Infrastructure Manifest (v. 1.0)—Darren Wershler—Chapter 13—“Scrounging”
Infrastructure Type Descriptiona

Control point for access to or useb

For example, identify the owner, regulator, manager, etc. as appropriate

Open Source, Open Access, or Public Resource/Utilityc Proprietaryc How heavily used?d Reliabilityd Satisfaction for Userd Ethical concerns (known or possible) Comments

Land infrastructure

For example, properties ceded, unceded, public, private, etc.

Include only principal land infrastructures.

Tiohtià:ke/Montréal is located on unceded Indigenous lands. The Kanien’kehá:ka Nation is recognized as the custodians of Tiohtià:ke/Montréal’s lands and waters. Not Applicable Not Applicable 10 The need to develop a long-term plan to meaningfully represent Indigenous presence on campus and in its programming beyond an initial acknowledgement. In September 2023, Concordia launched a five-year plan to indigenize and decolonize its pedagogy.

Materials infrastructure

For example, notable common or rare extracted or other materials used in research, production, and communication.

Break down by notable materials used in devices or tools if appropriate.

  • Used video game consoles, 1974–2002 (approximate dates)
  • solder
  • flux
  • velcro cable ties
  • 99% isopropyl alcohol
  • double-sided foam tape
  • wire of various gauges (primarily 1.27 mm, bought in flat ribbon cables with 10 conductors)
  • capacitors and various other small electronic components
  • custom mod boards produced by expert community members
  • eBay
  • Private donors
  • Amazon
  • Various electronics suppliers, national and international
  • Hobbyist and enthusiast storefronts on the web
Not Applicable Yes 10 7 10 Prolonged exposure to solder rosin can cause eye, throat and lung irritation, nosebleeds, headaches, respiratory and skin sensitization, and possibly asthma. Lead solder can produce hazardous dust and fumes, additionally leading to lead poisoning, kidney disease, hypertension, and weight loss, among other conditions.

Energy infrastructure

For example, principal energy sources and infrastructure used in research, production, and communication

  • Electrical.

    Hydroelectric generating stations in northern Quebec produce over 40,850 MW of hydroelectric capacity.

    Hydro power generates 94 percent of Quebec’s electricity.

    Quebec is also the largest Canadian exporter of electricity to the United States of America.

  • Batteries of various sizes (chiefly CR2032, AAA, AA), disposable and rechargeable
  • Power cords and power bars
  • Voltage converters
  • Arcade power supplies
  • Hydro-Québec, a public utility, generates most of the province’s electricity.
  • There are a few independent operators who generate power hydroelectrically, via, biomass, or via wind farms.
Yes Not Applicable 10 9 8 Working with old electronics can lead to dangerous electric shocks without proper precautions. Disposable batteries are a significant source of e-waste. Much of Montreal’s distribution network operates at a lower voltage (12,000v) than other parts of Quebec (25,000v), and yet it is the most heavily used. 2023 saw increasing power outages in the city, and the government is lagging behind on repair.

Transportation infrastructure

For example, private or public transportation needed for daily or research trips

Montreal public transit system (subways, buses, LRTs, bicycles) Société de transport de Montréal (government of greater Montreal) Yes Not Applicable 10 7 8
  • Rising deficits (nearing $700 million) are the subject of infighting between city and province.
  • Increasing service outages and cuts to service
  • Inadequate care for the unhoused
  • Drug use

Architectural infrastructure

For example, buildings, labs, rooms

Milieux Institute (Concordia University), especially the following rooms:

  • The Residual Media Depot
  • The Milieux Maker Space
  • the Centre for Technculture, Art and Games (TAG)
Concordia University Office of Research/VP Research Yes Not Applicable 10 9 10 The Milieux Institute for Arts, Culture and Technology is a research unit working at the intersection of design, art, culture and technology. It is a platform for progressive imagining, critical studies, creative experimenting and interdisciplinary training where thinking and making come together to transform our encounter with technology. Without Milieux’s physical resources (especially space, but also some funding), our research activities would not be possible.

Civic, community, national, or regional infrastructure

For example, provided by cities, communities, governments, etc.

The Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms section 23 concerns education, stating that Canadian citizens have the right to be educated in either English or French. However, in June 2022, The government of Quebec (the Coalition Avenir Québec) passed Bill 96, stating that “the only official language of Québec is French.” Bill 96 also states that French is the common language of the Québec nation. Many lawyers and scholars have argued that Bill 96 is unconstitutional; nevertheless, the current Quebec government is busily trying to impair education institutions in English from operating successfully by attempting to abolish English school boards, freezing enrolment on CEGEPs and drastically raising tuition for out-of-province students who wish to attend English-language universities. The government of Quebec (the Coalition Avenir Québec) Yes Not Applicable 9 3 3
  • Violation of Canadian charter rights
  • Violation of rights of minority language speakers in Quebec (including but not limited to English language speakers)
While these changes are recent, they are unlikely to be reversed any time soon, and may become worse, as the only party polling near or above the CAQ is the separatist Parti Québécois.

Institutional infrastructure

For example, equipment, services, and “overhead” or “indirect cost recovery” items for grants to universities

The Concordia University Research Chairs program (CURC) provided funding for all Depot expenditures from 2015–2019. A separate envelope of money from the Dean of Arts & Sciences (2015) provided funds for all internal furnishings. Concordia Office of Research/VP Research; Dean of Arts & Sciences Yes Not Applicable 10 10 10 Due to budget cuts following the CAQ government’s attack on the English-language universities in Quebec (see above), the CURC program has been suspended for the foreseeable future. Without such programs, there is little money available to directly fund innovative research that falls outside of conventional approaches.

Labor infrastructure

For example, type and amount of labor from collaborators, staff, research assistants; include any attributes that seem important, such as unrecognized, unpaid, low-paid, outsourced, or other attributes of labor

Undergraduate and graduate research assistants are paid at or above union rates for all labour in the Depot. There are typically two PhD-level graduate research assistants and one undergraduate research assistant. Contracts are managed by the Head of Operations and Coordination for the Milieux Institute and the Residual Media Depot Director. Milieux head of technical Support and Infrastructure provides invaluable additional technical expertise, advice, and materials sourcing. Milieux Institute, Concordia Yes Not Applicable 10 10 10 Even in Canada, funding programs like the Concordia University research Chairs program are rare. My Chair ended in 2019, and it has become increasingly difficult to find the kind of funding necessary to keep something as odd as the Residual Media Depot running. It would be nearly impossible to launch such an initiative today, without something like a major donation from an alumni targeted specifically at such an initiative.

Research-content infrastructure

For example, physical libraries and archives, online research materials, shadow libraries, etc.

  • The Internet Archive (for defunct websites, forums and technical documentation)
  • Various community member websites
  • Various Reddit and Discord channels
  • Youtube channels run by modders
  • The WWW in general
Not Applicable Yes 7 6 7 Too many members of the modding and retrogaming communities rely on inaccurate folklore concerning their intellectual property rights with respect to copyright, fair use, fair dealing, technical protection measures, and the public domain. When interviewing members of these communities it is vital to obtain ethics clearance before citing anything that they say, and to follow all research protocols to avoid placing research subjects in any form of jeopardy. Much of our research-content infrastructure is buried deep in hard-to-search community forums. Further, important resources can be buried deep and disappear from the web at an alarming rate. It is not wise to rely on the Internet Archive to save everything. Though community members have digitized many manuals, ads, trade managzines and other printed documentation, much of it remains undigitized. One pressing question for us is, how much of our own material should be digitized, and where will the funds come from to make that happen?

Tools infrastructure

For example, principal analog tools and digital tools, scripts, or protocols used for research, writing, communication, production (excluding high-performance computing, for which see below)

  • Security bit screwdrivers
  • Soldering irons
  • Hot air station
  • Helping hands
  • Magnifying lenses
  • Dremel
  • Wire strippers
  • Flush cutters
  • A very large collection of custom-made, institutional and prosumer video upscalers, downscalers, screen spiltters, etc.
  • An entire wall of custom-made and commercial video cables
  • Professional video monitors, analog (CRT) TVs, digital TVs
  • Community-made tools (SCART switches; video refresh rate detectors; various SD cartridges)
  • USB sticks and SD cards
  • External speakers
  • Adapters of every sort
  • External video capture cards
  • An oscilloscope
  • A DSLR with fixed-length macro lens
  • A light tent and lighting kit
  • Cutting mats
  • X-Acto knives
  • Masking tape
  • Sharpies, Post-It Notes
  • Diamond files
  • Cold and hot air guns
  • Old VCRs for connecting coaxial cables to monitors
  • Battery chargers
  • Preamplifiers
  • Digital audio converters
  • Signal splitters
  • Cutting mats
  • Electrostatic discharge mats
  • Sponges
  • Copper wool
  • White polymer erasers
  • Shure microphones (dynamic, various)
  • RODE Microphone booms
  • Various audio interfaces (Scarlett, UA, Pre-73)
  • Mac and PC laptops running OSX, Linux and Windows
  • Artemio’s 240P Test Suite
  • Audacity
  • Adobe Audition
  • Audio Hijack
  • Loopback
  • Largely university property
  • Some privately owned equipment
Yes Yes 10 8 9 Working with tools in this capacity creates something like a “repair sensibility” that is highly transferable to entirely other fields of endeavour. It is deeply satisfying.

Networked Platforms infrastructure

For example, major networked or cloud platforms used for research, storage, analysis, sharing, communication, publication—Google Drive, Dropbox, AWS, etc. (excluding high-performance computing, for which see below)

  • Discord
  • Flickr
  • Reddit
  • YuJa
  • Formerly Twitter (until Musk’s purchase of it)
Various evil billionaires Not Applicable Yes 7 7 6 I want less and less to do with social media.

High-performance computing infrastructure

Here defined expansively to include the use not just of supercomputers and computer clusters or grids but any high-performance computing infrastructure or special GPU and other processors exceeding the capabilities of an individual workstation, laptop, or server.

Not Applicable Not Applicable Not Applicable
Other infrastructure Not Applicable Not Applicable

This infrastructure manifest was completed by Darren Wershler and reports on Chapter 13, “Scrounging.”