At 02.12.02 18:37, you wrote: Jamie writes >hey felix > >coupla things > >machine wiped out, so could you resend your conf notes and i will draft a >version tommorow. i think we might need to have some sort of a conference >call (hate that term) with alan from autonomedia, but first let's get up a >version we can all deal with.

In the mean time, I have spoken to Armin Medosch and Sebastian Luetgert who are also willing to work on developing this. So we are quite a team :)

>second thing we need to work on your essay for mute / open forums research

Doesn't seem very urgent, or is it?

>shall we do a fone call sometime tommorow? drop me a number and i'll call >you from work.

Call me at home here in Vienna 0043-1-607 6314 late afternoon would be best.

>hope you're swell

yups.

>btw i bought a thinkpad. rox.

> machine wiped out

:)

Felix

Here's a next version, what would be needed quickly (ie by tomorrow, before I leave for Amsterdam, would some more peojects, texts etc. so that Konrad gets a better sense of what's out there and that it's interesting to bring them together. So please add your ideas for projects that might fit in.

Version 0.2

Conceptual background: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

In times of economic crisis (slump of tech industry) and political backlash (new laws limiting freedoms online) it is particularly important to not only to critique the present but also to remind ourselves that something different is still possible and that new forms of producing culture are still being developped.

Under pressure from the content industry, the rights of owners of digital content are being expanded through both legal and technical means. These efforts threaten to chance the Internet profoundly. They aim at modifying its technological infrastructure to ensure greater control as well as changing the culture of the Internet by replacing notions of 'sharing' with notions of 'piracy'. Intense lobbying efforts are underway to ensure the victory of the industry's control vision as well as to fight against it.

However, focussing on this levels -- as important as they are -- comes at a price. Not only does it render the vast majority of people mere spectators, but it also forces the critiques into a continuous game of catching-up with the industry which sets the pace and dictates the terms of discussion.

It is necessary to shift the focus. Unencumbered by industry's control paranoia, new forms of cultural production are being experimented that take the openness of the Internet (easy copying and distribution of content) as key, positive features rather than as something to be fought. We believe that in this practice, the key to a progressive Internet culture can be found, and that validating this practice on its own right is as important, perhaps even more so, than engaging in the extremely up-hill battles to change the legal regime.

If the practice of how to deal with content on-line shifts, then the legal framework has adapt or it becomes irrelevant.

It is through their ability to experiment with new practices that arts and non-commerical producers areparticularly important.

Aim of the event: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The conference brings together practitioners and theoreticians focussing on projects/practices that are structured around free and open access/sharing of content on-line.

The goal is to exchange ideas and experiences, see what works and what doesn't across many different context, ranging from fully commercial to not-for-profit to experimental/artists projects. From fully institutionally supported ones to projects that operate at a grey area of legality. The focus is on practice and the reflection on it.

Structure of the event: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- The event is a two day event, mixing discussions (panel/audience) with hands-on workshops.

Preliminary list of themes/projects: --------------------------------------------------------------------------------

General Ideas: ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Open content? (htt[://www.opencontent.org) Open Source Intelligence projects

DE-Projects ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Open Video Archive (http://ova.zkm.de/) Collaborative Wirting (Florian Cramer) Textz.com

CH-Projects ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Copyleft (Plug-in Basel) MicroMusic.net

UK-Projects ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Pico-peering among cultural producers (Simon Worthington, Meta/YouAreHere) http://picopeer.net/wiki/index.php/PicoPeeringAgreement

Wireless community networking (Jamie King)

University of Unix and Art http://uua.twenteenthcentury.com/

Consume.net

BURN (installation and web-interface for file sharing and cd burning, by Shu Lea Cheang and Arming Medosch)

Producer: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Konrad Becker, Public Netbase Vienna ...........

Concept and organization: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Felix Stalder, Armin Medosch, Sebastian Luetgert, Jamie King

Date of Event: -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Late April, early May 2003

Time table (optimistic): -------------------------------------------------------------------------------- Mid December: Frist version of concept to Konrad Becker Early January: Decision whether or not to procude this event by Public Netbase, basic outline of bugdet/fundraising Late January: List of invited people finalized, invitations go out Feburary: Frist public announcements March: Program is being finalized April: advertisement