If you use a computer, and you do because you’re reading this right now, there must have been times when you’ve struggled with a computer application. Perhaps you’d like to start a blog and don’t really know where to start. Maybe you’d like to customize a template for a newsletter, but don’t want to try and find someone on Craigslist for something so minor. And maybe you’re a freelancer and feel like working in a non-café environment once in a while.

If you live in Oakland, you can now rest easy. Anca Mosoiu, a computer science graduate from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, has opened TechLiminal in downtown Oakland. Anca's dubbed it a technology salon.

In a past life, Anca used to build websites, web applications, and do some tech consulting. Since 2004, when all things tech-related went bust, she’s lived the life of a freelancer. She’s worked on iphone apps, online games, volunteered at libraries and neighborhood centers. And somewhere along the way, she realized that she enjoyed helping people with technology. It wasn’t just satisfying. It was a learning experience.
“I learned how people perceive what we build,” she says. “There’s a disparity between people who build it and those who often use it.”

Anca Mosoiu

Anca realized that there was this alternate universe of people, who either due to age, education or background, can’t really use the web for all that it’s worth. And she hit on the idea of a place that people could use for the Internet the way they use a mechanic’s shop for cars.

“Everyone should have access to information without having to deal with a jerk,” she says.

At TechLiminal, you can rent a computer for $15 to $20 per hour, depending on the kind of monitor you want. (If you plan to be a frequent user, ask for a discount.) You can just rent the space, too – if you’re looking for a quiet place to take a phone call in or have a meeting at. There’s a conference room on the upper level, with a smart board for discussions and presentations. The place is cheerful and professional.

Anca, who is also cheerful and professional, hopes that TechLiminal helps advance a culture of innovation in Oakland. With that in mind, she’s already begun hosting classes and workshops in her two-week old space. If you follow our calendar, you know that she’s already held a class explaining Facebook to the uninitiated, she’s held a BarCamp for East Bay bloggers, and soon, she’ll be holding an iPhone developers’ camp.

This is a modest beginning. Eventually, Anca would like to be able to open TechLiminal in multiple locations. And given the number of freelancers out there these days across industries, she might be able to pull it off.

TechLiminal is at 268 14th Street. Call: 510-832-3401