Lab2Firstcall

You are happily invited to the “Hacklab”, which is a follow-up event to the (sadly titled?) “Making Global Civil Society” (the funders liked it) that took place in Lancaster, November 4/5/6. It is hosted at and with the support of the Institute for Advanced Studies (IAS) at Lancaster University. Since the gathering will be defined by those who get involved in preparing it, the lists below are merely suggestions.

The plan is to experiment with formats and settings, looking for helpful, creative moments. Suggestions so far include smaller groups, with intimate, intense, and longer discussions about a particular topic. For instance, 10-12 people in a room for 3-4 hours, discussing a human rights article in relation to social movements, a question, some concept, whatever - and, for example, write a declaration, compile a CD, or?? based on note taking and audio recordings.

The ideal is to go beyond conventions.

To play and to experiment there wil also be themed spaces (hacklab setup with alt/DIY media intros/hands-on stuff) - suggest something!

We imagine talks and discussions about things like:

• technology and social organisation, such as novel “management” and organisation within free software projects or hacklabs, as well as DIY media

• freedom of information & communication and related social, political, or cultural movements

• digital divides and tribal connections

• nanotechnology and genetic modification: resistance and/or democratisation?

• sustainable/renewable/alternative (hippie) technologies

• anarchism, cryptography, privacy and identity in cyberspace

• free hardware?

• the EU Software Patent Directive (swpat.ffii.org) as enclosure

• feminism and information technology

• primitivism (as a technology?)

• organic composition in music and elsewhere?

• psychedelic technologies

Additionally, we hope to create spaces for hands-on workshops, get in touch if you have skills to share:

• how to use Free Software for everyday purposes, like emailing (Thunderbird, Evolution), web surfing (Firefox), text writing (OpenOffice.org) and photo manipulations (GIMP) etc.

• installation of GNU/Linux operating systems (to “dual-boot” with or to replace M$ Windows)

• using the command line interface: the basics

• learning (to write) code: from sys-admin scripts to wherever your skills may take you

• system security, privacy, encryption, set up a “safe” computer network at home or at work

• women demystifying the box: understanding components to repair hardware and install software

• recycle computers: provide access to the public and for artistic installations, such as VJ-ing

• any other hacks

Participation is limited to a hundred people.

A LIMITED AMOUNT OF TRAVEL GRANTS AND FREE ACCOMODATION IS AVAILABLE. SEND SUGGESTIONS FOR WORKSHOPS, PRESENTATIONS, AND PAPERS (MAX. 1 PAGE) TO: n.moeller at lancaster . ac . uk

Costs, incl. (predominantly organic and vegan by 'the fat olive') Friday dinner, Saturday lunch and dinner:

Volunteers/unpaid/unwaged: Free

Unfunded students: Donation

Funded students, Lancaster academics: £20 (additional donation welcome!)

Representatives of "smaller" NGOs: £35 (negotiable)

Representatives of "bigger" NGOs: £65

Academics: £65

chat: irc.indymedia.org #research - quick link: http://chat.indymedia.org/?chans=research

---

Some people are rumoured to be working on multimedia installations: music, video and other altered states of mind. Live improvised piano and more Saturday night: make it the Institute of Advanced Creativity and Improvisation :)

There is also a session being planned about how academic research projects can learn from grassroots movements' and other cyberspace groups' use of ICT for collaborative projects (and knowledge creation) with the view to form a collective to provide such services for academic research projects, -like aktivix/sindominio/autistici/mutualaid/riseup community servers do for cultural, social and political projects. The "profits" that could maybe be accumulated from "research contracts" would go into a fund to have more knowledge lab events. A kind of self-sustainable think tank, a parasite/pirate/autonomous university?

_______________________________________ NB: See http://www.georgefox6.co.uk