BarnCamp 2009

HacktionLab 2009/01: A rural hack meeting in the beautiful Wye Valley

Taking place from 2009-06-11 till 2009-06-14. Please sign up here to say you're coming and consider joining our mailing list to get involved in planning the event.

What is HacktionLab?

The aim of HacktionLab is to have a convergence where people interested in and/or working in the areas of alternative media, renewable energy, on-line video distribution, free software and any other form of activism that utilises technology.

The idea for the gathering has come from a number of years of experience gained by activists working for organisations such as Indymedia and includes specific experience from involvement in the Horizone Eco-Village in Stirling (2005), the Camps for Climate Action in Drax (2006), Heathrow (2007) and Kingsnorth (2008) as well as the No Borders camp at Gatwick (2007). We have had two successful gatherings so far, a rural hack meeting in the Wye Valley in June 2008 and an urban one in Leeds in October 2008. Our next rural meeting is scheduled for June 2009:

The last rural HacktionLab took place between 13 - 15 June 2008, click here to view a slide-show of photos from the weekend. There are more photos posted here and this exciting short video too.

Audience

The convergence is primary aimed at folk who need to learn or share info on doing mobile media access and video work in situations like G8 and climate camp convergences.

Please come if you have experience(s) to share will others in order to encourage the amount of shared knowledge in the UK-wide media, free software and alternative technology activist network. The weekend is most suitable for activists using media, geeks and hackers (as opposed to crackers) but would also be of interest to anyone else that is interested in attending is most welcome.

Organisations involved

This convergence is being proposed and attended by Bristol Wireless, Indymedia UK, Schnews and Clearer Channel, Aktivix.

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Dates

Evening Thursday 11th June 2009 to afternoon Sunday 14th June 2009.

Would recommend that crew arrive Thursday morning (or Wednesday evening) to set-up some of the infrastructure, and anyone who wishes should be encouraged to be involved in this, as the set-up forms part of the skills sharing.

Schedule

Thursday 11th

• Forward crew arrive in the morning to set up mess tent and other core infrastructure
• Majority arrive in afternoon, set-up camp
• Supper and fireside gathering.

Friday 12th

• Breakfast
• Open circle, introduction and planning
• Lunch
• Workshop slot #1
• Workshop slot #2
• Workshop slot #3
• Dinner
• Entertainment

Saturday 13th

• Breakfast
• Workshop slot #4
• Workshop slot #5

Flossmanuals.net - flossmanuals is a community of people writing manuals about Free Software and things you can do with Free Software. It is also an amazing wiki to book technology that allows you to publish your content incredibly cheaply and with a minimum of work. It's a great way to document what you are doing.

This workshop is an invitation to use and abuse floss manuals and to get involved in the project - http://flossmanuals.net - feel free to join the email list before the hacktionlab. http://lists.flossmanuals.net/listinfo.cgi/discuss-flossmanuals.net

• Lunch
• Workshop slot #6
• Workshop slot #7
• Workshop slot #8
• Dinner
• Party

Sunday 14th

• Breakfast
• Workshop slot #9
• Reflexions and proposals for next HacktionLab
• Lunch
• Parting of company
• Tat-down team: 1,2,3....tat-down!

Core crew team leave site Sunday evening or Monday morning.

Location

Like the previous year, HacktionLab will take place at Highbury Farm located in the Lower Wye Valley on a hill above the village of Redbrook. Highbury Farm is actually located in Gloucestershire, although it should be in Gwent. (location of site on Multimap and Google Maps also Aerial View Map of the site)

HacktionLab takes place at two locations on Highbury Farm:

• The barn: for some of the workshops, meeting space, mealtimes, and evening entertainment.
• The gathering field: featuring the welcome tent, camping, compost loo and very a stunning view up the Wye Valley towards Monmouth.
• The upper field: where we have the fire space.

Highbury Farm is a vegetarian farm and the owners request that meat is not brought or cooked on site. There is an excellent pub (the Boat Inn) across the valley within walking distance that serves fine ales and ciders and also serves meat dishes for those who cannot do without.

Food

The Highbury Farm kitchen provided excellent food in 2008 and will again be providing evening meals for Friday and Saturday night. Breakfast will be cereal and bread and lunch will be soup, salad, bread and cheese.

Special diets should be noted.

Costs

The cost will be about twenty pounds per person for camping for 3 nights and and food (eight meals) for the weekend. This figure also included a few additional costs for transport of equipment (and tolls for Severn Bridge). We were pleased to be able to make an additional donation to Highbury Farm from the donations received. Everyone was responsible for organising their own transport to the location, except for being collected from Chepstow train or bus station.

Highbury Farm Workshops

The workshops will be simply facilitated discussions and hands-on skills-sharing activities based around a technology or a way of doing something. The aim is to enable a free exchange of ideas based around a theme, and not too much time should be spent in their planning.

Here is a working list of topics for workshops, please feel free to add to it or propose yourself and a workshop you'd like to facilitate:

Technology

• Linux and other free software (viable alternatives for alternative media, Kino, Cinelerra, iTheora, GIMP, OpenOffice)
• renewable energy and how it works (AC and DC theory)
• using the web for collaboration - wikis, drupals, crabgrass, etc.
• L.A.S.E.R. Tag and stencils aka Project Green Lantern

Big Brother

• Is Big Brother really watching?
• Who is he/she?
• Using privacy and encryption techniques

Video-tech

• Live video broadcasting techniques for 'hostile' environments - eg. Beijing

Friendly Tech Environments

What makes a friendly tech enviroment?

Sometimes geek environments can be really cold and alienating to non-geeks. Sometimes they can be terrifically welcoming. What are some of the things we can do as enthusiasts to communicate our enthusiasm and share our skills in a friendly way?

Have a look at this blog post about the recent Transmission gathering in Asia http://burningbulan.multiply.com/photos/album/17/TX-AP

i'm taking a small group of first year undergrads to auschwitz via paris and berlin mainly by train in april, and between us we plan to create a 'virtual field trip' through a multimedia wiki mainly for use in the uni. none of us are techs. would be happy to talk and show the experience if you're interested. and your advice and comments in the planning and doing stage would of course be more than welcome. let me know what you think.

Kids

Kids are most welcome, however we will not be arranging any crêche facilities.

Entertainment

Evening events could include a couple of bands, some open mic, some poetry, and some decent organic cyder around a fire of course ;)

Arriving at HacktionLab

Everyone will be responsible for organising their own transport to the location, except for being collected from Chepstow train station.

Access to Highbury Farm by vehicle is somewhat difficult as it is situated up a steep hill in the valley. Most motor vehicles should ideally be left at the bottom of the hill rather than be taken up the track. For small vehicles, carrying the minimum of passengers would help. There is a decent footpath up from the village to the farm, so leaving vehicle at bottom and walking is a good option.

There's more info on their web site at http://www.highburyfarm.freeserve.co.uk/visitingframe.htm and also here it is on the map:

• Multimap
• Google Maps

By Car

From Bristol the farm is about 30 miles, over the old Severn Bridge (M48) and then taking the A466 past Chepstow and about 13 miles up the Wye Valley. The bridge costs something like 5 pounds 30 pence for cars and 10.50 for vans.

Firstly, for those of you with satnavs, the postcode is NP25 4LX

Now the farm is on a very steep hill and the folk here are saying they would prefer people not to drive up.

So if you're driving, you'll need to park down the bottom alongside the A466 Wye Valley Road, there is a car park past the village green on the left (river) side and then walk up. To get up here, you need to follow Offa's Dyke footpath, up the hill behind the Bell Inn.

Because of this make sure you pack your stuff according to having to hike up a big hill! If you come up with you essentials first and then you can get a hand making a second trip. Any real problems or if you physically can't get up here for some reason, please ring in advance to let us know.

Any problems just ring. If you can't get through, wait a bit and try again.

By Train

Trains to Chepstow, there is then a bus service (69) from Chepstow to Redbrook village, but the last bus leaves the bus station at 6.10PM - You can download a PDF of the bus timetable here. We may have a therefore have runner to collect people from Chepstow train station on Friday evening, should there be a need to do so. Phone one of the numbers above if you need to be collected, please try to give us notice.

By Bus

From Bristol catch the X14 to Chepstow, then follow the directions above for catching the 69 bus to Redbrook.

Logistics

Facilities

There is both main electricity and Internet connectivity at the farm. We will also bring 3G and satellite alternatives to demonstrate and discuss the technology. It would be great to have some renewables for the camping field for the evening. In the camping field there will be a fire pit, pissoirs and a shit pit.

Equipment

• LTSP suite (from Bristol Wireless)
• Video projector + screen (or white sheet)
• Mess tent
• Trestle tables (for LTSP suite / kitchen)
• Kitchen equipment

Crew/Rôles

• Catering crew
• Mess tent set-up
• LTSP suite set-up
• Networking, projector and power set-up
• Shit pit and pissoirs
• Fire crew

We need keen set-up and take down crew who can commit to the whole period (Thursday till Monday), if you are able to do this, please sign up to the mailing list and let us know.

Immediate requirement is for more folks to get involved, this is a workshop event, so all those who come should also expect to be involved in making the whole thing happen, so although we will plan for the equipment to bring, it will be an organic affair (not in the sense of vegetables).

Please encourage other people to get involved by asking them that they join the mailing list.