[sudo-discuss] It's Unconscionable

Sat Mar 2 15:58:47 PST 2013

I think links are good, and I wish there was a picture or two of some of
us, or maybe a project that people in the public could see that we we're
working on.

-Rusty

On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 3:41 PM, Eddan <eddan at clear.net> wrote:

> of course. please help correct and improve. also, was on the fence about
> using a bunch of links - wondering what others think.
>
>
> On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 3:22 PM, rusty lindgren <rustylindgren at gmail.com>wrote:
>
>> Eddan,
>>
>> Would you consider revising to allow this POV?
>>
>>    1. Can you make it clear that not all members were okay with the
>>    treatment by the press, and that we invite them to publicly address us?
>>    2. Can you put something in about how knowing more about your locks
>>    and those services could be leveraged against further scams, and that
>>    community programs can lead to less fraud, when awareness is raised?
>>    3. Also, can we remove or revise this line: "We can certainly
>>    sympathize with the overwhelming task of responsibly editing a large amount
>>    of information such as what is in the Mayors’ newsletter."
>>    To me, I'm against apologizing for lock-picking classes, and this
>>    sounds like we're saying it shouldn't have been in there in the first
>>    place.  I know it's hooked to something else you wrote, but I don't agree
>>    with it.
>>
>> If you want, I could revise the wording and send it back to you, and if
>> anyone else wanted to help they could.
>>
>> Other than that, it's well written and classier than my response would
>> be, which is good for the group :D.
>>
>> -Rusty
>>
>>
>> On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 1:37 PM, Eddan <eddan at clear.net> wrote:
>>
>>> Not sure how to append or collate this with Daniel's section, but
>>> included below is a draft of suggested comments I tried piecing together. I
>>> think that if we are to have a statement, that we should merge our various
>>> contributions to represent one voice. I'm not sure what platform is best to
>>> do this kind of thing on, but have had some positive experience with
>>> http://www.co-ment.com/.
>>>
>>>
>>> sent from eddan.com
>>>
>>>
>>> ---
>>>
>>> To our community –
>>>
>>> It is in good conscience that we, the members of Sudo Room, host the
>>> Lock-Picking session at the Workshop Weekend taking place at 2141 Broadway
>>> [and Tech Liminal] today. As even a quick glance at the rest of the program
>>> would make clear, we are a diverse community of technologists, artists, and
>>> activists joined together by the ambition of figuring things out for
>>> ourselves and teaching other people how to do it.
>>>
>>> A further step back would reveal a context of free and open to the
>>> public educational opportunities covering everything from sewing recycled
>>> fabric into sustainable clothing; making vanilla extract to experiment with
>>> new flavors of ice cream; creating a transparent and democratic corporate
>>> governance; and indeed yes – taking locks apart and reverse engineering
>>> software.
>>>
>>> Regarding the option of calling a locksmith, an Oakland resident locked
>>> out of their house or car should be advised to read through the peer review
>>> websites carefully for reputable services before calling their number. It
>>> is our general belief that public safety is better served when the skills
>>> necessary to be hired as a locksmith, for example, are taught in classrooms
>>> rather than by picking it up in the actual commission of crimes.
>>>
>>> We share in our city’s mourning of the death of Kiante Campbell at the
>>> Art Murmur last month. Collectively and as individuals, we are also aware
>>> of and concerned about the alarming levels of crime in our neighborhoods.
>>> It is in fact those concerns that have made for the greatest challenges in
>>> offering an openly accessible entrance to our building. Being a
>>> horizontally-governed organization, the compromised option of only several
>>> people having the keys is problematic. We are now experimenting in our own
>>> space with ways that can increase security while preserving the privacy of
>>> the general public. We intend to share our results publicly on our website
>>> and wiki, as with all of our other projects, so that public safety in
>>> Oakland can be more effectively enforced.
>>>
>>> We regret that Mayor Quan stepped back from her support of the event,
>>> though we appreciate her support for our innovative programs that are
>>> bringing about an emergent start-up technology culture in downtown Oakland.
>>> We can certainly sympathize with the overwhelming task of responsibly
>>> editing a large amount of information such as what is in the Mayors’
>>> newsletter. We intend for this unfortunate series of misunderstandings to
>>> be yet another incentive for us to work on some of the projects we’ve
>>> already started – those aimed towards more efficiently sorting through
>>> large volumes of information to allow for making editorial judgment calls
>>> more fairly.
>>>
>>> We would like to take this unsolicited opportunity to make our
>>> intentions clear with Police Chief Jordan and Mayor Quan. We have among us
>>> people who can contribute a great deal to solving our law enforcement
>>> technology problems and addressing the cyber-security concerns of critical
>>> infrastructure such as the Port of Oakland. We hope to get a chance to work
>>> together with our city’s leaders in bringing cutting-edge capacity building
>>> to the people of Oakland with sustainable and equitable economic
>>> structures. We are trying to be very conscientious about it – we welcome
>>> you to drop by one of our many events or visit our website for information
>>> about our initiatives.
>>>
>>>
>>> On Sat, Mar 2, 2013 at 12:51 PM, Daniel Finlay <namelessdan at gmail.com>wrote:
>>>
>>>> Anca's right, this is a huge opportunity.
>>>>
>>>> Lower dues, anyone?
>>>>
>>>> Here's my caricature of opportunism, feel free to tune down the tone to
>>>> your tact level of preference:
>>>>
>>>> The admonition of lockpicking classes by the Mayor and Police Chief of
>>>> Oakland are as unconscionable as the thefts they purport to be in fear of.
>>>> While the alarmists claim that publicly available lockpicking classes may
>>>> promote criminal activity, they lose sight that this class is in the
>>>> context of a larger public enrichment.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Despite being only a few months old, Sudoroom has already made itself
>>>> host to a wide variety of educational, cooperative, and even marketable
>>>> skill-building classes and events for hundreds of local residents.  From
>>>> programming computers and 3-D printing to curing cheese and modifying DNA,
>>>> Sudo Room is a free, community sponsored place for fostering the
>>>> collaborative creativity that comes with groups full of intellectual
>>>> curiosity in a time of as much change and development as this one.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> In a time where people's opportunities might lead them to crime,
>>>> perhaps we ought to provide better alternatives rather than stupefying the
>>>> public as a form of self defense.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> Let us address the cause of this sickness rather than try to snuff out
>>>> its symptoms, and give ourselves access to an unfettered flow of knowledge
>>>> and opportunity.  We encourage you to participate in this local
>>>> renaissance, by visiting the Sudoroom yourself, and taking part in any of
>>>> the classes of your interest.  You can always find the upcoming events at
>>>> sudoroom.org/calendar, or just stop by almost any time to join your
>>>> neighbors in their curious pursuits.
>>>>
>>>> Feel free to fork it at https://gist.github.com/flyswatter/5070131
>>>>
>>>> -Dan
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Mar 1, 2013, at 11:27 PM, Anca Mosoiu <anca at techliminal.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> On Fri, Mar 1, 2013 at 6:35 PM, Michael Scroggins <
>>>> michaeljscroggins at gmail.com> wrote:
>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>> The sentence implicitly draws a difference of kind between the lock
>>>>> picking class and the other Workshop Weekend classes. Doing so invites the
>>>>> question: What is the difference that makes broadcasting this workshop (in
>>>>> the way it was) regrettable?  In an environment where the mayor, the chief
>>>>> of police and the media have all given the same answer - the class breeds
>>>>> criminals - allowing that question is regrettable.
>>>>>
>>>>
>>>> It's regrettable because it gave some easy pickings for the people who
>>>> want to portray Oakland, and the current administration, in a certain way.
>>>> Many of the people who are upset about the workshop aren't upset about
>>>> lockpicking, they're upset that Jean Quan appears to encourage crime in her
>>>> newsletter.
>>>>
>>>> It's regrettable because it sucked up airwaves and mental effort that
>>>> might have been better spent.
>>>>
>>>> Drafting a reasoned and reasonable response lowers the blood pressure
>>>> of the people who are up in arms just because they aren't informed.  Some
>>>> of them will come around, especially if they understand the actual intent
>>>> of the class.
>>>>
>>>> Eddan, I'd like to participate in writing a statement. I was really
>>>> taken aback when I read some of the emails and talked to some of the people
>>>> who were actually upset.
>>>>
>>>> The media storm will blow over with the next foot-in-mouth opportunity
>>>> from a local politician, but we have a great opportunity to reach out while
>>>> the world is looking.
>>>>
>>>> Anca.
>>>>
>>>>
>>>> --
>>>> -=-=-=-
>>>> Anca Mosoiu | Tech Liminal
>>>> anca at techliminal.com
>>>> M: (510) 220-6660
>>>> http://techliminal.com | T: @techliminal | F: facebook.com/techliminal
>>>>  _______________________________________________
>>>> sudo-discuss mailing list
>>>> sudo-discuss at lists.sudoroom.org
>>>> http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss
>>>>
>>>>
>>>>
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>
>>
>> --
>> Cheers,
>>
>> Rusty Lindgren
>> **
>>
>>
>>
>>
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>>
>>
>

-- 
Cheers,

Rusty Lindgren
**
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