There is infinite potential for wonderful things to happen when passionate, creative people collaborate. As FabLab users, we see a huge need for a site that is accessible and informative for the curious public, as well has having powerful functionality that will support collaboration and innovation for elite users. Fabracadabra will also help people get to know other users around the world and collaborate with them.

• To provide a communication platform where interested participants and students worldwide can learn the principles of design, engineering, art, science, industrial design, CAD, Programming, etc., through just-in-time education and other innovative learning programs evolving at the FabLabs.
• To provide a showcase where community members can build relationships, blog, collaborate, get advice, develop skills, read great articles, argue passionately, and show off.
• To introduce and entice kids and adults into the world of FabLabs and the Fab world by providing video, audio and written instruction for projects that will be gratifying, fun and educational.
• To provide an open collaboration framework for projects that can dramatically improve people’s lives in developing regions (e.g., low cost directional antennas).
• To provide a centralized location for documents, curriculum, scheduling, and other FabLab infrastructure needs.
• To provide a magazine structure for feature articles, publications and reviews.

To these ends, Fabracadabra! will equip users with tutorials, libraries, showcases, wikis, mailing lists, discussion boards, individual fablogs and other tools. In addition, one of the coolest features is a project section, where users will find a collection of collaboration tools for uploading, classifying, documenting and developing their projects, downloading and modifying existing projects, and uploading newly versioned projects.

A strong advocate for the open-source movement, Christefano Griffin creates community-building websites and is a contributor to the Fabuntu Linux distribution. He is a journalist for the technology lifestyle magazines Macworld, MacAddict and MacDirectory and serves as a technology coach and IT consultant in the Boston area. He has a background in creating youth programs with a focus on citizen journalism, online privacy rights and bridging the digital divide.

Lee Vodra is a marketing consultant and communications strategist for Technology Consulting Group, a Boston consulting firm. The daughter of an inventor, she has a background in both design and engineering and is an inventor in her own right, with a deep understanding the process and its support. In a past life, Lee designed and fabricated physics demonstrations and managed a machine shop at Harvard’s Science Center, and designed and fabricated demos for the Powerhouse Museum, a science museum in Sydney, Australia.

Consider how you’d like to see Fabracadabra evolve. Would you like to create a tutorial, article or other content? Do you have suggestions? Ideas about partnership or funding? Please contact us at the contact page.

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Submitted by lee on Saturday, 23 September, 2006 - 18:32

tags: mission statement

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