Its been one heck of the year and to be frank 2021 is going to be pandemic driven too. While we all try and find our way in the new normal. Its worth looking at things which have delighted us all.
One of those for me is the Mozilla Festival which usually falls on October half-term. It would have been this week starting with Mozhouse and ending on Mozfest on the weekend, if it was still in London and there wasn’t a world wide pandemic of course.
With all that happening and not going to massively change come early next year. Mozfest will be mainly a virtual festival over 2 weeks in March. Being a community festival its time for the call for proposals.
Anyone can submit a session – you don’t need any particular expertise, just a great project or idea and the desire to collaborate and learn from festival participants. Since it’s online this year, we’re especially eager to see session proposals from those that haven’t been able to attend in year’s past due to travel restrictions.
If you or someone you know is interested in leading a session at MozFest this year, you can submit your session ideahere! The deadline is November 23.
So what you waiting for? Get in there…
Lets make the Mozilla festival 2021, the most diverse, inclusive and incredible festival of the internet ever!
Calling all…
Artists, Illustrators, Film makers, Musicians, Technologies, Writers, Educators and Community organisers using a neurodiversity lens in your works.
Last year the Neurodiversity space was brand new and it was a fantastic space full of good sessions.
The deadline is Monday 23rd November and Mozfest as mentioned previously, this year will be a hybrid conference but mainly online.
Get your sessions in now.
Back last year when we could go to conferences and festivals without fear of the covd19 pandemic. BBC R&D, Mozilla and Publicspaces put on a conference during the Mozilla Festival week.
It was a great conference but unfortunately it never was written up. Its a real shame but you can understand with all the build up to the coming pandemic. So I thought it would be worth writing something short at least because it was enjoyable and full of great speakers.
We started with a keynote from Rachel Coldicutt – Doteveryone – previously CEO of Doteveryone
Rachel talked about the importance of public value, what’s at stake if we leave it to the market and the notion of just enough internet, which I mentioned previously. It was great keynote and really kicked off the day of panel talks in the right manor. Its still a shame doteveryone is no more.
Session One – Public-Controlled Data
Rhianne Jones – BBC R&D – Research Lead (BBC R&D)
Jeni Tennison – ODI – CEO of the Open Data Institute (ODI)
Katja Bego – NESTA – Principal Researcher and data scientist at NESTA
Rhianne started the session with a look at the new forms of value work in R&D before Jeni and Katja followed in discussion with a look at the challenges facing the industry in which public controlled data can be ethically and unethically used.
Session Two – Equal Access for Everyone
Bill Thompson – BBC R&D – Principal Research Engineer at BBC R&D
Laura Ellis – BBC – BBC Head of Technology Forecasting
Isobel Hunter – Libraries Connected – Chief Executive at Libraries Connected
Bill kicked off the conversation looking at the important issue of inequality with Laura and Isobel looking at it from their points of view. All very enlightening with the different views coming together into we can all do better.
Session Three – A Healthy Digital Public Sphere
Solana Larsen – Mozilla Foundation – Editor of Mozilla’s Internet Health Report
Miles Metcalfe – Campaigner and activist
Tim Cowlishaw – BBC R&D – Project Technologist and Senior Software engineer at BBC R&D
Solana started things with a look at what makes up the internet heath report with Miles and Tim talking about the looking further and deep into what we mean by healthy and society
Session Four – Public Service Networking
Paulien Dresscher – Publicspaces & NFF – Independent curator, researcher, writer and educator
Ira Bolychevsky – Redecentralize – Data consultant, digital strategist and Director of Redecentralize
Alexandra Deschamps-Sonsino – Designswam – Internet of things author, consultant, public speaker and entrepreneur
Paulien kicked off the last session with a look at Publicspaces,net and their projects including the badges project. Ira followed up by exploring the notion of publicservice networking through the Redecentralize organisation. Alexandra then followed with her experience looking at the internet of things with a more ethical lens.
The whole event was very well attended and served as good follow on from the previous year. So what about this year? Well as you know Mozilla have moved the festival to Amsterdam but the pandemic has shifted things to a mainly virtual festival next year in March. Plans are a foot to follow up with something in collaboration with Publicspaces.