Public Workshops

What do you think of having fully tooled public workshops spread out throughout the 'city'? They'd be available for anyone who has a bright idea (such as a new rocket design) to make it real. They would, of course, be supervised by people who know how to use the machinery.

And I can't add a poll.

Absolutely! Along with that, why not make it an extension of the public university and add any type of scientific equipment anyone could want.

That would be good, but I was thinking of having these widely available, which would tend to limit how much equipment we can have in them. I was thinking maybe 1 public workshop per 100? people (that *is* achievable, I know several people who can weld and such, so talent is widely available, and it wouldn't cost too much) and a public lab per 500? people. Nothing fancy, cerainly not Biosafty 5, but amateur Bioengineering capabilities definately (that was one of the suggestions to make the public safe from amateur Biotechnicians). They would, of course, be supervised to stop the creation (accidental or otherwise) of an epidemic.

They should tied in with vocational/technical schools.

So you can't use tem unless you're at that school? I disagree. everyone should be able to use them. Under supervision of course.

I think what taz means is if they are tied in with vocational or technical schools, more equipment would be available and it would receive more publicity and therefore use.

Locksley wrote:

I think what taz means is if they are tied in with vocational or technical schools, more equipment would be available and it would receive more publicity and therefore use.

Yes. I should have been more clear. Having the equipment and the personnel who can both operate it and train others to operate it all in one place creates a de facto "school".

Ah, that's what you meant. So it would be a school, but others who aren't at the school would still be able to use them?

That could be one way of encouraging people to get an education. It's certainly more interesting that sitting in a room listening to a teacher drone on.