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so... anyone wanna add to the SudoBook on github?

by Romy Ilano

https://github.com/sudoroom/SudoBook !

11 years, 9 months

Re: [sudo-discuss] Telling Oakland stories in Sudo space: my own part 1 of (?)

by Anthony Di Franco

Most of the time, sudo room is simply a good place to be around good people doing interesting and worthwhile things, one open to the community. But when it's at its worst, which it has been quite often during the last few days, it serves as a vehicle for fantasies of finding authenticity, righteousness, insight, and empowerment through discovery of and association with a stereotyped, exotic, mysterious other that read like they came straight out of an Allan Quatermain novel. Self-aggrandizing fantasies that patronize and dehumanize the people they feature as props and the suffering victims they use as human shields to deflect criticism. A while ago I tried to object to this tendency in oblique terms, and it led to a tremendous and tremendously bitter misunderstanding. Seeing this tendency be expressed more directly now makes me think it was more than a misunderstanding. This time I will be more direct and try to leave no possibility of misunderstanding. I struggled through outrage at the hypocrisy to find the words with which to object this time. I thought of Ivan Illich's warning<http://www.swaraj.org/illich_hell.htm>to American students headed to Mexico, which I often come back to. Eventually I remembered that Teju Cole, a more talented writer than I am, one in closer contact with more profound examples of what I object to, provided the right words here<http://www.theatlantic.com/international/archive/2012/03/the-white-savior-i…> : *"The banality of evil transmutes into the banality of sentimentality. The world is nothing but a problem to be solved by enthusiasm. The White Savior Industrial Complex is not about justice. It is about having a big emotional experience that validates privilege... I deeply respect American sentimentality, the way one respects a wounded hippo. You must keep an eye on it, for you know it is deadly."* I have learned to respect sudo room in that sense (among many others), and I've developed a habit of keeping an eye on it from a safe distance, out of some similar kind of dire necessity (among many other reasons). Paraphrasing Cole with apologies: *"[Oakland] has provided a space onto which white egos can conveniently be projected. It is a liberated space in which the usual rules do not apply: a nobody from America or Europe can go to [Oakland] and become a godlike savior or, at the very least, have his or her emotional needs satisfied. Many have done it under the banner of "making a difference." To state this obvious and well-attested truth does not make me a racist or a Mau Mau..."* *"What innocent heroes don't always understand is that they play a useful role for people who have much more cynical motives. The White Savior Industrial Complex is a valve for releasing the unbearable pressures that build in a system built on pillage..."* [ellipsis again with apologies to Cole] *"But those whom privilege allows to deny constellational thinking would enjoy ignoring this fact."* It would be better if sudo room were always, as it usually is, simply a good place to be around good people doing interesting and worthwhile things, open to the community, *nothing more*. On Tue, Nov 19, 2013 at 10:44 PM, Pete Forsyth <peteforsyth(a)gmail.com>wrote: > All: > > In the spirit of Rhodey's recent message,[1] I'd like to share an Oakland > vignette of my own, about a pool league I recently joined. But first, > here's why: > > I began to get especially excited about Sudo Room when I started to > realize it aspires to be more than just a bunch of computer geeks coming > together to hack computery stuff (awesome enough in itself) -- that it also > wants to be a community that hacks *life* together. Meeting chefs and > filmmakers was the first wave for me, and then I started hearing heatlfelt > and inspired talk about stuff like social change and engaging with local > government. Yeah! > > Many of us, though, are new, or newish, to Oakland. And we are people who > want to have a positive impact on the world around us. But Oakland is a > place with deep history and culture, and on a pretty basic level, it would > be...impolite...to come to a party and immediately start trying to change > what it is. So the desire to get to KNOW Oakland is one that resonates very > strongly with me, as an important first step before contemplating ways to > INFLUENCE Oakland. I think sharing stories is a powerful way (among others) > to get to know something complex and multifaceted. > > Anyway, enough of the philosophizing. I want to tell you guys a little bit > about the pool league I joined a couple months back. > > Apparently, there have been several Oakland/East Bay pool leagues over the > last 30 years or so (where each team has a home bar, and competes weekly > over a scheduled season). Right now, there's only one league (or at least, > only one connected with this community). It's coed, it's a 30 week season > (we're about 9 weeks in), it's run by a woman who has run an all-women's > league but just started this one, and it will culminate in a trip to Reno > for all participants. By now, having played against all the other teams, > and can say I am truly the only white person in the league;[2] and I think > I'm also unique (more or less) in my connection/familiarity with > Internet/hacker culture. > > I've played in a pool league before, but it's been 10 or 15 years. As this > league was forming, I heard about it from a number of regulars at my local > bar in Emeryville -- the organizer, and a number of people who have ended > up on various teams in the league. There was some buzz about it, and I > ended up joining a team that plays out of an East Oakland bar. > > The first couple weeks passed pretty quietly. Weeks 3 and 4, though, got > rowdy! Lots of arguments in various games, and of course, there was some > inertia to it -- the overall mood became increasingly tense each night. I > felt cautious about this -- as a newcomer, I was reluctant to be involved > in the arguments -- I was still getting to know the vibe and the people. > But that only goes so far. I felt a responsibility to the integrity of the > game (I know the rules better than many in the league, who are more > familiar with "bar rules" than "league rules"); and moreover, a > responsibility to my team. I have to advocate for myself in my own games -- > that's part of what I showed up to do -- and there are situations where I > have to step it up on behalf of my teammates, too. To keep it short, weeks > 3 and 4 were were it "got real" for me. > > In week 5, there was a new twist: my friend Eugene, who's recently been > taking photography classes (and who hasn't played pool in a competitive > context), had been asking about coming to take some photos, and was finally > able to make it to a match. I had run this by the league coordinator and a > couple teammates, so I was confident our bases were covered -- but after > the hot tempers of the preceding weeks, I was nervous! Were we now in a > new, hypercompetitive mode where the slightest detail is going to lead to a > shouting match? Is it OK to introduce a new and unfamiliar element to a > volatile situation? What kind of effect will it have? > > Fortunately, overall it was a super mellow night. Both teams seemed > relaxed. I found myself lining up laid back blues tracks on the jukebox > between my games, and caught several of my teammates and opponents nodding > their heads or singing along throughout the evening. > > But one moment was an exception. I was watching a teammate's game, and > felt a surge of adrenaline as a dispute broke out about whether her > opponent had made a clean hit.[3] I had seen the shot clearly, and knew > what I'd seen, but there were enough eyes on the table and enough people in > the discussion that I was happy to sit back and watch it play out. But I > did notice that Eugene, who had begun to hit his stride with the camera, > was continuing to snap pictures. I was thinking this might be weird, but > nobody else seemed fussed over it, so I stayed passive, just taking it all > in. The players were raising their voices, talking over each other, > captains and teammates had stepped up to the table to weigh in. Most of the > 10 players present were involved in an escalating argument. > > After a couple minutes things started to wind down -- an agreement had > been reached. The players got back to their game, but people continued > talking about the shot. Eugene came close enough that I could grab his > elbow. "What did you think of that?" I asked. Eugene and I have a shared > passion for sports, and I was certain that he would have an opinion -- > maybe not of the substance of the dispute, but at least something about the > dynamics among the various players. But he gave me a blank look. "Of what?" > > In that simple statement, it hit me: between the jargon/etiquette of the > game of pool and the cadence of the Ebonics,[4] there is a world I have > come to know much better than I did a few months ago. I don't know that I > understand it *well* -- I'm not sure if that's even possible without having > grown up in this community! I still find myself in situations almost every > day where I haven't the slightest idea what the people around me are > talking about. But without realizing it, I had become much more highly > attuned to what was going on, at least in that situation. > > Ever since, that moment has stuck with me. As I walk down the street, get > a sandwich at the corner store, or ride the bus, I've been asking myself: > how much of what I see and hear is fitting together? Do I understand what's > going on here? Fully? Or a little bit? Who is trying to get whose number, > what happened to that boy in school today, why is that woman laughing? What > would I have been able to perceive when I moved here last spring? And I'm > starting to realize: it's rarely true, actually, that I haven't the > *slightest* idea. I might not understand everything, but as time passes I > understand more. To me, that's pretty exciting, because beginning to > understand helps unlock the possibility of participating in a relaxed and > genuine way. And if I'm going to be here, it's important to me to *be here.* > > I'm curious to hear from others who are relatively new to Oakland, how > your process of getting to know it is going. > > -Pete > > p.s. Want to help support the league...or have an itch to gamble? We have > a raffle going on! Tickets are $1, and must be purchased by Thursday > evening. The prize is a Thanksgiving turkey -- and I can inquire about > Tofurky or other alternatives if necessary ;) Proceeds go toward making the > Reno trip at the end of the season...well, the word that comes to mind > is..."mo'betta." > p.p.s. Want to PLAY in the league? I think some teams have lost players to > shifting work schedules etc. Let me know, and I can see if there are > openings! > > ---- > NOTES > > [1] > http://lists.sudoroom.org/pipermail/sudo-discuss/2013-November/004593.html > [2] Since race has been a sensitive issue lately, let me be clear: I > believe racial relations have an important, maybe even central, role in > Oakland history and culture. I have never had great exposure to any black > community before, and am trying to take it in for what it is, and -- to the > best of my ability -- leave preconceptions behind. I do not claim to be > perfect at this. > [3] If you're not familiar with the "ball in hand" rule in competitive > pool: if you don't hit one of your own balls first (stripe/solid), your > opponent can place the cue ball anywhere on the table and take the next > shot. As you might imagine, sometimes it's very hard to tell which ball was > struck first, so this is a common point of contention. > [4] OK, I'm more than a little self-conscious about this term. I am eager > for input! It's a term people seem to use casually in this community, but > I'm not sure how it's taken elsewhere. I think it carries a lot of baggage. > But, there's definitely a dialect here that can be difficult for me to > understand. I'm not sure what are the best words to use for it. > > _______________________________________________ > sudo-discuss mailing list > sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org > http://lists.sudoroom.org/listinfo/sudo-discuss > >

11 years, 9 months

Oakland City Council meeting

by Tracy Jacobs

Hey all you Sudo people I saw at the Oakland City Council meeting last night, I just wanted to thank you for staying so long and waiting to speak about the proposed Domain Awareness center. You are all really amazing. It was the highlight of my rainy exhausting workday today to hear Aesthetix on the NPR radio news, asking pointed questions to the city council and bringing lots of publicity to the issue. From that NPR report I learned that you all stayed until 1:00 A.M. ! to get your chance to speak, and for this you are my heroes! Thanks a lot for doing that! Tracy

11 years, 9 months

my experiences with "crime" in oakland [part 1 of ?]

by rhodey

Receiving and contemplating the perspectives of others is one of my favorite ways to burn metaphorical CPU cycles. The level of respect I show for differing perspectives is something I hope to never be content with, that is to say I believe it's an endless process and I'm still working on it. I have a tendency to keep my head stuck in projects and have realized is that I've been holding out on sharing many of my most valued perspectives, more specifically my experiences. It is my hope that through sharing experiences we can better understand how to conduct ourselves within Sudo Room and how we Sudo Room can better conduct ourselves within our local community. I arrived in the "bay area" May 1st by way of some airport in New England, in search of hackers, activists and uncomfortable experiences. After subletting an apartment in the mission for all of a month I moved to West Oakland. Since arriving in Oakland I've been robbed three times, to me each experience has been indescribably educational in its own way. However, my first crime related experience in Oakland was not a crime at all. There is a corner store within ~6 minutes walking distance from my apartment by West Oakland BART called Happy Times. To me it is usually a liquor store, but this day I felt like working through the night so I bought 2 large redbull energy drinks. Walking home holding the redbull as best I could in one hand I passed two African-American youths, one female, one male and both no older than 17. We passed each other and at this time I was about 20" from home then from behind me I heard "hey man, can I get a redbull?". I turned around to face the two of them with a bit of a guilty smile on my face, after all who the fuck really needs 32oz of redbull? Caffeine, other energy drinks, productivity and I all get along swimmingly, all the better if I can help someone else get things done. "Sure" I said, followed by "make good use of it" in an attempt to make the situation more casual. I walked up and handed him the redbull, his face lit up, he went nuts. **and I quote** "Oh man! Asking is so much better than stealing!" The smile stayed on his face as he continued celebrating, exclaiming all possible iterations of the above statement as I stood their dumbfounded. This continued for minutes until we parted ways, up the stairs and into the house I could still hear him talking with his friend. This was certainly not the first time he'd been told of this sentiment, but after ~17 years of living it was the first time he had ever believed it. There are at least 3 other experiences I would like to share in time, but for now I'll leave it at this. -- -- rhodey ˙ ͜ʟ˙

11 years, 9 months

Fw: Please come to the Public School meeting this Thursday !

by DZ Brazil

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: ▲ Date: Wednesday, November 20, 2013 Subject: Plz come to public school mtg Thurs 11/21@7pm // to discuss collectivizing to share space To: Hi there, Timeless, Infinite Light, Sudo Room, and Counter Culture Labs have been invited to the next Bay Area Public School general meeting at 7pm at 2141 broadway this Thursday November 21st to talk about forming a collective of collectives and how we could collectivize our resources to buy/lease a larger shared space. I think I just said collective too many times in one sentence. Oh well! We're going to go & we hope you can come too! If you could come by for even just a bit it would be really great, because it would be good for folks from all the groups to feel more interconnected and foster communication between the different collectives- just showing up would be great. As this is an open meeting of collectives, this would be a great time to invite other groups who might be interested in sharing space with us and who have similar vision and principles. Currently, the groups involved are: Timeless, Infinite Light & Manifest Public School SUDO Room Counter Culture Labs (CCL) Contemporary Art Museum of Oakland (CAMO) & Some of the groups that we had talked about reaching out to are: SPT SPD Salta / PPP Book Zoo Homestead Apothecary Spokeland (needs a new space, 501c3) Alchemy Collective ZIJI (open source buddhists looking for a space mystic archives, meditation room) Just Cause Phat Beets (needs a cafe) MOCO Black Hole Cinema & We also talked about possibly wanting to invite a radical kitchen group, a radio station (KEXP? KPFA? Rev Cafe's pirate radio station?) a co-working space So if you know anyone who's involved in any of these groups, or any groups you want to share space with, please fill them in on the vision we've been discussing and invite them to the Public School meeting! ∞ Emji Spero Timeless, Infinite Light

11 years, 9 months

SPECIAL BAPS MEETING THIS THURSDAY, 11/21, 7PM @ 2141 Broadway

by DZ Brazil

Dear Friends : At last week's general meeting, the Bay Area Public School collectively decided to pursue the possibility of a new permanent physical location, in league with Sudo Room, Counter Culture Labs, and Timeless Infinite Light. This space is presently known as THE OMNI. We also decided to have a special meeting this week to further discuss this space. This meeting will take place this Thursday, November 21, 7PM at 2141 Broadway. All are welcome, so please join us to discuss this exciting prospect ! See you Thursday -- Love -- David

11 years, 9 months

GREAT NEWS EVERYBODY! OAKLAND IS NOW THE MOST EXCITING CITY EVAR! =) mor than 9000 agree! ?

by spectral imix

sudo-discuss(a)lists.sudoroom.org First https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/First_they_came In November 1945 German Pastor Martin Niemöller visited the former Dachau concentration camp, where he had been imprisoned from 1941 to April 1945. His diary entry about that visit and some subsequent speeches he gave imply that that visit triggered the thought that became this famous quotation. http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/niem.htm Was würde Jesus sagen? -- What would Jesus say? http://www.martin-niemoeller-stiftung.de/4/daszitat/a46 Mayor Jean Quan says she's transparent, yet has not posted a schedule since June 2013 http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/Mayor/i/TransparentGovernment/index… http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/Mayor/Connect/MayorsSchedule/index.… However I'm sure many people are busy getting govt. city paychecks to make sure she's kept quite busy: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/Mayor/a/ContactUs/index.htm Shall we request a proclamation? "To request a proclamation from the Mayor's Office: mayors-proclamation(a)oaklandnet.com" Meanwhile DAC (DOMAIN AWARENESS ) is moving torward an orwellian state for Oakland citizens, normals, average tax payers and travelers who pass through the great City of Oakland: Martin Niemoller Poem They came for the Communists, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Communist; They came for the Socialists, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Socialist; They came for the labor leaders, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a labor leader; They came for the Jews, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Jew; Then they came for me - And there was no one left to object. updated to 2013: A city dweller of oakland's Poem They came for the homeless and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Homeless (houseless, golf courses (a future tent city) and un occupied mansions aside) They came for the Anarchists, Rabble rousers, Occupy folks, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Anarchists; They came for the labor leaders, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a labor leader; (still valid today) They came for the Jews, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a Jew; They came for the christians, catholics, conservative patriots,, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a religious zealot; They came for the immigrants, nomads, pagans and foreigners, and I didn't object - For I was born here [take your pick: (They came for the Queer, and I didn't object - For I wasn't a homosexual, transexual, bisexual, lesbian / gender challenged,) OR (They came for the heterosexuals, straight men and women, breeders, and I didn't object - I was Gay) ] They came for the criminals and Thieves, pimps and prostitutes, and I didn't object - For I was a "law abiding citizen". They came for the Drug Dealers, drug addicts, and I didn't object - For I followed all laws and bought my meds from Walmart or from my Rite Aid/Walgreens They came for the wierdos, agnostics, atheists, and I didn't object - For I was a normal. Then they came for me - And there was no one left to object. -Anonymous Circa November 2013 based on Martin Niemoller Poem links of interest: http://www2.oaklandnet.com/Government/o/Mayor/a/ContactUs/index.htm http://www.history.ucsb.edu/faculty/marcuse/niem.htm NYSE: CBG http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/CB_Richard_Ellis http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richard_C._Blum http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dianne_Feinstein http://www.corpwatch.org/section.php?id=17 "Founded in 1969, Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC) is a major intelligence, military, aerospace, engineering and systems contractor. It is involved in defense/military (DoD), intelligence community, and homeland security contracting, as well as selected commercial markets." http://www.corpwatch.org/section.php?id=17 http://www.crocodyl.org/spies_for_hire/saic_science_applications_internatio… http://rady.ucsd.edu/beyster/about/ "The work of the Beyster Institute began in 1986 when, as part of the Foundation for Enterprise Development, it took on the commission to spread the visionary ideas of Dr. J. Robert Beyster, the founder of SAIC. These ideas have led to the development of many highly successful enterprises based on the potent combination of employee ownership and entrepreneurial spirit." http://publicintelligence.net/oakland-dac-saic/ Oakland Domain Awareness Center SAIC Contract Documents October 12, 2013 in California, Corporate, Intelligence Fusion Centers The following files contain the majority of the contract documents between the City of Oakland and Science Applications International Corporation (SAIC) for construction of the City of Oakland/Port of Oakland Joint Domain Awareness Center. The documents were obtained via a public records request made by members of Occupy Oakland. http://littlesis.org/org/290/SAIC "SAIC Science Applications International Corporation" "A project of the Public Accountability Initiative. Basic Info edit Types Organization, Business, Public Company Website http://www.saic.com Revenue $9.0 billion Industries Defense electronic contractors" At age 80, Feinstein is the oldest currently serving United States Senator. Spouse(s) Jack Berman (1956–1959; div.) Bertram Feinstein (1962–1978; deceased) Richard C. Blum (1980–) http://www.projectcensored.org/social-media-new-medium-terrorism/ http://www.projectcensored.org/u-s-senator-dianne-feinsteins-husband-sellin…

11 years, 9 months

Phuckin' Phylean - Art Murmur After Party/Proposal/Planning/Properly/Promoter/Perhaps

by Max Klein

I'm forwarding this message from Phuckin' Phylean (cc'd), who's having trouble signing up to sudo-discuss. Please reply-all or get in touch with her personally: _________________________________________________ Greetings Programs, The last party went pretty swimmingly for only being thrown together at the last moment. Just a week to plan ain't much in the nightclub industry but stranger things have happened that were successful but usually only on dumb luck! So, lets do the next one a little bigger, which means a little better planning and promoting equals a lot better partying and probably paying off for all involved in the long run. So, we need a small staff to run this smoothly, safely, and successfully without any risk of the typical trials and tribulations that could possibly become trouble for the venue. Positions (some paid, some volunteer): *Door-person (Outdoor greeter/bouncer) *Door-person (Indoor suggested donation "enforcer") *Bartender (Tips only basis) *Moderator (Communicating to the people/members translating to the event staff) *Promoters (Facebooking/posting/advertising/notifying/informing/flyering) *Security (Walking through casually and occasionally checking in with the front door and bar or bars to keep a general but casual eye on the happy but drinking patrons) *Host/Hostess (Not necessary but nice to have if they enjoy the position) *DJs (Must have their own music, music knowledge, gear, experience, and some following) Please text me back if interested or have any suggestions or commentary because I have no reliable internet access at the moment. (415) 794-7789 Phuckin' Phylean 15 years of promotion and DJing at your service -- The best way to contact me reliably is texting my Cell phone (415) 794-7789 or if it's before 9 pm call the Studio phone (510) 534-7068 Thanks and take care, Phuckin' Phylean Double "P" that is me with "F" that you hear but don't see "The only thing that brings me peace is the same phuckin' thing that won't let me rest, music." says I, Phuckin' Phylean is DJ Jezzebella! djjezzebella(a)yahoo.com djjezzebella(a)gmail.com phuckinphylean(a)gmail.com http://www.myspace.com/phuckinphylean http://www.myspace.com/phuckinphyleanlive http://www.myspace.com/dopesicktight http://www.sfgoth.com/djs/jezzebella/index.html

11 years, 9 months

Spare rasberry pi

by mattsenate＠gmail.com

Anyone have a raspi I could buy from them asap to help out a friend? // Matt

11 years, 9 months

Arduino For Total Newbies workshop 5-Dec

by Mitch Altman

I'm giving another "Arduino For Total Newbies" workshop at San Francisco's newest hackerspace -- RockIT CoLabs, in Chinatown. Thursday, 5-Decemeber, 7:00pm - 10:30pm Learn Arduino. It's fun, it's easy. All welcome! Limited to 25 people. Registration now open! Details: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/arduino-for-total-newbies-workshop-tickets-935… Mitch.

11 years, 9 months

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