Contributors program/February 20, 2009
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<CanoeBerry> Hola! * yamaplos-2 Quit (Client Quit) <yamaplos> question, the tinyurl send to a bug tracking thing <yamaplos> ? where are the projects Adam mentiones ? <CanoeBerry> yamaplos: sorry i'm late <CanoeBerry> we have 4 projects to discuss <yamaplos> OK, no worry <yamaplos> sure. HWere are they? <CanoeBerry> They have RT pages for those that want all the details, and have joined Support Gang (ask me if you want access!) <CanoeBerry> They are: * hullaw has joined #olpc-meeting <CanoeBerry> http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=34505 MathCount by grays <CanoeBerry> #1 of 4 if we can take a look now.. <CanoeBerry> program to teach basic mathematical concepts to kids (Caryl helped coach grays in Australia, to structure this project) <CanoeBerry> "would not be another games based program, but would utilise sound pedagogy" <yamaplos> Looks like he would definitely need one for testing, the rest could be done with virtual <CanoeBerry> applicant wishes 3 XO's for 12 monhts <yamaplos> Maybe 2 since he wants to do mesh <CanoeBerry> Seems reasonable to me. <CanoeBerry> Other opinions? <yamaplos> Is he connected with the Pia ganag? <yamaplos> gang <_sj_> (I also would like some feedback on http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Template:PfR_in_3_steps at the end) <CanoeBerry> Not yet so much, tho I had them chat! * _sj_ invites input from scorche, shenki, sdz, unmadindu, m_stone & wadeb <CanoeBerry> Any other opinions on grays' project? grays is a teacher and hacker in Australia.. <yamaplos> Well, I think that he NEEDS to get connected, and someone mentor him for that - else no way to expect results will go to the community <CanoeBerry> yes, Caryl is helping him which is a great omen -- and grays writes: "danger of a program like this is that it will become too large" <yamaplos> Can he share resources with other Oz folk? <CanoeBerry> Perhaps, but if we can get him started right away, before Pia's finalizes the details of her 50-XO library, that's OK with me. <_sj_> right: good to ask him to talk with other locals first <_sj_> even if the machines come from the global pool <CanoeBerry> grays writes: "would like 3 so that I can pass one on to my brother that we might work collaboratively on the project and a third so that I can test networked activities..." <hullaw> Perhaps it would be appropriate to get him 2 for now, and another when he needs to develop and test? <_sj_> hiya hulla <CanoeBerry> What's the consensus, 2 XO's for now? <hullaw> hey! <yamaplos> OK, let's say we give him 2 machines with a strict clause he is to connect with Pia and she is to supervise further use of the machines? <yamaplos> His brother can virtualize - the need for multiples is for networking testing <CanoeBerry> Calling once... <CanoeBerry> Calling twice... <CanoeBerry> OK, I will engage grays with Caryl and suggest 2 XO's and see how he reacts. <CanoeBerry> Let's move on to project #2 of 4. <yamaplos> I like the simple procedure :-) <CanoeBerry> http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=34507 juan sebastian cobaleda cano <CanoeBerry> applicant wants to developOLPC hardware in Colombia <yamaplos> nope - dead project <CanoeBerry> applicatin is very short <CanoeBerry> the fellow is an electornics engineer <hullaw> I agree...need more specifics <CanoeBerry> and fedora ambassador <yamaplos> We already have a lot of people in Colombia with the same aim - no news here <hullaw> What hardware does he want to develop? <CanoeBerry> Any constructive feedback here at all, that i can send back to the applicant? <CanoeBerry> Anyway think about it. <yamaplos> I say let's go next, ask him to join with Rafael, or Claudia Urrea - his choice and luck <hullaw> Need more objectives <CanoeBerry> Moving on to Project #3 of 4. <CanoeBerry> http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=34508 Mobile Autonomous Communications System by Breezecomm <CanoeBerry> In Edmonton, CANADA <yamaplos> I support this, on a LOAN basis <CanoeBerry> 5-person company wants to provide "cellular signal as well as internet in areas that lack the infrastructure" <CanoeBerry> Perhaps we can get dsd or ankur to comment on the technical soundness of their approach? <yamaplos> Especially as they say they would purchase. Let's loan them a couple used ones, for 2 months, and encourage them to get theirs from Ebay or something <unmadindu> can be useful if it works - but I think we should ask for some details on project timeline, etc <CanoeBerry> 6 month loan they ask for. <CanoeBerry> 2 XO's <_sj_> a nice standardized response that asks j.s.c for more info <hullaw> Would be quite amazing if worked...for future deployments <_sj_> and pointers to a good application as a model <CanoeBerry> "intent of using this laptop is such to see if the device we have can be set in a (cascade) meaning on tower passing its signal to the next" <unmadindu> _sj_: +1 <yamaplos> let's not block them with hurdles, please <_sj_> would be helpful. some good projects come in with really bad first apps <unmadindu> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Projects/MACS is empty by the way <CanoeBerry> "effectively creating signals at less than a tenth of current costs" <yamaplos> but let's get them a shorter time, and if they see future in their concept, they can always go to Ebay to get their own <CanoeBerry> Agreed, other input I can ask of them by email? <_sj_> also, we need the standard "laptops are free, but we are supported in part by your donations. please contribute what you can." <CanoeBerry> +7 <yamaplos> I volunteer to link with them <CanoeBerry> yamaplos: you will engage them? <yamaplos> yop <CanoeBerry> steal tkt, thanks! <CanoeBerry> Moving on... <yamaplos> but I do not want to waste their time or mine <yamaplos> can we loan them 2, for 2 months? used ones? <unmadindu> by the way - http://breezecommunications.ca/ is a real estate company :P <CanoeBerry> !? <yamaplos> UH! <_sj_> "how is the breeze?" <yamaplos> BAD :-( <CanoeBerry> Plz check if the names match... <yamaplos> oh my ... <yamaplos> I'll follow up that one <CanoeBerry> Moving on to New Project #4 of 4 this week. ... <CanoeBerry> http://rt.laptop.org/Ticket/Display.html?id=34509 Promote OLPC by KaMeck [GERMANY] <CanoeBerry> Applicant "studied Comupter Sience and now working as Technical Writer" wants to promote XO to kids. <CanoeBerry> Seems genuine, but a bit short. <unmadindu> and he is not a computer games :-S <yamaplos> nope - another promoter of OLPC, unconnected with the local national community <unmadindu> s/games/gamer <CanoeBerry> Does dogi know this person perhaps? They are both from Munich... <CanoeBerry> dogi: u there? <hullaw> Again, need more clear objectives <CanoeBerry> Indeed. <yamaplos> maybe we can link them, but I vote -1 <CanoeBerry> dogi: can you engage this person, to see if they can beef up their proposal & community links / giveback? <CanoeBerry> OK, that's covers the all 4. <yamaplos> great! <hullaw> sweet! <_sj_> nice a quick. <unmadindu> ermm, guys, I don't know if this is offtopic or not: but can someone take a look at http://mail.sarai.net/pipermail/prc/Week-of-Mon-20090209/001851.html ... <CanoeBerry> unmadindu: plz explain? ... <unmadindu> CanoeBerry: this is apparently a funded project (with a specific timeline) on which this girl is working on a Speech to Text utility for XOs. and apparently she needs one to test <_sj_> unmadindu, that's great. she should apply... <cjb> _sj_: she has <CanoeBerry> unmadindy: OK, what is that mailing list? <yamaplos> funded project? just curious, what is that? <cjb> > I had followed the instructions on the OLPC wiki to request for a laptop and added the project in November itself. The project was approved in December but I haven't received the XO till now. <yamaplos> been there... <CanoeBerry> cjb: we haven't worked thru the backlog. <unmadindu> yamaplos: there is a group in Delhi which funds open source projects for six months (sort of like a mini GSOC) <yamaplos> Great! <yamaplos> how bad is that backlog, CB? <_sj_> oh, this is satya? <yamaplos> (the gReat was for the Delhi proj) <_sj_> interesting. <CanoeBerry> cjb: bad...there are 200+ projects I am moving from ProjectDB.olpc.at to RT, but once I/we finally get rolling in the coming weeks it will go fast. <unmadindu> CanoeBerry: ah, ok. I just thought it might be important, since the project duration itself is going to end quite soon * cjb didn't know there was a backlog :/ <unmadindu> apologies for the extra poking :-) <CanoeBerry> many of these 200 projects have shipped <_sj_> we've had two gropus try to set up an india pool. <yamaplos> CB: Maybe I'll get mine then :-) April 2008 <CanoeBerry> but SJ & others (eg. OLPC Germany etc) will work with me to figure out which have shipped and which have not. <CanoeBerry> I am very new to this process. <_sj_> but hers should come from [the] us. <yamaplos> Could we reapply her, and get it speed dealt with next week? unmandindu as sponsor? <_sj_> unmadindu & cjb, thanks for the notice. ... <CanoeBerry> who will contact her to make sure her application goes in this week? <_sj_> I'll send those two out this weekend... <_sj_> I'll contact satya <CanoeBerry> Thanks SJ. ... <CanoeBerry> cjb & yamaplos: there are 238 approved projects I need to reconcile, as to their shipping status. SJ suggests there are perhaps far less than 60 that still require shipping? <CanoeBerry> Next agenda item: how shall we continue to rebuild this Contrib Probgram. <CanoeBerry> All ideas welcome. ... <_sj_> for one : public review process <yamaplos> +1 <_sj_> which, as part of the process, creates a good project page for each initiative <yamaplos> required connection to community <_sj_> yes, ... <_sj_> with links to the criteria for a good project. <yamaplos> +1 <_sj_> really, I'd like the process of posting something interesting to involve a bit of public back-and-forth with the submitter <_sj_> that really helps to hone ideas <_sj_> and particularly, with the champion for the project. <yamaplos> as long as it's not merely red tape <_sj_> (can be a devil's advocate champion; someone who konws the language and ways of the community, and can speak for why it would be useful/helpful) <CanoeBerry> I've linked to the criteria off of http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Contributors_program but obviously we are just now beginning to rebuild.. <yamaplos> oh, that's a good one, a sponsor <_sj_> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC:Projects_for_review/Log/2009_February <hullaw> _sj_: Like a review board? <_sj_> we should have prominent links from the review log to the criteria <CanoeBerry> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Contributors_program#Qualifications <_sj_> we nee dto send out a second email to the recipients, and to all the people with pdb accounts who never created projects <_sj_> asking for updates from them <yamaplos> I say! ... <yamaplos> sj: can we also do some attempt at repo? I mean, gently, but affirmatively <CanoeBerry> repo? <yamaplos> reposess <_sj_> yama, I will say three things: ... <_sj_> 1. how is your project coming? send us an update, we'd love to hear it <yamaplos> which one? <yamaplos> http://bolivia.ole.org/textos/planes.html <yamaplos> OK, this is getting OT, anything else so we get to SJ's template? ... <_sj_> 2. if you're done with your XOs, help others start their projects! contribute to a [local pool], or send them back to the US <_sj_> 3. if you signed up but never submitted a project, please do so (details : inviting email to rt) <yamaplos> 2) sure... You mean the 2 I got from you? Boy, are THEY getting used <yamaplos> 3) I did submit projects - even got one approved, but not shipped <yamaplos> the XOs I got were for other purposes you said you had recorded, but don't see them in the database <yamaplos> 2 XOs, for the record, one of them faulty battery <yamaplos> anything else? <CanoeBerry> Can we tie up lose ends & wrap up for today? <yamaplos> SJ's template? <CanoeBerry> OK <_sj_> thoughts on the template? <yamaplos> SJ? you have the floor <CanoeBerry> SJ, care to explain http://wiki.laptop.org/go/Template:PfR_in_3_steps <_sj_> and the log? <CanoeBerry> Which log? <_sj_> the idea is to have a public list of comments, suggestions for improvement, &c for a fixed time - say 2 weeks - after a proposal comes in <yamaplos> OK, any example on how that is implemnented? <_sj_> at the end of which to decide whether to approve, or suggest an alternative (resubmit, work with emulation, work with an existing research group) <yamaplos> I like the idea, would be nice to see a proto <pgf> _sj_: re: #2, if you say "contribute to a local pool", aren't you sort of guaranteeing you won't get the machine back? maybe that's the point (i.e., we don't care). <_sj_> yama, I wasn't asking you, now, that's the general set of questions to send to people with pdb accounts. <_sj_> yama, you mean http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC:Projects_for_review/Log/2009_February ? <_sj_> pgf : if there is a local pool, that is the point. <_sj_> that's only the case in a handful of countries at the moment. <_sj_> (but if you can ship locally and not internatinoally, that's always a bonus) <yamaplos> oh, that log - it was CB who asked :-) <pgf> _sj_: i see. <_sj_> yama: what do you mean by "would be nice to see a proto" ? <yamaplos> I support the idea of feeding local pools - that have proper accountability <yamaplos> that it would be nicve to see a protoitype of a page with all those featuyres you mention <_sj_> that is what the log is. <yamaplos> OK <_sj_> but I'm the only person who has commented so far. <_sj_> if people add new projects there as well as rt, following the process (creating a new page for the project, under a suitable name; putting a template at the top noting it is under review) <_sj_> it will help work the kinks out <CanoeBerry> local pools DON'T always have proper accountability--i've seen the evidence, not to name names--i believe they should be supported for other reasons!! <CanoeBerry> localism fosters better community, loyalty, creativity etc.. <yamaplos> I believe local pools should have accountability - it builds honesty <CanoeBerry> we should try, sure :) <yamaplos> and makes the project reliable <yamaplos> same here :-) <CanoeBerry> worldwide sharing of lessons learned would be great, as CJL reminds us... <yamaplos> OK, SJ, will play with the log and idea <yamaplos> oh yeah, +1 <_sj_> thanks yama. other input (isfor, others) more than welcome. <_sj_> we could also have a 6-month review process for existing proposals, mediated the same way <_sj_> since we have the date of the original proposal <yamaplos> It would be nice to see a Well Done Project as an example <hullaw> yama: +1 <_sj_> at 6 months, find out how it's doing, whether they need more help / need reminding to pass on their xo's (based on their own timelines) <yamaplos> something even SJ would say, hey, this is a Well Done Project! <_sj_> yes. [[featured projects]] is a much needed collection <CanoeBerry> _sj_: my dilemma is combining the public side with the private comments some mentors and applicants wish to share. Ed McNierney agrees here-- some proposals are by their nature tentative, so this is a hard nut to crack. If only it were just he address & phone number that needs a sphere of privacy.. <CanoeBerry> A hard nut to crack, but we will try. <_sj_> as long as mentors have a private place to comment, all is well <_sj_> they can choose where they write. <yamaplos> and a project can be headed as Tentative <yamaplos> which is an honest way to start... <_sj_> but in general, if you take time to formulate your ideas in a polite way, you can say most things publicly. <_sj_> (I mean, if you can't even describe the principle you want a project to uphold publicly, you can't list it as one of the criteria) * rita has joined #olpc-meeting <yamaplos> SJ, can we have even one or a couple examples of [[featured projects]] ? <CanoeBerry> Caryl seems to have done a great job with grays. <_sj_> waveplace projects are good ones to start with <CanoeBerry> Not sure that mentoring process would have succeeded under the Hollywood lights of Google. <_sj_> esp. the first one, which was via the CP <yamaplos> Waveplace got their stuff through CP or DP???? <CanoeBerry> Anyway, we should push people to publish, and also offer a private sphere for the Google-shy. <_sj_> their very first set of machines for development/testing. <_sj_> which produced lots of great construtionist work, tools, writing, and case studies <yamaplos> I like the log view for the Guatemala project, which has a RT link <_sj_> yes, for the shy, figure out a way to decide whether a project is eligible for completely private approval. <_sj_> something I hope we would rarely consider <CanoeBerry> yamaplos: which Guatemala pjct again? <yamaplos> OK, let me rephrase: We need case examples of projects that would be OK under the new strictures. That would not have a "needs more details" set as comment. <_sj_> you should generally be able to describe a project generally enough not to offend the submitter, but to tell others why it's a good idea to approve <yamaplos> http://wiki.laptop.org/go/OLPC:Projects_for_review/Log/2009_February#Child_Aid_in_Guatemala <yamaplos> having an RT link allows for semi-private comments as needed <yamaplos> and private details remain private <yamaplos> out of Google <yamaplos> but enough of the project is public <yamaplos> so as to have reasonable disclosure and accountability <hullaw> logs of the Contributors Program Mtgs like this one could be pasted into the comments on RT as well in order to create a history of discussions <CanoeBerry> hullaw: i try to paste each of the above sections into RT, yes <CanoeBerry> hullaw: after each Friday's mtg :) <yamaplos> (OT) can someone help me format my signature for the wiki so it's as pretty as SJ's ? <CanoeBerry> yamaplos: look under Preferences on the left in RT <CanoeBerry> Sorry <CanoeBerry> WhOops i thought you meant RT. <yamaplos> nope, wiki - he won't tell :'( * sdziallas Quit (Read error: 104 (Connection reset by peer)) * sdziallas has joined #olpc-meeting <yamaplos> OK, seems we got all done today. Anything else? <CanoeBerry> Done, thanks yamaplos & all.