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Re: easy CoC solution: permanently end in-person conference
From: |
Paul Sutton |
Subject: |
Re: easy CoC solution: permanently end in-person conference |
Date: |
Sun, 4 Apr 2021 08:33:38 +0100 |
On 04/04/2021 03:54, Thomas Lord wrote:
Good programmers inevitably learn, somewhere along the way, the
following lesson:
When you encounter a very hard problem to solve, don't spend all
your time just on the problem. Also question whether it really
needs to be solved - or if a better approach avoids the problem in
the first place.
Libre Planet is built on the following intolerable premise: People
should fly from around the world to Boston, once a year, to connect
free software activists and enthusiasts in a social setting
conducive to sharing presentations, meeting, and having informal
discussions.
Only one part of that premise is no longer tolerable, at all, in
2021: the travel it requires. Air travel is, with perhaps very rare
exceptions, wildly, intolerably socially irresponsible. The rate
at
which fossil fuel emissions must now fall is so rapid, it not
compatible with widespread air travel, and it is not compatible with
current levels of energy demand.
This same problem, in addition to the pandemic's discouragement of
large "meatspace" conferences, effects not only Libre Planet, but
everyone on the planet. Few are no fly-in conferences are anything
but extremely irresponsible in 2021. It's just a fact.
Image
It will be hard to replace the Libre Planet conference but perhaps
not *too* hard 64Good programmers inevitably learn, somewhere along
the way, the following lesson:
When you encounter a very hard problem to solve, don't spend all
your time just on the problem. Also question whether it really
needs to be solved - or if a better approach avoids the problem in
the first place.
Libre Planet is built on the following intolerable premise: People
should fly from around the world to Boston, once a year, to connect
free software activists and enthusiasts in a social setting
conducive to sharing presentations, meeting, and having informal
discussions.
Only one part of that premise is no longer tolerable, at all, in
2021: the travel it requires. Air travel is, with perhaps very rare
exceptions, wildly, intolerably socially irresponsible. The rate
at
which fossil fuel emissions must now fall is so rapid, it not
compatible with widespread air travel, and it is not compatible with
current levels of energy demand.
This same problem, in addition to the pandemic's discouragement of
large "meatspace" conferences, effects not only Libre Planet, but
everyone on the planet. Few are no fly-in conferences are anything
but extremely irresponsible in 2021. It's just a fact.
It will be hard to replace the Libre Planet conference but perhaps
not *too* hard. We have software like jitsi. We have telephony
systems.
So forth.
Perhaps Libre Planet should evolve into an annual "big event" online
but also an ongoing series of smaller online events. I don't know.
People with a clearer picture of the needs should discuss that.
For now, it is enough to say that a conference premised on air-travel
is in and of itself an astonishing anti-social proposition in 2021,
and
from now on.
Of course online conferences also need behavioral guidelines, but
there is no point squabbling over those until we begin to have some
permanent online conference infrastructure in place. And until that
infrastructure is in place, Libre Planet should do the right thing
and
take no further steps that would encourage air travel.
-t
This appears to be more of a 'environmental' argument rather than a code
of conduct argument. But some good points are raised.
That aside, I think there is an element of meeting old / new friends at
conferences, the positive relationships that form and opportunities that
arise out of this can in some cases outweigh even the best conference
speech.
The pandemic has caused a lot of problems, in terms of isolation and
mental health which has resulted by isolation. People want to get back
out and the human instinct is to be in groups.
I think there is scope for hybrid conferences, but it would be nice to
fly over. If that isn't possible then what we have virtually works
really well, so lets find ways to stream live conference talks at events.
Don't forget also that conferences are really valuable to local
economies, people using hotels, visiting local shops, cafes bars,
restaurants give local economies a real boost and esp when many have had
to close for a year. Without this these places would close, jobs
would be lost. If I fly over to Libreplanet in Boston from the UK, I
would probably want to stay for a week, see the sighgts around boston.
I would guess others would look to do the same.
We get together in huge numbers to watch sport (e.g football, soccer
baseball, etc) is that any different
I think you raise some good points, perhaps one topic could be
sustainable travel , and we can find ways to get more public transport
running on sustainable fuels for example, get software to help with
ticketing as free software for example.
Paul
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