From midday on saturday 9th, you are invited to a day of workshops and discission followed by an evening of film, music and booze..
@rampart street, london E1 2LA (see www.rampart.co.nr)
This is the Hacklabs, 'no patents' event with workshops all afternoon covering various creative open source computer packages (see programme summary elow), hardware skills, liveCD linux demos, stuff to take home, thing to build etc.
From 6pm there will be films and discussion about threat of software patents, it will includ a slide show about patents on seeds and life itself and draw comparrisons with the threat of control over food, technology, communication and freespeach that these patents bring. There will also be somebody to talk about the threat of survalance technologies employeed by the state, national databases and biometric ID.
From 9pm things get seriously unserious with DJ's and drinks till 2am as a fund raiser for the London Hacklabs Collective which maintains two open computer spaces in London and will soon be helping to set up additonal spaces.
This event is for everyone that cares about freedom and uses computers as a tool for positive social change. You can learn which formats to use to make your work most accesible, what alternatives exist to the monopolies of microsoft, the insecurity of windows and the expense of commercial software. You can learn about the best ways to utilise or recycle old unwanted lowspec machines and give them a new productive life. You can learn about getting on the internet for free via open wifi nodes, producing radio or making video. Every one welcome regardless of your level of skill with computers and other geeky stuff ;-)
It's a day to learn and share.
@rampart street, london E1 2LA (see www.rampart.co.nr)
This is the Hacklabs, 'no patents' event with workshops all afternoon covering various creative open source computer packages (see programme summary elow), hardware skills, liveCD linux demos, stuff to take home, thing to build etc.
From 6pm there will be films and discussion about threat of software patents, it will includ a slide show about patents on seeds and life itself and draw comparrisons with the threat of control over food, technology, communication and freespeach that these patents bring. There will also be somebody to talk about the threat of survalance technologies employeed by the state, national databases and biometric ID.
From 9pm things get seriously unserious with DJ's and drinks till 2am as a fund raiser for the London Hacklabs Collective which maintains two open computer spaces in London and will soon be helping to set up additonal spaces.
This event is for everyone that cares about freedom and uses computers as a tool for positive social change. You can learn which formats to use to make your work most accesible, what alternatives exist to the monopolies of microsoft, the insecurity of windows and the expense of commercial software. You can learn about the best ways to utilise or recycle old unwanted lowspec machines and give them a new productive life. You can learn about getting on the internet for free via open wifi nodes, producing radio or making video. Every one welcome regardless of your level of skill with computers and other geeky stuff ;-)
It's a day to learn and share.
----
Do patent laws have a place in today's information society?
Patent laws were originally put in place to protect innovators from having their ideas stolen. They now provide a tool for large businesses to control how inventions, research, knowledge and even life forms can be exploited for profit.
In a society that is becoming increasingly dependent on information and communication technology, ownership of information controls every aspect of our lives.
Are we going to sit by quitely while the biggest, richest corporations, assisted by our governments, take exclusive control?
The London Hacklabs Collective invites you to a day of discussions and workshops, and an evening of music and films.
Saturday April 9th at the Ramparts Center.
15-17 Rampart Street, London E1 2LA. Just off Commercial Road at the junction of New Street and Cannon Street Road. The nearest tubes are Shadwell, Whitechapel or Aldgate East.
Program summary (for full details see
http://wiki.hacklab.org.uk/index.php/Patents_Event):
Workshops:
Not micro$oft office - Open Office!
Open soucre desktop publishing (producing Indymedia Offline)
Wifi (build your own higain antenna),
Build your own PC (bring bits if you have some)
Using the GNU Image Manipulation Program, mainly.
Questions & Answers Session about video production: from pre-production to edition going through production and express-editing, like for a broadcast piece of news, with Kino, Cinelerra and supporting software like Audacity and GIMP, IceCast, VideoLan..
Introducion to 'PureData' and it's use mostly for creating live visual effects.
Q&A. Alternatives to Word processing and compatible formats, audio edition and basic introduction to formats, web page making (very basic html)
Main hall: 6pm Film: Stallman on Patents, followed by discussion
First floor: 6pm onwards: computer game - have fun destroying rampart -
Main hall: 9pm-2am Entertainment: Live music and DJs
There will be computers available to sign the online petition against EU software patents, fax your MP, or take direct action against patent laws.
Some points of the discussion:
* what types of applications and projects are likely to be affected by
software patents, and how
* who will patents benefit / damage
* how do software patents relate to other patents
* what is the history of (software) patents
* how do software patents relate to intellectual property laws
* who owns software patents
* what role could the hacklabs play in respect of addressing patent and IP
issues
for more information see http://www.hacklab.org.uk/
Do patent laws have a place in today's information society?
Patent laws were originally put in place to protect innovators from having their ideas stolen. They now provide a tool for large businesses to control how inventions, research, knowledge and even life forms can be exploited for profit.
In a society that is becoming increasingly dependent on information and communication technology, ownership of information controls every aspect of our lives.
Are we going to sit by quitely while the biggest, richest corporations, assisted by our governments, take exclusive control?
The London Hacklabs Collective invites you to a day of discussions and workshops, and an evening of music and films.
Saturday April 9th at the Ramparts Center.
15-17 Rampart Street, London E1 2LA. Just off Commercial Road at the junction of New Street and Cannon Street Road. The nearest tubes are Shadwell, Whitechapel or Aldgate East.
Program summary (for full details see
http://wiki.hacklab.org.uk/index.php/Patents_Event): Workshops:
Not micro$oft office - Open Office!
Open soucre desktop publishing (producing Indymedia Offline)
Wifi (build your own higain antenna),
Build your own PC (bring bits if you have some)
Using the GNU Image Manipulation Program, mainly.
Questions & Answers Session about video production: from pre-production to edition going through production and express-editing, like for a broadcast piece of news, with Kino, Cinelerra and supporting software like Audacity and GIMP, IceCast, VideoLan..
Introducion to 'PureData' and it's use mostly for creating live visual effects.
Q&A. Alternatives to Word processing and compatible formats, audio edition and basic introduction to formats, web page making (very basic html)
Main hall: 6pm Film: Stallman on Patents, followed by discussion
First floor: 6pm onwards: computer game - have fun destroying rampart -
Main hall: 9pm-2am Entertainment: Live music and DJs
There will be computers available to sign the online petition against EU software patents, fax your MP, or take direct action against patent laws.
Some points of the discussion:
* what types of applications and projects are likely to be affected by
software patents, and how
* who will patents benefit / damage
* how do software patents relate to other patents
* what is the history of (software) patents
* how do software patents relate to intellectual property laws
* who owns software patents
* what role could the hacklabs play in respect of addressing patent and IP
issues
for more information see
http://www.hacklab.org.uk/ 
