Introduce Yourself

[Duke]

Hello.

Some of you may have spotted me lurking in IRC recently. This isn't a proper introduction (that may have to wait a week or two for various reasons) but I thought that I should briefly introduce myself here now (mainly for voting reasons). My main functions are to find logical flaws in arguments and provide sarcasm and bad puns. Further details will be reserved for the more formal introduction.

[keithchrystie]

Hello everyone,

My name is Keith Chrystie, and I am the creator of the Open Source Space Colonization project.

Much like many others on this forum, I am appalled at the state of human progress being limited by the patent system. It is because of this system that not many people know there is a complete solution to the global climate and energy crises that has already been tested and found to be successful; the only reason we are not investing any money in it (and I mean that seriously: zero investment from the United Kingdom which is one of the top ten successful economies in the world) is that governments are making too much money from the tax on fossil and nuclear fuels.

The solution to which I refer is called "Space-Based Solar Power", and as a technology it was successfully tested by NASA in the 1970's, and by an ex-NASA scientist named John Mankins in May 2008. This is a completely green technology that has the capacity to supply the entire globe's demand for energy for many millions of years (essentially until the sun dies). The science behind this is a little complicated, but not difficult for degree-level engineering and physics students (I'm a psychology graduate myself and I understand it). The Japanese are the only government in the world that has invested any money at all in prototyping this technology. Not even the United States are investing in this yet, although there is now a major public movement, much like the Pirate Party here, that is starting to insist that congress look at this seriously.

The point about this energy solution is that the patent system has limited our access to the technical aspects of the technology. We are not allowed to see the fine details of how it was tested here on Earth, and the reason for that is blindingly obvious: if those of us who know about the technology are able to "Open Source" the development of the hardware, taking contributions from normal people the world over, we can build it ourselves and provide electricity free of charge to the entire globe. Imagine it, free electricity for everyone. And this new technology can transmit electricity to any location on the planet, meaning that we could provide fresh, clean water to anyone who needs it. Current government policies do not want this to happen because they would lose their largest stream of revenue: the tax on energy. Not only does this tax hold the so-called developed world back, but it is restricting the development of the entire globe to the point that, when we run out of oil in 45 years (you can check that yourself with any competent encyclopaedia) we will very likely suffer a Malthusian catastrophe that will result in billions (with a 'B') of unnecessary deaths.

The development of this technology must be Open Sourced. We cannot allow current policies to monopolise this technology and start charging us for it.

Please help. Type any of the terms I have used here into Google and see for yourself, and if you would like to make any type of contribution to this, then find the Space Colonization Wiki on the internet and start typing. Please do not consider this as spamming as nobody makes any financial profit from this, the only intention is to provide free electricity to the entire globe.

Keith Chrystie BSc

[Wipster]

Hi,

I'm Ben and I'm 22, I come from cornwall but I am studying electronic engineering at reading uni.
The swedish victory gave us a massive boost which I am very happy about, with blog posts from the guardian, wired, and others. We just need to keep it going
I'm normaly found on IRC, trying to keep the convosation from swaying to far into scetchy ground heh.

Thats about it I think,
Ben

[Sharkz]

I'm normaly found on IRC, trying to keep the convosation from swaying to far into scetchy ground heh.

Aw but that's half the fun also i love Cornwall

[rancidpunk]

Please help. Type any of the terms I have used here into Google and see for yourself, and if you would like to make any type of contribution to this, then find the Space Colonization Wiki on the internet and start typing. Please do not consider this as spamming as nobody makes any financial profit from this, the only intention is to provide free electricity to the entire globe.

Keith Chrystie BSc

Our first Space Pirate!

[mace]

Hi,

I'm Miah, based up in Scotland.

I'm taken by at least some of the policies of the folks across the water, and am interested in the idea of a party that offers something to the masses not really attained by the main stream parties.

Thanks.

[Chris]

Hi there,

My name is Chris and I live in the East Riding of Yorkshire. I'm just shy of 30 years old and work in public sector ICT.

I believe that copyright is important for a great many reasons, and in fair usage, it probably has some place (i.e the short term protection of an idea to justify the initial investment made to develop it, or the right for an person to be recognised as the author of an idea).

I don't think we will ever entirely remove the legal tool of protecting an idea, but the current system is very flawed and needs looking at in depth! Problems occur when people utilise copyright law to stifle competition, innovation and development, and this is how these legal tools tend to be wielded.

I'm here to learn more and contribute what I can.

Speak to you soon.

Chris

[steffman]

hello, i'm steffan, i'm 18 and live in aberystwyth. i spend a lot of time on the net and i just think its plain foolish to limit the massive usefulness and resourcefulness of the net with silly little rules and laws that are only in place to supposedly make people money. i have experienced the kind heartedenss of the internet and it seems to bring out the best in a lot of people in various wasy (yahoo answers being a prime example )

i wasn't aware of the issues with the patent system but having read about it on here i think its certainly somethign that needs alterring.

cheers

[Robinson]

Hello all, my name is peter colton. I live in North west England - Greater Manchester. Since 1994 ? I been on income support and still stuck there. For the past five or more years I been getting into free software and its freedoms. Torrenting as be come one of my main interest, I have now gravitated to having a torrentflux on a home built pc router. I been promoting the idea of file sharing to friends and others but the take up as been dismal. For the last couple of years I been running my own bittorrent tracker which as tracked some Venezuelan films and a couple of others. The tracker is down at the moment. Sharing as been a liberating for me.

Regards: Peter

[Manoeuvres]

Hi I am Simon, aged 31 and I live in the west midlands. I've made a few posts on the PP international forums asking about a UK party, and i am glad some one has picked up the ball and ran with it.

I hope to stand as a an MP for the pirate party within the next election. I have co managed political campaigns in the past both at council and national level so I am looking forward to getting involved with a political party I actually care about.

[Mehall]

Hi all.

I go by the name Mehall (pretty much phoenetical) though my real name is Michael should you so wish.

I've been following the PiratPartiet for some time, and have been known to be vocal when it comes to Open Source and Censorship. (Copyright too)

My blog shows this too.

I'm up here in Scotland, and will happily say something more when asked, but I don't know what I should say here

[mike]

///MARKED OFF TOPIC BY MONKEY JAM/// Only read if you wish.


Hi I'm lonely, I live alone in a building made of bricks and other stuff that makes bricks stick together in a house shape - the building also has insulation and plasterboard walls; light fittings and a bed. There's also a bathroom with a toilet and a bath complete with shower attachment, honestly I only use it to shower I wish it was a proper stand up shower, it's never the same when you just stand in a bath - you know?

At the moment I'm mostly breathing, eating, drinking and sleeping. In between times I like to think about web architecture and sex.

My views right now are pretty poor actually, all I can see is car parks and other people's houses - I hate both of those things.

Thanks you for listening, please be my friend.

Love from
Cecil

[sutton]

Hello,

I'm Lewis Sutton, 24 and from Derby. I work in transport infrastructure as a hardware / electronics engineer / PLC programmer.

I was very glad to find that this party is about to get started, I've had an unhealthy interest in politics for as far as I can remember, beginning with the ideals of communism leading me to socialism and Anarcho-syndicalism views and that's about where ideally I'd stand now, for now at least I'm lefter than liberal.

Although in my mind not the most important issue on the planet presently copyright law has vast, far reaching implications on pretty much everything and the archaic ways it is thought of and used currently is utterly tyrannical and ludicrous.

Privacy and civil liberties are incalculable important, In the UK of late we have been letting them slip away as we are bullied into relinquishing them by means of a dual flanked scare attack coming from both our Government and complicit media, convincing all but a few that the best way to deal with the unsafe and scary world is to be filmed, tagged and tracked completely. I'd like to see this stopped before it becomes thoroughly entrenched in to our psyche, along the lie that we are being "protected" by our masters, propagating poor Mr Orwell's worst nightmares.

Sorry for going on.

Looking forward to the progression!

Now to plunder me some booty......

[Sharkz]

honestly I only use it to shower I wish it was a proper stand up shower, it's never the same when you just stand in a bath - you know?

Been there my friend

I'm Lewis Sutton, 24 and from Derby.

More for the Derby crew

[MartinHolland]

Hey guys

I’m a 25 year old student from the south of England studying in Preston, i'm in the third year of a (BA) Games Design course and an ex proffessinal chef.

I don’t like the way the country is heading with the UK Government encroaching on the population’s right to privacy and sitting by while private corporations, particularly in the entertainment industry do the same, also i feel there are a great many 'basic' wrongs the current goverment are guilty for, things that don't make sense. Such as letting corporations have their way with the world, letting to many private interests control to many public issues. Then there's is the issue of energy, we could have essentially free energy in the country if the goverment would man up about, along with many other envirmomental and foriegn policy issues... Phew, theres a lot wrong with it.

I just really feel like it is time to stand up for the public interest and benifit, not only for this country but world over, as a nation we can do so much more for the world and it really wouldn't take much effort on the indivudals part!

So yeah, there's some of my views in a nutshell!

[Walter]

Hi there,

I have three citizenships. Not from the UK, just moved here.

I am a PHP coder / Unix systems architect with >10 years experience, if you need some help with anything at all let me know.

Also, could any graphic designers please contribute some logos ASAP so that we can get some materials going to start printing and distributing, that'd be great!

Outside of work (many big company names) I run a local share at my house (open wifi) for all the neighbours, a major bittorent node in London, and own servers in three other countries.

Sharing since BBS days. Computing for creativity's sake.

Humanity deserves to be advanced by forces other than legal mock-entities that operate solely for-profit. Which means individuals.

For this to be effective, I believe that the abolition of outmoded patent + copyright law is a clear requirement.

I am also for free speech and privacy. The UK has gone way overboard in security. When I first saw one of those 'mobile camera van' things driving around I thought it was a spoof... then realised it wasn't. Unfortunately almost nobody else seems to blink twice when such things occur. WAKE UP PEOPLE.

[bitplane]

Hi there

I'm Gaz from Southport, I'm a software developer and free culture enthusiast. When I'm not wasting time socialising or enjoying the cultural works of others, my hobbies are writing software, drawing, reading and playing guitar.

I believe that sharing is caring but my position on intellectual property is not a hard-line one. I think that copyright law needs reform. It should be clear and simple, easy to understand for the general public (which it currently is not). At the very least we should have a shorter, fixed length duration (25 years max, 15 would be ideal) which only offers protection against commercial exploitation. We also need fair use clauses in British copyright law. Copyrights on information paid for by the British taxpayer should be abolished, including Crown Copyright, Ordinance Survey and the BBC.

I am not sure where I stand on patents as this is a horribly complex issue, but I think we need reform here too. I think that there should be new rights for software and service users which cannot be waived by EULAs, such as the right to reverse engineer. Publishers should be forced to mark DRM products as rental rather than purchase. I'm not sure how to approach DRM platforms (games consoles, network locked phones, Sky+, etc).

I take Voltaire's view on freedom of speech, and think that nobody should have the right not to be offended. I believe that Internet access should be a right rather than a privilege.

[epriezka]

Hi, I'm Eric Priezkalns. I'm standing as treasurer, on the basis that I might be able to help. What I wrote in the nomination http://pirateparty.org.uk/forum/viewtopic.php?f=4&t=37#p539 introduces me more eloquently, but the short version is: freelance telecoms consultant, qualified chartered accountant, experience of projects dealing with management/compliance of personal data, believer in freedom on the internet and that our rulers don't understand technology or the consequences for ordinary people that will inevitably follow as a consequence of the stupidity and greed of big business and big government.

[zeth]

Hello!

I am a Python programmer in the West Midlands. I am interested in digital privacy, encryption and patent reform. I also enjoy create commons licensed music, free/open source software and other free endeavors.

I am interested in getting to know you all. I have a blog at http://commandline.org.uk

[zhar2]

Hi

Im a 3d & cgi enthusiat & ammateur (not a programer im afraid) hailing from london, currently im a student of genetics and molecular biology so mostly a science guy but i fully support a reform of copyright and the ideal of the party.

zhar.