User:Leo.dearden

Name
Leo Dearden

Location
Hampshire, South England (United Kingdom)

Contact Details

 * email: leo@leodearden.org
 * telephone: +44 7796 177180 (Please restrict calls to 1100-2030 London time)
 * skype: leo.dearden

Picture & Introductory Video to follow.

Resume/CV
I've always been a Maker.

I have a Computer Science MA Cantab. from Cambridge University (UK). I have more than 10 years of full time software development experience, mostly with a mixture of C & C++ on Linux and various embedded systems. I have also some experience with Java, Verilog RTL/HDL for FPGAs, TCL, Perl, Python, Ruby, ML, Prolog, and some assembly languages. I studied Materials Science as a minor part of my degree.

I'm comfortable designing moderately complex digital, analog, and/or power electronics, though I don't have any formal training. I have built a couple of PA audio amplifiers and the CNC control electronics for my router (though I did use power amp and servo control modules to handle the really hard bits). I use mixed signal osciloscopes for hardware and low level software debugging and optimisation.

I'm something of a self trained Engineer. I have a theoretical appreciation of many issues of mechanical design, and I'm starting to apply that to making CNC machinery, starting with the [|RepRap] 3D printer. I'm the founder of [|RepRapKit], which I'm operating fully open source, with the intention of freeing myself from the time-for-money wage slavery and spreading abundance enhancing technology as widely as possible.

I run a CNC router, interfaced to a PC via GeckoDrive based electronics of my own design, and controlled with EMC2.

I have good fabrication skills with wood, plastics, electronics, composites, and light metals. I don't weld yet, but intend to learn soon.

WHY am I motivated to support/develop this work?
I'm an enthusiastic proponent of open source everything. Open source is a fundamental cooperative organisational pattern, one of the crucial tools that will allow us to build post-scarcity.

OSE is one of the most exciting projects in existence. It addresses our fundamental human needs in a ways that are resilient (and sustainable), efficient, and freedom promoting. It offers solutions to a swathe of problems that, if unsolved, would lead to massive suffering, even up to the destruction of life on earth.

By providing a promise of 'everybody wins' abundance through cooperation, development of the GVCS (and the projects that follow it) demonstrates by example the overwhelming benefits of cooperation. The GVCS will provide the currently fragile Developed World with desperately needed resilience, and unlimited opportunity for anyone who will just grasp it. It will also provide the impoverished of the world a clear and ever easier pathway to abundance.

I am bootstrapping my own prosperity, to enable me to give a major part of my efforts to creating post-scarcity. For the moment I am fully occupied with that effort (which has GVCS beneficial side effects), and as soon as my efforts pay off sufficiently I will become a very active supporter of OSE. I have my own pathway to freedom/prosperity, and I'm happy that I'm progressing along it fast.

So far, the OSE related projects have had little commercial success. I'm sure that this will change with only a little time, and I urge everyone to recognise the benefits of such success - it will provide us with resources that we can re-invest to accelerate the exponential growth of the project. Though we oppose scarcity (especially artificial scarcity), in the near future we can most easily obtain the resources we need to live and to progress by creating enormous value and trading it skilfully and generously. As various participants and component projects work towards that goal, we'll start to see opportunities for cooperation in the commercial and productive spheres, and well as in technical development. I strongly advocate that we take and expand those opportunities as fast as we can.

WHAT are your skills?

 * List all of your skills in these areas: Communications - Organizational - Computer Support - Finances - Design - Natural Building - Electronics - Automation - Metallurgy - Engineering - Fabrication - Agriculture - Energy - Architecture - Video/Graphics/Art - PR/Marketing - Education - Construction - Industry - CNC - Chemistry - Product Design - Other


 * How have you already contributed to the project?

HOW can you help?

 * How are you interested in contributing to the work of GVCS development?

I am very interested in contributing to the development of the GVCS. I have already made some small contributions, in the form of advice to Marcin on the subject of the Li


 * Can you volunteer to work with us, and if so, how many hours per week?


 * Are you interested in working with us for pay? If so, what services can you offer, and what is your hourly or per-project rate?


 * ''Are you interested in a Dedicated Project Visit?


 * Are you interested in purchasing equipment from us to help bootstrap development?


 * Are you interested in bidding for consulting/design/prototyping work?


 * Are you a True Fan? If not, why not?


 * Would you like to see yourself working with us on a full-time basis?


 * Are you interested in being part of the world's first, open source, resilient community? The GVCS is the preparatory step for the OSE Village Experiment – a 2 year, immersion experiment (2013-2014) for testing whether a real, thriving, modern-day prototype community of 200 people can be built on 200 acres using local resources and open access to information? We are looking for approximately 200 people to fill a diverse array of roles, according to the Social Contract that is being developed. This may be the boldest social experiment on earth - a pioneering community whose goal is to extend the index of possibilities regarding harmonious existence of humans, ecology, and technology.