[LUAU] Hello - My Name is HOSEF

[Angela Kahealani]

On Thu, 2008-03-27 03:18:52 Jim Thompson wrote:
> On Mar 26, 2008, at 10:59 PM, Angela Kahealani wrote:
> > what ails it? what is the proposed solution?
>
> There are many things that ail HOSEF.
>
> It is underfunded for its current mission.

Obviously changing the mission may be quicker and easier than pulling 
funding out of thin air.

> It faces increased competition for its existing mission from much
> larger, better capitalized competitors.

I presume you're referring to e-waste recycling companies?

> Its "Executive Director" ignores its board of directors, putting the
> organization in peril.

Well, now that the issues are out in the open, e.g. here on LUAU,
it would seem that the issues should be able to be resolved, since,
allegedly, *everyone* who participates in HOSEF *should* have as their 
highest priority the good of the FLOSS community, with HOSEF existing 
and operating in support of that community. So, here now we in the 
community have the opportunity to support our local vehicle, HOSEF,
in getting through its' growing pains, and making a step forward out of 
past issues into a present time agreement of shared purpose. 

> >> I'm not excited at the though of a LUG, but some kind of local
> >> 'networking' would be great, as Hawaii doesn't seem to have much
> >> of that.
> >
> > so what do you propose beyond the HOSEF and LUAU mailing lists?
>
> Events like TPOSSCON/PFOSSCON on a more periodic / more intimate
> basis would be a start.

...and are probably more likely to attract "business" attendees,
in alignment with a higher priority focus on educating businesses.

> Perhaps "unconferences"  http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Unconference

excellent!

> Funny.  I run the Symbolics Virtual Lisp Machine (VLM) port to Linux/
> x86_64

way cool!

> > Many of the ideas embodied in *NIX came from
> > PDP-10/TOPS-[12]0/TENEX, and there is actually some current
> > development work for it (FTP).
>
> Welll... not really.  Most of Unix came from Multics, and Multics
> also heavily influenced TENEX, which became TOPS-10.
>
> TOPS-10/TOPS-20 were eventually replaced VMS, and VMS sucked so hard
> that most of the TENEX/TWENEX hackers ended up on Unix.

and some discussion on the PDP-10 newsgroup suggests that Windows NT was 
not too far from being a port of VMS.

> See: http://www.opost.com/dlm/tenex/hbook.html

excellent!

> you may wish to view last year's research subjects:
> http://www.mhpcc.hpc.mil/research/appbriefs/2007 and note that
> 'tracking Humpback whales' isn't about studying them as much as it is
> avoiding them so the Navy can continue to use its high-energy sonar,
> never mind "Theater UnderSea Warfare" (cough cough).

yes... it is imperative to track whales and USOs,
and to be able to wage warefare against the USOs.

> Pentium-m and Centrino M CPUs support C2 "Deep Sleep" states, P4
> 'desktop' CPUs, to my knowledge, do not.
> See: <http://download.intel.com/design/intarch/designgd/25131902.pdf>
>
> C2 is pretty deep—for example, the chip can't detect or respond to
> interrupts, 

OUCH! Pretty useless if no response to interrupts.

> So you have a choice to make:
>
> 1) P4 computers in landfills (bad for the environment)
> 2) recycled P4 computers in classrooms (short-term: good for the
> environment (reduced landfill pollution) long-term bad for the
> environment (increased CO2 emissions)
> 3) P4 computers that enter a well-funded eWaste program (long-term:
> OK for the environment, short-term: still have to "pay back" the
> environmental costs associated with building the computer)
>
> funny how this isn't advanced on-list, or reflected in any of Scott's
> verbiage, eh?

Well, it's out in the open now, thank you.

> I like choice three, if it isn't obvious.
>
> Now lets do a little math.
>
> At $0.20 / kWh (the residential rate in 2006, I don't know what the
> schools pay), thats $33.22 .vs $236.20 per *month* just in power
> bills for that 20 station lab.  In a nine-month school calendar year,
> (I'll assume the lab is shut-off during school breaks) you're looking
> at a $1826.82 delta just for power use.   Do those computers look
> "free" now?  Each one costs $91 more to power...
>
> never mind the effects on the environment.
>
> For more dramatic effect, multiply by the several hundred (if not
> thousand) P4 CPUs that HOSEF might put back into use, rather than
> directing them to effective ecycling.
>
> Two word summary:  "false economy".
>
> And I have yet to touch the other power savings to be had in more
> modern systems (that run a lower voltage bus, support chips that can
> sleep, etc.)

So, I'd say those are some pretty good arguments in support of
HOSEF getting out of recycling/repurposing anything as old as P4s.
So, if HOSEF immediately changes policy to *not* accept older CPUs,
then, is it basicly out of the hardware business because donations
of newer power saving CPUs are so few as to not bother?

> Not really, no.   Education and Advocacy aren't "installfests".

OK, so I hear you advocating more unconventions and conventions,
but not installfests... Education, but not necessarily supporting
educational institutions (charity e-cycling). You've given convincing
arguments and math as to why charity e-cycling is neither good for
HOSEF, the environment, nor those to whom power-hungry computers have 
been getting gifted.

> >> Jim
> >
> > Thank you Jim, for taking the initiative to start-up some new
> > energies for moving HOSEF in new directions. But, is it necessary
> > to shut down old directions at the same time? Legally? Financially?
> > Operationally? Is it time to share why and how the board came to
> > its' conclusions?
>
> The HOSEF board hasn't come to any such conclusion on the subject.
>
> Why do you assume it has?

I'm not sure I did... however after your math above,
it seems quite appropriate to shut down recycling of older hardware.

> It does recognize the challenges that lay along the present course,
> and is considering a change of course.

and it sounds like you've got a very enlightened take on it all,
some very sound reasoning, and some pretty clear positive intents.

> The more pressing matter is Scott's recent behavior.

I may not have been paying enough attention to actually know
which behaviour is problematic. With a little forgiveness and
ho'opono, and your support of Scott being on the board,
(if certain conditions are met), there is a very clear
opportunity to move forward and leave past problems behind.

I forget the exact quote(s) or to whom to attribute, but it
has been said that if an organization is successful, it will
live to outgrow its' original founder(s), and that any organization
which depends solely upon one individual, must outgrow its' dependency 
upon that one person. However painful that growth process may have been 
recently, it seems that HOSEF is poised to make that growth, and that 
its' participants must likewise grow with the organization's growth.

Thank you for contributing so much to the cause.

Mahalo, and Aloha, Angela Kahealani

-- 
"(I'll) Be Seeing You..."    All information and transactions are
private between the parties, and are non negotiable.   All rights
reserve without prejudice Angela Kahealani.  http://kahealani.com