entrepreneurship competition in 4 months. I'm on the board if directors of a HackerSpace opening up in 2 weeks. I might have to make IQCo-working spaces near the HackerSpace: TinkerMill. 

I need to refine my plan for IQCO this week. One of my contractors just inherited a house and wants to turn it in to a hackerhouse. I want to add her to the IQCO network. I want to know about what people are working on in Corvallis, OR and how I can work with them in Longmont, CO. I want to get people collaborating within the network, and to incentivize membership to meet new personal and professional contacts, to have awesome resources, and to have IQCO membership work like an EU passport where they can work in any fellow IQCO space or house on the cheap. That is the heart of the Co-Op: to create a network. To share knowledge and skills. To create a global culture of innovation. 

Which is why it's also quite nice that I was contacted by the president of SolidState Depot to talk about working together between TinkerMill, IQCO, SSD, and everyone else. 

So I will try to keep everyone posted. And hope my head stops spinning one of these days. 

And remember:

Keep calm and hack on. 

Cheers.

-IQCO Mgmt

TinkerMill

Today I did the most simple thing: I showed up. I listened to what the universe was telling me when I found out about the new HackerSpace, and I felt that this would be a great opportunity for myself, and for IQCO, so I went.

And now I am on the board of directors for a HackerSpace opening up in two weeks. This is an awesome opportunity for me to learn the ins and puts of running a HackerSpace. Additionally the city wants to work with us to create a huge space, an incubator, and a general ethos of innovation within the city. It is exactly what I wanted to do with IQCO, but I get to have a running start on this. 

I'm also going to have TinkerMill become a member of The Switchboard. I am thinking I can have a networking party, have them present at the event with others and that will be a source of income for IQCO along with the classes until we get our own place up. Apparently, directors of NPOs also get incomes, which I was unaware of. I will try to get that going in about 6 months so I can work on TM full time. Along with IQCO. And playing for Boulder County Bombers in Longmont as well. This is just one of those things that you have to seize the opportunity as you see it. I get to be a DJ, run networking parties, build a makerspace, found accelerators, and connect thousands of like minded people. 

I may be able to do what I love full time soon. How great would that be? What hacker doesn't want to do that? 

So I must admit that today was a great start to the month. I am already counting my blessings and I am getting things rolling. I don't know how things worked out so perfectly, but I am so thankful that they are. I am thankful for everyone that has believed in what I'm doing, everyone that offered to work with me,and everyone that let me go on my crazy tangents about wanting to start a company. 

Cheers everyone, and have a lovely day. 

IQCO MGMT

Don't Give Up

Hey all.

If there is one thing I can tell you that I sincerely hope you understand and follow it is this: Don't give up.

I don't say that to be corny or anything, but it is so true. There is nothing easy about starting up a business. Most of it is a terrifying combination of ambiguity and knowing things arent working out. But that's OK. I promise. There is nothing in this life that will be asked of you that you can not rise to the occasion to do. I have faith in you, even if you don't have faith in yourself quite yet. There is a part of me that never really made it past wanting to be a motivational orator, and I am supposing that this is where this minor rant is coming from.

I feel for each and every one of you. There are days when you feel like you have accomplished nothing, days when you think that there would be no difference if you just gave up now. But I am telling you that is not the case. You have unique talents that are incomparable to those around you. I can't code worth crap. But I can create a prototype of landmine detection hardware. I couldn't sing even if i was provided a bucket to carry the tune in, but I can find connections in anything and create vast networks of people to help complete an objective.

You see, this is a part of the rules of 3 in survival. You can't go 3 months without human companionship, 3 weeks without food, 3 days without water, 3 hours without protection from the elements, or 3 minutes without air, but you can't go even 3 seconds without hope. Hope is the most vital to survival in any setting.

Nothing we do will have irreversible consequences. Very few things in this life truly are irreversible. Whatever we think we have screwed up on for the last time, or beyond all repair is not necessarily so. People are almost always ready to forgive. Nature repairs itself, and we can move on. It's what we do.

And when all else fails, listen to Ska.