Subject: Re: [Manycouches] [107all] Update on IETF 107 Vancouver and COVID-19

From: Joseph Potvin <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 07:06:04 -0400

Just an FYI: LibrePlanet 2020 (13-15  March) has shifted to fully online.
Their announcement is below.

Joseph Potvin

---------- Forwarded message ---------
From: Zoë Kooyman, FSF <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, Mar 10, 2020 at 6:09 AM
Subject: LibrePlanet 2020: In-person component canceled, but we'll see you
online
To: Joseph Potvin <[email-masked]>

*Read and share online:
https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2020-in-person-component-canceled-but-well-see-you-online
<https://www.fsf.org/blogs/community/libreplanet-2020-in-person-component-canceled-but-well-see-you-online>*

Dear Joseph Potvin,

It is with deep sadness that we are canceling all of the in-person events
associated with LibrePlanet 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19 outbreak and
our corresponding concern for the safety of this community. This includes
the conference sessions on March 14 and 15, and all Free Software
Foundation (FSF)-organized social events on March 13, 14, and 15.

However, just because we won't be holding a conference in person this year
doesn't mean that we've given up our fight to "free the future." Instead,
LibrePlanet will be a *fully free (as in freedom) virtual conference and
livestream*. We had an extremely exciting program planned, and we're going
to try and maintain as much of that schedule as possible with all of the
speakers who are willing and able to participate remotely. The resulting
livestream will be run on and entirely accessible via free software, so
that you can enjoy these amazing talks from the comfort of your home.

With our small staff and the immense amount of other work to be done for
free software this year, we decided that rescheduling to later this year
would not be feasible, and that a virtual conference would be much more
valuable.

We changed our plans since our announcement last week because, over the
weekend, the number of presumptive coronavirus cases reported in
Massachusetts grew to 40
<https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-cases-in-massachusetts/download>. We
also have been receiving a steady flow of speaker and attendee
cancellations, indicating concern. The continuous spread of the virus, the
daily changes to the situation, and its confirmed growth in the Boston area
all made it impossible for us to sufficiently guarantee people's safety
attending the event. With this issue out of the way, we can now focus all
of our energy to deliver the best possible version of the event online.

This decision has not been made lightly; the financial costs already
incurred in terms of money and staff time are a heavy burden on the
organization. We ask you for your understanding, and to please consider
making a donation <https://www.fsf.org/donate> to the FSF, especially as we
move forward with our plans to bring the conference to thousands of virtual
participants around the world. To those whose travel plans were disrupted,
please accept our apologies.

More information will be forthcoming. For now, please follow the World
Health Organization
<https://www.who.int/emergencies/diseases/novel-coronavirus-2019>
guidelines about keeping safe during this difficult time. Again, thank you
for your patience and understanding.

Happy hacking,

Zoë Kooyman
Program Manager

---

From: Lou Berger <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 07:34:00 -0400

Also fyi

https://www.canada.ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/mass-gatherings-risk-assesment.html

----------

---

From: Phillip Hallam-Baker <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:50:57 -0400

If you plot the spread of the virus in Italy and apply the same schedule to
the US, the general quarantine order would come during the welcome
reception.

Now Vancouver is not the US but it is across the border from Washington
state where there was an outbreak. And the US numbers are about to explode
because they have finally started the testing.

I am not yet fully recovered after catching flu in Singapore. The flu led
to another infection. My investors told me I was not going to Vancouver
before that ended up putting me in the hospital for a week. This is really
serious stuff and most participants are quite a bit older than I am.

On Tue, Mar 10, 2020 at 7:34 AM Lou Berger <[email-masked]> wrote:

> <https://www.canada..ca/en/public-health/services/diseases/2019-novel-coronavirus-infection/health-professionals/mass-gatherings-risk-assesment.html>
> ------------------------------
>
> On March 10, 2020 7:07:19 AM Joseph Potvin <jpotvin@xalgorithms..org>
> wrote:
>
>> Subject: LibrePlanet 2020: In-person component canceled, but we'll see
>> you online
>> However, just because we won't be holding a conference in person this
>> year doesn't mean that we've given up our fight to "free the future."
>> Instead, LibrePlanet will be a *fully free (as in freedom) virtual
>> conference and livestream*. We had an extremely exciting program
>> planned, and we're going to try and maintain as much of that schedule as
>> possible with all of the speakers who are willing and able to participate
>> remotely. The resulting livestream will be run on and entirely accessible
>> via free software, so that you can enjoy these amazing talks from the
>> comfort of your home.
>>
>> making a donation <https://www.fsf.org/donate> to the FSF, especially as
>> we move forward with our plans to bring the conference to thousands of
>> virtual participants around the world. To those whose travel plans were
>> disrupted, please accept our apologies.
>>
> _______________________________________________
> Manycouches mailing list
> [email-masked]
> https://www.ietf.org/mailman/listinfo/manycouches
>

---

From: Mary B <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 09:15:36 -0500

I would posit that your lingering illness post-Singapore could be due to
the mold in that conference venue. 25% of the population has the
predisposition to be made ill upon exposure to mold. Those of northern
European descent are more likely due to the HLA DR genotypes more commonly
associated with that area.   And, the impact is additive.  You can tolerate
so much before your body is overloaded. Mold is also very serious stuff.  I
find it quite ironic  that the community was okay going back to a venue
that is known to have made at least person very, very sick due to the level
of mycotoxins, yet people are terrified at something that *might* occur if
they go to the meeting.

Regards,
Mary

On Tue, Mar 10, 2020 at 8:52 AM Phillip Hallam-Baker <[email-masked]>
wrote:

> If you plot the spread of the virus in Italy and apply the same schedule
> to the US, the general quarantine order would come during the welcome
> reception.
>
>>> Just an FYI: LibrePlanet 2020 (13-15  March) has shifted to fully
>>> online. Their announcement is below.
>>>
>>> Joseph Potvin
>>>
>>> It is with deep sadness that we are canceling all of the in-person
>>> events associated with LibrePlanet 2020 due to the ongoing COVID-19
>>> outbreak and our corresponding concern for the safety of this community.
>>> This includes the conference sessions on March 14 and 15, and all Free
>>> Software Foundation (FSF)-organized social events on March 13, 14, and 15.
>>>
>>> making a donation <https://www.fsf.org/donate> to the FSF, especially
>>> as we move forward with our plans to bring the conference to thousands of

---

From: Joseph Potvin <[email-masked]>
Date: Tue, 10 Mar 2020 12:38:31 -0400

RE: "I don't have any idea whether anything on this thread recently,
including this note, are of value to the people actually making
the decision as to whether to hold a f2f meeting"

I suggest that the current scenario is a impromptu resilience test and
global call-to-action for the ISoc/IRTF/IETF, W3C, Apache, Linux
Foundation, FSF, OSI, etc. communities.

Joseph Potvin
Executive Director, Xalgorithms Foundation
Mobile: 819-593-5983
[email-masked]
https://www.xalgorithms.org