From lca-announce at lists.linux.org.au Thu Jan 2 17:50:16 2020 From: lca-announce at lists.linux.org.au (linux.conf.au Announcements) Date: Thu, 2 Jan 2020 17:50:16 +1100 Subject: [lca-announce] Apply now for the Open Hardware MiniConf to build a Perception Module for machine-learning and a self-driving car Message-ID: STOP! Please read this notice before wildly clicking the link! The registration process for the Open Hardware MiniConf is different this year. Instead of a direct registration form, we?re using a 2-step process. This will help us avoid the registration rush that usually has the event sold out within a few hours. This will also allow us to do a better job of balancing out the allocation of different types of tickets, including normal tickets, supporter tickets, and subsidised tickets, to encourage greater diversity. The result should be more fair than a simple race to the rego form like in previous years. So take a deep breath, and relax. It?s not a race this year! Step 1: Submit the application form using the link below. We?ll collect applications and then assign spots according to the different types of tickets. Step 2: We?ll follow up this coming weekend to let you know if you have a ticket assigned. If you do, you?ll receive details of how to submit your payment and receive your ticket. Please note that the application form includes a question about whether you identify as belonging to an under-represented group. The reason for this is to allow us to prioritise tickets for people who would otherwise not be well represented at the event, to improve the overall diversity. Of course, this is a very difficult thing to define, and you may be wondering if this applies to you. We don?t want to be in a position of making a judgement call, so we?re leaving it up to your discretion. Because the lead organisers of the OHMC are stereotypical straight white middle-aged males, we?re very aware that we don?t necessarily know the best way to encourage and support the needs of under-represented people. We just want to make this event as inclusive and friendly as possible. If you have any feedback for us about what we could do better, please let us know. Thank you! Now on with the general info: The Open Hardware MiniConf is a 1-day event at LCA, which provides a fun introduction to electronics and hardware hacking. It starts with an assembly session, where you will have the opportunity to learn how to solder while building your own ?Perception Module? with a machine-learning vision system, and attach it to an R/C car chassis to use it as the brains of a self-driving car. This project is a further development of the Donkey Car project that was run last year, but with the control system split into a more general purpose Perception Module that you can use for many other purposes. The Perception Module has Lego-compatible holes so that it can be clipped onto a car chassis or built into your own project. Putting the module on a car chassis is a fun way to get started, but you can also use it in totally different applications. Use machine learning to teach it how to recognise your pets, or sort Lego, or detect weeds in the garden, or for gesture control. Places for the assembly session are strictly limited, so registration is required. Even if you ticked the ?Open Hardware MiniConf? box on the LCA registration form, you still need to apply for the miniconf separately if you wish to participate in the assembly session. The cost of the assembly session is AUS$140, which includes all the parts required for you to build your own Perception Module and fit it onto a converted R/C car chassis to make a self-driving model car. Some subsidised places are also available for those who couldn?t otherwise afford to attend. The actual value of the parts provided is approximately AUS$260, but thanks to a generous benefactor the cost has been kept low in order to allow more people to participate. See http://www.openhardwareconf.org/wiki/OHMC2020 for more information, and to register for the assembly session go to: https://forms.gle/2ZQv744b6ny7mXqh8 Thanks! Jon, Andy and the OHMC2020 team -------------- next part -------------- An HTML attachment was scrubbed... URL: From lca-announce at lists.linux.org.au Sat Jan 4 11:39:13 2020 From: lca-announce at lists.linux.org.au (linux.conf.au Announcements) Date: Sat, 04 Jan 2020 10:39:13 +1000 Subject: [lca-announce] linux.conf.au 2020 - Keynote announcement: Vanessa Teague Message-ID: Our fourth keynote speaker for LCA2020 is Dr Vanessa Teague. Dr Vanessa Teague is a cryptographer with longstanding interests in elections and privacy. She divides her time between designing new protocols and explaining why other protocols are not secure. Vanessa is a big advocate for Open Source, especially in the case of elections where it allows people to find and fix bugs and to share an honest assessment of a system?s strengths and weaknesses. Vanessa's keynote will explore what good software could do for democracy and why it is mostly doing the opposite. She will also discuss what we can do to fix these problems. Vanessa will start by exploring the role of software in elections before speaking more specifically about what we could build to improve the situation. A bit about Vanessa Dr Vanessa Teague is a cryptographer with longstanding interests in elections and privacy. She divides her time between designing new protocols and explaining why other protocols are not secure. Recently she has worked on cryptographic examinations of voting systems in Switzerland and Australia, election audits in California, and data re-identification in Australia. Interested? If you're interested to hear Vanessa speak make sure you register for linux.conf.au 2020. You can purchase your tickets today at https://linux.conf.au/attend/tickets/. --- Read this online at https://lca2020.linux.org.au/news/keynote-vanessa-teague/ From lca-announce at lists.linux.org.au Sun Jan 5 18:24:47 2020 From: lca-announce at lists.linux.org.au (linux.conf.au Announcements) Date: Sun, 05 Jan 2020 17:24:47 +1000 Subject: [lca-announce] linux.conf.au 2020 - Statement on Bushfires Message-ID: With linux.conf.au 2020 rapidly approaching, many delegates are looking to their travel and there have been some concerns surrounding the fires in Australia. The impact of the bushfires across Australia have been devastating for many Australians as well as our native animals and the environment. Due to the impact they have had, our charity raffle will be in aid of causes supporting those impacted by these horrific fires. Currently the main fire-affected areas are in New South Wales, Victoria, and South Australia. Last year the Gold Coast Hinterland was affected by bushfires, however this has long since been extinguished. The area of the Gold Coast where the conference is being held is directly on the coastline and has not been impacted by the fires. We do not believe there will be any risk of bushfires impacting the conference and the venues it is using. There has also been a lot of attention on smoke from the fires impacting Australia. This is primarily affecting areas in the south-east of Australia, including Sydney, Canberra, and down into Victoria. The Gold Coast is not currently affected by smoke and the air quality is the same as usual, and we expect this to continue through the week of the conference. linux.conf.au 2020 will proceed as planned and we are looking forward to seeing you all on the Gold Coast very soon. If you have any questions feel free to reach out via email at contact at lca2020.linux.org.au. --- Read this online at https://lca2020.linux.org.au/news/statement-on-bushfires/