I am right now, at this very minute, registering for linux.conf.au in Ballarat in January. Creating my planet feed. Yep. Uhuh.

[crosspost from cc.com.au]

Creative Contingencies went on a 7 week round the world odyssey over winter. Whilst we're now back into the swing of things, here's a brief travelogue of what we got up to.

I recently kicked in a few dollars to the linotype film project. A bunch of guys are making a documentary about the famous linotype machine. Preserving this history is important, so I gladly chipped in a few dollars.

During the Open Space on Drupal and Education I scribbled some rough notes as folks introduced themselves and outlined their interest in the broad topic.

Distilling that interest into its purest essence, I'dsay that Drupal in Education is about Learning Drupal, Teaching Drupal and Using Drupal to support Teaching and Learning.

After hearing such good things about it from my fossfolk friends over the years I'm delighted to be going to OSCON for the first time this year. Not only attending, but delivering a 3.5 hr tutorial on Inkscape.  It's scheduled for 9am Monday 25 July.

The government has been engaged in the development of a new nation wide curriculum for some time now.  The curriculum authority ACARA is currently calling for feedback and survey responses on the General Capabilities.

You need to register to view the General Capabilities and to respond to the consultation online.

The first Ada Initiative fundraising campaign is underway. For the month of June, Mary Gardiner and Valerie Aurora are focusing their efforts on seeding their operational fund by inviting 100 people to sign up as foundational donors - the seed 100. 

By contributing $512, the donor will be listed as a difference engineer, or by donating $1024 the donor will be listed as an analytical engineer. The FAQ explains:

Q. Why “Difference Engineer” and “Analytical Engineer?”

A. The pioneering inventor Charles Babbage designed two calculating machines beginning in the 1820’s, the Difference Engine and the Analytical Engine.

The Difference Engine was essentially a very large mechanical calculator – capable of generating tables of numbers but not programmable and not a general-purpose computer.

The Analytical Engine was the world’s first design for a general-purpose, Turing-complete computer. Countess Ada Lovelace, the Ada Initiative’s namesake, wrote the world’s first computer program for the (as yet unbuilt) Analytical Engine in 1843.

“Difference Engineer” and “Analytical Engineer” are imaginary titles for the people who would have programmed and run Babbage’s engines if they had been built in his time.

Women are under represented, and under acknowledged in Open Source.  The Ada Initiative is working to take practical action to change this.

Please help spread the word and if you can, please donate.

Today I met the small team getting started on putting on the next DrupalDownunder gathering.

If you're in Australia, care about Drupal and you haven't already done so, put these dates in your diary right now.

Edited: 20 June 2011

A memorial service was held at the Richmond Town Hall on 22 May, attended by many family, friends and colleagues. An obituary by Mary Draper has appeared in today's age.

Tough, caring reformer in social justice

A week ago we lost Concetta Benn.