Made at theCO: Christmas Gifts
It’s the middle of the holiday season, and Christmas is just around the corner. If you are still looking for gifts for family and friends, start looking at theCO. You might be surprised to hear that many CO:members make items that could serve as a perfect gift. Here are a couple ideas for presents:
What is a hackathon?
Jackson will see its first ever hackathon this August, and theCO is excited to host it. But you may be thinking—what is a hackathon?
“Hackathon” is pulled together from the words “hack” and “marathon” and typically last several days while people (in this case, developers, designers, entrepreneurs, and engineers) meet to collaborate on computer programming. This hackathon will be an entire weekend event, lasting from Friday, August 17th at 5:30pm to Sunday, August 19th to 5:30pm with the theme being “It’s Always Been Done This Way” in an effort to encourage hackers to use their ingenuity and creativity to come up with new and improved tech solutions to old problems.
New Year, New Ideas: One Year Later - Terrinopolis
Last January, theCO hosted an event called “New Year, New Ideas” as an effort to spread the word some incredible community efforts that were making headway in 2017. One year later, we are celebrating some major progress in these projects and letting you know how you can best support them in 2018.
When Ryan Pflasterer’s daughter, Addison, was nine years old, the two of them began creating the story of a Phoenix father and prodigal daughter that took place in kingdom called Terrinopolis. The king plants seeds for a magical garden, which grows as he awaits the return of his princess.
Now, that garden is taking root in Jackson.
A #MadeattheCO Christmas
Our members have been busy in our makerspace getting ready for the holidays. Check out how you can support them by buying local this year!
Made at theCO: How to Make a Giant Lite Brite
It didn’t start with a plan, but with a 55-inch TV hitting the ground.
About two years ago, Ben Ferguson, one of theCO’s CO:founders, helped his dad pick out a new television at Best Buy. They brought it to his house, set it up on the mantle, and were celebrating in the kitchen when they heard the sound of something heavy falling with a resounding smash.
The television had toppled over and shattered on the ground.
Best Buy couldn’t take the broken TV back, so Ferguson brought the monitor, which still glowed when turned on, to theCO.
A couple months ago, Lisa Garner, executive director, had the idea to turn the TV into a giant Lite Brite.
How to Build a Meetup
You can learn anything! At least that is the premise around a meetup—a gathering place for people who share and express a common interest.
CO:mmunicate meetup facilitator, Kevin Adelsberger of Adelsberger Marketing, explained his philosophy for meetups. “A meetup is a low-investment opportunity for people to learn more about something they like or find a community of like-minded people. Low investment meaning no cost and little time commitment that will hopefully spark your interest and cause you to dive deeper into the subject.”
The community at theCO has found ways to master the meetup. Here’s how.