Freedom Hacklab

What is a Wiki? It's quite simply a web site that anyone can edit or add pages to. Just click on the "Edit text of this page" link at the bottom of this page (it seems be in Castillian/Spanish? in some browsers: "Editar esta pagina"). The site http://www.wikipedia.org is a good example of the power of Wiki software in action. But the original wiki, at [WardsWiki] is also worth a visit.

• Sunday 18th Jan: Benefit film night, cafe and bar, at new social centre: 93 Fortess Rd, Kentish Town, NW5. Starts 8pm (please come at 4pm if you want to help organise). Two min. walk from Kentish Town Tube, Bus 134.

Films:

• Fourth World War (an epic tale about the global emancipatory movement)
• Richard Stallman: "Freedom and Technology"
• Indymedia Euro Newsreal
• PLUS... Cartoons!

There will also be food, Cuban Rum cocktails, a cheap bar and Zapatista coffee.

Admission: Free/Donation. Or donate a computer or some hardware.

HACKLAB WORK DAYS

• Saturday 17th Jan: Hardware reception/collection and room work. Between 1 and 6pm there will be people in the lab able to take reception of donated hardware. So if you have any old PCs, monitors, hard drives or any other spare computers or parts to give away, please bring them on this day. If you don't have hardware to donate, please pass the message on. Help from techies and non-techies alike is needed this on this day. If you are in the London area and can not drop hardware off, please let us know (contact details below) and we will try to arange someone to collect them on the day. We will also be using this day to finish off work on the infastructure of the room: tables, shelves etc. So anyone with DIY skills is also welcome!

• Sat and Sun 24/25th Jan, 1-6pm. Installation and networking weekend. Bring tools, CDs, etc. We should have working internet access by this time. Anyone interested in learning computer setup, OS installation, networking etc. should come along and make themselves known and we can make it a time of skill sharing.

Wednesdays, 2 - 6pm, Freedom Bookshop, Angel Alley, 84b Whitechapel High St. Nearest tube Aldgate East.

To subscribe, go to the link below, and fill in the subcription form. http://sindormir.net/mailman/listinfo/freedomlab

The idea to have a Hacklab at Freedom came from the Wombles. Here is their web page about it: http://www.wombles.org.uk/mediahacklab/mediahacklab.php

Why a laboratory?

Because it is not very useful, even sad, to experiment alone with the kind of things that you can do easily with others. Because we donīt like isolation from the world that is surrounding us. Because the room of each individual is too small to mount network systems. Because the digital doesnīt substitute to the organic. Because it is enjoyable learning and doing things together.

Extracted from hacklab manifest of the Cielito Lindo aka Wh2001 Madrid hacklab http://sindominio.net/cgi-bin/wh2001/wiki.pl?Faq_En

Politics of the lab

Add your links to interesting article to inform the debate here

The Free Software Movement - Anarchism in Action
http://www.indymedia.org.uk/en/2003/12/283113.html

Workshops, Activities Proposed, Ideas...

• Understanding the basics of Voip By Cain

• Linux for beginers - How to use GNU/Linux? for basic computing applications: using the web, checking email, word processing, etc.

• Linux for activists - Workshops for activists and others who may be used to using Windows or Mac for day to day work, but would like to learn about the Free Sowftare alternatives

• Web site authoring workshops

• Mobile Phone content creation leading to 'how to turn an innocent mobile phone into a tactical weapon' workshops (suggestion from fee@the-phone-book.ltd.uk)

Free Music Links

http://parolas.thebbs.org/sincanon ftp://musica:independiente@217.126.16.9

Agenda from previous meeting. See archives of mailing list for minutes

HACKLAB MEETING!
Saturday 20th December, 2003 at 12pm (time TBC, check mailing list for update) @ Autonomy club, Freedom Press Bookshop

Provisional agenda (anyone coming please feel free to add points)

• hardware & OS
  • state of existing PC's + work needed
  • installing OS's
  • printers etc.

• software
  • what to install to achieve the aims of the lab (Seeds for Change have a nice page about s/ware for old PC's: http://seedsforchange.org.uk/res/computer.html )

• documentation system - e.g. for PC's, keeping an accessible record of
  • the spec
  • any upgrades / repairs
  • installed OS, network configuration etc.

• networking
  • is there going to be a server?
  • s/ware for networking different OS's e.g. samba, netatalk

• the lab space
  • how about some boxes for spare parts, so we can accumulate hard disks, network cards etc?
  • clearing out useless junk

• internet access

• negotiating with mute
• plan B? (any ideas for alternative / backup net access?)

• hosting etc.
  • if we have broadband & a server, do we plan to provide services (e.g. hosting)?

• learning / skill-sharing
  • keeping a record of our own learning as we put the lab together
  • linking to learning resources
  • classes/skill sharing sessions (c.f. http://twenteenthcentury.com/uo/index.php/FacultyUnix )

• politics of the hack lab. Keeping it accessable to non-techie people

• Possible future projects
  • European Day of Action Against Borders on Jan 31st - radio project
  • possibility of creating radio receivers & transmittiers for a translation system to be used for the European Social Forum in London in November.

• WSIS @ Geneva: it would be good to hear a feedback if anyone went

                                ***REFUSE AND RESIST***