This entry is first a plea for help. I enjoy reading and listening to interviews with people who have interesting and exciting things to say about their passions. My attention was recently directed to a web site named Questions Please…, where Jonathan Roberts informs us he has an inside line to free software luminaries Richard Stallman, Jeremy Allison, and Jeff Waugh. So what is my plea?

Questions Please…

I need you to send in interview questions to Jon. But you saw that coming based on the web site name, of course. I think it’s actually more of a panel format. Please send the questions in soon. He is recording a podcast on Thursday and looking for your questions to use in the discussion. I’m making this plea because good questions are needed for good interviews, to draw out some new insights or thoughts. My motive is purely selfish: I want to listen to a podcast that defies boundaries and forces us to reevaluate our place in the universe. This will require challenging questions. Don’t let these guys off easy!

I like finding sites like “Questions Please” with people behind them like Jon who are enthusiastic about free software. The more of us, the better, and the sooner we’ll reach the day when we can join together, shave our heads, put on some sheets, and sell flowers on street corners as we spread the word. I’m kidding. No one is going to make you wear sheets.

I look forward to Jon’s podcast. Let’s help him make it a success.

Red Hat freedom propaganda

On the topic of free software promotion and to round out this week’s post, I received a list of free software related videos, many of which I thought were interesting, including three Red Hat “films.” Film isn’t a bad word for them, although of course “Red Hat advertisement” is appropriate also. They are very well-produced. You can find them in a variety of formats, including Ogg, at:

http://www.redhat.com/truthhappens/videos/ourfilms.html

I especially enjoyed “Truth Happens.” It uses a quote I’ve been seeing in relation to free software lately and that seems appropriate given Microsoft’s recent moves. (And that I coincidentally mentioned recently back home.)

I’m trying not to give away the quote or the plot, so will encourage you to check it out for yourself. It created in me a good mood, with the music and smartly edited video and text. I like history, and the video gave me a feeling of speeding through time. It builds up and tells a story.

The future is coming fast, and I think we’ll continue to be surprised by the difference between our current beliefs and expectations and the coming reality. Although I think those of us who believe in free software may be slightly less surprised than those who put their faith in proprietary software.

Do you YouTube? I think these require flash and may not be so free software friendly, but since it’s all the rage with the kids these days, here are the links:

• Truth Happens: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2_VFKqw1q2Q
• Inevitable*: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FwYt7hobYZg
• Imagine Choice: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1rSLQAqV2Lw

*Posted to YouTube in April 2006. Funny that one of the text blips mentions Novell buying SUSE, ostensibly as an example of the inevitable tide of good news. Oops. :-)

Back Home

As ever and always, I’m always looking for company at movingtofreedom.org. Recent stuff includes a round of GNU/Linux, thoughts on Ubuntu Live CDs, and Chainbuntu!, an Ubuntu-powered Chainsaw brought to you by system76 and me.

License

Reusable with this attribution (including hyperlinks), and please note if modifications are made: Copyright © Scott Carpenter, 2006. Originally published in Free Software Magazine. Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License (CC-BY-SA-2.5).