[AktiviX-discuss] E-citizens meeting - poss 18th Feb

[Dan]

Hi!

I had a meeting today with WEA.  (Somehow it's ended up that I'm going 
to be teaching web design, which is probably the funniest thing I've 
ever heard...)

Anyway - I also asked for an meeting of whoever can make it from this 
list / Sheffield.  The date currently up for grabs is -

Friday 18th December, time to be confirmed depending on whether any of 
you can make it.

This will be a meeting of well-meaning, possibly funding-giving, WEA, 
ALAC & ACLU folk - probably only three or four people from their side -  
(ALAC = active citizenship for active learning and ACLU is the adult 
continuing learning unit in the council.)  They are all non-techie in 
the extreme - the reason why I've had so much success, simply because 
the tiny amount I know is more than them!

I'm hoping that some people can come along to talk to them about

a. The advantages / pros n cons of open source
b. Possibilities re recycled computers, and building a net 
infrastructure a la Alan's work.
c. To mull over citizenship and ICT generally, see if anything can come 
of it.
d. End up with some sort of action plan.

I'd imagine this action plan would be quite long-term - i.e. over a 
year. None of the infrastructure stuff is going to happen straight 
away.  Besides which, I don't understand it.  And neither do they.  
Hence the meeting, you see?

Er - on a different thing, more relevant to Sheffield (sorry others) - 
WEA agreed today to fund an 'active citizenship' research project into 
the masterplan! E.g. they're going to give up money for Burngreave 
residents to carry out research - and it's my / our aim that this will 
be aimed to give power back to the people... hell, you never know, it 
might work!

Bye 4 now, and thanks for your tolerance of a 
non-pseudo-pretend-techie-troll on the list,

Dan
----

gareth at problem-solved.co.uk wrote:

>>2. Why I need other people to join in - I can be pro-open source and 
>>recycling, but what the hell does *any* of this mean? -
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
>>For those who came to Aktivix sheffield and saw the Pebble wireless access point
>>being built, out of old PC and wifi card, we've ported the 'stuff' thats in the
>>pebble to the OpenWRT platform on the LinkSys WRT54GS ( this is a #50 consumer
>>Access Point ).. which now supports ospf for routing, wds for inter AP links,
>>and vpn encryption on internode links.  ( at least in our version ).  Other
>>goodies you can plug in are asterix ( an open source VOIP application ),
>>quality of service. 
>>    
>>
>
>Ignore this bit if you're not a techie person. If you are then you'll know it's really quite cool,
>potentially important even radical. We're not just seizing the means of production here - we're
>inventing them!
>
>Kudos to Alan - he's been working away at this sort of stuff for about five years and through his
>efforts more than anyone else (although lots of others have made vital contributions) Burngreave
>has one of the most advanced community wireless networks in the country/Europe.
>
>  
>
>>So for #50 you get a really powerful building brick for
>>community network building.
>>    
>>
>
>  
>
>>I guess it means 'yay!  Cheap and easy wireless access for the masses!'  
>>Is that right?
>>    
>>
>
>Yup - it's that alright. It's also more - the tantalising posibilities are of providing a cheap or
>even free way to use next generation mobile phones to call free within Burngreave - at least to
>other users of the system. There may well be a way to provide a 'gateway' to the regular phone
>system and offer people cheap calls to everywhere!
>
>Gareth
>
>  
>
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