Time and knowledge are two of the most valuable currencies we have to offer one another. I’ve spent a large amount of my time teaching others how to share and creatively apply their knowledge. New ideas are created through this process which are not just valuable to the recipient, but to the rest of society. Sharing knowledge allows humanity to move forward. One of my favorite metaphors for this comes from Bernard of Chartres where he observes that we have seen what we are able because we stand on the shoulders of giants.

Despite life continuing to become more hectic as I ramp up preparations for opening the new makerspace in North Boynton and preparing for Miami’s first Mini Maker Faire, a group of dedicated individuals decided to take on raising cash for a charity event. Extra Life is a charity which accepts donations on behalf of the Children’s Miracle Network of Hospitals and culminates in 24 hours of non-stop gaming.

Last Monday, Startup Delray invited representatives from the maker community in South Florida along with other enthusiasts to Delray Beach for an evening themed around recent growth in our area and how we can cooperate as a whole. On the panel to share their insight were key individuals who are investing deeply into the maker community here. I collected some notes from the event but my personal takeaway is much more substantial.

I’m looking forward to the meeting dubbed “Group of Groups” happening later tonight. A large number of high-profile tech community members have been gathered to sit down and decide how to improve our community and its cohesiveness. It’s enthusiastic to see these individuals taking the time to get involved, but I’m concerned about the lasting impact that this meeting will produce. Primarily because of each person’s interpretation of “improving our community”.

Most of Southeast Florida has felt significant momentum in the entrepreneurial and technology sectors of the community. Increased attention from the press, ad hoc meeting places and events are occurring more frequently, and people are coming out of the woodwork to participate and be involved. In fact, many in the Palm Beach area are interested in cultivating our corner of the state into something more of a community. Last month, I was party to a large group who were passionate to be represented and have their opinions on community improvement heard.

I’ve been working on teaching folks how to play with Arduinos, an open-source hardware prototyping platform. Deborah Acosta from the Miami Herald caught wind and asked if she could ask me a few questions about the swelling maker movement in South Florida. She got back to me last week and told me the video was live! My 15-seconds of fame can be found at the end of this video, “Trendspotting: The Maker Movement”.

Note: I’m cross-posting this from the South Florida Tech Leadership group. We’re a group of leaders in South Florida who are passionate about improving the tech and entrepreneurial ecosystem in our region. If you’re interested in joining in on the conversation, just drop in or introduce yourself on twitter. Over the past few weeks, I’ve read a bunch of inspiring blog posts with different angles on building your local community. I wanted to share summaries and links with you.

Over the past few months, there’s been a lot of attention on the PROTECT IP Act going through the US Senate and the Stop Online Piracy Act going through Congress. I’ve been actively promoting against these bills from being passed into law across my various social networks. Most recently, I self-censored my own blog (nobulb.com) in participation with American Censorship Day and shared with my friends. One of my buddies who shares my skepticism about random links on the internet questioned, “You don’t really believe this do you?

People who spend their money on the slim chance to win millions are derogatorily referred to as gamblers. “These people have a problem and need to get help,” but I understand the satisfying feeling of spontaneous and beneficial discovery. Or in their case, discovering their bank account several times larger than it was mere seconds ago. These people aren’t really addicted to spending their money. They’re addicted to serendipity. And sure, some extra money is a pretty shallow victory.

I am finding myself profoundly affected by Steve Jobs’ passing. I never particularly cared for Apple products as they stood for many of the technological principles which I oppose. But as a man who created an image, a following, maybe even a cult; Steve Jobs was a far cry from a failure. I consider myself strongly motivated to be successful and leave a lasting impact on the world. However, I see myself constantly being distracted from these goals with less important tasks.