[okfn-hu] Planning for open data workshop in Budapest, 20th May

Mon May 2 20:04:07 UTC 2011

On Mon, May 2, 2011 at 21:12, Jonathan Gray <jonathan.gray at okfn.org> wrote:

> The event was always intended to be a [...]

I cannot really emphasize on the point that I haven't been had the
faintest idea what this event _is_. I get invited to much more events
than I have time to attend and I do not really like events where
nothing happens apart from smart people telling other smart people
what a wonderful world this could be if people were doing nice things
instead of stupid things. Of course there is a place for political
chitchat at a coffee but ... I would rather let others to do that. I
often have to waste my time on people in key positions who act like
they cared while they clearly don't, and trying to change the world
while the world clearly resists. It makes pretty annoying to attend
events where it isn't even planned to try to have any effect
whatsoever.

This "unconference" isn't described as such, at least it wasn't, and I
still don't really get what it's about apart from telling each others
what we already know. Look at the document you opened in etherpad,
where I have appended just really a few thoughts on the topic, which
could easily fill a 3 days "real" conference with people in the
position who could do about it and won't.  I can tell you these, I can
easily talk about it for hours, and it wouldn't change anything.

So I hope you know what you're doing.

> small informal 'unconference' or
> 'Barcamp' for developers, NGOs, journalists and others interested in
> open government data in Hungary. We are going to see who is there on
> the day and what they are interested in doing and making.

We had recently a mass protest on the streets every week about various
things, sometimes even famous people out there. Nothing's changed, not
even a bit. Nobody gave a poo up there. I guess I just got tired to
see those who's interested and cannot do a thing about it.

> several people have requested information about an agenda, I thought
> we could do a bit of planning in advance so we can hit the ground
> running! :-)

Now imagine my little insignificant myself. Sometimes people ask me to
meet them, to go to events they nurture or worry about, and I have my
family, job and pretty time consuming hobbies. I usually try to go out
as few as possible because most of these events do not give me
anything valuable, while they definitely take away my precious time.
So when someone doesn't even tell me what it's about and I don't know
why should I go there... what's the point? Only those will attend who
have plenty of time, or like to go out and meet people no matter
whether it's about the right to have sex for sweetwater fish or the
coal mining association's annual meeting. I try to pick events I do
care about and try to pick those which offer expected results for my
time spent.

This unconference or whatever you call it is a big, ugly black hole. I
may go because I wonder who's there or rather in the hope that
regardless of the lack of information and visible purpose it may
actually be something useful. Or I'll sigh and say to myself "oh well,
another wasted day, again".

> This is not to be confused with the event the day before (on the 19th)
> with Hungarian civil servants, representatives from the European
> Commission and EU member states - which is a more structured, formal
> affair with presentations and talks.

This event is a fscking SECRET. Don't tell me it's not to be confused
with because I do not even know about it. It has been mentioned as
some great thing beyond the blue event horizon. Something which
actually aim at being having some purpose. And I heard it's AFTER
20th. And that maybe 20th could provide INPUT to this secret useful
event. But now I see it's about to be a complete waste, since key
people are already done, and civil puppets' talk isn't good for
anything. We can happily tell each other how great we are, how stupid
the government is, and that better luck next time, insert coin.

*shrug*

> All the best,

Indeed. Somehow.

Have a nice day,
Peter