Call for Participation

July 31 to August 4, 2013 – Geestmerambacht, The Netherlands

See: https://gis.ohm2013.org, http://osm.org/go/0E59AxSEh- or http://goo.gl/maps/8SmBU

PLEASE CIRCULATE FREELY (txt version) (PDF version):

About OHM2013

OHM2013 – Observe. Hack. Make. is a 5-day international outdoor technology and security conference. OHM2013 is currently requesting proposals for content.

A motley bunch of around 3000 hackers, free-thinkers, philosophers, activists, geeks, scientists, artists, creative minds and others will convene from all over the world for this informal meeting of minds to contemplate, reflect, share, criticize, look ahead, code, build, and more.

An otherwise unassuming stretch of land, just 30km (20mi) North of Amsterdam, will be transformed into a colourful oasis of light providing a backdrop for this unique event. It is an immersive experience, with an emphasis on interaction.

The four-yearly Dutch hacker camps provide a very open, friendly and relaxed atmosphere, with a high level of knowledge. The campsite is buzzing with energy, ideas and projects, not least because people from various backgrounds are interacting. It is a non-commercial community event where every visitor is also a volunteer.

Background

OHM 2013 is the 7th edition in this line of events. The seed for these events sprouted in the late 80’s hacker community embodied by ‘Hippies from Hell’ and the journal for techno-anarchists ‘Hack-tic’.

In 1989 the Galactic Hacker Party was held at Paradiso, a public forum in Amsterdam. This indoor event brought together pioneers at the frontiers of the internet to revel in the upcoming revolution, but also to be critical of the power structures governing the then infant internet and its impact on society.

In 1993, four years later, Hacking at the End of the Universe was the first open-air event in the series. Several hundred hackers set up camp in the outdoors. While the internet was still not something many people had at home, the whole campsite was already connected.

The landscape has changed much since 1989. New trends raise questions of security, governance, sustainability and identity. The notion of hacking – to use something in a creative way, not thought of when it was first invented – has long spread to fields outside of Information Technology. The concepts of open source and open standards are now commonplace.

At the same time, society is more and more dependent on technology. Blind faith in ICT in particular leads to erosion of democratic principles and human rights. Society increasingly depends on hackers to act as its conscience on these matters.

Now nearly every household has a connection to the internet, it is also becoming a conduit for click-to-manufacture designs. Hackers expand their focus towards “manufacturing at home” collaboration projects using home-built 3D printers, CNC-machines and laser cutters. A necessity as current economic models are collapsing, both on the macro as well as the micro scale. The post-industrial global society is on the verge of depleting both its financial capital as well as its natural resources. Logistic chains feeding the factories that produce all our gadgets and even our food span multiple continents. Despite the global scale, those chains are fragile. When energy is becoming sparse, the global transport routes will fail to be economically feasible.

Hackers can apply their critical curiosity and creativity to bring about methods to cope with the upcoming changes. By building, for example, resilient means of electronic communication to ease the transition to an era where cheap Chinese gadgets and Japanese electronics can no longer be taken for granted and by arming society against authorities taking mobile telephony and the internet offline in times of crisis. But perhaps even more important is going back to the basics of production itself. Traditional crafts may become a matter of survival when factories sourcing raw materials from far away are a thing of the past.

Content matter(s)

The scope of this call for participation is not limited to the form of traditional lectures. Specifically requested are workshops (either bound in time or continuously running), presentations / demonstrations, films, performances engaging the audience and even art installations.

Topics may include, but are certainly not limited to the following fields:

• Security
  Attacks: Malware, A.P.T., SCADA, Mobile Security, Social Engineering, Russian Cyber Crime, etc.
  Defense: (Post-) (Quantum) Crypto, Responsible Disclosure, Emergency Response, Warfare in the Virtual Domain, etc.
• Hardware
  Hacking, Making, Electronics, Welding, Blacksmithing, gnireenignE esreveR, Lock Picking, A/V hacking, etc.
• Software
  Programming, Neural Networks / A.I., Standards, F.O.S.S., Browser hacking, Demo’s, etc.
• Networks / Telecommunication
  Internet, Alternative networks, GSM, Cloud Hacking, Journalism, Radio/TV/Media, Big Data, Quantum entanglement & teleportation, etc.
• Privacy
  T.O.R., Darknets, Certificate Authorities, Alternative Identities, Post Privacy, etc.
• Legal
  Hacker Ethics, Forensics, Law Enforcement, D.R.M., Software Patents, etc.

• Science / Research
  DIY Space Flight, Bio-tech, DNA, Energy, Particle Physics, Sustainability, Nano-technology, Bionics, Robots, Swarms, Exo-skeletons, Quantum computing, etc.
• People & Society
  Censorship, Politics, Future Visions, New Economic & Monetary Models, Life Hacking, Fair Globalization, Communities/Hackerspaces, Psychology, Mental Disorders, Ethical Norms, Trans-humanism, Body Hacking, Mind Reading Hardware, etc.
• Rebooting civilization
  Preserving (Technological) Knowledge, Artisan Crafts, Decentralised Technologies for food/energy/housing/security, Practical Steampunk, etc.
• Art
  Topology, Folding, Fractals, Demo Scene, Wearable Electronics, Circuit Bending, Video Art, Pyrotechnics, etc.
• Phun
  Food Hacking, Car Hacking, Meditation, Medication, Art, Anecdotes, Retro Gaming, Entertainment, etc.

Again, these ideas are by no means restrictive. Any content that might interest the audience of technophiles at OHM2013 is welcome. Surprise and inspire the world!

Content for kids

At previous events, activities for children were organised by parents on an ad-hoc basis – OHM2013 strives to bring content specifically aimed at children and adolescents. Initiatives targeting this new generation of hackers are encouraged. Not only ‘hacky’ crafts and games, but also introductions to more advanced topics, like the complexities of the internet, privacy, programming, security, et cetera are to be expected.

Submitting content

Help make OHM2013 become the exciting, inspiring and awesome community-driven event everyone is looking forward to. Submit your content now!

Also, if you know of someone whom you think should be present at OHM2013, ask them to submit an abstract.

Submissions can be entered through the OHM2013 content submission website:
https://cfp.ohm2013.org/

• The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2013.
• All proposals will be reviewed. Notification of acceptance or rejection will be sent out before April 30, 2013.
• The program will be made available incrementally starting May 1, 2013.