WOS3 retrospect
Well, retrospect is unfair, as i am currently in one of the last panels, featuring free software experts from remote corners of the world (when seen from a berlin/copenhagen axis viewpoint).
It's saturday evening, and i'm looking forward to an evening of whisky and dinner with good friends. So far WOS3 has not dissapointed, although compared to a typical US (O'Reilly?) conference this is an amateurs fest. The peculiar blend of high-brow academia, low-cost activists, and a handful of free (as in speach) lawyers, has been interesting.
I love the fact that Volker Grassmuck has dared put people on the stands from small projects around the world. Activists, hackers, and wireless weirdo's (amongst them myself). The collection of bright minds, and the breadth of perspectives makes this a much more interesting, but much less efficient and elegant conference than something like Emerging Tech.
Unfortunately this breadth of presence and the slightly chaotic hue that has been an ever-present companion during the last 3 days, has resulted in a number of sadly silent, or at least completely uninspiring panels. But let's get to the hihlights, here's a prioritized list of my favoourite moments:
seeing old friends, ethan zuckerman, the tactical tech collective, zviad and taya from georgia, asim (tajikistan), guido (african hacker extraordinaire), gunner and katreen (asprationtech.org), joris komen (schoolnet namibia), vera, janet and darius (open society institute) and the wireless dudes and dudettes from berlin and london (armin, juergen, cven, james, adam, elektra, bruno and a few more...)
meeting new people and being inspired. People like dewayne endricks of extreme wireless fame, sunir shah of meatball wiki, roger dinkledine (developer of tor -wonderful anonymising proxy), heather from creative commons south africa and a large number of others, who's names slip my mind temporarily.
the wireless discussion with dewayne hendricks. eye-opening, exciting, colourful, if a little unrealistic at times.
eben moglen. this man is the best skaespearean actor i have ever seen. the drama, the diction, the eloquence.... priceless
lawrence lessig. almost as fluid as eben moglen, but makes up for it ith a great sense of humour. brilliant.
the mesh network. the first time i have seen and partaken of a duýnamic mesh that would let me roam seemlessly through a impressive part of berin (c-base to alexanderplatz). go mesh go.
perhaps i'll be changing this list after tonight. here's a guess at what might make it to number 3 or perhaps even 2 (come tomorrow)
#. Glennfiddich 21 year Havanna Reserve
