Stuff that needs doing

chombee · **Joined:** Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 1325

Memory dump:

* Listening station. Me and Erik from edlug/infoseed are trying to get hold of an old laptop which we can recycle into a dedicated listening station. We just need a working laptop with semi-decent sound and hard disk space that we can install a dedicated Linux setup on. Chris is off the rails, if he doesn't get a laptop in two weeks, he may buy a Forest ipod, or even a Zune!

* The Internet connection. Is such a mess. We need to replace the PC and the various modems, switches and routers currently above the kitchen with one modem/router within arms reach of the ground. The only thing preventing us from doing this is people who use our wireless connection and steal all the bandwidth. The PC above the kitchen currently runs a traffic shaping script that prevents the effect of these people from being too bad. So we need a modem/router with built-in packet shaping, or at least port blocking or limiting bandwidth per wireless connection or something. Find out if my router, the router in the office at the forest, or infoseed's router could be setup to do this.

* Sharing the Internet connection with infoseed. Both the forest and infoseed are throwing away money here. Collaborate with Tom from infoseed to run a cable from the forest down to infoseed, and have us both share one broadband connection from one router. Split the cost 50/50. Probably best to drop infoseed's current broadband account, not the forest's.

* The Linux computers. Are pretty much fine. Swithun said floppy disk access was not working. Get a floppy disk and test this. Maybe replace Epiphany web browser with Firefox as the default, confuse people less.

* The mac jukebox. Is running a proprietary operating system and music player. I want to get all the music on it backed up, then install Ubuntu on the mac, or replace the mac with a PC running Ubuntu, then put the music back onto the Ubuntu machine and play it using rhythmbox, which is like itunes. Rip songs using soundjuicer or goobox (if we need to rip to mp3). Questions: has the mac ripped all the Forest music into a file format that is compatible only with itunes? Any new PC we replace it with needs to be of decent reliability, many of the infoseed machines are a bit too old and unreliable to replace it.

* Propoganda -- the forest is using a fair bit of free software and recycled computers now, in part thanks to help from infoseed, edlug, me, and others who partly do it because we believe in the practical philosophy behind free software. I would like to have like an A4 piece of paper explaining why the forest computer software looks different and why we use it, and about reusing computers, put up on the wall somewhere. This is a starting point.

* Organise a workshop at the forest or infoseed which people can come to to get a 30-minute to 1-hour tutorial on how to use Ubuntu Linux and ask questions. Lots of people have installed Ubuntu themselves or had us install it for them in recent months, others may be interested. Showing people how to use it is one really important thing that nevers gets done, because the install process always ends up taking so long. It will be more efficient to get lots of people to come to us all at once than for me to go to each of them. This may be more of an infoseed concern than the forest.

* Maybe more that I don't remember now

chris · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 1:39 pm

sounds awesome

chris · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 1:40 pm

also sounds like maybe computer stuff should be seperate from other equipment? as there isnt really too much in common?

beev · **Joined:** Sat Apr 09, 2005 8:46 am **Posts:** 1626

There's no reason why it can't all be dealt with by the same WG. Espesh as Martin has a hand in both.

chris · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 2:24 pm

by the same token, there is no reason that the cave and building cant be dealt with by the same wg especially as i am in both.

but they are quite distinct and require different skills and interests which not all people share.

chombee · **Joined:** Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 1325

I dunno. I worry about fracturing things too much by having too many too specific working groups with too few members each. Then again, there's probably little point in having a meeting with the computer geeks and the DIY experts if they are not the same jobs.

There is some overlap: there is one problem with the linux computers in the cafe. The power button on at least one of them is a bit dodgy. The machine doesn't always turn on because the plastic button on the case is not connecting with the power button on the motherboard inside. All you have to do really is make sure you push the button in all the way and give it a couple of tries. I've told people this. But it seems that otherwise talented people, full of constructive skills and initiative, are incapable of pressing a button even when given instructions, when it comes to computers. I call it computer phobia. Despite that, the button is actually a bit borked, and a couple of times like today I've had to resettle the case to get it in place again. Everytime I have to do this, the computer goes unused for days until I come along and notice it.

I am an expert in pushing buttons. But have little experience in building or fixing buttons. Chris, maybe at the first meeting of this working group, if we deviously hold the meeting IN the forest, I can show you the button problem and you can devise a fix?

ravanwin · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 3:50 pm

in terms of working groups like this, I say it is best to cast the net wide so we don't get loads of meetings attended by only a few people / attended by the SAME people.

so, i say, let's fish with a nice big net and then narrow things down as it becomes necessary / practicle.

the whole experiment could be a real drag and loose loads of momentum in the first few meetings tank due to lack of people, right?

chris · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 4:02 pm

cool, i dont feel strongly about this.

but i can easily see the meetings being alternately very boring for those uninterested in computer tech stuff and vice a versa.

chombee · **Joined:** Thu Apr 20, 2006 2:01 pm **Posts:** 1325

I agree with what Ryan said, we should cast a wide net in terms of having fewer working groups with broader definitions that will attract more people to less but bigger meetings.

If we have a meeting of this working group, and it's obvious that some people have come to build things with wood and nails, and some have come to fix computers, then we can always split into two groups at the meeting after drawing up an agenda. It'd be just like two groups having their meetings at the same time. If we keep doing that then we could officially split it into two working groups. I think it's much safer to let working group definitions emerge naturally like that, than to try and perfectly define 20 odd working groups beforehand then force it all to work out.

chris · **Posted:** Tue Nov 28, 2006 4:22 pm

brilliant point chombee. im into it.

Shannon · **Posted:** Wed Nov 29, 2006 11:50 am

Already posted this in the kitchen forum, so I won't start a whole new thread here.

I came in this morning and the ice in the Mexican fridge was melting. There is power from the socket, so it isn't a fuse. Anyone more fixy-fixy than me want to take a look? Otherwise, we're down to one fridge for storing food stuff in the kitchen...

Forest BB

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