NYC LOCAL: GNUbies: You are 0wned? plus Windows Refund Front Report

(Forwarded from NetSlaves list)

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [netslaves] NYC LOCAL: Wednesday 8 October 2003 GNUbies: Forest
Mars - You are 0wned? Retaining control of the next computer you buy and
Using Free Software freely, and a report from the Refund Front by Adam
Kosmin
Date: Wed, 8 Oct 2003 02:03:19 -0400 (EDT)
From: <[email protected]>
To: [email protected]

<blockquote
  from="official GNUbies announcement"
  home-page="http://www.gnubies.org"
  backup-page="http://www.eskimo.com/~lo/linux">

(see below for information on our October 19th Installfest)

Our Gnubies meeting this month is a multi-tack presentation for those who
will want to freely use new computers now or in the future.  The main
presentation will be by Forest Mars with a brief report by Adam Kosmin.  The
presentation is entitled  "You are 0wned? Retaining control of the next
computer you buy and using Free Software freely."

First Forest will introduce some of the ominous technological changes we
will begin to see finding their way into new computers in the near future.
This will lead into a more general practical discussion of things to look
for in hardware on which you intend to install Free Software such as
GNU/Linux.

And after the main presentation Adam Kosmin will briefly discuss what to do
if you want to try to get a refund for the software that comes with your
computer if you fully replace it with Free Software.


"Recent developments in technology are being cited by so-called 'content
providers' -usually multinational corporations- as the cause of their
intellectual property claims being infringed on.  Who are these and how have
their claims resulted in proposed legislation that would ban or restrict
personal computers that do not include special backdoors for them to
access?"

Forest Mars designed his own major in Cybernetics in what he describes as
"prehistoric times" and consequently received a number of inquiries from
people wanting to have themselves frozen at death. Now that the term "cyber"
has such cultural saliency, he makes his living as a information systems
consultant. Currently he also runs the "Three Jewels" aka "New York's Only
Free Internet Cafe!"  His favourite hobby just might be antienglobulation
promulgation.

Adam Kosmin runs WindowsRefund.net (http://windowsrefund.net/index2.php).

As always we are grateful to IBM for generously providing us with the space
for our meetings.

Check below for security procedures IBM requires in order to get into the
IBM building for our meetings.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Date:
        Wednesday October 8, 2003

        6:30 General Questions and Answers

Presentation:
        7:00 Forest Mars
                on
        You are owned?
        Retaining control of the next computer you buy
        and using Free Software freely.

Report:
        by Adam Kosmin from the Refund front.

Location:
	The IBM building, 590 Madison Ave.
	(57th Street and Madison Avenue)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
As always the meeting is free and open to the public.

The most up-to-date information is generally to be found on our website at :
	www.gnubies.org
alternatively:
	www.eskimo.com/~lo/linux

~~~~~~Procedures required for attending meetings at IBM~~~~~~~~~~~
IBM has asked us to implement these security measures for our meetings.  In
particular, it will be necessary to email us your name in advance if you
plan to attend so that we can give them a list of the people who will be
attending.  It will also be necessary to bring photo ID in order to get in
to the meeting. We regret the need for these measures.   Please send email
to [email protected] with the Subject "October 2003 GNUbies" (note this is
a "plus" not the letter "t") or use the mailto on our website.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We will also have an Installfest later this month:

Installfest on Sunday, October 19th
from 11:00am to 4:00pm
at 16 Beaver Street 4th floor
in the Financial District between Broadway & Broad
Subway: 4,5 Bowling Green N,R Whitehall 2,3 Wall Street J,M Broad Street 1,9
South Ferry

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
We look forward to seeing you at our meetings.

Lyn
Gnubies
The GNU/Linux/Free Software Beginners' Group


P.S. I am very sorry that the announcement is going out so late this month.

</blockquote>


Distributed poC TINC:

Jay Sulzberger <[email protected]>
Corresponding Secretary LXNY
LXNY is New York's Free Computing Organization.
http://www.lxny.org