February 6th, 2018 IRC Meeting

Projects

2018 Elections

1. Trainings
   1. Videos
   2. February 24?: Worcester
   3. March: Boston

Once we set dates for the trainings we will put up a poll asking about our 2018 conference and whether to change it into several regional conferences.

In 2018, towns decide when their elections are held, but most are held in the first half of the year. State & county elections are in November. What offices are up in 2018 is listed here. We have been asked to hold a town election training in Milford this year.

Nomination papers for federal/state/county elections are available in mid-February. State/county candidates have until the end of May to gather all of their signatures, while federal candidates have until the end of July. The number of signatures needed vary from 150 for State Rep. to 2000 for US House of Representatives.

The electronic election for our officers went well in 2017, and we should consider doing it again. Such a change would allow us to decentralize our yearly conference and hold multiple regional conferences in different parts of the state. We could schedule monthly conferences starting in March or April. We could limit them to about 4-5 hours long, with the first half being training and the second half being discussion. If we want to go this route, we should ask our members soon and see who wants to organize their regional conference.

Net Neutrality/Community Meshnets

• Wednesday January 31, 2018 6pm Monthly Digital Security 101 and meshnets Sprout: 339R Summer Street, Somerville
• Saturday February 10, 2018 1-4pm Creating a (greater) Boston Meshnet Somerville public library 79 Highland Ave Facebook Event

Organizing Local Chapters

Comments on Organizing Guide?

Digital Right of Repair

Details.

Computer Donations

https://piratenpad.de/p/MassPiratesComputerDonations

Statements In Process

• MA Bill H.3641: An Act relative to electronic tolling - Approved our opposition to it. Past position is to remove the tolls on the Pike since it has long been paid for.
• US S.1241 - Combating Money Laundering, Terrorist Financing, and Counterfeiting Act of 2017 - Approved our opposition to S.1241. Need statement (Joe)

Other To Dos

FOSS Tutorials

Worcester farm group is interested in having some FOSS tutorials. Perhaps:

• how to do basic labels in GIMP,
• work through a few sample spreadsheets related to seed cost and
• similarly applicable real-world situations, depending on the needs of the group

Basically how to do graph design & product management with open source tools. Malt will put together a one paragraph description of what we need and we can mail it out to ask pirates to help.

Tech/Outreach

• Review regular IRC meeting day. Poll sent to email list - Sent (jokeefe)
• email Loomio invite to supporters (jokeefe)
• set up torrents for PirateCon videos (creynolds)
• post remaining audio for PirateCon talks (srevilak)
• finish setup of myBB (jokeefe)
• install mattermost as slack alternative (jokeefe)

Mayfirst is looking at setting up a Discourse instance we could use.

Upcoming Events

• 2/7, 6pm – 9pm, Community WorcNite #17, The WorcShop, 243 Stafford St, Worcester, MA 01603. Registration
• 2/10, 1-4pm, Community Meshnet Workshop, Somerville Public Library, 79 Highland Ave, Somerville
• 2/28, 6-9pm, Somerville Cryptoparty, The Sprouts, 339R Summer Street, Somerville

Participants

Observers

• ChanServ
• hvxgr
• igel

Minutes

 


[9:04pm] Malt joined the chat room.
[9:04pm] Malt: Sam Capradae, Worcester
[9:04pm] jokeefe: ahoy
[9:04pm] jokeefe: Agenda: https://masspirates.org/wiki/February_6th,_2018_IRC_Meeting
[9:04pm] jokeefe: ids
[9:04pm] jokeefe: Malt already started 
[9:04pm] Malt: hi friends
[9:04pm] Joe: Ahoy
[9:04pm] jokeefe: James O’Keefe, Somerville
[9:05pm] Joe: Joseph Onoroski, Lowell
[9:06pm] jokeefe: Anything to add to the agenda?
[9:06pm] igel: william fleurant arlington ma
[9:06pm] igel: http://cryptoparty.bostonmesh.net/
[9:07pm] igel: no TLS yet -- if you hit a TLS error, try another browser or remove history/cache
[9:08pm] jokeefe: didn’t get a TLS error, but it doesn’t use https
[9:08pm] Malt: lorem ipsum under "open, neutral community" on main page
[9:08pm] Malt: also the one after that
[9:09pm] jokeefe: yes, needs to be updates. also TLS works for https://bostonmesh.net/login
[9:09pm] igel: we need content/text
[9:09pm] jokeefe: yes
[9:09pm] jokeefe: thank you
[9:10pm] jokeefe: Review
[9:10pm] igel: may be i can take from https://bostonmeshnet.github.io/
[9:10pm] igel: dunnos, whats on topic
[9:10pm] igel: youre welcome
[9:10pm] jokeefe: Agenda: https://masspirates.org/wiki/February_6th,_2018_IRC_Meeting
[9:12pm] jokeefe: Somerville cryptoparty went well. Good turnout and discussion
[9:13pm] igel: good recap/followup too.. added to the cryptoparty mailing list
[9:13pm] jokeefe: Projects
[9:13pm] jokeefe: cool
[9:14pm] jokeefe: Video Newsletter
[9:14pm] jokeefe: When should we record the next one this weekend?
[9:14pm] Joe: I think that we are moving along nicely with the new format and we should continue on.
[9:14pm] Malt: i'm out of town this weekend, sorry folk
[9:15pm] Joe: it's all done online. You just need internet access.
[9:16pm] Joe: I was hoping to have Jamie and perhaps Steve for the next one. So now worries.
[9:17pm] jokeefe: Would appreciate it if we could do earlier in the day on Sunday.
[9:18pm] Joe: Let me check, one moment please.
[9:18pm] jokeefe: thanks
[9:18pm] Joe: Actually, the morning works better for me too.
[9:19pm] Joe: I have an early afternoon job. Could we do it around 10am?
[9:21pm] jokeefe: Sure
[9:22pm] igel: is this the 1st video newsletter?
[9:22pm] jokeefe: 2nd
[9:22pm] jokeefe: Thanks, Joe
[9:22pm] Joe: Glad to help!
[9:24pm] jokeefe:  2018 Elections
[9:24pm] Joe: The first one was on Netn. and our big issues.
[9:26pm] jokeefe: We are set for the Worcester training on the 24th, thanks to Malt.
[9:26pm] Malt: do we have a flyer ready for that?
[9:26pm] Malt: if not, could you send me a vector of the mass pirates flag
[9:26pm] jokeefe: that is easy.
[9:26pm] Malt: i'll start flyering
[9:27pm] Malt: also, are you going to need the whole two hours? is there time for a guest speaker or two
[9:27pm] jokeefe: It is at https://masspirates.org/blog/press/
[9:27pm] jokeefe: specifically https://masspirates.org/images/MassPiratesFlag.svg
[9:27pm] Malt: thanks!
[9:28pm] jokeefe: There may be time, depends on who is going besides me. should know soon.
[9:28pm] Malt: i won't promise anything until we know for sure
[9:28pm] jokeefe: thanks, hopefully there will be time
[9:29pm] jokeefe: Working on Boston-area training for March. Should know by Friday.
[9:29pm] Malt: i'd love to get my friend Dante Comparetto talking about his campaign, it was a real grassroots triumph
[9:29pm] Malt: is the facebook event ready to fly?
[9:29pm] Malt: the library's page lists my real name, e-mail, and phone number  good work everyone
[9:30pm] Malt: worcester has a few progressive networks, so i'm hoping they turn out
[9:31pm] jokeefe: You should invite Dante Comparetto. I am sure we can fit him in.
[9:32pm] jokeefe: Will create a basic page and we can update it as needed.
[9:32pm] Malt: i saved a drafty
[9:32pm] Malt: draft
[9:33pm] jokeefe: thanks. will update tonight
[9:34pm] Joe: Any expenses on the event?
[9:34pm] jokeefe: shouldn’t be
[9:34pm] Malt: i was gonna toss a friend some cash to whip up snacks
[9:34pm] Malt: the same lady who gave us the cookies for the nazi rally
[9:35pm] jokeefe: sounds tasty
[9:35pm] Joe: Could we do a bake sale?
[9:35pm] Malt: not at the library, i don't think
[9:35pm] Joe: Brownies for Justice!
[9:35pm] Joe: Yeah, I was joking at this point.
[9:36pm] Malt: there will be events we could absolutely do that for
[9:36pm] igel: i laughed heh
[9:36pm] Malt: i think it'd be great
[9:39pm] Joe: l
[9:39pm] jokeefe: Net Neutrality/Community Meshnets - have a meeting on the 10th
[9:40pm] jokeefe: going to mention it in the email announcement I’ll send out by Thursday. What else should be in it besides the 2/24 training?
[9:43pm] Malt: nothin i can think of
[9:43pm] Joe: I have nothing to add either.
[9:43pm] igel: k, nothing comes to mind either
[9:43pm] jokeefe: ok
[9:44pm] jokeefe: Amazon HQ2
[9:45pm] jokeefe: Now there is talk that Apple will have a 2nd HQ - https://news.wgbh.org/2018/02/04/local-news/boston-dont-get-blinded-wooing-amazon-apple-market
[9:45pm] Malt: wowwwww
[9:46pm] Malt: so, i've got an idea on how to protest these handouts
[9:46pm] igel: shoot
[9:46pm] Malt: worcester allows public comments during city hall meetings, i'm going to pitch setting up a fake XFL team to highlight massive subsidies
[9:47pm] Malt: i think showing up to a month of meetings, pitching ludicrous projects as a front for public money will make our point directly to the people who need to hear it
[9:47pm] Malt: but the audacity of this is certain to go viral
[9:47pm] Malt: especially if we tip off the media ahead of time
[9:47pm] jokeefe: So Yes Men style?
[9:48pm] Malt: more or less yeah
[9:48pm] Malt: 3-5 people with signs will really help sell it
[9:48pm] Malt: or placards on a tripod
[9:49pm] Malt: the idea of worcester having an XFL team named "The Knockout Game" makes me laugh an unreasonable amount
[9:50pm] Malt: we're in talks to setup a whole new baseball arena for the PawSox, so
[9:50pm] Malt: it's timely
[9:50pm] jokeefe: yes
[9:51pm] igel: i was looking to make up a name.. heh
[9:51pm] Malt: the XFL has a lot in common with the knockout game, namely, both of them exist only in the unsubstantiated claims of old white men with media connections
[9:51pm] jokeefe: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/XFL_(2020) - “eight teams centrally owned and operated by the league” - ick
[9:51pm] igel: why not the Pods heh
[9:52pm] Malt: mostly cuz i thought the joke about them both being invented whole cloth by white media cranks
[9:52pm] Malt: is that good
[9:52pm] igel: ++good
[9:52pm] Malt: tbh i thought of that joke then worked backwards trying to find a way to use it
[9:53pm] igel: ..so apple is doing the same thing re: amazon hq?
[9:54pm] Malt: sounds like it
[9:54pm] Malt: i think getting a ballpark estimate of what boston will be forking over is a good starting point, figure out what else that money could be applied to
[9:54pm] Malt: how many homeless vets, how many years of college tuition, hot meals, etc
[9:55pm] jokeefe: how many teachers, fixed roads
[9:55pm] Malt: starting with that, working towards more ludicrous applications
[9:55pm] Malt: how many cars shot into space, for example
[9:55pm] Joe: Cups of Dunken Donuts morning coffees
[9:55pm] igel: luckily bostons like top 5 or 10 of time spent in traffic
[9:56pm] Malt: how tall would the stack of cups of DD be
[9:56pm] Joe: Plus they are talking about doing a sea wall to save the city in case of a storm surge
[9:56pm] Malt: like, 30 million cups stacked end to end
[9:57pm] Malt: !! what if the pitch was that we were selling flood insurance to the city
[9:57pm] jokeefe: Venice Italy is very pretty
[9:57pm] Joe: Which would safe the business we have already in case of a major storm like we have been seeing lately.
[9:57pm] igel: pfft..
[9:57pm] Malt: like, "you're spending this much attracting companies when the whole city's going to be underwater, and we want a cut of that action"
[9:57pm] jokeefe: lol
[9:57pm] Joe: ^
[9:57pm] Malt: members of the "make boston venice again" committe
[9:58pm] jokeefe: you go Malt!
[9:58pm] jokeefe: "make boston venice again" - I like it
[9:58pm] Malt: cheerful salesmen of the apocalypse
[9:58pm] igel: oh please dont poke that slogan heh
[9:58pm] Malt: :3
[9:58pm] jokeefe: fair point igel
[9:59pm] igel: copy ah...
[9:59pm] Malt: tomorrow i'm hoping to get some time to write out my XFL pitch, i'll toss it up on the activist mailing list for future reference
[9:59pm] igel: dunno, servpro heh
[10:00pm] jokeefe: sounds good
[10:00pm] igel: kickass
[10:01pm] Malt: but yeah, with our limited numbers, i think this is a good way to get people looking at the situation
[10:01pm] jokeefe: We are at time. shall we adjourn?
[10:01pm] jokeefe: Malt, I will update the event. Thanks for starting it.
[10:02pm] Joe: I second
[10:02pm] Malt: totes
[10:02pm] jokeefe: I’ll add a sign up form
[10:02pm] igel: yaar
[10:02pm] Joe: Aye
[10:02pm] Malt: oooo good thinking
[10:02pm] jokeefe: Thanks all. I will post the notes.
[10:02pm] Joe: Good night!