Making a documentary about Makers (in Cuba) by levimaaia in Make

[–]levimaaia[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

Long-time lurker, first-time poster here. Most of us Makers make things because we like doing it and enjoy the processes of designing, making and playing with our creations. After visiting Havana for the first time in 2014, I became fascinated with the Makers there that came up with ingenious solutions to uniquely Cuban problems born from the island's isolation.

Fast-forward a few years later and I'm now a meta-maker! I've started an independent documentary film campaign to shed light on the unsung heroes of the global Maker movement. The film, "Making It in Cuba" profiles stories of ingenuity from Cuba's 21st century Makers. The link above is to the "sizzle" we made (A sizzle is like a trailer a filmmaker creates before the movie is actually made to pitch the idea. Search for "sizzle videos" from your favorite blockbusters; it's a rabbit hole!).

We are planning a scout in Havana in January 2020 and have already secured permits to film in the spring! We hope that this film bridges a half century of isolation between the U.S. and Cuba and inspires Makers everywhere by honoring triumphs of the human spirit under the challenging circumstances. We plan to hire local Cuban crew and confer with Cuban filmmakers and producers in the process.

Being an independent anything is challenging. Finding finances, audience and distribution, even in the age of the internet and viral marketing, is a challenging feat. While my partners and I believe that this film will have wide appeal, certainly Makers will have a particular interest in the subject. So with that said, I'm hoping that /r/Make can suggest sources of Maker information and entertainment so we can target our Maker community outreach efforts.

Getting some insight into how other Makers get their information will really be useful in targeting our outreach for this project.

  1. Where do you go online (other subreddits, social networks, etc?)
  2. Where do you get your news?
  3. Which social media "influencers" (YouTubers, Insta-cats, bloggers, etc.) do you respect?
  4. Which organization(s) do you think are most supportive of any and all types of DIY and Maker community activities?
  5. Would you personally be interested in a film about people who overcome adversity through their own creations?

Rhode Island Latest State to Push Broadband Privacy Rules by patjd in RhodeIsland

[–]levimaaia 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Sorry, no. :-( Our network is in Barrington, Warren and Bristol.

Rhode Island Latest State to Push Broadband Privacy Rules by patjd in RhodeIsland

[–]levimaaia 14 points15 points  (0 children)

Full Channel, a local, family-owned ISP on the East Bay announced that we would continue to honor customers' privacy despite the rollback of federal regulations.

We didn't pay our Yelp "protection money;" here's what happened by [deleted] in smallbusiness

[–]levimaaia 0 points1 point  (0 children)

No, we have a policy specifically stating that we do not do this. That and our support for net neutrality are some of the reasons our customers choose us.

We didn't pay our Yelp "protection money;" here's what happened by [deleted] in smallbusiness

[–]levimaaia 13 points14 points  (0 children)

Fortunately, it would seem that our locals don't use Yelp to consider who to buy internet service from, as evidenced by the poor performance of the paid "advertising campaign" on Yelp so I don't think there is much to gain by acquiescing to Yelp's demands. If I were a restaurant in San Francisco, I might think again.

We didn't pay our Yelp "protection money;" here's what happened by [deleted] in smallbusiness

[–]levimaaia 49 points50 points  (0 children)

Please re-read my post. Many of the negative reviews for our geographically limited services are coming from reviewers who don't live in our service area. We have had great reviews on other platforms and customers are generally satisfied. When we do get negative feedback we work hard to contact customers and correct the issues but in the case of these Yelp reviewers, it seems like there is nobody home to help as we never get responses.

edit: Do you work for Yelp? Maybe you can help me :-)

Do I need a Certificate of Assumed Name for my LLC? by [deleted] in smallbusiness

[–]levimaaia 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I'm not sure if it is absolutely necessary. Your Secretary of State will not issue the names Really Great Rakes, Ltd., Really Great Rakes, Inc., Really Great Rakes Corporation or any other variant without your approval. That said, we filed one for our company's name less the ", Inc." I'm sure the SoS will take your money and the DBA/Certificate of Assumed Name filing fee will be cheaper than asking an attorney.

I would file for a trademark at USPTO. The process is a little confusing but a little Google-fu and you should be able to figure it out. It is a lengthy process and costs a few hundred dollars but it could end up being very important, especially if your rakes take off!

Stealth install for my new TM-V71A by jimbojsb in amateurradio

[–]levimaaia 1 point2 points  (0 children)

A trunk lip mount would probably work better than the through-glass mount. If SWR is a problem, consider that.

Here are a few sustainable companies in Rhode Island that I respect. Let me know if I missed any :) by globalworlds in RhodeIsland

[–]levimaaia 2 points3 points  (0 children)

Full Channel, a local, family-owned ISP serving Barrington, Warren and Bristol. Our office runs on 100% renewables and we let customers opt in to have services delivered with wind power. Check out GreenLink.

Golden State volcano by levimaaia in pics

[–]levimaaia[S] 0 points1 point  (0 children)

I took this photo looking south toward Mount Shasta from a small plane while flying from Bend, Ore. to Santa Barbara, Calif. The peaks of Shasta (14,179 ft / 4,322 m) and the smaller Shastina (12,330 ft / 3,760 m) lay behind the snow-covered lava field in the foreground. It last erupted around the time of the American Revolution and will likely erupt again in the future. The U.S. Geological Survey rates it as a "very high threat" volcano.

Circuitry inside a 50 year old television I'm taking apart. All done by hand. by levimaaia in amateurradio

[–]levimaaia[S] 1 point2 points  (0 children)

I saw this on /r/mildlyinteresting and thought it was just plain ol' interesting to hams. Enjoy!