Welcome to HacktionLab
Welcome to the HacktionLab Wiki
The aim of HacktionLab is to have a convergence where people interested in and/or working in the areas of alternative media, renewable energy, free software advocacy, or any form of activism that utilises technology can come together to swap ideas and skills, take part in shared workshops, socialise and strengthen the UK network of people able to provide alternative media coverage and provide technical support to national gatherings, such as Climate Camp and No Borders, as well as increased support at a regional and local level.
The idea for the gathering has come from many years experience by activists working for organisations such as Indymedia as well as specific experience gained from involvement in the camps for climate action in Selby (2006) and Heathrow (2007).
Date
Evening Friday 13th June 2008 to afternoon Sunday 15th June 2008.
Would recommend that crew arrive Friday morning (or Thursday 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.
Location
We have decided upon 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:
Transport and access
Access to Highbury farm by vehicle is somewhat difficult as ...
Trains to Chepstow, there is then a bus service from Chepstow to Redbrook village, but this ceases at about 6PM. We will therefore need to organise a runner to collect people from Chepstow train station on Friday evening, should there be a need to do so.
Firstly I hope you don't mind the blanket email to all of you like this.
Thought I'd write you a line about a little proposal that I've been talking to Lloyd and Mick about, and also that comes from a conversation I had with Gary at November's CC convergence in Oxford.
It would be really great to work on some movement building in the technical arena, both for CC, for No Borders, for Indymedia, and just in general for other stuff that happens.
So I propose we put together a convergence over 2 or 3 days in May (perhaps) for interested parties to do talks, workshops, masterclasses and socialising based around topics such as:
- recycling computers / building a mobile suite
- renewable energy and how it works (AC and DC theory)
- linux and other free software workshops
- publishing for the web - undercurrents/indymedia
- basic computer networking
- basic wireless technology
- satellite technology
- security, privacy and encryption techniques
- using the web - wikis, drupals, plone, etc.
- streaming
i've just done a new splash page for the help files that i've been working on for an idea of the kind fo workshps that i'd be up for
it's here http://clearerchannel.org/guides/s_index.html
If we all encourage people with an interest in the network to attend, and hopefully pitch it to be for geeks, hackers and techies, but open to anyone who is intersted, perhaps we might be 60 people tops.
It could be marketed as a kind of hack-lab sort of affair and we could ask for a contribution for each person that comes to cover the costs and feed everyone.
I have thought of (though not spoken to) Radford Mill Farm, which is south of Bristol and Bath and is an organic farm in a valley, with facilities for camping and an indoor venue space suitable for up to about 60 people for doing the talks and presentations. Lloyd and I did an event down there about a year and a half ago and it was a good enough space for it.
Evening events could include a couple of bands, some open mic, some poetry, and some decent organic cyder around a fire of course ;)
So what say ye? To the date, the idea in general? Are ye up for helping to get it together, promoting it, etc? Do you reckon we'd get some interest and get folk to attend?
Best wishes to all,
i was there last weekend and they are definately up for this sort of thing
Hi there, At the last IMC UK network meeting I mentioned that there was going to be a gathering to cover the following and some others. We are in very very early planning stages but looking to meet near Briston 14/15 June.
Mobile internet issues
- skillsharing around doing rural IMC's -
- mobile internet connection
- 12 volt power issues
- wireless
Video tech issues
- the next steps for imc video on a UK level
- tactical collaboration
- tech skill share on encoding, hosting, podcasting and websites for video
if you are interested please join this list
http://lists.psand.net/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/hacktionlab
niceone mick