[Programafisl] Fwd: My visit to FISL
Rodrigo Troian
rtroian at softwarelivre.org
Wed May 22 20:06:00 BRT 2013
Pessoal,
Agora o Stallman quer dar apenas uma palestra no dia 5, então parece que
vai ser a:
Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks;
que foi a mais votada na thread.
vou confirmar com ele e se tivermos uma segunda voltamos a discussão!
Abs,
Troian
On 04/29/2013 02:49 PM, Bruno F. Souza wrote:
> Eu acho que as duas melhores palestras sao:
>
>>> Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks
> A discussao sobre copyrights eh fundamental, e esta cada vez mais acirrada, aqui
> e la fora. Recentemente o governo americano abriu uma chamada publica para
> ouvir opinioes sobre copyrights, e isso vai afetar o mundo inteiro, e precisamos
> ter mais gente preparada aqui no Brasil para discutir esses assuntos.
>
>>> A Free Digital Society
>>> (alternate title, What Makes Digital Inclusion Good or Bad?)
> Inclusao digital eh um ponto importante e muito badalado em governos de todos
> os niveis e em todos os cantos do Brasil. Alem disso, um mundo de organizacoes
> (inclusive a que eu presido) se dizem a favor e trabalhando por "inclusao digital",
> e um outro mundo de empresas estao investindo e colocando grana em projetos
> de "inclusao digital". Ou seja, eh um topico importante para o Brasil, e quanto
> mais gente entender como se pode fazer inclusao digital da maneira correta,
> melhor.
>
> Por mais que eu ache que GPL eh importante, o publico do FISL eh muito mais
> ecletico do que o publico que vai se interessar por GPLv3...
>
> []s,
> Bruno.
>
>
> On 29/04/2013, at 13:53, Luis Felipe RM <unixjazz at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> On 04/29/2013 05:02 AM, Rodrigo Troian wrote:
>>> Salve pessoal;
>>>
>>> segue mais um bloco RMS para resolver:
>>>
>>> Temário, definir qual palestra queremos;
>>>
>> concordo com o Deivi: a palestra sobre patentes e' importante.
>>
>> todas as propostas sao muito importantes, mas eu sugiro, ao inves da
>> palestra sobre a GPLv3,
>> a palestra sobre copyright versus comunidade (assim podemos puxá-lo para
>> a trilha Aaron Swartz também).
>>
>> abraço!
>> luisfelipe.
>>
>>> -------- Original Message --------
>>> Subject: My visit to FISL
>>> Date: Mon, 29 Apr 2013 07:04:37 -0400
>>> From: Richard Stallman <rms at gnu.org>
>>> Reply-To: rms at gnu.org
>>> To: Rodrigo Troian <rtroian at softwarelivre.org>
>>> CC: rms-assist at gnu.org
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Can we fix the date, time and topic of my talk at FISL?
>>>
>>>
>>> Here's the info packet about my speeches. This information is
>>> essential for planning my visit and speech.
>>>
>>>
>>> Please discuss with me what the topic of this speech should be.
>>> We need to decide it together.
>>>
>>>
>>> My talks are not technical. The topics of free software, copyright vs
>>> community, and digital inclusion deal with ethical/political issues
>>> that concern all users of computers. The topics of GPL version 3 and
>>> software patents are mainly of of interest to people that work with
>>> software.
>>>
>>>
>>> My usual speech about the Free Software Movement and GNU takes a
>>> little over 1.5 hours in English, plus time for questions, photos,
>>> distribution of FSF things, and so on. It is best to allow plenty of
>>> time for questions, because people usually want to ask a lot of
>>> questions. In total, it is best to allow 2.5 hours.
>>>
>>> "GNU" is pronounced as one syllable with a hard g,
>>> like "grew" but with n instead of r.
>>>
>>> The topics I speak about are
>>>
>>> Free Software and Your Freedom
>>> (alternate titles:
>>> The Free Software Movement and the GNU/Linux Operating System,
>>> Free Software in Ethics and in Practice)
>>>
>>> Copyright vs Community in the Age of Computer Networks
>>>
>>> A Free Digital Society
>>> (alternate title, What Makes Digital Inclusion Good or Bad?)
>>>
>>> The Danger of Software Patents
>>>
>>> The GNU General Public License
>>> What we've changed in version 3, and why
>>>
>>> The last topic takes under an hour, but it is specialized.
>>>
>>> Each topic takes substantially longer in languages other than English.
>>>
>>> I can also possibly speak about some other topic if you suggest one.
>>>
>>>
>>> Abstract:
>>>
>>> For a speech about Free Software, you can use this abstract:
>>>
>>> The Free Software Movement campaigns for computer users' freedom
>>> to cooperate and control their own computing. The Free Software
>>> Movement developed the GNU operating system, typically used together
>>> with the kernel Linux, specifically to make these freedoms possible.
>>>
>>> or
>>>
>>> Richard Stallman will speak about the goals and philosophy of the
>>> Free Software Movement, and the status and history of the GNU
>>> operating system, which in combination with the kernel Linux is
>>> now used by tens of millions of users world-wide.
>>>
>>> For Copyright vs Community, you can use this abstract:
>>>
>>> Copyright developed in the age of the printing press, and was
>>> designed
>>> to fit with the system of centralized copying imposed by the printing
>>> press. But the copyright system does not fit well with computer
>>> networks, and only draconian punishments can enforce it.
>>>
>>> The global corporations that profit from copyright are lobbying
>>> for draconian punishments, and to increase their copyright powers,
>>> while suppressing public access to technology. But if we
>>> seriously hope to serve the only legitimate purpose of
>>> copyright--to promote progress, for the benefit of the
>>> public--then we must make changes in the other direction.
>>>
>>> For A Free Digital Society
>>>
>>> Activities directed at ``including'' more people in the use of
>>> digital
>>> technology are predicated on the assumption that such inclusion is
>>> invariably a good thing. It appears so, when judged solely by
>>> immediate practical convenience. However, if we also judge in terms
>>> of human rights, whether digital inclusion is good or bad depends on
>>> what kind of digital world we are to be included in. If we wish to
>>> work towards digital inclusion as a goal, it behooves us to make sure
>>> it is the good kind.
>>>
>>> For The Danger of Software Patents, you can use this abstract:
>>>
>>> Richard Stallman will explain how software patents obstruct
>>> software development. Software patents are patents that cover
>>> software ideas. They restrict the development of software, so
>>> that every design decision brings a risk of getting sued. Patents
>>> in other fields restrict factories, but software patents restrict
>>> every computer user. Economic research shows that they even
>>> retard progress.
>>>
>>> For The GNU General Public License
>>>
>>> Richard Stallman wrote the first GNU General Public License in
>>> 1989, and version 3 which was completed in 2007. He will discuss
>>> the philosophy of the GNU GPL, the changes made in version 3,
>>> and the reasons for those changes.
>>>
>>>
>>> Brief bio:
>>>
>>> Dr. Richard Stallman launched the free software movement in 1983 and
>>> started the development of the GNU operating system (see www.gnu.org)
>>> in 1984. GNU is free software: everyone has the freedom to copy it
>>> and redistribute it, with or without changes. The GNU/Linux system,
>>> basically the GNU operating system with Linux added, is used on tens
>>> of millions of computers today. Stallman has received the ACM Grace
>>> Hopper Award, a MacArthur Foundation fellowship, the Electronic
>>> Frontier Foundation's Pioneer Award, and the the Takeda Award for
>>> Social/Economic Betterment, as well as several honorary doctorates.
>>>
>>> (A longer version is available if you want it.)
>>>
>>> DO NOT use text from my Wikipedia page as my bio. That text
>>> represents another point of view, which means it doesn't support mine.
>>>
>>>
>>> Photo:
>>>
>>> There is a black-and-white photograph of me as a
>>> 5820K Encapsulated Postscript file (http://www.stallman.org/rms-bw.eps)
>>> 3762K JPEG file (http://www.stallman.org/rms-bw.jpeg), and
>>> 5815K TIFF file (http://www.stallman.org/rms-bw.tiff).
>>>
>>> Other photos can be found on stallman.org.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> Asking for the text:
>>>
>>> I don't write my speeches in advance--that would take too much time.
>>> However, transcripts of my past speeches are available. If you can
>>> make a transcript of my speech after I give it, that would be quite
>>> useful.
>>>
>>>
>>> Breaks:
>>>
>>> I absolutely refuse to have a break in the middle of my speech.
>>> Once I start, I will go straight through.
>>>
>>>
>>> Size of talk:
>>>
>>> I want to reach as many people as possible, so the idea of giving an
>>> "intimate" talk to a small audience makes little sense in my case.
>>> Please invite as many people as possible, and get a room that can hold
>>> them.
>>>
>>>
>>> Participation in a larger event:
>>>
>>> I am selective about the events I participate in. If you are inviting
>>> me to speak at a larger event, please inform me now of the overall
>>> nature of the event, so I can make an informed decision about whether
>>> to participate.
>>>
>>> I usually decline to participate in "open source" or "Linux" events.
>>> See http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html for why it is incorrect
>>> to refer to the operating system as "Linux".
>>>
>>> "Open source" is the slogan of a position that was formulated as a
>>> reaction against the free software movement. Those who support its
>>> views have a right to promote them, but I disagree with them and I
>>> want to promote the ideals of free software. See
>>> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html for more
>>> explanation of the difference. However, I will agree to participate
>>> in events labeled "Free Software and Open Source", provided that my
>>> speech is not the principal draw of the event.
>>>
>>>
>>> Erecting a larger event:
>>>
>>> If you are thinking of erecting a larger event around my speech, which
>>> includes inviting other speakers to speak before or after me, please
>>> talk with me about the plans for that larger event _before_ inviting
>>> other speakers. I want to make sure the event entirely supports the
>>> goals and principles I work for, and I want to review the publicity
>>> plans for the event.
>>>
>>>
>>> Multiple events:
>>>
>>> If you would like me to give speeches in other cities, other
>>> institutions, or other events which you are not organizing directly,
>>> please put rms-assist at gnu.org in touch directly with their organizers.
>>> We need to show them this info packet, and we need to discuss various
>>> issues with them just as we discuss the issues of your event with you.
>>> Communication through a middleman is asking for confusion, so please
>>> don't ask us to do that.
>>>
>>>
>>> Venues and planning:
>>>
>>> All my talks are aimed at the general computer-using public. They are
>>> not technical. With good, broad publicity, many people will come --
>>> usually hundreds.
>>>
>>> So don't aim small. Please plan each speech in a large room, then
>>> plan the publicity to bring people in to fill it. Please do not
>>> suggest scheduling a "small speech", because that makes no sense as a
>>> goal. I would always rather reach as many people as I feasibly can.
>>>
>>> If the speech is at a university, please do the publicity all around
>>> the university. Don't limit it to your department! We also want
>>> people from off-campus to come, so please inform local IT businesses,
>>> user groups, and other relevant organizations.
>>>
>>> We will also want to inform the region's daily newspapers so they can
>>> put the speech in their calendar sections, and anything else we can
>>> think of. Each additional interested person who comes means an increase
>>> in the results achieved by the speech.
>>>
>>> Make sure you inform the public that my talk is not technical, so
>>> anyone interested in ethics and use of computers might wish to come.
>>>
>>>
>>> Facilities:
>>>
>>> A microphone is desirable if the room is large. No other facilities
>>> are needed. I do not have slides or any sort of presentation
>>> materials.
>>>
>>> A supply of tea with milk and sugar would be nice. If it is tea I
>>> really like, I like it without milk and sugar. With milk and sugar,
>>> any kind of tea is fine. I always bring tea bags with me, so if we
>>> use my tea bags, I will certainly like that tea without milk or sugar.
>>>
>>> If I am quite sleepy, I would like two cans or small bottles of
>>> non-diet Pepsi. (I dislike the taste of coke, and of all diet soda;
>>> also, there is an international boycott of the Coca Cola company for
>>> killing union organizers in Colombia and Guatemala; see
>>> killercoke.org.) However, if I am not very sleepy, I won't want
>>> Pepsi, because it is better if I don't drink so much sugar.
>>>
>>> Therefore, please don't buy Pepsi in advance. Please ask me shortly
>>> before the speech whether I need Pepsi.
>>>
>>> If it is hard to find Pepsi in your city, it is useful to find in
>>> advance a place where it is available -- but don't buy it in advance.
>>>
>>>
>>> Languages:
>>>
>>> I can speak in English, French, and Spanish.
>>>
>>> If the audience won't be comfortable with a language I can speak, it
>>> is important to have translation. However, consecutive translation
>>> is not feasible, because it would more than double the length of the
>>> speech. Please do not ask me to do that--I will refuse.
>>>
>>> I have found it works to do simultaneous translation without special
>>> systems: I speak into the ear of the interpreter, and the interpreter
>>> speaks to the microphone. This avoids the need for special
>>> transmitters and headsets. However, it does require an interpreter
>>> capable of doing simultaneous translation for more than an hour.
>>> Do not propose doing this with a person whose translation skills
>>> are not adequate for this.
>>>
>>> Another method is to set up a microphone and speaker system for the
>>> interpreter in a far corner of the room, or a balcony. If the
>>> speakers are set up suitably, people there can hear the interpreter
>>> well, while people in the front of the room can hear me well.
>>>
>>> I can try to give a shortened free software speech (about 30 minutes
>>> of material). With consecutive translation it will take an hour or
>>> more. I will be forced to omit many important points in the usual
>>> speech. I do not like to omit so much.
>>>
>>> If we have simultaneous translation, please make a recording
>>> of the translation. It will be very useful, and it is easy to do.
>>> Any sound recorder, next to the interpreter, will do it.
>>>
>>>
>>> Restricting admission:
>>>
>>> If you plan to restrict admission to my speech, or charge a fee for
>>> admission, you must discuss this with me in advance *at the earliest
>>> possible date*. Do not delay this discussion! Do not believe I have
>>> agreed to it unless you have heard it directly from me! If you have
>>> restricted entry without my personal approval, I may refuse to do the
>>> speech.
>>>
>>> I'm not categorically against limiting admission or fees, but those
>>> practices work against the goal. Excluding people or discouraging
>>> attendance mean the speech does less good, so I want to make sure that
>>> the limitations are as small as possible. We must discuss the reasons
>>> you want to do this, and if there is a good reason, we must look for
>>> the method that does the least harm.
>>>
>>> One option that often works is to allow students and low-paid people
>>> and political activists to enter gratis, even if professionals have to
>>> pay.
>>>
>>> Another method, which works very well in some places, is to allow
>>> people to attend gratis but charge for a certificate of attendance.
>>> If the certificate is given by an educational institution, many will
>>> find it useful for career advancement, while the others could enter
>>> gratis. Whether this would be effective in your case is something you
>>> would need to judge.
>>>
>>>
>>> Registration:
>>>
>>> Some hosts have told attendees they need to register in order to
>>> attend, and limited registrations to the number of seats in the room.
>>> The result is that 20% of the seats remain empty, while interested
>>> people stay away, thinking there would be no room for them. Please do
>>> not do this.
>>>
>>> Therefore, if you wish to ask attendees to register, please make it
>>> optional.
>>>
>>> If you want people to register via Internet, make sure the site does
>>> not require people to run any nonfree Javascript code. The simplest
>>> way to verify that is to access it using a variant of Firefox, with
>>> LibreJS installed, and see that LibreJS gives no warnings. Eventbrite
>>> fails this test, so it is not acceptable.
>>>
>>>
>>> Sponsors:
>>>
>>> If corporations sponsor my talk, I am willing to include a small
>>> tasteful note of thanks in announcements and brochures, but no more
>>> than that. There should be no descriptions of their products or
>>> services, and no banners with their names. If a would-be sponsor
>>> insists on more than that, we have to do without that sponsor.
>>>
>>> If my speech is part of a pre-existing larger event that I have agreed
>>> to participate in, I can't impose such conditions for the whole event.
>>> However, if banners will be on display next to me while I am speaking,
>>> that is rather obnoxious; if they advertise organizations that I
>>> disapprove of on ethical grounds (which is not unlikely) I would want
>>> to take them down, cover them up, or turn them off during my speech.
>>>
>>>
>>> Directing publicity:
>>>
>>> My main speech topics are not technical. They are about political
>>> issues regarding the use of software, and anyone concerned about
>>> ethical issues with effects on our daily lives should be concerned
>>> about them. Thus, when planning to publicize my talk, don't direct
>>> the publicity primarily at computing organizations and computer
>>> science departments. That would only reach a fraction of the people
>>> who might be interested. Please also contact political science
>>> departments, economics departments, philosophy departments, music
>>> departments, and student groups interested in freedom and human rights
>>> issues. Let's aim to make the speech reach as many interested people
>>> as possible.
>>>
>>> The speech topics of software patents and GPLv3 are of interest
>>> specifically to the IT field, so those you can publicize among IT
>>> contacts.
>>>
>>>
>>> Avoiding errors in publicity:
>>>
>>> The GNU Project constantly struggles against two widespread mistakes
>>> that undermine the effectiveness of our work: calling our work "open
>>> source", and calling the GNU operating system "Linux". Another very
>>> bad mistake is using the term "intellectual property".
>>>
>>> The Free Software Movement and the Open Source Movement are like two
>>> political parties in our community. I founded the Free Software
>>> Movement in 1984 along with the GNU Project; we call our work "free
>>> software" because it is software that respects the users freedom. The
>>> Open Source Movement was founded, in 1998, specifically to reject our
>>> idealistic philosophy--they studiously avoid talking about freedom.
>>> See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html for
>>> more explanation of the difference between the two movements.
>>>
>>> So please make sure that all the publicity about the event (web site,
>>> email announcements, conference programs, direct mail, signs, etc),
>>> uses the term "free software", not "open source", when you refer to
>>> work that includes mine. This includes to the title and descriptions
>>> of my speech, of the session it is in, of the track it is part of, and
>>> of the event itself.
>>>
>>> Of course, some of these names and descriptions may not refer to this
>>> work at all; for example, if a track or the whole event covers a much
>>> broader topic in which free software is just a small part, its name
>>> may not refer to free software. That is normal and appropriate. The
>>> point is not to ask you to refer to this work more often than you
>>> normally would, but that you should describe it accurately whenever
>>> you do refer to it.
>>>
>>> If other speakers in the same session, track, or event want their work
>>> to be categorized as "open source", that is a legitimate request for
>>> them to make. In that case, please give "free software" equal mention
>>> with "open source".
>>>
>>> If you think it is useful to tell people how free software relates to
>>> open source, you can say that "since 1998, another group has used the
>>> term `open source' to describe a related activity." That will tell
>>> people that my work has a relationship with "open source", which they
>>> may have heard of, without implying it is right to describe my work as
>>> "open source."
>>>
>>> The other widespread confusion is the idea of a "Linux operating
>>> system". The system in question, the system that Debian and Red Hat
>>> distribute, the system that tens of millions of people use, is
>>> basically the GNU operating system, with Linux added as the kernel.
>>> When people call the whole system "Linux", they deny us the credit for
>>> our work, and this is not right. (See
>>> http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html for more explanation.)
>>>
>>> So please call this combined operating system "GNU/Linux" in all
>>> the publicity, in the titles and description of the session, track,
>>> event, etc., if and when you have reason to refer to it.
>>>
>>> For similar reasons, please don't use a penguin as a symbol for my
>>> work, or on the posters or notices or web pages for my speech. (This
>>> includes the sponsors' logos, if any.) The penguin stands for
>>> "Linux"; the symbol of GNU is a gnu. Therefore, the graphical image
>>> to symbolize GNU or my work is a gnu. Please put a gnu in each work
>>> (whether document, page, poster or other) that publicizes my speech
>>> (if it can have images), and don't include any penguin without a gnu
>>> right next to it.
>>>
>>> If you have handled these issues well, nobody who looks at your
>>> material will get the impression that I work on "open source", or that
>>> I support "open source", or that my work is "part of Linux", or that I
>>> participated in the "development of Linux", or that GNU is the name of
>>> "a collection of tools".
>>>
>>> As for the term "intellectual property", that spreads confusion and
>>> hostile bias. See http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html
>>> for explanation. I hope you will decide to reject that expression, as
>>> I do; but in any case, don't use it in connection with my speech.
>>>
>>> Please do not mention non-free GNU/Linux distros (for instance,
>>> Ubuntu) in the publicity for the event.
>>>
>>> If you have doubts about a poster or announcement, please ask my
>>> assistant to check it for you, not me. Send it to rms-assist at gnu.org.
>>>
>>>
>>> Selling Free Software, Free Society:
>>>
>>> Please sell copies of my book of essays, Free Software, Free Society,
>>> if you can. In the US, Canada, Spain, Italy and Japan, you can obtain
>>> published copies of this book in English, Spanish, Italian, and
>>> Japanese. You don't need to put up any money to do this. Please talk
>>> with rms-assist at gnu.org about how to do it. In the US and Canada, the
>>> FSF will ship you these books.
>>>
>>> Outside those four countries, please print copies of the book to sell
>>> at the event, if you can. The English version is available in
>>> http://shop.fsf.org/product/free-software-free-society-2/ (278 pages).
>>> There is also my semiautobiography, Free As In Freedom, in
>>> http://shop.fsf.org/product/free-as-in-freedom-2/ (245 pages).
>>>
>>> The Spanish version of Free Software, Free Society (318 pages) is in
>>> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/fsfs/free_software.es.pdf.
>>>
>>> If you use ordinary copying, and avoid fancy covers and bindings, we
>>> can sell them for two or three times the cost of copying, and they
>>> will still be cheap enough that many people will buy them. From the
>>> proceeds you will first retain the cost of printing; we can divide the
>>> gains between your organization and the FSF.
>>>
>>> If you see any obstacle, whatever it is, don't just give up. Talk
>>> with rms-assist at gnu.org about it! Most of the problems that might
>>> seem difficult to you, we are already accustomed to solving. Give us
>>> a chance to overcome the obstacle!
>>>
>>>
>>> At the speech:
>>>
>>> Please put out a pad of paper for people to write down their names and
>>> email addresses if they want to be on the FSF's mailing list.
>>>
>>>
>>> Changes of plans:
>>>
>>> Don't assume that I can still come if you change the date, or even the
>>> hour. My schedule is tight, and any change may make the plan
>>> impossible. Please consult with me before making any change, and I
>>> will see what I can do.
>>>
>>> My assistant cannot approve such changes; you must ask me directly,
>>> and get approval from me directly. I will certainly be flexible if
>>> there is no obstacle.
>>>
>>>
>>> Scheduling other meetings:
>>>
>>> I have agreed to give a speech for you, and if the press wants to talk
>>> with me, I will do that for the sake of the cause. However, if you
>>> would like me to give additional speeches or go to additional
>>> meetings, please ask me first. Please ask me about *each* activity
>>> you would like me to perform.
>>>
>>> Many people assume that because I am traveling, I am having a
>>> vacation--that I have no other work to do, so I can spend the whole
>>> day speaking or meeting with people. Some hosts even feel that they
>>> ought to try to fill up my time as a matter of good hospitality.
>>> Alas, it's not that way for me.
>>>
>>> The fact is, I have no vacations. (Don't feel sorry for me; idleness
>>> is not something I wish for.) I have to spend 6 to 8 hours *every
>>> day* doing my usual work, which is responding to email about the GNU
>>> Project and the Free Software Movement. Work comes in every day for
>>> me, and if I skip it one day, I have to catch up another day. During
>>> the week I usually fall behind; on weekends I try to catch up.
>>>
>>> Traveling takes up time, so I will be extra busy during my visit. And
>>> it might be nice if I could do at least an hour or two of sightseeing
>>> during the visit. So please ask me *in advance* about *each*
>>> additional speech, meeting, or other activity that would take time. I
>>> don't mind being asked, and I may say yes, but I also may say no.
>>>
>>> Remember that an additional speech, even if it is just a one-hour
>>> speech, probably takes up two hours counting questions, autographs,
>>> etc. And then there is the travel time.
>>>
>>>
>>> Interviews:
>>>
>>> I am glad to give interviews to the press about the GNU system, but
>>> before I do, I want to be sure they will not repeat the two common
>>> mistakes (calling the whole system "Linux" and associating GNU or me
>>> with "open source"). Please explain this, and ask the journalist if
>>> he will agree to call the system "GNU/Linux" in the article, and to
>>> make it clear that our work is "free software" not "open source".
>>> Recommend reading http://www.gnu.org/gnu/linux-and-gnu.html and
>>> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/open-source-misses-the-point.html for
>>> explanations of these issues. If the journalist agrees, then I agree
>>> to an interview. Please have this discussion by email, and save the
>>> messages in both directions.
>>>
>>> Sometimes a journalist gives a response which sounds vaguely
>>> affirmative or sympathetic but its words do not really say "yes".
>>> Examples are "I will do this as much as I can" and "I understand the
>>> distinction." Such an answer is actually just "maybe", so when you
>>> receive one, please ask for clarification. If he says that the editor
>>> has the final decision, please respond with "Would you please consult
>>> the editor now, and tell us a firm decision?"
>>>
>>> It is also a good idea for the journalist to read
>>> http://www.gnu.org/gnu/the-gnu-project.html as well as
>>> http://www.gnu.org/gnu/gnu-linux-faq.html
>>> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-sw.html
>>> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/categories.html
>>> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/words-to-avoid.html
>>> http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/compromise.html
>>> http://stallman.org/articles/internet-sharing-license.en.html
>>> http://stallman.org/articles/ebooks.pdf before the interview. Those
>>> articles provide important background. This is especially important
>>> for anyone who cannot come to my speech first.
>>>
>>>
>>> Recorded interviews for broadcast:
>>>
>>> It is ok to do these either before or after my speech, and they
>>> usually need to be done one at a time, so I am willing to do them that
>>> way.
>>>
>>>
>>> Interviews not for broadcast:
>>>
>>> Please do not propose to hold these interviews before the conference.
>>> That order wastes my time. So please propose to hold them AFTER the
>>> conference.
>>>
>>> Also please ask journalists to *see my speech* before the interview.
>>> My speeches are not technical; they focus on precisely the sort of
>>> philosophical questions that a journalist would probably want to
>>> cover. If the journalist has not attended my speech, he will probably
>>> start by asking me to answer the same questions that I answer in the
>>> speech. That is a waste of time for me.
>>>
>>> If you schedule a press conference or group interview, please *plan
>>> the time of my speech to allow the interview after it*. It may be a
>>> good idea to find out from journalists what times are good for them,
>>> then schedule the conference, then schedule the speech before it.
>>> This way, they will all be able to get the full picture.
>>>
>>> It is also ok to have the interviews the day after the speech.
>>> That is another way to have them after the speech rather than before.
>>>
>>> If the journalists simply cannot do the interview after the speech,
>>> then I will do it before the speech if possible. But please insist
>>> that they watch or listen to a recording on audio-video.gnu.org of
>>> another speech.
>>>
>>> Please ask each journalist to agree to make a recording of the
>>> interview. Written notes tend to simplify, and often lead to
>>> incorrect quotes.
>>>
>>> I am willing to meet with any number of journalists, but if there are
>>> many, I can't meet all of them individually (it would take too much
>>> time). So what I will do is give private interviews to 2 or maybe 3
>>> of them, whichever ones you think are most important, and see the rest
>>> of them as a group (i.e. in a press conference).
>>>
>>> You and your associates can judge better than I do which journalists
>>> and which publications I should focus on. So I would like you to
>>> advise me about that. Please try to judge both the importance of the
>>> publication and the merits (intelligence, attention to accuracy,
>>> openness of mind, and absence of bias) of the journalist, if you can.
>>>
>>>
>>> Recording my speech:
>>>
>>> Please do record the speech if you can. We are always looking for
>>> good recordings of my speeches, both audio and video, to put on line.
>>>
>>> The GNU Project keeps an on-line audio and video collection of speech
>>> recordings in audio-video.gnu.org. If you are making an audio or
>>> video recording of my speech, please write to audio-video at gnu.org in
>>> advance for advice on how to make a recording that is good for further
>>> use, and subsequently to arrange to install your recording on our
>>> site.
>>>
>>> When you are making a recording, please *make sure* to tell me when
>>> the tape needs to be changed. I will pause. Please help me help you
>>> make the recording complete.
>>>
>>>
>>> Recording formats:
>>>
>>> Please make sure that your recording is not compressed with a
>>> substantially lossy codec (unless it is an Ogg codec). If we have to
>>> transcode the file, starting from a lower-quality base will reduce the
>>> quality of the result.
>>>
>>> It is best to provide audio recordings in the original recorded sample
>>> rate, up to 44100Hz. Monophonic is generally adequate for speech
>>> recordings and saves a lot of space over stereo.
>>>
>>> For video recordings, please save the master recording, which will
>>> probably be in miniDV format.
>>>
>>> Please don't transcode recordings from one format to another before
>>> sending to us, unless they have such a high bit rate that files are
>>> impractically large. If you do need to encode or transcode, please
>>> convert audio to 64Kbps mono Ogg Vorbis (or you could try Ogg Speex),
>>> and convert video to Matroska VP8 or to Ogg Theora with video quality
>>> set to 5 or more. If you need advice for how to do this, please ask
>>> audio-video at gnu.org.
>>>
>>>
>>> Putting my speech on the net:
>>>
>>> If you would like to put my speech on the Internet, or distribute it
>>> in digital form, I insist on using the formats of the free software
>>> community: Ogg Vorbis or Ogg Speex format for audio, and Matroska VP8
>>> (Webm) or Ogg Theora for video. Please do not distribute my speech in
>>> any other format.
>>>
>>> Please do not ever broadcast or publish my speeches in formats that
>>> are not good for free software. I will not speak to make a recording
>>> or broadcast that requires non-free software to be heard or viewed.
>>> Don't use RealPlayer format, or Quicktime, or Windows Media Player
>>> format, or a patented format such as MPEG2, MPEG4, or MP3.
>>>
>>> This requirement is very important, because if it is not followed,
>>> viewing my speech will require people to do the exact opposite of what
>>> I ask them to do. The medium's message would contradict my message.
>>>
>>> Because this is so important, please make sure everyone who might be
>>> involved in broadcasting the event, or who might be directly or
>>> indirectly involved in planning such a broadcast, knows this
>>> requirement in advance of the event.
>>>
>>> You can get advice and help in distributing Ogg files from Mallory
>>> Knodel <mallory at mayfirst.org>.
>>>
>>> Please also make sure that users can access the file on the site without
>>> running any Javascript code.
>>>
>>>
>>> Streaming the speech:
>>>
>>> Streaming is a kind of Internet distribution, so everything in the
>>> previous section applies. In particular, you must use only Ogg format
>>> or Matroska VP8 (Webm).
>>>
>>> If you want to stream my speech but you have not done streaming in Ogg
>>> or VP8 before, don't leave the matter till the last minute. By then,
>>> it will be too late. Please try a test session two weeks before the
>>> speech. That way, if you encounter any problem, there will be time to
>>> resolve it before the speech.
>>>
>>> If you have previously done streaming using some streaming service and
>>> you can't immediately name the format it uses, chances are it is
>>> unacceptable and I won't let you use it for my speech. So please
>>> check, two weeks in advance, what format it uses. If you find it uses
>>> some bad format, you will have time to arrange for ethical streaming.
>>>
>>> You can get advice and help in Ogg streaming from Mallory Knodel
>>> <mallory at mayfirst.org>. Please ask two weeks before the event; they
>>> can do it faster, but why make their work hectic unnecessarily? See
>>> https://support.mayfirst.org/wiki/live-video-streaming-support for
>>> more info.
>>>
>>> I do not compromise on this issue. Be warned that if you are
>>> streaming in a format that works against free software, I will demand
>>> you turn off the streaming while I speak.
>>>
>>>
>>> Remote speeches by video connection:
>>>
>>> I can do a speech remotely through a videoconferencing system. This
>>> can be done by Internet or by ISDN. For good quality by Internet, we
>>> need a maximum of 100msec response time for ping between your site and
>>> where I am, and 100kbytes/sec transfer rate.
>>>
>>> Using two or three ISDN lines gives good quality but the calls cost
>>> money. If I am at home, there is a facility I can use at no charge;
>>> you would have to pay for the ISDN calls and for the facilities at
>>> your end. If I am somewhere else (which is true more than half the
>>> time), then we will need to find a videoconferencing facility for me
>>> to use; most likely you will need to pay for that.
>>>
>>>
>>> Warning about giveways:
>>>
>>> You may find companies offering you CD-ROMs, books, fliers or
>>> publicity materials to give away or sell at my speech. Please check
>>> them before you accept them, to make sure that they don't promote the
>>> very thing that we are working to replace.
>>>
>>> For instance, the CDs may contain non-free software. Most distros of
>>> GNU/Linux contain or suggest non-free software in addition to the free
>>> software. (And most of them call the system "Linux".) Please check
>>> with me before you allow a CD of GNU/Linux to be distributed at the
>>> event.
>>>
>>> Books about use of the GNU/Linux system and about GNU programs are
>>> fine if they themselves are also free. But many of them are non-free
>>> (see http://www.gnu.org/philosophy/free-doc.html). To see if a book
>>> is free, check the license on the back of the title page. If it uses
>>> the GNU Free Documentation License, or the Open Publication License
>>> version 1 without options A and B, then it is free. If it isn't one
>>> of those, please show me the license and I will tell you if it is a
>>> free license.
>>>
>>> If companies send you publicity materials, please check with me before
>>> giving them out at my speech.
>>>
>>>
>>> Flights:
>>>
>>> The FSF does not pay for my travel, and I can't afford to. I will
>>> need you to arrange to cover the cost of my traveling to and from your
>>> city (unless I've told you someone else will do it).
>>>
>>> I am traveling most of the time, and most of my trips include several
>>> stops. Chances are your city is neither the first nor the last stop
>>> in the trip. Please don't make assumptions about the itinerary;
>>> instead, please ask me for whatever information you need.
>>>
>>> Many organizations ask to buy the tickets and send them to me. I do
>>> not object to that method in principle, but it typically assumes the
>>> trip goes to just one city. That approach is hard to use for a
>>> multi-destination trip, unless you want to pay for the whole trip.
>>> (Sometimes it will work for you to buy tickets for part of the trip,
>>> but that depends what the rest of the trip looks like.) So normally I
>>> buy the tickets myself and get reimbursed by the various places I am
>>> visiting. For a multi-destination trip, we will need to agree on what
>>> parts of the travel expenses you should cover.
>>>
>>> When you buy me a ticket, here's an issue to pay attention to. Some
>>> airlines charge a fee for selecting a seat; if they do, please secure
>>> me a window seat (or aisle, second best) at the time of purchase. If
>>> I will have to go through passport control after the flight, please
>>> try to get me a seat closer to the front of the plane. If I buy the
>>> ticket or if the airline does not charge for this, my assistant will
>>> take care of the seat.
>>>
>>> Some organizations feel that hospitality calls for providing me with a
>>> business class ticket. That is indeed more comfortable, but an
>>> economy class seat is good enough. Meanwhile, speaking is my main
>>> source of income, and the extra price of a business class ticket would
>>> be a lot more useful for me if I can spend it on something else. So
>>> if you were thinking of spending extra for business class, how about
>>> if you pay the extra to me as a speaker's fee instead?
>>>
>>> We should plan for me to arrive (at the site itself, not just at the
>>> airport) at least 24 hours before the speech; that way, even if the
>>> flight is cancelled, there is a good chance I can still arrive in time
>>> for the speech by taking the same flight the next day.
>>>
>>> I cannot do Internet check-in; it is impossible. I don't mind if you
>>> do it for me, but I am equally happy to check in at the airport.
>>>
>>>
>>> Lost tickets:
>>>
>>> If you are not paying me a speaking fee, but you are paying for the
>>> airline tickets, I must insist that you cover the costs if I have to
>>> replace a lost ticket, the fee for changing the ticket if I miss a
>>> flight, or any other surprise expenses associated with my travel to
>>> and from your location.
>>>
>>> This might seem unfair--if a ticket is lost, it could be my fault.
>>> But my income is not large, and I cannot afford to assume this risk
>>> myself if the event offers me no income. The frustration I feel when
>>> I suffer such a loss is excruciating. It is better for me to decline
>>> to travel to a certain place than to take such a risk.
>>>
>>> With electronic tickets, there is no problem of lost tickets,
>>> but other problems can still occur.
>>>
>>> Alternatively, you can pay me a speaker's fee, which I would
>>> appreciate. Then I can assume this risk myself.
>>>
>>>
>>> Bus and train tickets:
>>>
>>> If you buy bus or train tickets for me, do not give my name! Big
>>> Brother has no right to know where I travel, or where you travel, or
>>> where anyone travels. If they arbitrarily demand a name, give a name
>>> that does not belong to any person you know of. If they will check my
>>> ID before I board the bus or train, then let's look for another way
>>> for me to travel. (In the US I never use long-distance trains because
>>> of their ID policy.)
>>>
>>> Don't give them your name either: please pay for the ticket in cash.
>>>
>>>
>>> Other expenses:
>>>
>>> I expect you to cover expenses such as visa fees, fees for mailing my
>>> passport back and forth, taxis to and from the airport, and so on.
>>>
>>>
>>> Accommodations:
>>>
>>> I am willing to stay in a hotel if there is no other way.
>>> Please book the hotel for me and arrange to pay the hotel directly.
>>>
>>> But please DON'T make a hotel reservation until we have fully explored
>>> other options. If there is anyone who wants to offer a spare couch, I
>>> would much rather stay there than in a hotel (provided I have a door I
>>> can close, in order to have some privacy). Staying with someone is
>>> more fun for me than a hotel, and it would also save you money.
>>>
>>> Many countries have a law that hotels must report all guests to the
>>> police. In most cases, this orwellian policy applies not only to
>>> foreigners like me, but to citizens as well! The citizens should be
>>> outraged by this, but often they are not.
>>>
>>> Please call the hotel and ask whether they will demand to see my
>>> passport, and whether they report all their guests to the police. If
>>> it has this policy, please join me in striking a blow against Big
>>> Brother, by looking for a place I can stay in that doesn't demand to
>>> see my passport, or report my visit to anyone. If the police want
>>> information about free software, they are welcome to come to my
>>> speech.
>>>
>>> My distaste for a hotel is less if it does not put my name in a data
>>> base, but staying in a house with people is normally more enjoyable
>>> than staying alone. Even in the absence of nasty surveillance, a
>>> hotel is not as nice. In the house I would find books I could browse
>>> through, music recordings to listen to, a way to make tea, and
>>> company.
>>>
>>> If you have found a person for me to stay with, please forward this
>>> section and the three following sections to that person.
>>>
>>>
>>> Temperature:
>>>
>>> Above 72 fahrenheit (22 centigrade) I find sleeping quite difficult.
>>> (If the air is dry, I can stand 23 degrees.) A little above that
>>> temperature, a strong electric fan blowing on me enables me to sleep.
>>> More than 3 degrees above that temperature, I need air conditioning to
>>> sleep.
>>>
>>> If there is a substantial chance of indoor temperatures too hot for
>>> me, please arrange _in advance_ for me to have what I need.
>>>
>>> If you are planning for me to stay in a hotel, DO NOT take for granted
>>> that the hotel has air conditioning--or that it will be working when I
>>> arrive. Some hotels shut off their air conditioning systems for part
>>> of the year. They often think it is unnecessary in seasons when the
>>> temperature is usually in the mid 20s--and they follow their schedule
>>> like stupid robots even if there is a heat wave.
>>>
>>> So you must explicitly ask them: "Do you have air conditioning? Will
>>> it be functioning for the dates XXX-YYY?"
>>>
>>> In some hotels with central air conditioning, it simply does not work
>>> very well: it can make a room less hot, but can't make it cool.
>>> Before using a hotel that has central air conditioning, find out what
>>> temperature it can actually lower a room to, during the relevant
>>> dates.
>>>
>>> Or look for a hotel that has a real cooling unit in the room, not a
>>> central system. Those tend to work well enough, if they are not
>>> broken.
>>>
>>>
>>> Pets:
>>>
>>> I like cats if they are friendly, but they are not good for me; I am
>>> somewhat allergic to them. This allergy makes my face itch and my
>>> eyes water. So the bed, and the room I will usually be staying in,
>>> need to be clean of cat hair. However, it is no problem if there is a
>>> cat elsewhere in the house--I might even enjoy it if the cat is
>>> friendly.
>>>
>>> Dogs that bark angrily and/or jump up on me frighten me, unless they
>>> are small and cannot reach much above my knees. But if they only bark
>>> or jump when we enter the house, I can cope, as long as you hold the
>>> dog away from me at that time. Aside from that issue, I'm ok with
>>> dogs.
>>>
>>> If you can find a host for me that has a friendly parrot, I will be
>>> very very glad. If you can find someone who has a friendly parrot I
>>> can visit with, that will be nice too.
>>>
>>> DON'T buy a parrot figuring that it will be a fun surprise for me. To
>>> acquire a parrot is a major decision: it is likely to outlive you. If
>>> you don't know how to treat the parrot, it could be emotionally
>>> scarred and spend many decades feeling frightened and unhappy. If you
>>> buy a captured wild parrot, you will promote a cruel and devastating
>>> practice, and the parrot will be emotionally scarred before you get it.
>>> Meeting that sad animal is not an agreeable surprise.
>>>
>>>
>>> Hospitality:
>>>
>>> Please pass this section to everyone who will be helping me directly
>>> in any fashion during the visit.
>>>
>>> It is nice of you to want to be kind to me, but please don't offer
>>> help all the time. In general I am used to managing life on my own;
>>> when I need help, I am not shy about asking. So there is no need to
>>> offer to help me. Moreover, being constantly offered help is actually
>>> quite distracting and tiresome.
>>>
>>> So please, unless I am in grave immediate danger, please don't offer
>>> help. The nicest thing you can do is help when I ask, and otherwise
>>> not worry about how I am doing. Meanwhile, you can also ask me for
>>> help when you need it.
>>>
>>> One situation where I do not need help, let alone supervision, is in
>>> crossing streets. I grew up in the middle of the world's biggest
>>> city, full of cars, and I have crossed streets without assistance even
>>> in the chaotic traffic of Bangalore and Delhi. Please just leave me
>>> alone when I cross streets.
>>>
>>> In some places, my hosts act as if my every wish were their command.
>>> By catering to my every whim, in effect they make me a tyrant over
>>> them, which is not a role I like. I start to worry that I might
>>> subject them to great burdens without even realizing. I start being
>>> afraid to express my appreciation of anything, because they would get
>>> it and give it to me at any cost. If it is night, and the stars are
>>> beautiful, I hesitate to say so, lest my hosts feel obligated to try
>>> to get one for me.
>>>
>>> When I'm trying to decide what to do, often I mention things that
>>> MIGHT be nice to do--depending on more details, if it fits the
>>> schedule, if there isn't a better alternative, etc. Some hosts take
>>> such a tentative suggestion as an order, and try moving heaven and
>>> earth to make it happen. This excessive rigidity is not only quite
>>> burdensome for other people, it can even fail in its goal of pleasing
>>> me. If there is a better alternative, I'd rather be flexible and
>>> choose it instead--so please tell me. If my tentative suggestion
>>> imposes a lot of trouble on others, I want to drop it--so please tell
>>> me.
>>>
>>> When you need to tell me about a problem in a plan, please do not
>>> start with a long apology. That is unbearably boring, and unnecessary
>>> -- conveying useful information is helpful and good, and why apologize
>>> for that? So please be practical and go straight to the point.
>>>
>>> If I am typing on my computer and it is time to do something else,
>>> please tell me. Don't wait quietly for me to "finish working",
>>> because you might wait forever. I have to squeeze in answering mail
>>> at every possible opportunity, which includes whenever I have to wait.
>>> I wait by working. If instead of telling me there is no more need for
>>> me to wait, you wait for me to stop waiting for you, we will both wait
>>> forever -- or until I figure out what's happening.
>>>
>>>
>>> Email:
>>>
>>> It is very important for me to be able to transfer email between my
>>> laptop and the net, so I can do my ordinary work. While traveling, I
>>> often need to do the work and the transfer late at night, or in the
>>> morning before a departure. So please set up a way I can connect to
>>> the net from the place I am staying.
>>>
>>> I do NOT use browsers, I use the SSH protocol. If the network
>>> requires a proxy for SSH, I probably can't use it at all.
>>>
>>> If a hotel says "We have internet access for customers", that is so
>>> vague that it cannot be relied on. So please find out exactly what
>>> they have and exactly what it will do. If they have an ethernet, do
>>> they have a firewall? Does it permit SSH connections? What
>>> parameters does the user need to specify in order to talk with it?
>>>
>>> Please check those things directly, or ask the people who actually run
>>> the network. If you talk with someone who doesn't understand what
>>> "SSH connection" means, or if he doesn't understand the difference
>>> between "Internet" and "web browsing", that person is not competent to
>>> give reliable information. Don't rely on information from such a
>>> person--talk to someone who knows!
>>>
>>> For reasons of principle, I am unwilling to identify myself in order
>>> to connect to the Internet. For instance, if a hotel gives a user
>>> name and password to each room, I won't use that system, since it
>>> would identify me. I would need some other way to connect.
>>>
>>> Likewise, on principle, I do not run Javascript code unless I can
>>> check it first and see it is trivial (or else, see that it carries a
>>> free license). If a wireless network requires Javascript, I can't
>>> check it first, so I cannot use such a network. Please make sure in
>>> advance that the network functions without Javascript!
>>>
>>> However, I don't mind entering an encryption key for the wireness
>>> network. The encryption key is the same for all users of that
>>> network, so it does not identify a specific user.
>>>
>>> My machine inexplicably fails to connect to certain wireless networks.
>>> If the plan is that I use a wireless network, we need a backup plan in
>>> case that fails. If the wireless hub allows connecting with an
>>> Ethernet cable, that's a good backup plan.
>>>
>>> A modem connection is fine if it works, so please verify in advance
>>> that the telephone line you expect me to use has a modular jack and
>>> that it works to call the ISP from that line. Hotels in Europe and
>>> Asia often have peculiar phone systems; the staff may tell you it is
>>> possible to call an ISP from the hotel *but they may be wrong*. For
>>> instance, their phone switchboard may not recognize the tones produced
>>> by modems. The only way to tell for certain is to go to the hotel,
>>> try phoning with a computer from a guest room, and see if it actually
>>> works. Until you have tested it, don't believe it!
>>>
>>> My ISP phone numbers are old; I don't know if they will still work.
>>> If you propose I use a modem, please find a number I can call. It is
>>> best if you lend me a permanent account that someone else uses, one
>>> that will continue working afterward, so that I can use it again if I
>>> come back or use it from other places in the region. Hotel phone
>>> rates may be high; I expect you to cover them. However, I normally
>>> connect to the net only for around ten minutes at a time, twice a day,
>>> so the total won't be too big.
>>>
>>> If I need to use a dialup connection, please cover the costs of the
>>> telephone calls I will need to transfer my email -- especially in a
>>> hotel. Some hotels charge a lot of money for this.
>>>
>>> Wireless modems mostly do not work with my machine, so do not plan on
>>> my using one. I won't refuse to use them if you have an expert who
>>> can make it work, but success is rare. If it involves loading a
>>> nonfree driver, I will refuse.
>>>
>>>
>>> Paying me a reimbursement or a fee:
>>>
>>> Please pay my reimbursement or fee to me personally; do not pay it to
>>> the FSF. The FSF and I have completely separate finances, and the FSF
>>> never pays for my travel. The FSF welcomes donations, but please make
>>> sure that money intended for me is not sent to them, because moving it
>>> afterward would mean accounting headaches as well as extra work.
>>>
>>> My assistant is not involved with my finances, so she cannot help you
>>> with that issue. Please send questions about payments to me directly.
>>>
>>> If you pay me by check, and you're not in the US, make sure to get a
>>> check that lists a corresponding US bank--otherwise it will cost me a
>>> fee to deposit the check. Please mail the check _in US dollars_ to:
>>>
>>> Richard Stallman
>>> 77 Mass Ave rm 32-381
>>> Cambridge MA 02139
>>> Phone number: +1-617-253-8830
>>>
>>> Do not mail it to the FSF!
>>>
>>> A wire transfer is also a good method of payment. I will send you the
>>> coordinates; ask if you need them. The bank you use will charge a
>>> fee, and my bank charges me $10 for each incoming transfer; please add
>>> those fees to the amount, rather than taking them out of what I
>>> receive.
>>>
>>> If you are outside the US, please convert your currency to dollars in
>>> your bank, then use one of the above methods to pay me the dollars.
>>> My bank gives very bad exchange rates; yours is surely better.
>>>
>>> Cash is also fine.
>>>
>>> If you want an invoice, I will be glad to give you one. Let's work
>>> out what it should say by email before I arrive. Please also check
>>> before the visit whether you need any other forms, such as tax forms.
>>> I would like to be able to take care of any necessary forms while I am
>>> there, rather than wait till afterward.
>>>
>>>
>>> Dinners:
>>>
>>> If you are thinking of setting up a lunch or dinner for me with more
>>> than 4 people total, please consider that as a meeting, and discuss it
>>> with me in advance. Such meals draw on my strength, just like
>>> speeches and interviews. They are not relaxation, they are work.
>>>
>>> I expect to do work during my visit, but there is a limit on the
>>> amount of work I can handle each day. So please ask me in advance
>>> about any large planned meal, and expect me to say no if I have a lot
>>> of other work already. If we are having a meal that I did not agree
>>> to as a large meal, and other people ask if they can join, please tell
>>> them no. In both cases, please tell them that I need a chance to
>>> relax after the other work I will have done.
>>>
>>> Please don't be surprised if I pull out my computer at dinner and
>>> begin handling some of my email. I have difficulty hearing when there
>>> is noise; at dinner, when people are speaking to each other, I usually
>>> cannot hear their words. Rather than feel bored, or impose on
>>> everyone by asking them to speak slowly at me, I do some work.
>>>
>>> Please don't try to pressure me to "relax" instead, and fall behind on
>>> my work. Surely you do not really want me to have to work double the
>>> next day to catch up (assuming I even COULD catch up). Please do not
>>> interfere as I do what I need to do.
>>>
>>>
>>> Food:
>>>
>>> I do not generally eat breakfast. Please do not trouble me with
>>> questions about what I want for breakfast -- it is a waste of time for
>>> you and for me.
>>>
>>> I enjoy delicious food, and I like most kinds of cooking if they are
>>> done well (the exception being that I cannot eat anything very spicy).
>>> If I am ordering from the menu in a restaurant which has a variety,
>>> there's no need for you to worry about the question of what I like; I
>>> will take care of it.
>>>
>>> But if you want to cook for me, or invite me to a restaurant that
>>> specializes in just one thing, or invite me to dinner with a preset
>>> menu, you need to know what I dislike:
>>>
>>> avocado
>>> eggplant, usually (there are occasional exceptions)
>>> hot pepper
>>> olives
>>> liver (even in trace quantities)
>>> stomach and intestine; other organ meats
>>> cooked tuna
>>> oysters
>>> egg yolk, if the taste is noticeable, except when boiled completely
>>> hard
>>> many strong cheeses, especially those with green fungus
>>> desserts that contain fruit or liqueur flavors
>>> sour fruits, such as grapefruit and many oranges
>>> beer
>>> coffee (though weak coffee flavor can be good in desserts)
>>> the taste of alcohol (so I don't drink anything stronger than wine)
>>>
>>> Don't ever try to decide what food I should eat without asking me.
>>> Never assume that I will surely like a certain dish, merely because
>>> most people do. Instead, ask me in advance!
>>>
>>> As long as there are many alternatives to choose from, there will be
>>> no problem.
>>>
>>>
>>> Wine:
>>>
>>> Wine is not very important to me--not like food. I like some wines,
>>> depending on the taste, and dislike others, but I don't remember the
>>> names of wines I have liked, so it is useless to ask me.
>>>
>>> Therefore, if you're having dinner with me, please don't ask me what
>>> to do about wine. I can't decide intelligently, and it matters more
>>> to others than to me. Have wine or don't, as you prefer; choose it to
>>> please yourself and the others, not for me.
>>>
>>> If you get a bottle of wine, I will taste it, and if I like the taste,
>>> I will drink a little, perhaps a glass.
>>>
>>>
>>> Restaurants:
>>>
>>> So I like to go to restaurants that are good at whatever kind of food
>>> they do. I don't arrive with specific preferences for a kind of food
>>> to eat--rather, I want to have whatever is good there: perhaps the
>>> local traditional cuisine, or the food of an immigrant ethnic group
>>> which is present in large numbers, or something unusual and original.
>>>
>>> So please don't ask me "Where do you want to eat?" or "What kind of
>>> restaurant do you want to go to?" I can't make an intelligent
>>> decision without knowing the facts, and unless I am already familiar
>>> with the city we're in, I can only get those facts from you.
>>>
>>> The only general thing I can tell you is that what I like or dislike
>>> about a meal is the sensation of eating the food. Other things, such
>>> as the decor of a restaurant, or the view from its windows, are
>>> secondary. Let's choose the restaurant based on its food.
>>>
>>> A good approach is to ask around *in advance* among your acquaintances
>>> to find people who like good food and are familiar with the area's
>>> restaurants. They will be able to give good recommendations.
>>>
>>>
>>> Sightseeing:
>>>
>>> If I am visiting an interesting city or region, I will probably want
>>> to do a few hours of sightseeing in between the work. But don't try
>>> to plan sightseeing for me without asking me first--I can only spare a
>>> limited time for it, so I am selective about where to go. Please
>>> don't assume I want to see something just because it is customary to
>>> take visitors there. That place may be of no interest with me.
>>> Instead, please tell me about possible places to visit--then I can say
>>> what I would like.
>>>
>>> I enjoy natural beauty such as mountains and rocky coasts, ancient
>>> buildings, impressive and unusual modern buildings, and trains. I
>>> like caves, and if there is a chance to go caving I would enjoy that.
>>> (I am just a novice as a caver.) I often find museums interesting,
>>> but it depends on the subject.
>>>
>>> I tend to like music that has a feeling of dance in it, but I
>>> sometimes like other kinds too. However, I usually dislike the
>>> various genres that are popular in the US, such as rock, country, rap,
>>> reggae, techno, and composed American "folk". Please tell me what
>>> unusual music and dance forms are present; I can tell you if I am
>>> interested. If there is a chance to see folk dancing, I would
>>> probably enjoy that.
>>>
>>> If there is something else interesting and unique, please tell me
>>> about it. Maybe I will be interested.
>>>
>>>
>>> More arrangements:
>>>
>>> Once we have a precise date for the speech, my assistant will contact
>>> you with questions about the arrangements for the trip. Please
>>> respond as soon as possible with the information she asks for.
>>>
>>> Please do not ever mail me a file larger than 100k without asking me
>>> first. I almost certainly do not want to receive it in that form. If
>>> you would like feedback or approval for proposed publicity, please
>>> talk with rms-assist about it, not with me. If you want to give me
>>> data about airplane tickets, please send that info as plain ASCII
>>> text, not as images or PDFs. Thank you.
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>> _______________________________________________
>>> ProgramaFisl mailing list
>>> ProgramaFisl at listas.softwarelivre.org
>>> http://listas.softwarelivre.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/programafisl
>> _______________________________________________
>> ProgramaFisl mailing list
>> ProgramaFisl at listas.softwarelivre.org
>> http://listas.softwarelivre.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/programafisl
> Bruno.
> ______________________________________________________________________
> Bruno Peres Ferreira de Souza Brazil's JavaMan
> http://www.javaman.com.br bruno at javaman.com.br
> if I fail, if I succeed, at least I live as I believe
>
>
>
> _______________________________________________
> ProgramaFisl mailing list
> ProgramaFisl at listas.softwarelivre.org
> http://listas.softwarelivre.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/programafisl
--
Rodrigo Troian - ASL
+55 51 32280199 +55 51 93882530
---------------------------
14º Fórum Internacional Software Livre
de 3 a 6 de julho em Porto Alegre, RS.
http://www.fisl.org.br
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