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Update #7: What we did on the trip - a video update
Hey peeps! It's been a while. This is Adam Funk posting this time.... I'm the mysterious man who filmed the trip. We've done some awesome stuff, so much more than we expected. Maker Faire Africa was wonderful. Mitch, Bilal, Manal, and others all taught wonderful workshops.
After this project, however, we were whirled all over, to Beirut, Dubai, Hong Kong, and then Shenzhen, working on more things and getting footage. This has been incredible, and we've got so much more to show you than we could have imagined. We'll be realeasing more footage and photos, and working on a full length documentary.
I also apologize for the delay, we've had a number of technological issues. A bit of this update is filmed on my phone - my camera got stolen in an airport - plus Bilal's iPhone got stolen, his hard drive crashed on the last day, the hard drive he bought in Hong Kong failed after I got back, my SD card slot in my laptop wasn't working, and my audio recorder failed when we were filming the update. But we've got things under control now, and we're up and running. Keep an eye out for more to come. :)
http://www.youtube.com/user/gemsinitiative?blend=7&ob=video-mustangbase
Update #6: Hackerspace meetup in Alexandria was incredible!
After the great meetup in Cairo, I didn't expect it could get any better. But in Alexandria 30 people showed up and proved me wrong. They were passionate and excited and no one left. Even 2 hours after the meeting was over people were still mingling and chatting excitedly! I have high hopes that the energy they had tonight will continue to push them into a more and more awesome future.
Ps, tahrir2.com is a pretty cool company. They fed hosted us and with classic egyptian hospitality and grace. Thanks Samer and team there! Send them thank you notes, they deserve it! Also, if you're an entrepreneur or potential entrepreneur in Egypt, check them out! They are a coworking space / seed fund who's goal is to help you be more awesome, and they do a good job.
Take care world!
+Bilal Ghalib
Update #5: Amazing entrepreneur in Cairo
This is Um Wa'ils hand crafted scarf and small bag. And she has an amazing story.
A widow with 5 kids and a heart condition. But it hasn't stopped her having a kind loving heart and sharing the work she so obviously loves to do! She has put lots of thought and craftsmanship into her stuff it's incredible.
I love this woman so much and I wanted to share her work with you all! If you want something like this let me know and I can pick it up for you, it's 10 Gineh (2 dollars) for the small pouch (fits a camera) and 50 Gineh for the hat and scarf combo (10 dollars) Let me know and I want to support her and share her work with my friends around the world!
She started out crafting her goods from potato bags seperating the colors from the bag string by string before recombining them. Reusing material and making stuff with what's around her she's really got a true hacker attitude. She's an Iraqi refugee hacker in Egypt. And her story inspires me and I will be posting video of her soon so you can see her positive attitude and her clear artistic eye and love for creating!
+BG!
Remeber, we post fairly regularly on twitter and facebook:
http://www.facebook.com/maltman23
Hope to hear from you all soon! We've got so much media, and so litle time to share, I figured I'll write a quick post to reach out and tell you what we're doing. Oh! Also if anyone knows anyone in Alexandria, the meetup is up to 42 attendees, let's invite more! :: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=270716486284721&ref=ts
Thanks, with great appreciation and love
+Bilal Ghalib
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Rob Mills on October 4, 2011
My wife, who's a knitter/crafter herself, says her work is beautiful. Does she have a hat/scarf in blue or green available?
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Bilal Ghalib on October 5, 2011
She has tons of different stuff. I think we're in the process of organizing a bulk order to take back to the states to distribute as prizes and to sell at stores. It wold be awesome if we could get her stuff in consignment shops around the country!
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Rob Mills on October 5, 2011
Awesome. Let me know when things are available and keep up the great work.
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Update #4: Made it to Cairo!
Thank you to each and every one of our backers. We have been talking about the kind hearted people instilling the values of support and love through their donations. It's an incredible movement and I'm so happy to have this update and photo of us with my Cousin in Cairo Nouman. Hello world!
If you know anyone in Cairo who wants to come to the hackerspace meetup tonight please share this: http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=241459849239835
That's for tonight, Iknow it's a bit last minute but please spread the love! Also, Oct 4 is Alexandria meetup. http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=270716486284721
Update #3: Thanks! We love you. You're making this happen.
Thank you everyone for pitching in and getting us to 111% of our funding goal! I've attached an image that you're welcome to share on twitter / facebook. Help us share this story and connect with more people as we will be tweeting and uploading regular video's and interviews!
Your support is why this project can happen and I am so proud to call you my backers, my community. DIY? Hell yeah, this is a community supported project supported by a community and we're creating a world with more smiles, more empowered people, and more cool hacks!
If you want to share, I made this image which is a bridge called Qasr El-Nil, a bridge that goes to Tahrir, but the other side is wherever you post it. You're now connected to Tarek from Cairo Hacker Space, and all the other wonderful people and stories we will share with you. I hope to continue this discussion when I get to Cairo tomorrow.
You can follow twitter.com/gemsinitiative twitter.com/bilalghalib and facebook.com/gemsinitiative
186
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Funding Successful
This project successfully raised its funding goal on September 30, 2011.
Pledge $5 or more Pledge $5 or more
You'll get a sticker with the GEMSI bridge connecting you with other supporters. Wear it proudly! You'll also be featured as a supporter on GEMSI's website.
Pledge $24 or more Pledge $24 or more
You get the GEMSI Sticker, your name on the website and a t-shirt with the GEMSI bridge on it! It will be hand screened on Alternative Apparel (trust me, you'll like the fabric, it's kitten soft!). You'll appear on the little fast moving credits from the cinema - you know like a stunt man or something - for all the video content we will produce.
Pledge $50 or more Pledge $50 or more
Get the sticker and a CUSTOM hand printed GEMSI tee shirt printed by me, Bilal Ghalib on ultra soft and delightful Alternative Apparel TShirts! Add any text based message you want above the GEMSI bridge logo. For example: "Bilal Supports:" [insert GEMSI here] or "Makers Unite!" [insert GEMSI logo here]. Ps. This is an awesome chance for you to be creative and get a true one of a kind gift for a geeky friend.
Pledge $100 or more Pledge $100 or more
Get the sticker, the shirt and Mitch Altman's slightly subversive, and ultimately practical TV B Gone remote control. Turn off or on any TV anywhere. Ever been at a noisy restaurant and wished you could turn off the blaring tv?
Pledge $295 or more Pledge $295 or more
Now this is amazing. Get an original hand painted scarf with a design of your choosing by Manal. Manal is one of the female artist and entrepreneurs who will be helping GEMSI by running fabric modification workshop! She's wonderful and talented! You'll also get the GEMSI shirt, and the sticker! Here's another tip for a great gift (check the delivery date ;).
Pledge $1,122 or more Pledge $1,122 or more
Not only will you receive the GEMSI sticker, shirt, and a TV-B-Gone you will help participate in the events as they unfold through 5 Skype conversations with the GEMSI team on the ground and access to our email and attuned attention. Do you love the project so much you wish you were a part of it? Well for the price of a plane ticket you can participate fully without having to deal with the TSA!
Project By
Connected as Bilal Ghalib (1480 friends)
I am Bilal Ghalib. I once let San Francisco crowdsource my hair cut. A once and future employee of Instructables I have a tenderness for DIY and homebrew everything you can imagine. Leaving Instructables I craved that environment and that's what led me to MIT's living communities where I lived at a fantastic frat called tEp. My interest in the senses and alternate methods of communication had me building a "smell guitar" at MITERS the hackerspace at MIT. I presented it at CAVS for Waves and Signs a concert for the deaf. I also worked on sensory substitution devices and headed my screen printing company in Michigan.
I graduated undergrad and left the MIT campus. Since then I've been promoting the concepts of the collaborative hacker community. I have traveled the States visiting over 50 hacker spaces, shooting footage for a forthcoming documentary. The footage can be found here: http://www.archive.org/details/twohandsproject . And in 2009 I helped initiate and organize the maker space in Ann Arbor: allhandsactive.com .
Recognizing the potential for maker spaces to support passion based learning and economic development (especially in emergent nations) I hatched the Global Entrepreneurship and Maker Space Initiative. I'm looking for potential board members who are interested in novel forms of economic development that starts with the idea that everyone can DIY.
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Mitch Altman is a co-founder of Noisebridge, one of the early hackerspaces in the US. He is considered by many to be a traveling ambassador of the hackerspace movement, giving workshops, promoting and supporting hackerspaces around the world over the past several years. He is about to become the first recipient of the Maker Hero Award at the NYC World Maker Faire.
