As I described in an earlier post, FLOSS Manuals focuses on the documentation of Free / Libre / Open Source Software. In the final plenary session, Adam gave us a short history of his collective and then went deeper into the outcomes of their week of labour, which they presented via a diagram.
FLOSS Manuals outcomes’ of the Winter Camp are both internally, located within the organizational structure of the network and externally, located within the new FLOSS Friday – sessions. How these new organizational structures will turn out and when their new project will actually start, we will soon read on their website. So it might be a good thing to keep an eye open at the upcoming projects page.

// Idiocracy // Dyne.org // Freedom of Creation //

Based on an interview with Denis Jaromil Rojo

Dyne.org is a decentralized, open, nomadic and displaced network, that exists through and in cooperation with multiple networks. Dyne.org mainly operates like a fluid grassroot power, through institutions. This means that the network will and can never be institutionalized (because this would mean settling down). Jaromil, who founded Dyne.org in 2000, acknowledged however, that it is impossible to refuse institutionalization completely, most importantly because this would lead to the exclusion of certain resources. Dyne.org has chosen to become a foundation, which gave the network a solid base for activities and the possibility to work together with other foundations and institutions like Montevideo (who now offers server space). In fact, having a foothold as a foundation and working together with other art institutes also gave Jaromil the status of migrant instead of deserter.
The main purpose of Dyne.org is providing people, activists and artists alike, with free software (as in freedom of speech). They hope to share knowledge in any context, whether with state owned companies as well as NGOs, or with local indigenous people. Although having a disposition with institutions seems disruptive for a network like Dyne.org, this is not the case. Instead, over time it has proven to be very effective to weave through big, corporate and state owned networks. An example of the impact to act like such a virally weaved network can be found in the case of netstrike.it, when the people were asked to petition their opinion online. Because members of the Dyne.org network worked in state owned telecommunication corporations, they were informed of the government ordering this particular company for releasing the ip-addresses of people giving their opinion. This is how the network could prove that the 42 people that were arrested with charges of conspiracy and “subversive association”, were actually arrested for voicing their opinion on the internet.

Dyne.org aims to develop software that can run on old (or less advanced) hardware, to oppose the consumer approach. A lot of the members of Dyne have their roots in the demoscene (a subculture focused on maximising hardware with software). This has proved to be very useful in a society in which we have moved towards small power devices and ‘mini’ graphics, like mobile phone applications. Today we have to invest in really expensive processors. But not only buying these expensive machines means supporting this consumer society; the fact that while we are using our new and expensive machines, half of our CPU is pirated by blinky advertisements displayed on websites is both unfair and inefficient.
Another negative example of the globalized “fail” economy can be found within the videogame console industry, which right now is the biggest device industry. A problem with these technologies is that they are not open to learn, change, sell and resell. We cannot use them to re-appropriate content and more importantly, to create local economies. In comparison to televisions, whose technologies are fairly documented, open and standardized, game consoles are black boxes. We cannot open and repair them – it is illegal.
We need to realize that when we purchase an object, there should be no strings attached. For the purposes of a self organized, local economy, it should be illegal to close devices like it is done right now. We need to start being able to mod consoles with the help of mod chips and legalize modding shops in which we can buy and resell our home-made mod consoles. There is also an architectural issue to this point because right now, every city is starting to look the same. Our cities are hijacked by the same advertisements and big commercial billboards and store windows. If people could legally create mod consoles, they would be able to start their own shops and create their own, local pirate economies as well as a difference in the look of the town that is starting to obey a preset template architecture.

During Winter Camp, it was the first time that all the programmers of Dyne.org were involved and got to meet each other (except for kysucix). It is striking to see how so many different people at the same time share a common goal; a grassroot hacker community providing access to technology, education and freedom.
The background of the members is very diverse; they range from radio makers to humanitarian organizations, medical researchers and musicians. Their main goal in participating in Winter Camp is to connect all developers involved in free online streaming technology FreeJ, which is based on a new free codec (“Ogg, Theora”). FreeJ is a vision mixer, an instrument for realtime video manipulation used in the fields of dance theater, VJ-ing, medical visualizations and TV. It lets you interact with multiple layers of video, filtered by effect chains and then mixed together. The resulting video mix can be shown on multiple and remote screens, encoded into a movie and streamed live to the internet, all using free software and codecs. The project is sponsored by the Digitale Pioniers Foundation.

One of the members working on FreeJ is Asbesto from Sicily. Asbesto is in charge of Freaknet (the hacklab of Dyne.org) where he runs the museum of working computers (obsolete computer systems that have been restored into beautiful working order). I really enjoyed meeting him because over the last years I have come across more initiatives like this, notably the MO5 (paris), the Cyberpipe (Ljubljana) and I think the work they do to restore and document these old machines is often very underappreciated.
Also working on the FreeJ project is the Mexican audio / visual artist Vlax. His roots are a basic ingredient to everything he works for, which comes down to creating audio as well as video and the distributing of knowledge on media that facilitate the freedom of speech. During Winter Camp I found Vlax often busy with his microphone, because the many sound of Amsterdam (the First World he was ‘going to try to figure out’) were new to him. The sounds he recorded were beautiful and made me aware of my earlids (that filter out the sounds that I think are normal). After this discovery, Vlax told me about his reasons for being part of Dyne.org. He, alongside 800,000 other Oaxacans took active part in the rebellions against the exclusion of the indigenous population by the Mexican state Government (the most recent rebellions took place in 2006 and resulted in the death of 26 activists). By pirating state radio and television and starting new radio stations, the Oaxacans learned “to speak”; how to have a voice. Vladimir describes that now the Oaxacans have learned to speak, they need to learn how technology works from its source, so they can maintain having a voice. He is trying to create, translate and distribute this knowledge to make this possible in the future. Overall he works to generate and distribute new (old) sounds into the world.

Click here to view the embedded video.

In the final plenary session the network showed a visualization (made by Crash) from the edits of FreeJ software files from the starting point of the project (November 2001) until now. This video was very interesting because it very clearly shows the workflow on a central project and the major players taking part in the creation of this big project. But you can also recognize a demoscener attitute, which is often very competitive. Demosceneres or not, they are definately a very social network of people.
No Estamos Solos!

This cross-meeting was mainly intended to share knowledge between those networks. Edu-Factory has a solid fundament for their network and they are at another level of progress then My Creativity is now. So the main goal for My Creativity was to hear the processes and experiences that Edu-Factory went through. What they were also trying to do is to find similarities or common views to collaborate in some way. Yes, this is why Wintercamp is organized.

Both networks are really looking into the future; they are trying to develop a roadmap for their next steps. Creative Labour is doing militant research, organizing brainstorm sessions for campaigns and finding a strategic way to organize their network efficiently. There is a humongous production of knowledge and it mainly made possible by new digital methods. Therefore Creative Labour thinks that there needs to be for example meta-media, meta-unions, meta-institutions and meta-networks to be set up. Creative Labour is searching for a manner to be creative and critical at the same time.

For Edu-Factory, Wintercamp gave them the opportunity to have their first transnational meeting. In which way can they step beyond the classical way of thinking? They want to develop a transnational platform to connect with networks. What they are struggling now is the translation. Ned Rossiter:  “How can you translate the context or territory in for example Taiwan to another European country? Try to produce a catalogue of strategies”.

According to Edu-Factory, there is a strong movement which is emerging very fast, the new global institution forms. These forms make shifts to the movement of bodies and the movement of knowledge. It is then not a body of knowledge but the knowledgeable bodies that we have to liberate. For Edu-Factory the term network may not fit anymore. They rather name themselves as machines; a machine with character or an abstractive machine. A machine who is connecting struggles with each other.

These two networks were definitely exchanging their knowledge and observations, which was very inspiring to watch.

My day started at 9.30 with wandering around the different networks looking for a nice workshop that would fit me and my interests. But finding a workshop was actually harder than it would seem. Being at Winter Camp one of the last days meant that everybody was tired and needed their sleep. Many groups worked for the entire night and didn’t organize anything for the morning program. After visiting the fourth empty room I decided to wait a while and learn more about the networks in the meantime. The first thing I noticed from reading the booklet is that, even though all the networks are really different, they actually have a lot in common. At this moment it was a mere gut feeling, I had no evidence but I was desperate to find out why felt like this.

10.45, people were finally awake and active. A penetrating smell of fresh made coffee and unwashed bodies contributed to the moldy ambience, it actually smelled like the last day at a music festival. Again I started looking for some action. Most groups were in a heavy discussion about organizing their network. I tried to join them but, even though “Open” is one of the buzzwords at Winter Camp, everybody seemed more occupied by their Macs and their network peers. When I walked into several rooms I felt unwanted, they looked at me like I didn’t belong there (or was that just something I personally experienced?) and I quickly walked away. The first step is the hardest, especially when you try to interfere with such closed networks.

One of the networks, however, made an entirely different impression on me. The people of Free Dimensional, a network that comes with creative solutions for contemporary human right issues, welcomed me the moment I arrived. The tight circle they were in immediately opened up and introduced me as one of the bloggers, I actually felt welcome for the first time that day. At the table was a really mixed group of people: artists, project managers, communication experts and the technological people. The discussion had just started and was mainly about one of the nodes in their network: Res Artis. Res Artis is an organization that supports the needs of residential art centers and programs internationally through dynamic exchange of information and face-to-face meetings. Even though Res Artis was the main subject, the problem that arose was about networks and especially about network language. What language does an artist have to speak to get noticed and does it matter if someone can’t speak English at all? The most relieving answer might have been that art is a language on itself. Sadly everybody agreed that there are a lot of artists that will never be noticed as long as they stay within their own culture and use their own language. This answer might be a little bit disturbing but I was one step closer to my own goal. Every network has a language and everybody has to speak this language. For global networks, like the ones at Winter Camp, this means speaking English.

Ok, so every network uses the English language, that was not the big revelation I hoped for. So after the fD discussion I decided to step back for a while, clear up my mind and come back later when they’d discuss their presentation plans for Saturday. Again I started wandering around and tried to learn more about the other networks, that was easier said than done. Speaking the English language is one thing but understanding other people’s ideas and motivations is another. I found it really hard to get into other subject every time. In the short time I was with them, I grew attached to Free Dimensional but estranged from the other networks, maybe difficult to understand but the truth. Thus, networks are definitely more than speaking the same language only.

At 14.30 I joined the discussion of fD again. But they weren’t actually speaking about the presentation for Saturday as i thought. It was about the so-called problems between the different networks at Winter Camp. They felt like they were being talked into a conflict that didn’t really exist. Yes, there might be a difference between Dyne and fD but only concerning content. They’re both networks that are interested in relations, in bringing people together with the same ideas and believes. Every network is trying to make that happen, so a conflict is not the solution. Also, the clash between ideas creates new opportunities, so it’s not something bad it’s a problem solver actually. I was actually amazed that, from my point of view, the different networks still seemed scattered. Even after being together for more than three days now they still struggled with moving out of their own safe havens. For me this was disturbing, I felt like that the different networks could learn so much from each other but that the imaginative conflict held them back. 

But right after the discussion something weird happened and my mind was set on something completely different. One of the members of fD suffered from food poisoning and I was the one assigned to take care of him and bring him to a medical doctor. Maybe it didn’t have anything to do with networks, but I actually came to an insight. From this moment I think I got to know what a network really means. It’s not about the language, about being open, about the content or about being different. Those are just side aspects which make an individual network stronger. No, it’s about being there for each other, that’s what all the networks have in common. They all help other people to become better at what they do and make a more beautiful world. Surprisingly, something stupid like going to a medical doctor actually made me think of the people behind networks everything became clear. The conflict is indeed non-existent every single network is there to help out others, no matter what ideas or motivations they have. 

Back at Winter Camp, the end of my day there came near. After having a not so delicious meal (I hate pasta I decided to join the Bricolabs viewing. Frekuencia Kolombiana, a documentary about the Columbian hiphop scene, then confirmed my final point. Not only the makers of the film wanted to be there for the oppressed population, to make people aware of their situation. Even the oppressed population in the movie takes care of each other. They’re one big network, no I mean, we are one big network. The documentary was a beautiful metaphor for the end of this day and I no longer felt like a lost soul, I was part of the network.

What happens to a network when it grows, constitutes, transforms, and sediments? What are some successful projects that have scaled and managed to balance between structure and informality? What techniques, tactics, and procedures help networks stabilize and change? Why and under what conditions does it make sense to put the brakes on growth? What role does individuality and fragmentation play in the constitution and proliferation of networks?

Gabriella Coleman and Jaromil will provide short presentations to kick start the conversation related to these (and other) questions and open up the plenary to you.

Plenary sessions are moments for you to share, argue and debate outside your network – SO STAND UP, GET UP, GRAB THE MIC!
Unheard voices are more than welcome.

The program booklet is off to the printer and we’re really excited about it. For all of you who already want to sneak a peek, we’ve put it up on the website as a PDF download.
http://networkcultures.org/wpmu/wintercamp/program-2/ (21.9 MB)

Furthermore, here you can get an impression about the design of Winter Camp.
Here’s a little taste of the (making of the) design, made by Lava Graphic Design: a combination of (painted) watercolors and (silk screened) ASCII.

Download the program booklet here.

At the moment the last corrections are being made on the program booklet. It wil go the printer tomorrow.

Thanks everybody for their input!

PROGRAM WINTER CAMP 09

Monday 2st of March
17.00 – 19.00    COORDINATORS MEETING / HOGESCHOOL VAN AMSTERDAM, RAADZAAL

Tuesday 3rd of March
11.00 – 13.00    META GROUP MEETING / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
13.00 – 14.00    LUNCH / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
14.30 – 17.30    REGISTRATION, Q&A / STUDIO K INFORMATIONPOINT
14.30 – 17.30    PREPARATION WORKSHOP ROOM / WORKSHOP SPACE
18.30 – 20.00    DINNER / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
20.00 – 22.30    OFFICIAL OPENING BY GEERT LOVINK, INTRODUCTION ‘ORGANIZED NETWORKS’ NED ROSSITER, INTRODUCTION NETWORKS BY MODERATOR / STUDIO K / SK1

Wednesday 4th of March
08.30 – 09.30    REGISTRATION / STUDIO K INFORMATIONPOINT
08.30 – 09.30    COFFEE AND TEA / STAYOKAY
09.30 – 13.00    WORKSHOP, 1ST ROUND / WORKSHOP SPACE
13.00 – 14.00     LUNCH / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
14.00 – 17.00    WORKSHOP, 2ND ROUND / WORKSHOP SPACE
17.00 – 18.30    PLENARY SESSION / STUDIO K / SK1
18.30 – 20.30    DINNER / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
20.30 – 22.30    EVENING PROGRAM / CINEMA / STUDIO K / SK1

Thursday 5th of March
08.30 – 09.30    DOORS OPEN, COFFEE AND TEA / STAYOKAY
09.30 – 13.00    WORKSHOP, 3RD ROUND / WORKSHOP SPACE
13.00 – 14.00     LUNCH / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
14.00 – 17.00    WORKSHOP, 4TH ROUND / WORKSHOP SPACE
17.00 – 18.30    PLENARY SESSION / STUDIO K / SK1
18.30 – 20.30    DINNER / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
20.30 – 22.30    EVENING PROGRAM

Friday 6th of March
08.30 – 09.30    DOORS OPEN, COFFEE AND TEA / STAYOKAY
09.30 – 13.00    WORKSHOP, 5TH ROUND / WORKSHOP SPACE
13.00 – 14.00    LUNCH / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
14.00 – 17.00    WORKSHOP, 6TH ROUND / WORKSHOP SPACE
17.00 – 18.30    PLENARY SESSION / STUDIO K / SK1
18.30 – 20.30    DINNER / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
20.30 – 22.30    EVENING PROGRAM

Saturday 7th of March
12.00 – 13.00     LUNCH / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
13.00 – 13.20    UPGRADE! / STUDIO K / SK1
13.20 – 13.40    GOTO10 / STUDIO K / SK1
13.40 – 14.00    MYCREATIVITY / STUDIO K / SK1
14.00 – 14.20    GENDERCHANGERS / STUDIO K / SK1
14.20 – 14.40    MICROVOLUNTEERISM / STUDIO K / SK1
14.40 – 15.00    FLOSS MANUALS / STUDIO K / SK1
15.00 – 15.30     BREAK
15.30 – 15.50    FREEDIMENSIONAL NETWORK / STUDIO K / SK1
15.50 – 16.10    EDUFACTORY / STUDIO K / SK1
16.10 – 16.30    DYNE.ORG / STUDIO K / SK1
16.30 – 16.50    CREATIVE LABOUR / STUDIO K / SK1
16.50 – 17.10    BRICOLABS / STUDIO K / SK1
17.10 – 17.30    BLENDER / STUDIO K / SK1
17.30 – 18.00    PLENARY CLOSING DEBATE / STUDIO K / SK1
19.00 – 21.00    DINNER / RESTAURANT STAYOKAY
22.00 – 01.30    PARTY / STUDIO K BAR

You can download the pdf here.

Only the cinema program on wednesday will have a curator (Minke Kampman). All the other evenings are free for everyone to organize something or make suggestions (as many of you’ve already done). This will all be visible at Winter Camp by the use of a program board on the location.

We will also organize some guided tours through the lively Indonesian neighbourhood, with the Dappermarkt and the famous brewery ‘Brouwerij ‘t IJ‘.

Winter Camp is an event, organized by the Institute of Network Cultures and will take place 3-7 March ‘09 in Amsterdam. Network Cultures Winter Camp will be a mix of presentations and work spaces with an emphasis on getting things done. It will be a four-day program of work spaces and plenary presentations, in which a dozen networks (each of which has 5-15 people) can work on their specific current topics.

March 2: a plenary opening in the evening
March 3 – 7: workshops & group sessions
March 8: plenary wrap up with presentations