Where are we going, and why am I in this handbasket?

In this project, I will cover the most interesting hackerspaces on both coasts. This includes New York City, Boston, Philadelphia, Washington DC, San Francisco, Oakland, Seattle, and Vancouver.

Along the way, I'll be taking photos, writing about the positive impact that hackerspaces are having on their communities. I will also be working with various people at these hackerspaces to teach about privacy, security, and censorship.

All photos will be released with a Creative Commons license. When I traveled to Occupy Wall Street, I took more than a thousand photos.  With at least eight cities and 30 days on this trip, I expect to shoot more than three thousand photos.

• Transportation and meals in each city
• Preparing and developing photos
• Printing the book itself
• Rewards for the backers who made this possible
• Equipment as needed
• Contingency & fees (Kickstarter and Amazon take 8-10% off the top)

To conserve funds, I will be travelling light and couchsurfing along the way.

Rewards!

If you've donated to Kickstarter projects before, you've probably got enough t-shirts and tote bags to last you a lifetime. Because this project is so personal to me, I want to offer something more personal.

Prints: I will pick the photo that I feel best represents the project and offer it as a signed and numbered print. Blank Postcards are typical 4x6 inch postcards, showcasing some of the best shots. Postcards from me are handwritten and sent along my journey. The Book is printed on glossy paper by a professional bookmaking company and between 160 and 200 pages long. Posters are 11x17 inches and feature several photos, along with a description of where and when they were taken. The Occupy book is smaller, at 100 pages in length.

I only have enough funds to visit hackerspaces in one to two cities, which severely limits the story I can tell.

What happens if I raise more than $1800?

If luck is on my side and I raise more than $1800, I will add more cities to my journey, more hackerspaces to each leg of the trip, and give backers bonuses for being awesome.

It's simple. We fund the Batman. If I reach $3000 of funding, I will send out a poster to every backer who gave $20 or more.

$3000 Cities: Baltimore, Portland.
$4000 Cities: Montreal.
$6000 Cities: Chicago and others to be determined.

Anonymous pledges: Kickstarter allows pseudonyms to be used when backing a project. If you back this project using a pseudonym, I will be happy to donate your copy of the book to a library. More info.