to be clear, i mean a space that is heavily geared towards web based startup/technology hackers.
noble tree is a coffee shop and chicago jelly meets there, but it is not a space where you can expect to go meet random hackers
pumpingstationone is nice but last i checked it didn't appear to have a strong technology startup type vibe.
i understand that curating the "vibe" of a "hackerspace" (whatever that means) isn't an easy thing to do, but i've been INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED by general assembly and hacker dojo. pumping station one is a great space, its just not quite the same. I'd consider:
nycresistor:generalassembly::pumpingstationone:"what i'm asking for" -- basically "general hacker types" (macguyver, picking locks and being generally crafty) vs "programmer hacker mindset" (hey, i wrote a really cool thing in node.js which i learned over the last 48 redbull fueled hours).
Chicago is an amazing town and there are tons of great people for it: birthplace of RoR, cofoudners of django live there, plenty of YC startups, groupon, beyond the pedway (woot, @timjahn, calling you out -- attended your "Entrepreneurs Unpluggd" event in Feb and I think that may be the best event I've attended in Chi), grubwhub, grubwithus, i think restaurant.com, etc.
However, the tech community isn't quite as unified and its a lot harder to get in touch with likeminded folk. At hacker dojo, you could turn to almost anyone to get feedback on a web app or ask for javascript advice, which I am not aware exists in Chicago.
Thanks for the kind words. I completely agree with you on the notion that the Chicago tech community isn't as unified as it needs to be. And the ironic part is I think many other people feel the same way. So we're all doing our parts to try and tighten it up around town.
That being said, in my eyes, things have come a long way in the past 2 years. Excited to see what the next 2 years bring.
Hey I'm a director at the Dojo. Please ping Katy@ if you want to start something up in Chicago that is similar to the Dojo, we'd love to see the community grow.
noble tree is a coffee shop and chicago jelly meets there, but it is not a space where you can expect to go meet random hackers
pumpingstationone is nice but last i checked it didn't appear to have a strong technology startup type vibe.
i understand that curating the "vibe" of a "hackerspace" (whatever that means) isn't an easy thing to do, but i've been INCREDIBLY IMPRESSED by general assembly and hacker dojo. pumping station one is a great space, its just not quite the same. I'd consider:
nycresistor:generalassembly::pumpingstationone:"what i'm asking for" -- basically "general hacker types" (macguyver, picking locks and being generally crafty) vs "programmer hacker mindset" (hey, i wrote a really cool thing in node.js which i learned over the last 48 redbull fueled hours).
Chicago is an amazing town and there are tons of great people for it: birthplace of RoR, cofoudners of django live there, plenty of YC startups, groupon, beyond the pedway (woot, @timjahn, calling you out -- attended your "Entrepreneurs Unpluggd" event in Feb and I think that may be the best event I've attended in Chi), grubwhub, grubwithus, i think restaurant.com, etc.
However, the tech community isn't quite as unified and its a lot harder to get in touch with likeminded folk. At hacker dojo, you could turn to almost anyone to get feedback on a web app or ask for javascript advice, which I am not aware exists in Chicago.