New Zealand

NZ government is about to pass a new Patents Act.  In the 8-year review, they seemingly forgot to consider the impacts of patents on computer software!  Submissions on the bill are being accepted till 2 July, so we need to move fast.  Make a submission now!

Is it time to start thinking about or planning DrupalSouth 2? What do you think? Would you be keen to attend? Help organise? Sponsor? Speak? Where?

Over the last week Twitter and Facebook users across New Zealand and the world, have been blacking out their avatars in protest of S92A, a change in New Zealand's copyright law that will require ISPs to disconnect any user accused of copyright infringement. No proof or evidence is required, just accusation. This is a terrible law for many reasons, which are well documented on CreativeFreedom.org.nz, and elsewhere.

The online protest stimulated and supported a physical protest in Wellington outside the Beehive (beehive.govt.nz is a Drupal website) (NZ's parliamentary buildings) last Thursday. It inspired others to follow-up with a website blackout event today, Monday 23 February. I already partially blacked out my blog last week, however this blackout will be more thorough than my website-decolouration or 'grey-out'.

I have created a Drupal module to help any Drupal websites owners quickly blackout their website, if they want to participate. Currently it's only a Drupal 6 module, however if anyone really wants it for their Drupal 5 website and doesn't have the technical skills to backport it, I may help out with this.

I created this logo for DrupalSouth, but it wasn't used. I'm making the files available for others to rehash, remix, reuse or whatever else they like.

We are also trying to get source files and permissions for the DrupalSouth logo we used.

Be The Change is brought to you by Greenpeace NZ, Oxfam and Forest & Bird Society. Design and development by Method Studios.

See coverage on TV3. I think it will be on the news tonight too. Oh, and keep an eye out for the bus!

Scoopit.

More than a year ago I picked up drupal.net.nz off an expired domains auction site -- probably Expired Domains. I have no personal nor business use for it or interest in it, but I'm not about to give it up to some {insert your favourite swearword here} domain squatter either. Some talk has occurred in the Christchurch DUG about how it could be used for the drupal community. I think this discussion should be opened up to the NZ DUG. Please contribute your ideas here.

LCA have opened request for papers onwards to interested groups. Is there a NZ drupaler who would like to submit a paper?

Feel free to contact me if you need review/support/beer.

linux.conf.au 2008 Call For Presentations

linux.conf.au isn't just a Linux conference. It is a technical
conference about Free Software, held annually in Australasia.
We invite submissions on any Free Software related subject; from
Linux and the BSDs to OpenOffice.org, from networking to
audio-visual magic, from deep hacks to Creative Commons.

I recently assisted in a total conversion of that high-profile (also astonishingly high-traffic) Sorted.org.nz to Drupal 5. Released last Sunday.

All the heavy lifting, Design, Content conversion etc was done by the Sparks Interactive team. I'm sure they won't mind me making this announcement partly on their behalf.
I assisted mostly in a remote mentor/sharpshooter role with a few of the tricky bits.

Are there any Drupal users in Auckland keen for a meet up?