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This weekend is LugRadio Live UK 2008 at The Lighthouse Media Center in Wolverhampton. The weekend looks a little like this:

25+ speakers. 20+ exhibitors. LAN gaming. Free swag. Great community atmosphere. £5.

Bring it on.

Just wanted to give a quick update on Severed Fifth and some of the work going on in the project:

Recording is going well. The vast majority of the music is tracked, I just need to finish up vocals. Go and see studio reports 1 2 and 3 for more details. I think things are sounding pretty damn meaty right now. I can’t wait to get it out there. I am about to start a travelling spree for a five weeks, in which I will not be able to record vocals. As such, I plan on releasing a bunch of sneak peaks of the songs each week to show you how things are sounding. The Severed Fifth Street Team has kicked off, and it is great to see some representation across the world. I am excited to see how we can take the Open Source methodology and apply it to music. We have some great people on board, and I can’t wait to see what is possible. Come and join up the street team help make the new music economy happen. After a significant amount of time thinking about licensing, I have decided on a Creative Commons Sampling Plus license for my music. This license satisfies a bunch of the things that are important to me. I am happy for people to share the music, remix it and play with it as much as they like both commercially and non-commercially, but I felt uncomfortable with people selling the music as-is, even with attribution. The reason for this is that Severed Fifth is there to explore different methods of generating revenue, and I feel it is reasonable for an artist to have sole rights to sell their music commercially. However, I did not want to prohibit other artists taking my music, mashing it up and selling their work. This license strikes that balance perfectly. Speaking of licensing, I have written up the Severed Fifth Licensing Page. With the page I did not just want to make it a boring page full of legal terms - I wanted it to be a page that gives useful information about what people can actually do with the content. I would love any feedback from you about how to make the page not only useful for explaining rights and restrictions, but also inspiring people to use the content in interesting ways.

Finally, I had my first piece of Severed Fifth Merchandise come through. I ordered some high quality gloss stickers which I plan on selling on the store, but will also bring along to conferences to give some out. If you are at LugRadio Live UK 2008, GUADEC, OSCON or DebConf come and ask for one. They look like this:

Rock and roll.

A few bits of Ubuntu news for you all.

Firstly, I am pleased to announce the next Ubuntu Developer Summit which will take place from Monday 8th - Friday 12th December 2008 at Google in Mountain View in California. We wanted to get the dates up ASAP so you can begin booking time in your calendar. We were at Google a few years ago for a UDS and it was excellent, and we expecting this to be a busy and productive UDS. Oh, and the food is incredible, but that is documented well enough already. Seriously though, reserve those dates in your diary. We will have more details about registering your attendance soon.

See the Ubuntu Developer Summit Wiki Page for more details.

Secondly, I uploaded another video to the Ubuntu Developer Channel. In this video Daniel shows you how to patch a package; a common skill used in Ubuntu packaging.

Can’t see the video? Click Here.

We have one more video left in this collection of Learning MOTU videos which I will put online in a week or so.

Wow. That is the only way of describing how we all feel in the LugRadio team regarding the response to Monday’s news that we are wrapping up LugRadio. I have been, in a word, stunned at the incredibly generous and kind comments that we have been receiving. It was incredible to see so many comments on that blog entry, as well as Aq’s write-up, the LugRadio forums thread that announced the news, and the mountain of email to the show email address.

I have read every one of those comments, posts and emails and I am stunned at the incredibly kind things people have been saying. Some of the things that people have said have really made us all feel incredibly proud of the show. I love the fact that many of you said that LugRadio helped you get enthused about free software and the community, and many of you said that you feel part of something with LugRadio. A long time ago, Bruno, a LugRadio community regular said “LugRadio is my LUG“; it seems he is not alone in that sentiment based on many of the messages we have received.

So with all the thanks we have received and well-wishes for the future, I want to use this as an opportunity to say thanks to every one of you too. As some of you will know, I am rather fond of communities, and I am incredibly proud of the LugRadio community. It has demonstrated all the traits of a good community; it is a friendly, welcoming environment, and one that has never been short of people enthusiastic about getting involved. Heck, the foundation of LugRadio is a testament to this, with every single show being mirrored by a large number of contributors - this was a conscious decision that we made from day one to help make the show possible, and low-and-behold the community once again stood up and helped. Not only that, but had community contributions with sys-admin work, the planet, the facts database, the clan, the forums, the IRC channel, at LugRadio Live, with ideas for the show, emails and more.

There is though one little story though which I would like to share with you that really demonstrated to me what the LugRadio community is capable of. Back when we were organising LugRadio Live 2006, we spent months preparing for the event. It was twice the size of 2005, two days instead of one, three stages instead of two with more talk slots, had far more activities and events going on and involved a lot more coordination, sponsorship and more. We worked our respective arses off to get everything in shape, and the community was psyched up about it. People had booked flights from all over the world to attend, hotels were reserved and we were a few weeks away from the big weekend. Then, one evening while doing some recording, I logged onto the LugRadio Forums from my studio computer and noticed a comment that a rail strike was scheduled for the weekend of LugRadio Live. Crap. I can safely say that in 28 years of being on this planet, I have never been so angry as I was in that moment, and was fuming at not only the incompetence of the people who run the rail network but also the union deciding to throw their toys out the proverbial pram. Who the hell did they think they were? Did they not consider other people who rely on the rail network? Were they aware of how disruptive this was going to be? I stood there and envisaged all of our hard work slowly going down the drain as people could not get to LugRadio Live.

In all the commotion, the LugRadio community…unasked…and unprompted, jumped right into action and started organising car sharing, investigating alternatives and getting a plan in place. Discussions happened, wiki pages were created, capacity was developed. We even had someone volunteer to pay or a nationwide coach service out of his own pocket. When I went to work at OpenAdvantage the following day with a black cloud hovering over my head, I was touched by just how much the community had pulled together. In my mind, this is the definition of what this is all about - we are all coming together to not only do incredibly cool things with technology, culture and new perspectives, but there is a noticeable atmosphere of people looking out for each other. The greatest communities in the world are not just places where you feel empowered, they are places in which other people empower you.

…oh and for the curious, the conclusion of this tale was that when I got into OpenAdvantage that day I called the rail network officials and the union and gave them equal doses of my derision. Fortunately, said strike was called off and everyone lived happily ever after. I even shaved off that insane beard at that LugRadio Live. Retrospectively, that was a deeply wise move.

So in conclusion, thanks everyone for everything you have been saying to us, we really do appreciate it.

Come to LugRadio Live UK 2008 for one last shindig

So everyone, with the show wrapping up, you absolutely, utterly have to come along to LugRadio Live UK 2008 on the 19th and 20th July 2008 for our farewell LugRadio Live. Of course, its not just our last recording of a show - there will be three stages of speakers, a full exhibition, parties and other fun for the weekend. Its only a few weeks away, so get booked into a hotel and come and join us.

My Dad has had something of an interesting life. When he was very young, he was part of a large family that didn’t have a lot. He struggled at school and suffered some health problems as a kid, but his determination and enterprising nature lead him through a maze of interesting little adventures. When he was younger, despite becoming the scathe of the small Northern local town’s officials due to trying to resolve some dangerous safety problems at a local factory, he went on to prove himself as a local councillor and subsequently became mayor of the town. He went on to run a nightclub, car retail businesses, become an executive running a collection of car retail outlets in Lancashire, became a hypnotherapist, lead a multimedia project to produce interactive motor-trade kiosks as well as one of the UK’s first motor-trade websites, then retired and bought and run a country pub, campaigned and succeeded to change the law regarding women’s rights in working mens clubs, and he now has a seat as a local magistrate and runs an antiques company with my mum who trained as a master restorer and has been rated as one of the top restorers in England. Most recently he was accepted for admission into Cambridge University to pursue his lifelong love of Criminology and Law, and yesterday he received his first grade on his course and was in the top 15% of the course. His sense of grounding and background made him a touch antsy about how he would fare in his first assessment (remembering he has not been to University before, and he is at Cambridge of all places), and he stormed it.

It is common for a dad to be proud of his kids, but I am hugely proud of my dad. Part of me is proud of his patchwork of achievements and his diversity in life over the years, particularly from such humble beginnings, but I am mainly proud of who he is as a human being. He is a man of unparalleled integrity, deeply committed to his family, has told my mum he loves her every day for 28 years, and has a strong belief in working hard but also playing hard. He strikes the perfect balance in terms of being motivated and career minded, maintaining a strong and loving relationship with his wife and kids, and always retaining a grounded sense of reality. Both of my parents are funny, engaging, wise and inspiring.

He and my mum have been incredibly supportive at every point in my life - both in terms of my career and my personal life. They have always been supportive of every element of what makes me who I am - my work, my music, my viewpoints and my choices. They are my template for the perfect relationship, and they are a significant inspiration in the values that I hold important in the world. Mum, Dad, I love you both and I am incredibly proud of you.

Mucho, mucho, mucho thanks to NickG for informing me that new tickets went on sale for Iron Maiden at Twickenham on Saturday. I consequently went and snapped up two tickets for Aq and I. This Saturday, we will be watching Iron Maiden re-creating songs that I have been listening to since I was 10 years old.

Anyone going along?

DIGG THIS!

Today we announced that we have decided to call it a day with LugRadio. Our last show will be LugRadio Live UK 2008 on the 19th and 20th July 2008 at The Lighthouse in Wolverhampton. We announced this in the latest episode of LugRadio, Season 5 Episode 21 - go and have a listen to the show to hear more.

In a nutshell, we have decided that LugRadio has had a good run for the last four years and five seasons, and a show such as ours has always faced the risk of getting old and tired unless the formula is changed to keep it fresh. This growth and evolution has happened to a decent degree over the seasons as we introduced interviews, musical comedy skits, points based segments, competitions, focusing on different types of content etc, but as we near the end of Season 5 we came to the conclusion that the show was nearing its natural conclusion. From the beginning, when we have discussed if and when LugRadio was to finish we were always determined to take it out on a high, and this is part of the reason we feel now is a good time. The last thing we would want people to say is “yeah LugRadio was fantastic, well apart from that dire sixth season“. We feel we have had five good solid seasons under our belt, so now is probably a good time to wrap things up.

Now, as with when Matt left, some people are bound to jump to conclusions why we are calling it a day. To clarify:

A am massively proud of what we have managed to achieve. Over 100 shows, 7 full-time presenters and countless guest presenters, 200+ hours of audio, 100+ guests, 2million+ downloads, 1000+ forums members, 40000+ forums posts, 5 live events in two countries, 5000+ emails to the show and an incredible community of people who have surrounded the show, discussed it, got involved in some way, and otherwise given us all an immense enthusiasm to keep doing LugRadio. I am also proud of every one of my co-presenters over the years - Steve “Sparkes” Parkes, Matt Revell, Ade Bradshaw and the current roster of Adam Sweet, Chris Procter and Stuart “Aq” Langridge. I am particularly proud of Aq, my best mate and someone who has been my partner in crime in LugRadio since Season 1 Episode 1.

The thing I am most proud of about LugRadio is that it shook things up. It has always been raw, unexpected and at times uncomfortable to listen to. We always set out to do a show on our terms, knowing full well it would not be everyone’s cup of tea, but we forged ahead and I am proud of how the history looks.

Everyone has their favorite moments, and I just wanted to highlight just a few of mine:

Our many incredible guests - Nat Friedman, Jeff Waugh, Eric Raymond, Miguel de Icaza, Mark Shuttleworth, Matthew Garrett, Rob McQueen, Sacha “Sago” Goedegebure, Alexandre Juillard, Havoc Pennington, Colin Walters, Quim Gil, Greg Kroah-Hartman and many more. The many strong debates Aq and I have launched into on the show. We have a somewhat unusual style of debating and some people have been worried we were on the verge of falling out, which has never happened. I know, its odd, and something that started back in 2001 at LUG meetings. It never stops being fun. The Gong-a-thong was an idea that Aq and I concocted late one night while on the phone. The first time we did it in Wolverhampton, we both stood at the side of the stage and it was a very surreal, proud and frankly hilarious moment. We replicated such insanity in San Francisco with Aaron Bockover and it was another comedy gem. The final gong-a-thong will happen at LugRadio Live UK 2008 in a few weeks. Ade’s random stories, and strange expectations of life. Who can forget Ade asking if any of us looked at our arses in the mirror, expecting a fully reasoned and learned discussion about said activity. Oh, and Ade’s perspectives on women in technical roles and his idea of compliments to a lady in a nightclub (”You sit well for an old girl…“). Bonkers. The booting of Matt Lee and GNU/FSF on the show and his admirable efforts at retort. Oh, and RMS refusing to come on the show as we use the words “Open Source” in the description of the show. Theatrics and comedy skits - The National Lottery segment, musical efforts (Pigeon Street, Lion Sleeps Tonight), Mrs Mudchild appearing because Matt was late for the show, Stallman only wanting a kipper, the What The F**k Book Truck, Filthy Gamble and more. LugRadio Live USA 2008. Wow, what an experience - a lot of fun, and a lot of work, but well worth it. LugRadio Live And Unleashed - there is nothing like doing a show in front of hundreds of people. It is a lot of fun and a real buzz. Sparkes availing us of his many stories, particularly the girl taking the piss out of his shoes in Wolverhampton. When I was editing his best bits segment I had tears streaming down my face laughing. Filming the LugRadio Live 2007 promo videos. It was a lot of fun making them. Actors, we are not. The emails. Our emails were always eclectic. Sometimes random, sometimes wise, sometimes hilarious, sometimes deeply offensive, but always inspiring. We loved every one of them, even the ones we thought were crap. The competitions - Stupid Hat For Corporate Tat, Look Queer In The New Year, Pimp My LugRadio, Asa Raskin’s Hat Dilemma and more. Bruno’s talk at LugRadio Live 2006 about how much we all swear in LugRadio and his rather amusing delivery and graphs. Matt’s impressions, particularly his Irish leprechaun impression. Specifically, Matt’s leprechaun impression that he used to impersonate Lucky Charms when at Skycon in Limerick. The Finger Of God.

It is certainly going to be unusual not having my mates around to my house every two weeks to record a show, drinking endless amounts of tea, taking an average of 15 takes to record an intro (really), regularly ribbing each other about everything under the sun, and then releasing a show and hearing about how it was received by our community.

So, the last episode of LugRadio will be recorded in front of a live audience at LugRadio Live UK 2008 on the 19th July 2008 in Wolverhampton. Why not come and share it with us, and the Saturday night we will be toasting to four years surrounded by our friends from the community; I can’t think of a better way to get off the roller-coaster.

Also see Aq’s write-up.

Dammit! I missed out grabbing tickets for Iron Maiden at Twickenham on the 5th July. This is the tour I have been waiting years for. If anyone knows of any spare tickets I can get my hands on, please email me. I will be super grateful if someone can help hook me up with some tickets!

Wow, busy few days - I have been locked in my studio recorded Denied By Reign - the debut Severed Fifth album which will be part of my exploration into the new music economy. For the curious, see Studio Report #1 and Studio Report #2.

Also, thanks to Ars Technica for writing up Severed Fifth here - if you believe the project is a worthy one, do go and Digg the article.

Well, tomorrow I begin recording the debut Severed Fifth album; Denied By Reign. This is an album that has been in the works for a long time, and primary recording begins tomorrow and finishes on Wednesday. This will involve eight songs and all of the tracking and production for all of the instruments - safe to say…its gonna be a long session!

What this will result in is the first chunk of content that can be used to push Severed Fifth forward as a campaign and as an experiement in elements of free culture. It will be this content that will be used to try and push the concept of free culture, and to explore the many questions I have about how to be successful as a free culture musician. I hope that irrespective of whether each person reading this likes the music, the message behind Denied By Reign and the wider Severed Fifth project will answer some of the questions we are faced with when discussing and advocating a free culture music industry. It is an exciting time, and I can’t wait to see just what is possible with this debut release.

Keeping up to date

To keep everyone up to date with the progress of the recording, I will be doing the following:

So, check in and see what is going on. Here we go…