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Free as in Freedom miniconf schedule released
I’m happy to say that the Free as in Freedom LCA miniconf schedule has been finalised. I’ve copied it below. (The definitive version is here)
- 09:00 Brianna Laugher – intro, housekeeping
- 09:25 Arthur Sale – Beyond Open Source
- 10:15 — Morning Tea (20) —
- 10:35 Laura Simes – Future directions for Copyright Law
- 11:05 Katherine Szuminska and Matthew Landauer – OpenAustralia – Everyday democracy for everybody in Australia
- 11:35 Liam Wyatt – Gratis & libre
- 12:00 Jessica Coates – Freedom Fighting – how do we convince the powers that be to relax their grip?
- 12:25 — Lunch (80) —
- 13:45 Sarah Stokely – It’s all fun and games until someone wants to sue you: Reporting in the age of citizen journalism
- 14:15 Simon Greener – A Review of Australian GeoData and Providers
- 14:45 Rachel Cobcroft – Freedom in Focus: CC Photography and Cultural Change
- 15:15 Jeff Waugh – We are the translators!
- 15:35 — Afternoon Tea (20) —
- 15:55 Claudine Chionh – Public history in the digital age
- 16:25 Rusty Russell – Free as in Market: Property and Liberty
- 16:55 Close + Freedom Bingo
I think the lineup is a good mix of LCA “regulars” and outsiders — well, maybe half the speakers are people who would not think to attend LCA, I guess. So for that I am glad, because that kind of crossover/multidisciplinary area where the most interesting ideas are often found, IMO. When we are exposed to other fields outside our own, we can see which patterns we are familiar with are actually very general, and which are specific. It helps stop us from thinking that we are encountering everything for the first time ever.
I’m so excited to have such a wonderful range of speakers. I can’t wait!!
LCA Free as in Freedom miniconf speakers get free miniconf day passes
I have excellent news. Miniconf speakers will be able to get free day passes to attend the miniconf days (Monday & Tuesday) of the linux.conf.au (LCA) conference. (LCA is Australia’s national, technical Linux + open source software conference. Miniconfs are semi-independent themed events held before the main conference.) This is great if you are interested in sharing your passion with a freedom-loving techy audience, but not so interested in the intricacies of Linux and free software yourself.
Of course, if you are interested in such intricacies, then you should register for an Early-bird ticket now. These will last until November 3rd or sold out.
So… if the Free as in Freedom Call for Participation has caught your eye, weigh up your options — consider just attending the miniconfs, for free — and make a submission ASAP!
(P.S. At the moment I am pretty much just trying to arrange my dream event, but I will undoubtedly forget awesome people and groups that are totally relevant. If you know of some in Australia that would suit this event, please leave me a comment or email me and remind me… just to be sure. :)
'Free as in Freedom' miniconf Call for Participation (CfP)
Are the original ideals that motivated the free software movement still relevant today? What makes Wikipedia a truly “free” encyclopedia? How are governments licensing public sector information? Is having an “open source” Facebook or Skype important? How do the current copyright and patents systems affect innovation and digital culture? How can educational resources be pooled and shared more effectively? Does citizen journalism matter? How are open access policies changing academic publishing? What are the potential pitfalls of all these trends towards “openness”?
The Free as in Freedom miniconf, running for the first time in January 2009 at Linux.conf.au in Hobart, Tasmania, invites speakers to answer these questions, and more.
Topics
Sessions are invited on any of the following topics, or related ones that you may devise:
- Free software movement’s history and evolution
- Free hardware
- Free documentation
- Free network services
- Open standards
- Copyright/legal reform
- Free/open licensing schemes
- Participatory culture
- Open knowledge
- Projects to develop free cultural works
- Government initiatives in relation to licensing/availability of public sector information
- Initiatives of cultural institutions regarding access to cultural works
- Open access initiatives
- Open educational resources
This is not a comprehensive list – talks on related topics are also encouraged. Talks may be overviews, case studies, stories of personal experience, etc. They may be focused on technical, legal or social/community aspects, or a mix. Talks that relate multiple topics are especially welcome.
Details
Submissions are welcome for 25 or 50 minute slots (including question time). If there is sufficient interest a lightning session of 5 minute presentations may also be held.
Presenters are encouraged to publish and license any submission and/or their slides under a free content license, e.g. CC-BY-SA, CC-BY, public domain dedication.
Important: Please note that in order to give a presentation or attend the miniconf you must be signed up for the main Linux.conf.au conference. Presenting at the miniconf does not entitle you to discounted or free registration at the main conference nor priority with registration.
Dates
- 6 Oct 2008 – Submissions open
- 31 Oct 2008 – Early submissions close
- 7 Nov 2008 – Notification for early submissions
- 10 Nov 2008 – Final submissions close
- 20 Nov 2008 – Final miniconf programme confirmation
Making a submission
Email submissions@freeasinfreedom.modernthings.org with the subject “Free as in Freedom miniconf” or similar. In the email please include
- your talk title and description/abstract
- your preferred talk length (25/50min)
- your name and relevant experience/qualifications (for organisers only)
- your preferred contact details
- any other requests or information relevant to your proposed talk.
Submissions made by October 31st will be notified by November 7th. Submissions made between October 31st and November 10th will be notified by November 20th.
Further information
See http://freeasinfreedom.modernthings.org/ for further information and updates.
Any unanswered questions can be asked via contact@freeasinfreedom.modernthings.org.
Thank you dear speakers!
Free as in Freedom LCA miniconf accepted!
Yay! I am well excited that my miniconf proposal for LCA was accepted. Now I get to organise one day of speakers under the banner of Free as in Freedom. (LCA is Australia’s Linux conference, and one of the biggest worldwide.)
From the LCA09 team’s press release:
LCA miniconferences have become a feature of Linux.conf.au, giving passionate members of the open source community a chance to collaborate and build momentum and interest on specific areas in open source.
The Linux.conf.au papers committee selected the best miniconfs from a number of wide-ranging areas at their annual selections panel meeting this week. The successful miniconferences will be (in no particular order):
- Open Source databases;
- The Linux Kernel;
- System Administration;
- Virtualisation and Management;
- LinuxChix;
- MythTV;
- Multimedia
- Gaming;
- The Business of Open Source Software – for developers;
- Free as in Freedom; and
- Mobile devices.
The miniconfs will run two days before the main conference on the 19th and 20th of January 2009, and will provide delegates with a chance to mingle with recognised experts in each of the areas covered by the miniconfs.
“The Business of Open Source Software” is another brand-new miniconf and I will be really interested to see what it holds. I also like that the MySQL miniconf has morphed into a general databases miniconf; I’d like to see something SQLite-ish. Multimedia will also likely grab my attention, and Sysadmin and LinuxChix will be their usual interesting selves, too.
From my submission:
The phrase “Free as in Freedom” reveals the heart of the free software movement as the desire to create a better society by sharing information. In the case of software, that information is code. Prominent causes underway today have taken their cue from the free software movement: from the idea of improving society by sharing information. We have much to learn about each other’s successes and failures.
This miniconf is about acknowledging the connections between the free software movement and the movements it has inspired, and learning about our various successes and setbacks. In short, it is about Sharing.
Now to write a CfP. :)
