[civilian]

Yeah, I'm with you. I have a guitar! I have books! I have a large bed and a variety of clothes. I need some place to store my skis and my running shoes. I enjoy cooking. I don't see myself as materialistic, just as a passionate hobbyist/human.

[saalweachter]

Tools, man. Where do you keep your table saw when you're living in a van?

[cfallin]

You joke a bit but this is one of the biggest things I miss now (in a small apartment in the middle of a city). Growing up in suburbia with a well-stocked garage for tinkering was a wonderful experience. Yeah, hackerspaces; not quite the same though...

[jschwartzi]

I won't pay 300 more a month for modern fixtures, plumbing, or millwork, but I'd pay it for a two-car heated garage with a 220v outlet and good lighting.

[WalterBright]

Haha, I told the real estate agent I wanted a 2 bedroom house with a 5 car garage :-)

[Turing_Machine]

220? I want 480v three phase. :-)

[bobbles]

I'm sure it wont be long until hackerspaces become competitive enough to introduce 'hobby' workshop rooms etc for people to spend more time there...

Hell maybe apartment buildings should accommodate things like this instead of just having a gym/pool included

[kragen]

Hackerspaces have had various conflicts related to people living in them for decades now. You’re probably aware that Stallman was sleeping in his office at the AI Lab in the 80s.

[beambot]

Google has some pretty insane machine shops and labs (electrical, bio, & chemistry)... They blow my home lab out of the water -- and I've probably spent upwards of $30k on my home EE lab.

[kragen]

Can you walk into one and use it to make yourself a new set of silverware, or do you have to be, like, working on a Google project?

[jsolson]

Our maker space at Google Seattle (which is not a full on machine shop, although we should have the mill online soon) is explicitly for personal projects only (for liability reasons, I believe, although IANALcat).

[Sophistifunk]

This. The fear of never being able to again live in an apartment is most of what keeps me from buying any tools bigger than the MakerBot.