Call for Presentations: Hax festival April 1, 2023

[Mark Jenkins]

Web version:
https://hax.skullspace.ca/2023callforpresentations.html

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Short version:

I am seeking presentations/talks/speakers for the morning and
afternoon of Saturday April 1, 2023 as part of the hax festival at
Skullspace.

https://hax.skullspace.ca

There will be two time blocks:

* subjects of general interest to a broad hackerspace community.

followed-by

* an infosec/cybersecurity block.

Email me mark [AT] parit DOT ca or use our Google form
(https://forms.gle/ugLb7v5LRKG1xBTk8 ) by March 2nd, 2023.

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Long version:


Skullspace is a 2,500 square foot hackerspace in downtown Winnipeg.

We are tinkers, tech adventurers, convention benders, explorers,
makers, and DIYers.

These things are done in a spirit of curiosity and playful cleverness.

We work as technologists, developers, factory crews, operators,
engineers, students, security gurus, technicians, tutors, business
owners and much more.

Many of us have musical bents as instrumentalists, DJs, producers and
explorers of new soundscapes. Some of us are obsessive gamers of
either the video and/or table-top kind. We pursue the dream of a
"manufacture anything" future with our 3D printers and low-cost CNC
machine, among many other hobbies.

Through all of this we live and breath the fictional motto to "hack the planet!"

We celebrate that "hack", "hacker" and "hacking" have been reclaimed
from the meaning acquired in the 1980s and 1990s through War Games,
The Morris Worm, etc.

I have seen grocery store signs proclaim that I should consider "food
hacks". A McDonalds menu urges to me come up with a "menu hack".

And these usages are correct. We are back full circle to the 1950s
where the contemporary meaning came from folks trying to find the next
great "hack" to run model trains with telephone relays. Our diverse
hackerspace is a continuation of that tinkerer culture, 70+ years
onward.

In this spirit, we are pleased to announce that our fourth Hax
("hacks") festival will run Friday March 31st through Sunday April
2nd, 2023. We will condense the hackerspace experience into an entire
weekend.

For the morning and afternoon of Saturday April 1st, (April Fools
day!) we are calling for presentations/talks of general interest to
our broad hackerspace community.

Come tell us what you (or someone else) bent, broke, built, rebuilt or "hacked".

This covers a wide range of possibilities. We particularly want to
hear new and diverse voices.

If you have something to say about the narrower (but very
interesting!) world of infosec ("cybersecurity"), we've got a special
place for that too. An organizer of The Long Con (formerly B-Sides
Winnipeg) will curate a block of security-focused talks to cap off our
Saturday.

This will bring back a taste of that popular event (last held 2018)
and herald its possible future return.

We know that your time is valuable. That is why we are pleased to once
again offer honouria to our speakers.

It's understandable that not everyone can make it to our classroom to
share their knowledge and experience with our festival audience live
and in-person. Submissions of remote talks, delivered from anywhere
over video conference are welcome. We will exhibit these
teleconferences to our live classroom audience where our sound system,
projector and monitor will make you seen and heard. We'll permit a
cyber audience to join-in to your remote talk.

Please submit your talk proposals by email to ma...@parit.ca (mailto
link) or use our Google Form (Google account not required) by March
2nd, 2023.

Do this before Thursday March 2nd, 2023 as we will announce our lineup
on Friday March 3rd.

If you're not in a position to submit a presentation proposal,
consider referring us to someone who may. We'll embrace every referral
we receive.

If you're in a position to direct referral efforts in many directions,
consider prioritizing voices that are under-represented in
hackerspaces: specifically women, indigenous persons, visible
minorities, persons with disabilities and queer folk.

April 1st will be here in no-time. We look forward to gathering and
meeting so many new people.

Mark Jenkins
Lead organizer
Skullspace Hax festival