I am a supporter and user of free software (though I admit I have not migrated entirely). I research and write about the social movement aspect of free software, and its potential as a model for alternative social organization beyond the realm of software development. I am inspired by the future envisioned by free software [...]

I went to the Union for Democratic Communication conference last weekend, held at Buffalo State College. I had never been to Buffalo, which is what made me pick this conference over the annual meeting of the Canadian Communication Association. I’ve been to Ottawa before; heck, I used to live there. I hedged my bets a [...]

Me ‘n Leslie Regan Shade@the new media panel.
Media Democracy Day totally kicked it this weekend at the VPL. The event was a good fit with the library, and the MDD fair – 40+ community groups set up to do community outreach and promote a more accessible media system with less corporate influence – [...]

Speaking For Ourselves: Media Democracy Day 2008 is a national day of action dedicated to keeping the corporate media honest and making them accountable. The Vancouver event happens next week at the VPL, 12-6pm. My friend and colleague Steve Anderson is the main organizer for MDD Vancouver, and I have been helping out a bit [...]

My first panel of the day was entitled The Intersection of Culture Jamming, Hacking and Hactivism. On this, the last day of the conference, attendance had reached capacity. Literally thousands (I heard estimates of 2,000 and 3,000) of every nerd imaginable: The stereotypical anti-social, disempowered, tech freak expressing his barely concealed rage and marginality through [...]

On Sunday I attended the final day of Last H.O.P.E. It was pretty much the coolest conference I’ve ever attended. The Hackerspace Village was awesome. Welcoming you as you ascended the escalator was the multi-coloured LED dildo sculpture; I turned away instinctively, burning with that ingrained Catholic shame, and only near the end of the [...]

Things are wrapping up here at Open Web Vancouver 2008. It’s been an informative (dare I say fun-filled) couple of days here on Raincity’s beautiful corporate waterfront. No one’s commodified the breath-taking view yet, so that’s something…
I have to say, any misgivings I had about speaking to a hardcore geek audience have been dispelled. I [...]

I will be giving a talk at Open Web Vancouver 2008 that works out one of the strands of my thesis dealing with open source as method of knowledge production, with a focus on the academy. This will be fun and a bit nerve wracking, as the audience will be the most hardcore geek (straight [...]