| A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O | P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z | AA | |
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1 | Timestamp | Name | Overall Experience | What would you say the most positive aspects of your experience were, and why did they stand out? | How could your experience at Factor E Farm have been improved? | Would you be interested in participating in future workshops, project visits or other programs at Factor E? Why or why not? | Would you recommend this program to a friend? Why or why not? | Please share any other comments you may have about your experience working with Open Source Ecology. | Would you be interested in coming back to help finish the MicroHouse from 9/5-9/7? | ||||||||||||||||||
2 | 8/18/2014 0:46:44 | Chris Waters | 8 | A great group of people gathering to develop their skills and learn about a project that made some pretty awesome claims. Meeting people from Dancing Rabbit, and learning about their lifestyle really opened my eyes to the reality of intentional communities. Coming together at the end of the workshop with a group of people with similar ideas for the future of OSE and taking real physical steps towards a more productive and better guided design process for OSE machines. | I typically try not to set expectations for my experiences, but that was not the case for this workshop. I think my experience could have been improved by a having an experience that better matched what I expected to have experienced. I signed up for the workshop assuming I'd learn about sustainable design practices (proper orientation of building, natural ways to induce proper air flow and ventilation, general things to think about while designing a home as good design is a much more inexpensive way of dealing with environmental problems than retrofitting a bad design). Aside from brief conversations with other participants, I never even discussed sustainable design strategies. I also had the expectation that there would be more training from experienced professionals on how to perform certain tasks or modules of the microhouse construction (I believe this happened with the carpentry modules, but definitely not with the brick laying). It would have been nice to learn more about good design and good construction techniques...as it was, I feel we still learned but just by throwing ourselves at the work and hoping for the best (which I could do in my backyard and don't need to pay someone to let me do). | Obviously I am involved with OSE because I believe in the overall goal of the organization, but I feel that a lot of the claims made on OSE media are misleading. I enjoy spending time at Factor E because of the opportunity to support OSE and the development of the GVCS, I also really enjoy spending time with like-minded people interested in doing their part to make OSE a larger part of our future. However, considering a future visit to Factor E, I will have to take all claims made in the invite (or description of time spent there) with a grain of salt; assume that less than half of the claims made in the description of the work shop or project visit will be achieved. The way the tractor and CEB press are presented make them sound like finalized designs that could be replicated and used to start a business, but I was shocked by the relative underdevelopment of these designs. I think that - considering their context - these designs are quite an impressive feat, but I think they have a long way to go before someone can take them and operate a business with them...my understanding of the GVCS is that by making our own machines we can be freed from the predatory system of manufacturers that design things to fail...I don't think the current designs satisfy that requisite, but I would still be very interested in participating in future workshops if they more honestly addressed these issues. | I think the OSE concept is a beautiful solution to a problem many people are tired of dealing with, but as of now, I feel it isn't much more than a concept. I would definitely recommend my friends look into OSE, but I would inform them that the project isn't as far along as it claims. I would like to see OSE become a little more autonomous, producing a lot of their own food, and capturing a lot of their water (as claimed on the wikipedia about Factor E Farm: The Factor e Farm is the main headquarters, where the machines are prototyped and tested. The farm itself also serves as a prototype. The residents grow their own food, collect rainwater, and produce all their electricity by solar panels.) I will recommend my friends look into OSE, but I will try to make sure they have a more accurate understanding of where OSE is today. | I think OSE could benefit from slowing down a bit and focusing on more specific objectives; setting up Factor E Farm to operate a little more autonomously (not so many wal-mart shopping trips), focusing on good design of one machine at a time and using a financial metric to assess design iterations (i.e. the lifetrac was used to generate $5,000 revenue in one month working in the local community...). I do feel a more open, collaborative design process will help achieve better prototypes, but I think OSE could benefit from moving at a slower more focused pace. | unavailable | ||||||||||||||||||
3 | 8/18/2014 18:00:44 | Fred Eisele | 6 | The personal networking. Hands on interaction with the machines and processes. | More data collection. A prototype build is an experiment. An experiment that does not produce experimental data is of limited utility. Do not try to do it all. Partnering with a campground could improve the experience and free up workers. | Yes. Of course it depends on the project and goals. | Most people that I know would need more predictability. | Maybe, could I send a delegate? | |||||||||||||||||||
4 | 8/18/2014 20:29:46 | Zara Jamshed | 8 | -Danny, the food was amazing. I don't know how you managed to pull it off, but you did it. It was incredible. Thank you so much for lovely meal after lovely meal for the whole workshop. -I loved the teams that I worked with. Everyone was positive and eager to help and passionate about what they did. Getting to meet everyone and being a part of this large team was a wonderful experience. -The carpentry aspect was wonderful. I felt like we were really trusted with the tools even if we didn't really know what we were doing and got to learn some new skills. Devin taught me how to weld privately and that was so cool. | Here are a few things I think would make a workshop run more smoothly: -Have structured breaks for about 15 minutes halfway through each work cycle (morning and afternoon) -If there are shifts of people doing work, make sure that a) the people who aren't working have something to do (round-table discussion or carpentry or something) and b) that the shifts are timely so that one group doesn't end up doing the bulk of the work. -Maybe don't focus on the extreme time frame for the project. Part of the experience is about meeting people with similar interests, you don't want your participants to be burnt out because they're rushing to build a sub-par product | Yes I would. I really like hands-on experiences and I think the workshops are a fun way to engage with tools and people to make things happen. | Yes, I would. The hands-on skills you learn coupled with the experience of being in a community of like-minded, ecologically conscious individuals is wonderful. That being said, the program was more physically demanding than it should have been (there should been more breaks) and it was occasionally frustrating. I would give my friend warning, but I would tell them to come. | Next time the bricks should already be pressed. I am fairly confident that if they had pressed, we would have been able to finish the house within the ambitious time frame. It was a satisfying project, but it would have been even more rewarding if we had completed the house. The interns were clearly burnt out from all the non-stop work throughout the summer. Because I got there early, I felt kind of like an intern and it was exhausting. Overall I had a really positive experience. I look forward to keeping up with Open Source Ecology and continuing to be involved. | Yes, absolutely | ||||||||||||||||||
5 | 8/19/2014 8:41:59 | Mark Cooper | 4 | Conversations with the interns and participants. It was a diverse and fascinating group of people. | By far the biggest improvement would be proper preparation and organization. Not having the bricks prepped prior to our arrival was the worst part of the planning snafus. Blaming the weather just shows the lack of planning which went into the entire workshop. (I speak from experience because I have planned and executed many similar events in the past). On the organization side, we never seemed to start, stop, or proceed at the times originally indicated. There were no back-up plans for rain, etc. | Probably not. I found a serious lack of focus at Factor E. When I walked around the farm I found numerous projects half done or abandoned entirely (solar panels, sawmill, etc.). I didn't see the execution of the vision I thought I would. I also found a stark contrast to the open collaboration I thought I would encounter. It appears that rather than open collaboration and rules regarding how to best proceed, Factor E is more autocratic that I expected. I think this can be supported by the number of dedicated people who have come and gone over the years. | It depends. If I wanted them to see a prescient idea gone awol I might recommend the program. At this time I find the program lacks direction, organization, discipline, and vision. I spent almost $1,000. to attend this workshop and can't say I left with what I hoped I would. I found the workshop fascinating in regards to what not to do rather than what to do. In that sense I learned a lot. I felt Curtis did the best job he could under the circumstances. | I think the original idea of creating a civilization starter kit is timely and much needed. The idea of Open Source for a time when things might not be as abundant as they are now is brilliant. Collaboration is the key and I didn't seem to find that at factor e. There is not just one best tractor, microhouse, etc. but at factor e that seems to be the motto. After all the years of developing the tractor the simple fact that it didn't seem to run more that a few hours without needing repair speaks volumes. As with so many things, the vision offered by the Ted talk vs. the reality is vastly different and not in a positive way. | Already have plans then | ||||||||||||||||||
6 | 8/19/2014 20:20:47 | Attendee | 2 | Wide variety of event participants. | 1) The daily activities should have more closely matched the plan communicated on the event's web site 2) The bricks should have been made at least 2 weeks before the event to allow time for bricks to dry and reduce risks of bad weather preventing brick making from completing before the event attendees arrived. 3) Event leaders could have taken more time to talk with event participants during the day to get to know them and obtain feedback. 4) Daily tasks could have been better organized. For example, on Saturday the workshop group waited for about an hour for paper instructions for the morning machine projects. | No, the workshop did not match the description outlined on the event's web site. | no, due to workshop not meeting expectations. | no | |||||||||||||||||||
7 | 8/19/2014 21:49:22 | Donald Clark | 9 | I would say the food, but maybe I should give a different answer. The huge interest in learning that everybody had. It was great to see that. | Outdoor showers at the back of the HabLab, possibly with a solar water heater. More parking? A short, clean path directly from parking to camp site. | Yes!! I see a lot of potential to use those ideas to benefit many charities in what they are trying to accomplish. | Yes, but I believe that they are all so busy with what they have going on. | I want to help with designs and managing projects. I am not sure who to contact. I understand that there are some issues regarding widespread collaboration on CAD. One thing I found is: Autodesk has a Clean Tech program that entrepreneurs can apply for several seats of a Design Suite for a total of $50. (Possibly free for a nonprofit organization such as OSE.) | maybe | ||||||||||||||||||
8 | 8/20/2014 9:06:02 | kyle yoder | 6 | the people and level of enthusiasm and energy stood out to me about the place. i live at dancing rabbit, where things move forward slowly, and at a very controlled pace. it was nice to be at a place where there was so much raw desire to experiment and change the world. the idea of open source hardware is a powerful one. | i felt like there was not adequate preparation for the microhouse project. i have participated in workshops on the management side, and therefore found myself both scrutinizing the project more while also being more empathetic to those leading the project. i understand that there was limited time and energy allocated to the project prior to the workshop, but i think that you owe it to the participants to put more time into preparation. more than anything, i was very dissatisfied with the level of conversation and engagement that was present between the participants and the design team of microhouse 3. i came to this workshop primarily because i have been following OSE and wanted to see your operation, and with this i was pleased. however, if i came to the workshop in order to develop skills or increase my understanding of alternative construction, i would have been displeased. more so if i had paid $100 per day. | yes, but as mentioned above, it would likely not be because i am interested in developing skills or experience. more as a vacation or time to reset myself away from home. i am also very busy at dancing rabbit and don't expect to have time to come back for a good while. | i would recommend it but would communicate clearly my experience, which is to say that i would not recommend it as a building tool, but that it is great as a way to be stimulated by interesting thoughts and people. | i love what you are doing. i saw so much enthusiasm and out of the box thinking, and would love nothing more than to see 50 prototypes fine tuned for the global village toolbox. but more than anything, i was struck by how large a scope you have carved out. my advice would be prioritize! your task before you is dauntingly epic, and i fear that if you don't narrow your vision you will burn out due to biting off way more than you can chew. also, i saw genius and vision in the leadership, but there were too few people who were managing the workshop (and factor e farm in general). there is too much to do to do everything yourself. delegate responsibility, and allow others to share the load of your epic project. overall, i love what you are doing and found inspiration there. | no, too busy at home | ||||||||||||||||||
9 | 8/21/2014 17:46:51 | Peter Scheyer | 10 | I learned a wide variety of skills! From framing both walls and windows to welding to how to operate the brickmaking machine I had an incredible diversity of opportunities to learn. The people were skilled, helpful, and best of all, not on staff! We all learned from each other and built a structure worth working on. | The camping experience was good, but honestly I would have preferred a basic barracks of some sort. With the temperatures in MO and the bugs the camping just didn't get me enough rest for how hard I was working during the day. I pushed through with a stay at a hotel one night, but as we were already building a structure maybe the next build should be a basic shared sleeping quarters. | Hell yes. The experience was amazing, i learned a ton about practical topics I've applied to my own projects since coming home, I love contributing to the development of open source hardware, and you guys are close to home for me. I'll be back. | Yes, and I already have. It was a great learning experience and is very fulfilling for a builder/maker who can't live the dream or take a summer off to intern. | Thanks for cooking, Danny! The food was amazing. A million times better than i was expecting- i brought my own supply just in case and ended up not touching it until I got back home. It would be cool if there were some smaller build opportunities more often. I'd love to come down for every Saturday every weekend over the whole summer. Maybe building some power cubes or even just working the brick press for a day, or some of the earlier work might have gone a bit faster with some extra pairs of hands. The camping area was good but could use some more clearing, better drainage, and maybe some sand to set up tents atop. It makes for a very nice cushion to set up your tent atop a small berm of sand. A campfire or bonfire pit of some sort would have been used every night. Might I suggest the front area between the road and the HabLab? With some clearing this could be a great place for the barracks or a more formally constructed communal area. Also, under the geodesic in this area could use some levelling :P. Eating on the tables was a challenge and at least a few people lost their meals to harsh mistress Gravity. Curtis did a great job leading the build, making sure people were involved, delegating, trusting, and coordinating. He seemed to be everywhere at once, always doing something useful. Good call on keeping the talks about the house design for later on, but I missed them on Sunday. The workshop is very well equipped and a great place to work. It's amazing that so many different workstations with such a variety of purposes can coexist and thrive in the shared space. It was wonderful to see everything in use over the weekend- so many makerspaces/workshops of this sort sit empty nearly all the time. I'd be interested in helping build an open source mobile tinyhome. They seem easier, as they don't involve the foundation work. I would be interested in coordinating and designing and leading this endeavor and will be speaking with Curtis about it. It was hard to learn names. Name badges of some sort might have helped. Honestly, i don't know. I met a lot of people and learned a lot of names. Who knows if badges would have been better- i just know i didn't get to know absolutely everyone and though it might be unrealistic I wish I could. There are many excellent cooling options which could be made with open source hardware methods and run off passive energy. For example, a solar swamp cooler which generates its breeze via a column of heated air... I'll draw up some plans if you're interested and come out next summer and build a few. In general- I loved the camping, burning man build crew feel. Definitely should consider some more Burn-targeted projects- mobile living space, art cars, even some big geodesics for the burn. I would love to be part of an active crew like that and it would be a great capstone for the summer intern program. I will organize this next year if you are interested. | I would, if i was not going to be in Chicago during that timeframe. | ||||||||||||||||||
10 | 8/21/2014 19:16:57 | Charlotte Stiles | 9 | Every one gave their heart into it. That shown through. The people, especially the interns, were very smart and interesting. | More organization. I wish the farm met my expectations, I thought it was going to be functioning more as a community where everyone knows their place instead of one person directing everyone. | Yes, I would like to see the progress the farm makes. I may not be able to because of schedule conflicts. | Yes, I have. It was one of the best hands on experiences I've had. | Thank you to everyone, Curtis especially, for working their asses off and getting shit done. | No | ||||||||||||||||||
11 | 8/25/2014 9:55:05 | papa bear | 5 | i was inspired and impressed with the caliber of workshop attendees and interns. i greatly enjoyed the conversations and discussions that came up around the picnic tables. i was encouraged to reconsider hosting building workshops at dancing rabbit as a result of participating in this workshop. | i think that my experience would have been improved with more realistic expectations. building a house in 5 days is an ambitious plan that requires incredible planning and prep--both of the materials and site for the building itself, as well as the workshop location. inadequate toilet and bathing facilities for the number of participants does not build morale. i would like to have seen more expertise available for the project. i feel like it was only by luck that one participant had sufficient block-laying experience to teach the rest of us. i would like to see more follow through from ose around paid workshops: if you say you will give a tour of the property--give the tour (the earlier the better), if you say work starts at 8--start at 8, if you say work stops at 6:30--stop at 6:30, if you say we are going to build a house in 5 days--have the materials and the plan ready and build the house, if you say there will be a time for critique and discussion of the building plan--make that time happen. i was disappointed that there was not more information given about ose--the history, mission, goals and plans for the organization. i was disappointed that there was not more information/discussion about the building--pros and cons of cebs, reliance on volunteer workforce, etc. | i would certainly not be interested in participating as a paying participant in future workshops. i am curious about the fate of the building i worked on, and if i travel through the area again, i would like to stop in and see the progress. my overall impression is that ose is very well marketed, but the reality falls short. the motto of ose that i saw in action repeatedly during my stay seemed to be "it doesnt have to be done right, it just has to be done." i feel like the choices made to move forward with inadequately cured cebs of dubious quality was an insult to the effort that workshop participants put into the building. also, i have doubts about the emphasis that ose places on machinery--particularly machinery that is lacking in design basics and prone to regular failure. i worry about the long term viability of ose. my impression is that marcin is not open to input or debate when it comes to ose, equipment design, or long term goal setting/implementation. through multiple conversations with various interns past and present, i feel like ose is dependent on a continuous stream of incoming expertise and labor, and that when that incoming expertise inevitably bumps up against marcin's rigid design/plans for ose, the conflict drives off the very people with the most experience which results in the inefficiencies of constant turn over. | not likely. i do think that ose is an interesting counter point to dancing rabbit, but my overall impression is one of disappointment. | i intended for my responses to be honest and clear. i am afraid that my responses may come across as harsh and attacking. please know that that is not my intention. | no | ||||||||||||||||||
12 | 8/26/2014 14:08:09 | Travis Toon | 7 | Team work. Overall positive group energy. Good hard work. | More semblance to what was advertised. I realize that finishing the house in 5 days was a challenge, but we didn't get close in my opinion. I would not even call this a workshop because calling it a "workshop" implies a certain level of expertise and prior accomplishment. I think it would have been a better experience if it was either a) what it was sold as, or b) sold as something else less presumptious | Right now my interst level is very low. I think this stems from a lack of trust. This was an informal experiment, not a "workshop". Perhaps if had been billed as an exciting informal experiment, I would not feel this way. Then again, I may not have knowingly attended an informal experiment. | Sorry, but no. See above, and: The quality of the bricks was shockingly low. For me, the bricks was the interesting piece. | Overall, my experience was good. If I had paid the regular advertised price I would be very upset. However, having paid the greatly reduced rate, I feel only mildly disappointed. I like Marcin and everyone in the group that was there. Great group! I see a lot of sincere effort going into this project. I'm sorry that it hasn't met my personal standards. | No, thanks. | ||||||||||||||||||
13 | 8/26/2014 14:11:39 | Travis Toon | 7 | I forgot to mention in the first survey I filled out that the food was excellent! | I forgot to mention in the first survey I filled out that the food was excellent! | I forgot to mention in the first survey I filled out that the food was excellent! | I forgot to mention in the first survey I filled out that the food was excellent! | I forgot to mention in the first survey I filled out that the food was excellent! | |||||||||||||||||||
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