DanSullivan

Hi. I'm Dan Sullivan. I met Nick Pinkston through the Libetarian Party, and met y'all through Nick. I'll get the political/economic stuff out of the way first, since it is less pertinent to the group. I have been involved in political action since 1960, and have tried to sort through the half-truths of people across the political spectrum, and through the complete untruths of the corporate establishment. I guess I'm closest to classical liberals (late 1700s), classical progressives (late 1800s), and the libertarian left (1960s hippies). I have focused on the economics of land monopoly and money-issuing privilege, which are crucial to understanding today's economic collapse. My website is http://savingcommunities.org

On to the things that are pertinent to the hacker's workshop forum, with this transition. I am pretty good at explaining things and at writing literature, and marginally proficient with InDesign and PhotoShop.

I have more recently become passionate about recumbent bikes and trikes, particularly with aerodynamic shells and electric motor assist. I want bikes and trikes to become safer, faster, more reliable transportation alternatives to cars and buses. I own a Linear recumbent bike and a Sun recumbent trike/ I have motorized both and run into problems on both that can best be fixed once our hacker space opens.

I also have two 1972 VW Karmann Ghias (one to fix and one for parts), and a 1080 Chevy Van with a raised roof made from a 1969 VW Microbus. I rent a 484 sq ft garage near Baum and Negley that we can use as a satellite space, because all of the sites we are considering have drawbacks. (More on that elsewhere). I want to convert the more rusted out Ghia into a tadpole style trike-motorcycle, meaning it would have two wheels in front and one wheel in back.

I was an apprentice plumber to my father, so I know plumbing, and I have picked up a good bit of house-carpentry and house-wiring knowledge. I set up the best-run collective house in Oakland in the 1970s, when that kind of thing was a in vogue. Like most of the old farts you might run into, I am behind the curve on electronics, computer science, AI, robotics, etc.

I have the following stuff:

Two old reclining Captains Chairs from a conversion van, mounted on long boards so people can sit on them and recline without making them fall over backwards. (Good for lounge area.)

A 30" tall refrigerator, a tiny microwave oven, a convection oven and a high-powered floor fan.

A *very* heavy-duty 4x8 table that I cut in half ( so we can mount it to the wall as two 2x8 benches), two sets of adjustable saw horses (one plastic and one steel), and a substantial number of 4' metal shelves, and a few tool cabinets and drawers.

Table-top drill press and bench grinder. A drill stand that can be used to turn a portable drill into a drill press.

A reciprocating saw, a circular saw, a portable jigsaw, an electric sheet-metal nibbler, an angle grinder, two 110v variable-speed drills and a 12v drill.

A wall-mounted rack 7'x2', filled with nuts, bolts and washers (SAE sizes).

4 Car Wheel Dollies. You put a car on these dollies and you can push it in any direction. A floor jack and several jackstands, a mechanic's stethoscope, and a general assortment of wrenches, sockets, strap wrenches and other hand tools, 12v and 36v battery chargers, wiring and wiring tools.

A cheap multi-meter, a soldering gun, and a "third hand" allegator clips and a magnifying glass on moveable arms.

Floor dolly and refrigerator dolly. Come-along (hand ratchet winch), and a large number of hold-down straps and bungee cords. Some miscellaneous pieces of steel, aluminum, wood and plywood, a drill operated water pump, and a few other tools I can't remember at the moment.

I have some ideas for electrified bicycle clothing that I want to develop, particularly for blinking turn-signal gloves and for nylon jackets that fill with air to cool the rider. This last one is particularly important for riders who are protected by aerodynamic velo shells and don't get enough of a breeze. I am also interested in best designs for power-assisted bikes and trikes.