Future Fab Crash Course
About
We are thinking that a crash course on 'building real things' is in real demand. And we think that the people who would take a crash course like that would be entrepreneurial at the core, but don't know where to start. I think we can fill this gap, and offering what I propose below would fill a gap in need - and our need for a funnel of people into our longer immersion programs such as the Apprenticeship - see https://learn.opensourceecology.org/ We will be offering a Future Fab Crash Course (6 days) where the goal is a survey of collaborative build techniques and tools where people can design and productize just about anything you see on Amazon. This is the big picture course that covers collaborative development, CAD, digital fabrication tools, the architecture of technologies, modular build systems for technology areas, automation, and AI to assist in the design process. This is aimed at collaborative, open product development.
We are thinking that the course could be built around the next version of our Civilization Starter Kit - https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Civilization_Starter_Kit_DVD_v0.01 - which is over a decade old and much has happened since then.
The key would be teaching about the common architectures of all of the technosphere - selecting about 50 key building modules (different than the 50 Global Village Construction Set Machines like in my TED Talk) - which build 20 important tools of civilization (house, car, 3D printer, tractor, manufacturing equipmetn, etc). AND package not only the design blueprints - but teach how to design different versions - and provide turnkey designs already proven in the marketplace. AND - package this as a course that is a first step towards an authentic understanding of how technology is built - by providing 50 building modules that anyone can use and modify to create new products.
This is unique, because nobody in the world has this level of product ecology. For me, one of the biggest benefits is lifetime design - the fact that you can use, fix, or upgrade the thing - for ever. So the above is the Future Fab Crash Course.
As far as the practical side of building real things - building, welding, CNCs, fabrication, automation, 3D printing - as applied to technology in general and to housing - we will be offering a 5 day course on this at our site, in the form of Future Fab Boot Camp, and Future Builders Boot Camp. So these would be the key trainings, 6 days online (Future Fab Crash Course) + certifications. Then the 5+5 days on site - one in products/machines, the other specific to housing just like the Future Builders Crash Course - https://www.opensourceecology.org/builder_crash_course_2025-2/.
And we will offer Swarm Builds (house, auqaponic greenhouse, RTK GPS skid steer, 3d printer + filament maker, others).
We don't have specific dates for the above for this year, as we are just developing these and developing a schedule for next year - as we see a huge demand from people like yourself looking for applied, powerful skill sets. We will break the Future Builders Crash Course into two parts: one the Future Builders Boot Camp (skills in 20 trades) and the other - the Swarm Build of the actual house, each 5 days long. More compressed and tighter than the 14 days former - with a Sunday break in between. The 14 days without breaks was tough for people.
So with that said, based on all of the above and your needs - can you tell me a little more about what exactly would be the skills that you are interested in acquiring, and thus helping us cater the program more specifically to your needs?
1. What do you think of the above structure, what sounds good to you, what is missing, what you would focus on?
2. If you were to write a 'certification' that you obtained for doing the 6 day Future Fab Crash Course - what would be the specific skills that you would like to obtain in a 6 month, live-online, immersion setting?
3. Is an online course like that useful in the first place? If not, what is missing? We do think that we should definitely have an online session like that.
4. For the online Future Fab Crash Course - what would you be willing to pay for it - assuming that you have indeed achieved your dream 'certification' of skills as in the second question? Or, do you think we should give this away for free? How should we do that?
5. Same for the 5 day boot camps - are those interesting to you and what specifically would you like to acquire in terms of real, hands-on build skill?
If you have other insights or ideas, please share. I would like to create an irresistible offer with the Future Fab Crash Course - so that it is part of a pipeline to recruit cohorts of 24 people into our Apprenticeship - which is still required to prove out the radical build model in a real, scalable operation that nets $5M per year. Your insights are welcome.
Marcin
Program Design Notes - Work Doc