Do it yourself

Quote: Evenbob

Coming into NY from PA. It was like a
war had taken place, the freeway was
all potholes.

Lots of places are removing the asphalt and going back to gravel roads, they are much cheaper to maintain. https://www.wired.com/2016/07/cash-strapped-towns-un-paving-roads-cant-afford-fix/

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/34469490/ns/us_news-life/t/hard-hit-cities-roll-pavement-lay-gravel/#.We4pAFtSzIU

Quote: petroglyph

Lots of places are removing the asphalt and going back to gravel roads, they are much cheaper to maintain. https://www.wired.com/2016/07/cash-strapped-towns-un-paving-roads-cant-afford-fix/

When I started driving in 1965, there
were tons of unpaved roads. And they
were crap. Today's unpaved gravel roads
are wonderful by comparison.

Quote: Evenbob

When I started driving in 1965, there
were tons of unpaved roads. And they
were crap. Today's unpaved gravel roads
are wonderful by comparison.

In Alaska new highways even built to spec are blown to bits with frost heaves withing ten years. The cost of road maintenance is phenominol. I don't think there is yet two thousand miles of paved road in Ak, a state 2 1/2 times the size of Texas. Just guessing but, there is probably more asphalt in Phoenix than all of Alaska.

I don't think there will ever be a year when parts of the Alaska highway are not under repair. The potholes are so bad, it broke the toilet and stove out of my rv, and I am a careful driver. Much better to drive it in the winter when the snow is plowed and the roads are flat.

Quote: petroglyph

Lots of places are removing the asphalt and going back to gravel roads, they are much cheaper to maintain. https://www.wired.com/2016/07/cash-strapped-towns-un-paving-roads-cant-afford-fix/

http://www.nbcnews.com/id/34469490/ns/us_news-life/t/hard-hit-cities-roll-pavement-lay-gravel/#.We4pAFtSzIU

I like the idea, especially in more rural areas. Lightly traveled roads probably not worth the cost. EB is probably talking about the NYS Thruway going Erie to Buffalo, where a bit after the state line you hit a part on the Seneca Reservation. See, the Indians wanted to put their own toll booth up there, NYS beat them back on that one. They did somehow get the right to be in charge of maintenance for both part of the Thruway as well as the other major highway in the area, I-17. You can tell you are on the res by both the many billboards and the degraded road.

Quote: AZDuffman

I like the idea, especially in more rural areas. Lightly traveled roads probably not worth the cost. EB is probably talking about the NYS Thruway going Erie to Buffalo, where a bit after the state line you hit a part on the Seneca Reservation. .

The SW corner of the state, N of Erie.
The casino Face worked at is near
there.

Bad news for DIY ????

TechShop abruptly closed all locations and announced bankruptcy.

TechShop was an Open Source Tool and Space Rental franchise that required a few introductory safety courses and a membership fee of about a grand but gave DIYers access to tools, advice, expensive machinery they could never afford on their own and might only use a few times.

Company announces it was a business model that just was not working out.

If you paid a membership fee, email the Trustee in Bankruptcy.

Quote: Fleastiff

Bad news for DIY ????

TechShop abruptly closed all locations and announced bankruptcy.

WOW!

I knew they had issues. Pittsburgh was supposed to close as it was losing money about equal to their expensive district rent. They said the others were doing OK.

Quote: AZDuffman

. They said the others were doing OK.

That is exactly what the problem was. Doing just "OK' no real profits. They decided to pull the plug in one fell swoop rather than just close underperforming makerspaces.

Quote: Fleastiff

That is exactly what the problem was. Doing just "OK' no real profits. They decided to pull the plug in one fell swoop rather than just close underperforming makerspaces.

Reading their releases, it seems the only way they could make money was when a large employer or school bought a lot of memberships for their people, most of which did not get used to the fullest. A shame, but someone gave the idea a try. Maybe one day someone tries again.

FWIW, TechShop had offered to sell shares, but one had to be accredited to buy in, a sure sign it was risky.

Quote: AZDuffman

A shame, but someone gave the idea a try. Maybe one day someone tries again.

That's the spirit! Though actually I think these public maker spaces are morphing to a mini-TechShop and will eventually morph into a full-blown techshop.

Its a question of geography and outreach. A TechShop has only a certain geographical reach beyond which it makes no sense for a craftsman to trek. He can beg, borrow or steal a massive instrument of some sort rather than drive an excessive distance to use one on the cheap. Its also a question of inventory, TechShops had certain small items that they sold and they rented out time on large expensive manufacturing equipment.

These community run or volunteer run Maker Spaces offer collaborative office space, techie interaction via formal conference room rental as well as techie interaction via water cooler chats. They offer sleep over bunks, specialized computer equipment and high speed data links. Sure it becomes a battle as to what tools they should buy but once that decision is made there should be enough volume to cover the capital outlay since such decisions are usually voted on by the membership.