"Electric Eyeglass" inventor to address Toronto conference on "OpenSource + Free Software"

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: [d@DCC] "Electric Eyeglass" inventor to address Toronto conference
on "OpenSource + Free Software"
Date: Wed, 21 Apr 2004 17:49:47 -0400 (EDT)
From: Russell McOrmond <[email protected]>
Reply-To: General Discussion <[email protected]>
To: General Copyright Discussions <[email protected]>


  I am forwarding the latest press release about the KMDI conference.
Steve Mann asks some of the more critical questions about Information and
Communications Technology (ICT), and who should be assumed to be in
control of these technologies when more and more of our lives are
dependent on (or even governed by) them.  People who don't yet understand
the importance of citizen control over office productivity, Internet, and
other ICT may understand the importance of control over our own senses
(sight, hearing, etc).

  I am quite excited about this conference for a number of reasons.  One
of the reasons is that I will be acting as a "tour guide" to Open Source
for Susan Crean.  She will be going to this conference to learn more about
what this movement is about, and why people like me are so concerned about
human rights issues behind the question of who controls ICT.
   Open letters with Susan Crean http://www.flora.ca/creators/

BTW: I am now registered for "Rethinking Copyright" later in May.  I did
get the 20% discount as a representative of the Digital-Copyright.ca
group, as well as the pre-March 31 price.  
  http://www.goslingcommunity.org/#events

-- 
 Russell McOrmond, Internet Consultant: <http://www.flora.ca/> 
 Open letters with Susan Crean http://www.flora.ca/creators/
 "Make it legal: don't litigate, use creative licensing" campaign.
 A modern answer to P2P: http://www.flora.ca/makelegal200403.shtml

---------- Forwarded message ----------

  April 21, 2004 - Toronto
  FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

  Inventor of "Electric Eyeglass" To Deliver Address
  AT TORONTO "OPEN SOURCE" CONFERENCE THIS MAY

  Steve Mann, inventor of a wearable computer that affects
  human vision, will deliver the closing keynote this May
  at a conference hosted by UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO.

  Titled "Open Source and Free Software: Concepts,
  Controversies and Solutions," the event starts Sunday, May 9, at 9:30 a.m.
  Mann will give the closing keynote address Tuesday, May 11,
  during a session that runs from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m. The
  conference will be held at Convocation Hall, 31 King's
  College Circle. Open source refers to the practice of publishing the
  code that makes software work. Detailed information is
  available at http://www.OpenSourceLive.net.

  Mann's wearable computer is connected to an optical device
  called the "Eyetap" that lets users modify the colour, brightness
  and texture of their visual field, and can filter content in or out.

  "People can now choose how they see the world," says Mann,
  engineering professor at UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO. "In the age
  of information overload, we have the right to decide what we do
  and do not see. Internet filters today are commonplace. Many
  service providers already filter out a tremendous amount of
  spam," adds Mann.

  "Imagine you are fed up with billboard advertising, as you
  drive down a busy street. You want to filter it out. Eyetap
  is to the real world as the spam filter is to the Net," says Mann.

  "The 'Open Source' concept takes on a completely new
  significance. When the computer is wearable or implantable,
  users need access to the code that drives it," says Mann.
  "Otherwise the potential for abuse is staggering. We would
  give up control over our minds and bodies to a privileged
  class of technicians. No democratic society would accept
  this," adds Mann. In his speech, he will discuss the
  importance of open source to a future world of wearable and
  implantable computers.

  Mann, the first human cyborg, wears the eyetap 16 hours per day.
  Mann is presently conducting studies at UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO
 using the eyetap with persons who are visually handicapped. Preliminary
research has
 already yielded anecdotal evidence of improved vision in such persons.

       - 30 -

  Please contact:

  Ron Baecker, Conference Chair
  (416) 978-6983, [email protected]

  Kelly Rankin, Conference Coordinator
  (416) 946-8512, [email protected]

 ==============================================================
 THE BIG PICTURE
 ==============================================================

 The UNIVERSITY OF TORONTO open source conference is the first
 and only such event in Canada to cover social, political, moral, legal,
business and technical issues. It is, in fact, the most comprehensive event
of its kind ever held
anywhere. Those unable to attend may participate via the Web.

 "As far as we know, this is the first open source conference
 with live, interactive streaming," says conference chair Ron Baecker.

 The meeting will be attended by decision-makers, policy-makers
 and academics. Participants will come from the business,
 government, education and health care sectors. Speakers will
 include computer scientists, political and social scientists,
 journalists, lawyers, business executives, entrepreneurs,
 industry analysts, educators and library information specialists.

 Mann is the author of Intelligent Image Processing, the
 standard reference textbook for designing, building and using
 the electric eyeglass. The device can be viewed, with detailed
 information, at http://www.EyeTap.org and http://www.WearCam.org.

 Special discounted registration for the open source conference, at CDN$495,
 is available until April 30. Thereafter, the price increases to CDN$595.
 The Webcast may be viewed worldwide for CDN$95. Tickets will be sold at the
door. Single-day and discounted volume registrations are available.

 This symposium is presented by the following organizations
 within the University of Toronto: Knowledge Media Design
 Institute, Connaught International Symposia Fund, Centre for
 Innovation Law and Policy, Citizen Lab of the Munk Centre for
 International Studies, Department of Computer Science,
 Information Policy Research Program, the University of Toronto
 Libraries and their Resource Centre for Academic Technology.

 The support of these organizations is hereby acknowledged:
 Communications and Information Technology Ontario, IBM Centre
 for Advanced Studies, Linux Professional Institute, Seneca
 College, Ontario Ministry of Economic Development and Trade,
 Caseware International, CATAAlliance, City of Toronto,
 The Commons Group, Novell, Openflows Networks Ltd,
 and O'Reilly OSDir.com.

      - 30 -

 Please contact:

 Ron Baecker, Conference Chair
 (416) 978-6983, [email protected]

 Kelly Rankin, Conference Coordinator
 (416) 946-8512, [email protected]

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