I backed RDTN.org: Radiation Detection Hardware Network in Japan on Kickstarter today. It's a project that plans to install sensors in Japan to monitor radiation after the earthquake. The data from the sensors will be released under a CC license, which is awesome. Having an open, community run data gathering project prevents censorship of the data or other manipulation by governments whose concern may be more for its powerbase than the well-being of its constituents.

Safecast.org (formerly RDTN.org) is a website whose purpose is to provide an aggregate feed of nuclear radiation data from governmental, non-governmental and citizen-scientist sources. That data will be made available to everyone, including scientists and nuclear experts who can provide context for lay people. In the weeks following launch, it has become evident that there is a need for additional radiation reporting from the ground in Japan. This Kickstarter project will help us purchase up to 600 Geiger Counter devices that will be deployed to Japan. (The project minimum will fund about 100 devices). The data captured from these devices will feed into our website and will also be made available for others to use via Pachube, an open-source platform for monitoring sensor data globally. Our field members will be trained by ouradvisors to properly use these devices. The field members will be required to report to the website 8-10 times per day.

Open-Source Underpinnings:

We will make the raw data available from our network for anyone to use under Creative Commons 0 dedication. It is our goal that providing this data to non-profit organizations, governments and scientists will keep people and societies more informed in the current crisis as well as future incidents where data might otherwise be scarce.

Update: FUNDED! on 5/7

I submitted another talk. I decided after I submitted a previous proposal to the local jQuery conference that regardless of talk acceptance, I was going to give the talk. The audience might be only Bella and Annie, or maybe just Sonja down for her nap. I figure, if I submitted a talk proposal, then I have something to say, and I should say it. The proposal might not have been accepted because the audience wasn't the correct audience, I might be just under the threshold of awesome talks (just like when I came in 11th at that damn math contest when I has missed only one question, the same as the 2nd place finisher), or politics may mean that another speaker is chosen even if my talk is more relevant. There are lots of reasons why my talks might not be accepted. I still want to give them.

The latest one I submitted was to Open Source Bridge, titled "Hacker Dojo: Anarchy with Respect." The conference is in Portland during my birthday week. Whoo!

The excerpt (helped by Jonathan, who, by the way, suffers domain name envy, just ask him):

Imagine an open source project was an actual place: a place where people volunteer to make something better; contribute their time, knowledge and resources; a place to share ideas or just to get work done. Hacker Dojo is for hackers and thinkers and this session will describe how the open source ethos can successfully be applied to a physical space.

And the full description:

Hacker Dojo is a community center in Mountain View, California, for hackers and thinkers to meet, discuss, learn, create, build and play. More than a co-working space, more than an event space, and more than the chaos it could be, Hacker Dojo encompasses the open source culture and spirit both at its start and in its continual development.

Starting from a small but passionate group of developers, Hacker Dojo has grown into one of the biggest hacker spaces in the world. The growth hasn’t been without its pains, the same pains that successful open source software projects go through: How do we manage a large group of people with differing opinions and personalities? How do we inspire the many to help help the dedicated few who do the bulk of the work? How do we “indoctrinate” new members into our open and inviting culture without losing their valuable contribution? How do we handle the bad apples while building our champions?

Adopting an open source philosophy from the code to the conduct has enabled our community to grow, developing into our vision of a Silicon Valley institution. Hear of our journey of “anarchy with respect,” and how open source works in physical space.

I recall having a conversation with Andy a while ago, where he mentioned there was no way he would give a speech, much less submit a proposal. Not something he wants to do, nope. Kris said the same thing. I know that I struggled when I gave presentations and taught classes at PDI, and I talked fast when presenting plans at various board meetings ("Wow, she sure is nervous." "No, she's talking fast because she has a lot to say."), but, when I do them well, I enjoy talking with a group of people. I like the challenge of being both entertaining and informing. And keeping their eyes off their laptops and on me.

Hmmmm, now that I think about it, I should add a "speaking" section when the site redesign happens. I can have three sections: "happened," "not yet happened," and "not gonna happen." Oh, yes, this amuses me.

UPDATED: talk was accepted, my write-up is finished and available, too.

For the first time in a long time, I made pancakes from scratch today. Normally, they're light and fluffy. Today they were flat, but still tasty.

Oddly enough, they all looked like turtles, too.

Yesterday, as I was walking around the couch to head into the kitchen to feed the dogs (wow, they had waited until 5:15 before sitting in front of me and staring at me, attempting their jedi-mind tricks - I'm on to them by this point, and know how to ignore them... somewhat), Annie leapt from the back of the couch towards the kitchen. She does this all the time. That she did so this evening was nothing out of the ordinary.

What was out of the ordinary was that I was walking towards the kitchen in front of her. Worse, that I had stopped in front of her to talk to Bella, who was also, oddly, in front of Annie.

And in the stopping did I commit to my doom.

Annie leapt straight into me.

In particular, straight into my left leg, which was firmly positioned on the ground.

Seriously, of all the various scenarios I imagined of how I could and might tear my ACL, I have to say that leaping beagle was not on my list.

Some people don't know the hacker/cracker distinction. Nor do they quite understand the concept of the "community center" that the Dojo is.

From IRC, Freenode #hackerdojo tonight:

[23:19]   hello
[23:21]   i stumped upon some documents with admin/passwords w/ corresponding websites.
[23:21]   anyone interested, perhaps for knowledge collection.