i . like tight pants . net

Daniela likes tight pants. I guess that makes it easy for her to relate to our blog. As an art student, she is ready to learn about unix.

I tell Daniela that we are in luck, because this weekend, there is the largest gathering of open source computer programmers in Europe, Fosdem. We go. I’m always scared to blend in too much at computer conferences like this so I put on a Lady Gaga t-shirt.

We plan to visit the final keynote speech because like this you experience a lot of people together. Plus, the topic tends to be of interest to a broader public. This year it is the Freedom box, a kind of mini server for your private data, the idea being that if everyone has such a box they can hook up together to create a more secure and more private social networking experience.

Tellyou is there too and he does some translating for us (‘œwhat is Debian?’). We can relate to the topic even though the speaker does not seem to be to joyous. Daniela notices he mentions ‘œcommunity’ a lot. I think this is because in cyberspace, the community is less bound by place and more volatile so you have to stress it is actually there. The organising commitee comes on stage to provide both a song and a fosdem dance.

As we leave, Daniela asks me if I think they will succeed with the Freedom box. I think they will, up to a degree, and then the technology will be re appropriated and made popular by more business minded people.