I can’t believe Debconf will be on American soil next summer. This is exciting, whichever city (Boston/NY) wins!

A Debian geek’s view of NYC

Though Eric gave me some props, my suggestion that Debconf 10 should be held in Montreal never really caught fire. But there were a few folks that did send emails of support. Problem is, of course, that as much as I wished I lived there to get the ball rolling, I don’t so…. Right now it seems like the two potential bids are Venezuela (my place of birth) and NYC (my current residence). Although it might be nice to have Debconf be a subway ride away, I am actually a little skeptical that we can find the right local space in NYC to accommodate all the Debianistas though I hope to be surprised. Since I have attended 4 Debconfs, my feeling is that the venue is actually more important than the country where it is helod. In fact, I think it is key that nearly everything one needs to do (notably sleep, eat, hack, party) can happen in more or less the same area and better, that there is some outdoorsy area too (lawns to hang out on, pools to swim in, sunsets to see etc.). Oh and of course a solid internet connection. In this regard, I think that some lake resort 1-2 hour north of Manhattan (think some old Jewish run Catskill resort) is more amendable and realistic than the city itself, which tends to be kinda, well, gross and hot and sticky over the summer. But I look forward to seeing/hearing of other proposals!

Rumor has it that NYC may be proposed for Debconf 10. While that would mean I would most likely go, since I do live there, now that I visiting Montreal, I can’t think of a better place for Debconf…. Wonder if anyone else, especially from there, shares my sentiments

I am off to Brazil tonight, first to the city where some locals like to dress their dogs up on Sunday and take them to the park (Porto Alegre and I will be there until June 15th) and then I will be in São Paulo (from June 15-20th). I would love to get together with the Debian/Free Software folks while there so drop me a line so that we can arrange something. In a day or two I will also post some more details about my trip.

So this Sunday I am off to Japan along with a few other members of my department for a week long visit. I am going to attend a conference being hosted by the Interfaculty Initiative in Information Studies at the University of Tokyo. The number of faculty members housed under this initiative is simply impressive and I look forward to meeting many of them and learning how they are conceptualizing and moving forward with the interdisciplinary study of digital society.

I have not had much time to think about the trip outside of 1) how do I get to my hotel 2) preparing for my presentation but I will have a little free time on Tuesday, Thursday morning, Sunday morning and a few evenings to see some sights and see some people.

With the help of Junichi and others, we are organizing a gathering with Debian developers as well as the local and some visiting Creative Commons folks on Wed night, the 14th of November. Do come around if you are there and interested (and you can leave me a comment or email me at biellaATnyuDOTedu too.

While I basically am going to be like-a-lemming and follow my colleagues who have made some plans, if you think there is something Not To Be Missed in Tokyo, do leave a shout out in my comments or ping me via email. I would appreciate it!

A few days ago, Joe Reagle was telling me about the rise of (sometimes very arcane) policies and bureaucratic imperatives that now characterize Wikipedia. A few days later I stumbled across a few interesting posts on the topic, posts (especially Nick Carr’s) seeping with almost celebratory gloom and doom:

‘But, given human nature, is it really so “incredible” that Wikipedia has evolved as it has? Although writers like Yochai Benkler have presented Wikipedia as an example of how widescale, volunteer-based “social production” on the Internet can exist outside hierarchical management structures, the reality is very different. As Wikipedia has grown, it has developed a bureaucracy that is remarkable not only for the intricacies of its hierarchy but for the breadth and complexity of its rules. The reason Deletionism has triumphed so decisively over Inclusionism is pretty simple: It’s because Deletionism provides a path toward ever more elaborate schemes of rule-making – with no end – and that’s the path that people prefer, at least when they become members of a large group. The development of Wikipedia’s organization provides a benign case study in the political malignancy of crowds.”

It is without question that a problem has arisen in Wikipedia, a problem composed of a thick web and net of rules that can be helpful as guidelines but often are often confusing and clearly work to ensnarl new users.

But can we so quickly put blame on so-called human nature? Or is it not a problem of human organization, which as the anthropological and sociological record shows, can take many forms? And is it not just that: a problem begging for a solution instead of an opportunity to declare the fundamental nature of wikipedia (and that of human nature?). Not only may history prove him wrong, other large scale collaborative projects at least prove that solutions can be found to deal with problems of growth and scale.

It is as if Carr just wants to see a project like Wikipedia fail, which somehow, this morning hit a raw nerve. What I find exciting about large scale projects of (at times unwieldy) collaboration are not just the explicit outputs of the projects (an encyclopedia or operating system) but the social worlds they create. And there is no inevitable path they *must* follow. These groups have a choice to react to and respond to these sort of problems and enact solutions that will hopefully solve them and allow these projects to change.

Debian, a slightly older project than Wikipedia, has gone through many growing pains and there was even a period when the the whole process of integrating new Debian developers was shut down and if my memory serves me correctly, for 2 years! At the time, it could have been possible to say: “This signals the end of Debian” but eventually a solution was found, the New Maintainer process, which while not perfect (what is?) allowed the project to grow and produce a great operating system for years to come.

Debian today faces new problems and is working to find solutions. I hope that Wikipedia can and will do the same. And instead of declaring its death, why not wait and see, and offer something a little more constructive and illuminating, than destructive?

So, we did manage to have some pancakes to celebrate Debian’s Big 10 (Social Contract) anniversary, though albeit, they are not your traditional sort of pancake, but certainly close enough and really tasty.

I am back home watching footage from this years debconf, which of course is already working to feed the nostalgia. I have more to say about the conference but just wanted to thank everyone for a great debconf and here are some of my photos.

1. Being at debconf.

2. Having your blog entry slamming Blue Cross Blue Shield of NJ be on the first page of a google search using both the terms Blue Cross Blue Shield New Jersey as well as Blue Cross Blue Shield Horizon.