A “third place” that roughly meets Oldenburg’s criteria would be Fat Cat Fab Lab. Fat Cat Fab Lab is a maker space that I go to whenever I am feeling inspired to learn something new in the realm of technology, design, or something in between. There are so many different machines spread throughout the space whether is be a laser cutters, 3D printers, or sewing machines. Although you need to be a member to have full access to the equipment, Fat Cat Fab Lab host numerous workshops every day. Most of them are free and anyone is welcome to come whether they are professionals in the field or complete newbies, member or non-member. If anything, the members create the accepting environment that makes everyone feel welcome, so in a way they are like the regulars. Even though I was the only person at the Machine Learning workshop with no programming experience, no one looked down on me. If anything, the other attendees were open to helping me learn a coding language.
I never feel like there are different statuses because the leaders of the workshops are open to taking criticisms and often learn from those attending the workshop.There are people with much more experience in specific fields in technology or design; however, there seems to be a general understanding that we are all knowledgeable in some area, even though it may not be the same area. Everyone at the maker space is there to learn, so we are all on the same level. I really appreciate that I can go in knowing nothing about the topic, but instead of getting a condescending feel from the people around me, I feel that people are excited that I am going to be learning something new.
It is definitely also a home away from home because I feel comfortable to talk to anyone there even if I have never met them. Also, this maker space has tons of equipment I would never be able to have in my dorm or my house. Although there are many expensive equipments around the space, it’s still low profile because the space relies on membership fees to buy and maintain the equipment, which means that amenities such as tables and chairs are just whatever they can get.
