BRISBANE INDYMEDIA Jan 2 2005 Brisbane Indymedia disaffiliated from Indymedia network Notice: Brisbane Indymedia has been disaffiliated from the global Indymedia network due to failures to uphold the IMC principals of unity. Please read the background information if you have any questions. The site remains archived so you can search the content but you cannot publish. If you are interested in getting Brisbane Indymedia going again check out New IMC. If you have any further queries you can contact the Oceania Indymedia network at imc-oceania[at]lists.cat.org.au If you have news please publish it to one of the Oceania Indymedias REVOLUTIONS IN COMPUTING Nov 15 2004 Revolutions in Computing The advent of the internet has enabled the linking up of millions of computers worldwide, which, although currently exclusive of the worlds vast majority and although most people just use it to download porn, the internet's potential to help us to organise and co-operate appears to be promising not only for corporations and governments, but for the global movement of activists opposed to corporate-style globalisation. There is also a "free software" or "open source" movement which recognises that intellectual property rights are at odds with the scientific principle of sharing one's knowlege in order to allow for the fastest technological advancement.  the GPL (GNU Public Licence) is an interesting standard product lisence which programmers can release their software under if they want to ensure that their contibutions of code will always be free for others to duplicate and modify, and that derivitive works are also non-proprietary. The GPL has been described as a kind of virus which eats up intellectual property . Other see it as a vaccine against proprietary software. some call it <socialist> some think that it's capitalist. Is it a threat to capitalism and natinal security? Microsoft along with most software companies don't like it. How does it compare to microsoft's EULA(End User Lisence Agreement)? Read about Richard Stallman, GPL author  and founder of the free software foundation, and his take on free software.  Or listen to him. History of the the GPL..  Ethics of open source.     The Open Source Initiative is the other main player in terms of open source philosophy. They don't like the restrictions of the gpl, and think that propriatry software developers should be allowed to use open source software components even thought the rest of  their code is their secret. So open source and Gpl aren't exactly the same thing. Confused?  There are two main approaches to software develpoment. The capitalist version is modelled on property and property rights. Programmers are split up into teams(companies) which then compete for market share using obvious techniques for gaining competitive advantage like keeping their project developments(code) secret. The GPL/open source approach  is where all those interested in development of a particular type of software co-operate, usually through a web site, on the development of that software, and this co-operation undermines any concept of loyalty to one's company or country. These two approaches to software development represent two very different ways to organise, Heirarchical vs. co-operative, Of course you can't talk about open source software without undermining the concept of intellectual property generally. Other software innovations set to challenge "business as usual" on the so-called information superhighway include: decentralised networks: analagous to decentralisation of government i.e.anarchy, radio networks, guerilla networks: undermining the cable companies. encryption : internet security, whose cracking codes and why? how fast are their computers? echelon: global spying network, supercomputers logging everything. packet sniffing / network surveillance. Who's reading your mail? Have you heard about Carnivoire ? What are you going to do about it? file sharing : undermining intellectual property rights. shows there is popular support for software piracy. Can be anonymous. freenet : uncensored content delivered worldwide, can't be easily shut down, virtual web server version of file sharing filetopia : secure communications tool, activists can organise online with privacy camera shy : browser which doesn' t leave tracks. can also hide web pages in pictures(steganography) . indymedia/open publishing: new way of looking at journalism/media. produced by members of the public. Slashdot is another popular open publishing site. Recently Indymedia servers were siezed by the FBI. viruses / hacking : just a spanner in the works? Or a careful adjustment with the spanner for a specific purpose ? History of hacking. the grid - processing re-distribution community. Grid technology forum. Another article. virtual sit-ins: electronic civil disobedience. Shutting down corporate servers. A form of Hacktivizm.  Who owns the internet anyway? Are capitalists stealing the internet?  [ Debian Linux, fully GNU | Newswire Discussion ] OPEN DAY Oct 7 2004 Indymedia Open Day 517 Brunswick St in the Valley Sat 23rd October, noon to midnight Donate for indymedia resources. Buy from our Garage Sale, dinner and indy t-shirts. Bizarre Bazaar noon to 5pm Stairwell Gallery opening Library of Radical Thought coffee, zines and loans 1pm workshops including audio post production 3pm BIMC orientation and networking 5pm Resurrecting Babylon - some open mic'. 6pm Car Park After Dark - bands and acts 8pm Local and radical screenings 9pm Spring Riot - continuous jam session 11pm Political Veejay Come for the garage sale and stay for the workshops. Have dinner, perform, check out the scene. Are you a muso? Do you enjoy jamming? Check out the Spring Riot, Participation is the attraction PA and a variety of instruments available. [ Comments? ] :::Film Screenings for Activists::: Aug 16 2004 Non Violent Direct Action film night Brisbane activists have long been supporters of NVDA. Student Blockades and street protests, locking on and tree-sitting in 'the Gully', Reclaim the Streets, the 6 months siege of Narangaba Nuclear facility, the freeing of animals from factory farms to abseiling, banner drops, anonymously postering and graffiti, Brisbane activists use diverse techniques of NVDA regularly. So how effective is it? Come see some local and national NVDA films and put your 2 cents worth in. Films include: "No Boundaries on Boundary" - in the late 90's community activist took action to reclaim lost community space in West End "Family Fun Day" - Forest Activist join the NSW Forest Service for a day to give a different story "Animal Activism Queensland" - Fed up with the inaction of comfortable middle-class proper channels, these QLD AR activists have other strategies for protecting animals from harm "The Gully" - a short look at the decimation of Brisbane's last piece of urban bushland by developers "The Hactivists" - how DA can an electronic sit-in be? "Modified Wheat" - English activists get their hands dirty "Culture Jam" - Reverend Billy from the Church of Stop Shopping and the Billboard Liberation Front COUCH ACTION = tuesday 17 august 7pm @ AVID READER = 193 boundary street, west end see flyer [ Direct Action: what is it? how-to | Is property destrcution violence?: Earth Liberation Front | Direct action and legitimacy: take a survey ] ::::MORE ROADS FOR BRISBANE:::: Aug 11 2004 The North-South Tunnel steps closer to reality The proposed North-South bypass tunnel has moved off Council plans and into the ' detailed feasibility phase'. This includes an Community Consultation process will end at this time. This tunnel has been supported and promoted by the Labor party throughPeter Beatie and Tim Quinn. However the Qld Liberal party has plans for this tunnel to be part of a 5 tunnel network / around Brisbane. The council estimate the total costs will be $550 million, however modeling from QMI Solutions estimates the cost will be up to $8 billion. Already $3 million is budgeted for the impact assessment study. The toll on the bypass will be $3.30. These economic costs do not include the associated social costs such as increased health problems 1 2 and deaths for residents due to pollution from the tunnels, or the further destruction of inner city communities. Nor does it acknowledge the massive ecological impact of developing this type of infrastructure that will only encourage greater car dependency. Discuss [ Environmental Impact Statement | Tunnel Vision | A Hard Road to Learn (PDF) ] :::SUPPORT COMMUNITY MEDIA::: Aug 10 2004 4ZzZ Radiothon to Sunday 15 August Community Radio 4ZzZ 102.1fm has been with Brisbane since 1975. During that time Zed has brought us alternative music, news and views often not accessible in mainstream media. Zed's agitation has often attracted the attention of the police, especially during the Joh era, and continues to support radical politics in the community through it's diverse programming. Zed remains the foremost supporter of Brisbane's local music scene. [a Zed history here ] "The station's motto is AGITATE, EDUCATE, ORGANISE and to that end we don't shy away from challenging the status quo. We aim to do this by providing access for the community to radio, supporting local bands, artists and events, providing training for our volunteers, and through dissemination of alternative news and current affairs. The involvement of subscribers in running the station is vital. Decision making at 4ZzZ is made through the collective, which meets the first Tuesday of every month at 6:00pm at the station (291 St Paul's Tce, Fortitude Valley). The collective is open to all current subscribers so come along if you are interested in being involved." Zed survives on the generosity of it's subscribers. So support 4zZz, your local community radio station, by subscribing during radiothon. Because there's "No other radio like it"! Discuss [ 4ZzZ102.1fm | Community Broadcasting Association | Community Radio Code of Practice ] :::: STOP US BASES :::: Aug 6 2004 Brisbane group vows to fight US base in Queensland from the newswire On July 7th this year Federal Defence Minister Robert Hill and PM John Howard signed a 25 year agreement to host 3 US military traiing and storage areas in Australia at the same time as committing us to the insane brain-child of Ronald Reagan, the "Star Wars" missile defence program. The Queensland Government also played a part in getting US forces on Queensland soil: lobbying Washington to host a joint Australia-US defence training facility. QLD Premier Peter Beattie says he does not think the US presence would make Queensland "more of a terrorist target." IN addition to showing the Australian governments willingness to follow George W Bush into a military takeover of the world, US Bases worldwide have contributed to social and environmental problems: increased rapes and assaults in the local population, noise problems causing hearing damage to locals, explosions, and millions of tonnes of toxic wastes from equipment, maintenance procedures and ammunition including the use of depleted uranium. Brisbane activists are organising: Join Denis Doherty from the Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition (Sydney) and local peace campaigners will discuss the proposed base/military exercises at Shoalwater Bay, national anti-bases strategy and action, and the formation of a Queensland anti-bases network plus afternoon tea. Kids welcome. Campaign Meeting Saturday August 7, 2004 @ 2pm 279 Boundary Street (cnr Whynot St, one block up from 'Justice Products') West End, Qld. Contact (07) 3855 9497 or 0411 118 737 Supported by Rally for Peace, Everyone for a Nuclear Free Future, Australian Anti-Bases Campaign Coalition Read the Full Story [ Nuclear Information Centre | America's Empire of Bases | Read more and Discuss ] :::PEACE RALLY::: Aug 5 2004 HIROSHIMA DAY Rally: August 6th August 6th is Hiroshima Day, the anniversary of the first use of a bomb so powerful that it would come to threaten the existence of the human race. The United States is the only nation to have actually used nuclear weapons in war, or on civilian populations, having in 1945 dropped two of them on cities in Japan =96 one on Hiroshima and another on Nagasaki (Sept 9th). Today, the US continues to use nuclear weapons in the form of "Depleted Uranium" tank missiles, deployed in both Gulf War I and II and in Iraq and stored or tested in US bases all around the world. Iraqis still suffer the effects of radiation contamination from DU shot at them by the US . The US has today amassed a stockpile of over 10 thousand nuclear weapons [source here] , although they recently released a statement saying they would reduce the number of "operationally deployed nuclear weapons" to 1,700-2,200 by 2012. [here] BRISBANE PEACE RALLY Rally & Candlelight Procession 5pm Friday 6 August King George Square Organised by Rally for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament. Phone 3855 9497 or email jshears@powerup.com.au. [ Rally for Peace and Nuclear Disarmament org | The Nuclear Weapon Archive | Global Association for Banning Depleted Uranium Weapons ] :::GET INVOLVED::: Aug 2 2004 Public Forum: Australia at the Crossroads: Time for Change at City Hall next Tuesday August 3, from 6.45pm. Do you have concerns about the direction this country is going? Are you interested in hearing about alternatives to the current selfish, uncaring trends in Australian politics? This public meeting will cover pressing issues such as: The War in Iraq - following the US blinding into more non-UN sanctioned wars, or help build positive relations with other nations? Medicare - health care for the rich, or a fair and equitable health care system? Education - divert much-needed public funds to wealthy schools or value a quality education for all? Refugees - treat people fleeing persecution and war badly, or policies that are in line with UN conventions on human rights? Free Trade Agreement - sell out our hard-working conditions and way of life in the interests of big business, or look after workers' rights and values of our culture? Environment - policies that are primarily in the interests of business, or policies that balance the need for environmental protection with those of development? Indigenous Issues- continue to ignore the injustices of the past, or enhance self-determination for indigenous peoples? Keynote speakers at the forum include refugee advocate Julian Burnside, QC Michael Raper from the Welfare Rights Centre Indigenous elder Mary Graham Environmental advocate Professor Ian Lowe Australian Services Union Queensland Branch Secretary Julie Bignell and Oxfam Community Aid Abroad Community Campaigner Ann Matson, speaking on the agency's "Blueprint for a more Secure World". [read it here] Compere for the night will be Jim Soorley. Singer songwriter Kev Carmody also will perform. The forum is an initiative of Just Peace and sponsored by a broad coalition of community organisations and individuals. For more details, email: contactus@justpeace.qld.org or phone Annette Brownlie on 3324 8459 [ Just Peace | 10 things you ca do to make a difference now ] ::: CIVIL LIBERTIES / PRIVACY ::: Jul 29 2004 Interception Law Changes: Will you be under surveillance? from the newswire Electronic Frontiers Austraia has sent a submission to the Commonwealth Attorney General's Department regarding proposed criminal offences which, among many other things, criminalise accessing or making available "offensive" material and also seek to threaten and menace ISPs into becoming the nation's censors and conduct police. It also makes illegal the possession or distribution of 'interception devices' ie. any device or apparatus that can be used to intercept a communication passing over a telecommunications system, irrespective of whether the interception is legal or illegal. This will criminalise the sale or use of "modems, mobile phones, telephone handsets and other devices and apparatus by persons accessing their own email and stored voice mail messages, that can also be used by other persons to engage in illegal interception." "proposed amendments to the Telecommunications Iinterception Act extend the definition of interception to reading and viewing." - eg. looking at websites. [Full story] [ Full story and discuss | EFA Briefing Paper ]

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