So, this is how it works

Student A (left) asks for a fresh SD card so that he can install some Apple II programs on the Raspberry Pi. Missing a component in the process, he turns to student B, another progammer, (right) who was playing chess at another table and who happens to have the needed script on a jump drive.

Moments later, student A is delighted to have games installed. I ask him to leave it up and running when he leaves and to create instructions for others to use it.

During the subsequent breakfast-break period (our busiest time in the MakerSpace) our Mindstorms programmer comes to the lab to work. When I point out the what's new on the Raspberry Pi, he immediately becomes engaged, full of questions, and starts evaluating and using the resource.

Next period, a gamer asks, "What is this?" The make fulfills itself.

At the end of the day: the loop continues.


The library MakerSpace is like one of those deep-sea nutrient-rich steam vents. I supply the nutrients and the heat. Then these amazing life-forms arrive, interact, and learn; each taking away something from the sharing.