Dedicated Project Visit: Tom Griffing

My background is in Computer software & development, Technical writing, Hydraulics and electrical power control systems.  I have a small software consulting business in Dallas.

I found out about OSE mid 2011 and found their “Open Source” principles intriguing, as I have been a proponent of Open Source software for decades.

After corresponding with Marcin, I arrived Thursday, August 4, 2011 to start a Dedicated Project Visit, with focus on Power Cube documentation.

.
.

I usually wake up early and at Factor E Farm, I used mornings mostly for documentation.  I spent mornings in the workshop beside a Power Cube to make access easier.  It was productive this way, as I had good access to a Power Cube for taking photos and measurements.

When others got up and started their activities, I usually joined in and helped in other tasks such as CEB Press fabrication, finishing LifeTrac assembly or whatever else needed attention that day.

Even before I arrived at Factor E Farm, I had discussed with Marcin the idea of OSE manufacturing as a business I could operate in Texas.  The business plan is similar to the way I have done software consulting for decades: Implement solutions for customers using Open Sourced solutions, charging for materials, labor and a small markup to contribute back to the originators (ie: OSE).

After finishing my Dedicated Project Visit, I continued documenting the Power Cube and have started collecting the  tools and supplies necessary for fabricating my own Power Cube and LifeTrac here in Texas. I also have several  modifications to add to the Power Cube to increase power and capability. I found that the LifeTrac documentation is also in need, so I’ve been spending time on that as well.  I have corresponded about these with Marcin and documented them in my Dallas Log pages:

http://opensourceecology.org/wiki/Tom:_Dallas_Log

In keeping with Open Source practices, any changes that prove valuable and approved by OSE will be incorporated into the OSE plans to benefit everyone.

My plan is to fabricate the Power Cube and LifeTrac and market them to test market demand.  Hopefully, it will be sufficient to create and fill a production pipeline – at which point, the business will take form.  Here is a video summarizing my OSE Business ideas:

http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zq0N_MigavI

<iframe width=”400″ height=”233″ src=”http://www.youtube.com/embed/Zq0N_MigavI” frameborder=”0″ allowfullscreen></iframe>