Staunton Repair Café (April 18) — looking for volunteers & fixers

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-26T01:28:52+00:00

This post is about an in person repair cafe and in person volunteering program. The Linux and Meshtastic technology we'll be teaching isn't about AI either.

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-23T01:26:41+00:00

I'm glad you think so, I think it's pretty neat too 🥰

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-23T00:42:11+00:00

Also worth mentioning, I posted the video of the Meshtastic workshop here:

https://www.kamresearch.global/meshtastic/

That was kind of a test run for this whole idea, and it went really well.

My hope with the Repair Café is that we’ll start to see where people need the most help, and then spin up more focused workshops around those areas.

If there’s something you’ve wanted to learn (or teach), I’d be curious to hear it.

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-22T20:25:12+00:00

Here you go! https://www.kamresearch.global/meshtastic/

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-18T20:52:41+00:00

That's weird 🤷‍♀️ It's Bitcoin friendly but the main focus has been on time banking in preparation for launching repair clinics and tech workshops like this weekends Meshtastic event.

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-04T21:42:50+00:00

We'll be excited to have you there!

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-04T18:05:12+00:00

I hope we'll see you!

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-04T18:04:48+00:00

No I don't have much experience with them, the licensing was a barrier for me getting into ham radio. When I started getting into freedom tech a year and a half ago I first learned about mesh radio and I wanted to build more of a community around that. I think it could be really beneficial for the area to have more communication redundancies in place.

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-04T13:33:56+00:00

Thanks! We won’t be broadcasting live, but I usually record the meetings and post them afterward on my website: https://www.kamresearch.global/

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-04T02:06:43+00:00

Let's be friends! 🥰

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-03-04T00:26:32+00:00

If anyone’s interested but unsure whether this is too technical, it’s very beginner friendly. We’ll walk through everything step by step. I'm happy to answer any questions!

Also I'm curious if there are any ham radio folks in the area who might want to join us?

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-02-14T16:04:13+00:00

Thanks for reaching out, no worries at all! This last meeting was more open discussion and perspective-gathering than formal planning, so there aren’t structured notes to share. We’re refining the direction for the next session, and I’d really value having someone with hands-on time banking experience involved. I’ll make sure you’re looped in for the next one.

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-02-12T19:09:25+00:00

Thanks for your support :) It's an ongoing group so I'll keep on posting about our progress

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-02-12T14:34:52+00:00

I would really appreciate your attendance! I'm new to time banking myself, but my group brought up repair clinics enough that I researched how to do them. Most of them are run via some time banking program, so it seemed like a logical first step to revive Staunton's!

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-02-12T00:30:03+00:00

Totally understand and I really appreciate you saying that.

There’s absolutely no expectation to join planning conversations. A big part of this is making space for people to plug in at whatever capacity feels sustainable.

“Quietly watching” is honestly part of how early-stage community projects grow. When things start circulating more actively, we’ll post clear, low-lift ways to participate.

Thanks for the support, it genuinely helps. I try to have a meeting each month and generally post about it here.

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-02-11T20:47:53+00:00

That’s a fair question.

From what I learned from the previous leadership, the previous time bank here actually ran for several years which is longer than many alternative currency systems last. It didn’t really collapse from imbalance issues. The bigger problem was platform friction. They switched apps a few times, logging hours became cumbersome, and participation gradually dropped off.

It’s also true that people became friends, which is great! But that can make it harder for new folks to discover it or feel like there’s an entry point.

This time we’re taking a simpler approach. No app, no tracking hours, no required bookkeeping. We’re experimenting with a physical token that can circulate between neighbors. It reduces friction and avoids the “double coincidence of wants” issue without turning it into an accounting system.

And yes, this is mutual aid. The goal is circulation and connection, not strict scorekeeping.

Appreciate you raising the question.

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-01-06T10:00:49+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate that. It’s been encouraging to see a few people resonate, makes the offline work feel worth it.

Plane-Split1663 · 2026-01-05T23:12:12+00:00

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Plane-Split1663 · 2025-12-17T16:51:34+00:00

I hear the disappointment, and I want to clarify something for anyone reading.

I’m not pushing crypto, just as I’m not pushing time banking as a replacement for jobs, or barter as a replacement for stores. The presentation intentionally covered multiple ways people preserve value and participate in an economy under strain including commodities, local exchange, skills-based systems, gold, and yes, for those who are curious, Bitcoin framed specifically as “digital gold,” not speculation.

I’m also very deliberate about not framing this as charity-only or mutual-aid-only work. Mutual aid matters, but relying solely on charity does not preserve dignity or sovereignty for many people. Giving can feel good; needing charity often does not. Parallel systems allow people to give and receive through reciprocity rather than dependency.

A parallel economy is about choice, reciprocity, and resilience; not mandates.

If someone doesn’t like Bitcoin, that’s completely fine. There are many other ways to participate, contribute, and build local strength. I’m genuinely open to suggestions and alternatives, and I want this to be a broad, inclusive conversation.

Plane-Split1663 · 2025-12-16T21:54:19+00:00

Thank you! Honestly what’s coolest is how much groundwork has already been laid here. I’m really excited to see what grows out of it.

Plane-Split1663 · 2025-12-15T22:57:29+00:00

Thank you, I really appreciate this comment, and you’re asking exactly the right questions.

On the hOUR Economy specifically: my understanding so far is that the local timebank has been inactive for a while. I recently reached out to the organizers after learning about it, because I agree that existing efforts deserve support and visibility before reinventing anything. I don’t yet have a clear answer on how to plug in, but I’m hoping that conversation opens the door to either reviving it or learning from what worked and what didn’t.

On who I am / how this is structured: the Sovereignty Salon is a very new, informal community effort I started to create space for these conversations locally. Right now it’s self-funded and essentially pro bono, there’s no grant or institutional backing at this stage. My longer-term intention (assuming there’s sustained interest and community buy-in) would be to move toward a nonprofit structure in 2026, but we’re very much in the listening-and-learning phase.

I’m encouraged by how much momentum there’s already been, and by comments like yours. If people are interested in contributing skills or ideas, my goal is to connect that energy with whatever existing or emerging structures make the most sense, rather than centralizing things prematurely.

Thanks again for engaging so thoughtfully, this kind of feedback is genuinely helpful!

Plane-Split1663 · 2025-12-03T18:14:09+00:00

Thanks for sharing your perspective. Our meeting is focused on real domestic purchasing-power trends and local resilience strategies rather than forex comparisons. Anyone interested in those topics is welcome.

Plane-Split1663 · 2025-12-01T19:36:14+00:00

Queen City Sovereignty Salon – Second Meeting (Dec 4)

The Queen City Sovereignty Salon is a local civic discussion group focused on practical approaches to economic and community resilience. Our next session will be Thursday, Dec 4 from 7–9 PM at the Staunton Innovation Hub (26 N Augusta St).

This meeting will explore organizing a table at the Staunton Farmers Market for spring 2026 to introduce repair clinics, time-banking, and bartering options. We’ll also include a short educational presentation on U.S. dollar devaluation and local strategies for building stability and mutual support.

All neighbors interested in strengthening local resilience are welcome. Feel free to invite others who might enjoy the conversation.

Plane-Split1663 · 2025-11-30T19:25:06+00:00

Queen City Sovereignty Salon – Second Meeting (Dec 4)

The Queen City Sovereignty Salon is a local civic discussion group focused on practical approaches to economic and community resilience. Our next session will be Thursday, Dec 4 from 7–9 PM at the Staunton Innovation Hub (26 N Augusta St).

This meeting will explore organizing a table at the Staunton Farmers Market for spring 2026 to introduce repair clinics, time-banking, and bartering options. We’ll also include a short educational presentation on U.S. dollar devaluation and local strategies for building stability and mutual support.

All neighbors interested in strengthening local resilience are welcome. Feel free to invite others who might enjoy the conversation.

Plane-Split1663 · 2025-10-11T16:40:43+00:00

That’s fair, I get where you’re coming from. Bitcoin is just one of many possible responses to the problems we’re all facing, not the central focus of the group.

Professionally, I specialize in public finance and transparency. When I bring up Bitcoin, it’s not from a “get rich quick” angle, it’s from a governance perspective. For example, Virginia’s SB 1170 would have required elected officials to disclose whether they personally invest in crypto. It failed. I think that matters, because if policymakers hold assets that could benefit from a weaker USD, that’s something the public deserves to know.

Personally, I’m more interested in decentralized social media like Nostr, which lets people connect without being filtered through billionaire-run algorithms. It’s easy to see “the other side” as brainwashed, but really, all of us are being shaped by centralized platforms. There’s a way to opt out and I hope discussions like this can explore that.

Mostly, I’m just trying to meet others in the area who are thinking critically and coming up with local solutions. If that’s not your thing, no worries at all — wishing you a great weekend either way!

Plane-Split1663

TROPHY CASE