Google discounts for linux.conf.au

Thinking of going to linux.conf.au in Hobart in January?

Google is sponsoring travel costs (up to AUD 500) and half-price Professional delegate registration to linux.conf.au in Hobart in January 2009 though the Google-linux.conf.au Diversity Delegates Programme. (Don’t forget, conference registration includes the LinuxChix miniconf on the first day of linux.conf.au.)

The deadline has recently been extended. Applications for the Diversity Delegates Programme close December 31.  See the Google-linux.conf.au Diversity Delegates Programme page for more information.

The application form is here: http://tinyurl.com/Googlediversity

Full details on eligibility, application process etc are here: http://linux.conf.au/media/news/66

Super Human Revolution of the Species

An international event comprising a symposium, exhibition, master class and public talk investigating collaborative art and science practices and their relationship with the human body. Symposium Abstracts are invited from either individual or team-based researchers, artists and scientists. Submitted abstracts will undergo a double-blind referee process, with successful applicants invited to submit their paper prior to final acceptance.

Taking place in Melbourne on 22 – 25 November 2009, the Super Human symposium will present an invigorating and inspiring mix of keynote speakers and collaborative research projects engaging with one or more of the symposium themes.

Questions that the symposium will address include, but are not limited to: How do scientific and artistic bodies of knowledge intersect with human, social bodies? Does art serve simply as a representational tool for the sciences or is there more to the picture than that? Does research into bodies and their systems offer an insight into aesthetics, or is it confined to the purely functional?

Symposium proceedings will be published in Second Nature: the International Journal of Creative Media in March 2010. Second Nature is supported by RMIT University’s School of Creative Media. See secondnature.rmit.edu.au for more information.

Please submit all abstracts (and any questions) to the Conference Convenor: as@anat.org.au

The Call for Abstracts Deadline: 20 March
For more information, visit the website at http://www.superhuman.org.au

National Screenwriters Conference

Applications for assistance to attend the 2009 conference will close on 8 December 2008, in order to allow successful applicants to receive the early-bird rate.

More info on the conference or to register see: http://www.awg.com.au/nsc

If your application is successful the SAFC will support you for 50% of the early-bird conference registration rate, and up to $100 per night for accommodation. Please specify if you are an AWG member when applying.

Please note that the conference deadline for early bird registrations is 31 December 2008. SAFC will only cover 50% of the early bird rate, even if the deadline has passed.

For Practitioner Development Funding guidelines and application form please see the SAFC website

http://www.safilm.com.au/Programs/Detail.aspx?p=102&c=10

http://www.safilm.com.au/Article/EventDetail.aspx?p=31&id=794

25 – 27 February 2009
Barossa Valley, South Australia

Selling fast – Entheogenesis Australis Symposium

Entheogenesis Australis Symposium: An Educative Antidote to the ‘War on Drugs’ Debate

On Saturday December 6, 2008, the University of Melbourne’s Copland Theatre will play host to the 2008 Entheogenesis Australis Symposium. One of the few conferences of its kind where the general public are welcomed to attend, the Symposium will bring together more than 300 of Australia’s leading thinkers to examine the roles psychoactive plants and chemicals play in human society.

The Entheogenesis Australis (EGA) Symposium is designed to bring balance to the 37 year-old ‘War on Drugs’ debate, highlighting the fundamental functions ‘altered states of consciousness’ have played within human society throughout the ages.

In the midst of public uproar surrounding liquor licensing restrictions and alcohol being linked to twice as many abuse incidents as illicit drugs[1], attendees at the 2008 EGA Symposium will hear thought-provoking presentations such as ‘Wine: Medicine or Poison’, ‘Why are we still taking drugs? and ‘Psychotropic Mushrooms, an analysis of misidentification’.

The EGA Symposium features keynote lectures from respected authorities including Dr David Caldicott (Royal Adelaide Hospital), Dr Des Tramacchi (University of Queensland) and Dr Anna Kokavec (La Trobe University), to examine the anthropology, chemistry, pharmacology, botany, physiology psychology, neuroscience perspectives of plant-based empathogens[2] and their exciting modern-day applications.

The cultural, public policies and legal precedents surrounding empathogens will also be addressed, illustrating the emotional and highly politicised ‘War on Drugs’ debate as it continues to play out across the media and in Australian courtrooms.

A full list of speakers and their topics may be found at http://www.entheo.net/2008speakers.htm.

Wanna be part of a Geek Parenting panel at the LinuxChix miniconf?

LinuxChix miniconf is pleased to announce that it’ll be hosting a panel on Geek Parenting at LCA this year. They are now looking for some experienced geek parents as well as an expert or two (educator, counsellor or other professional who is experienced in matters parental) who would like to share some ideas, tips and discussion on the challenges that being a parent can present.

There are lots of questions you might have as a geek parent – or a parent of a potential geek.

How do you deal with having a gifted child who is having trouble socialising at school? How do you make sure that your child doesn’t ‘switch off’ from learning during those terrible teen years? Are there any ways to get your kids to think science and tech are cool rather than the daggy stuff mum or dad does at the computer all day?

If you would like to be part of this discussion, please put your name forward as a potential panellist. The panel will be held on January 19 as part of the LinuxChix miniconf.

Men and women are both encouraged to participate.

Please email: miniconf-submission@au.linuxchix.org and let us know briefly who you are, what your parenting/ teaching/ child herding experience is, or if you have any further questions.

Healthy Cities abstracts close Nov 30th

This is your last chance to submit an abstract for the Healthy Cities – Making Cities Liveable Conference being held at the Holiday Inn, Surfers Paradise on the 25th – 27th March 2009.

You can now view already accepted abstracts on the Conference website.

Sophie Secombe
Healthy Cities Conference Secretariat
Phone: 07 5528 2501 Fax: 07 5528 5291
Email: conference@healthycities.com.au
URL: www.healthycities.com.au

Meetmarket the Market Place for Doco Filmmakers

CALL FOR APPLICATIONS

MeetMarket is an initiative of Screen Australia and AIDC, and provides a unique opportunity for Australian documentary filmmakers with fresh ideas and projects in development to meet with potential buyers. Submissions selected to participate in MeetMarket are made available to international and domestic broadcast and distribution executives through MeetMarket’s innovative online portal.

Applicants are required to submit a two-minute video pitch teaser of their documentary project. Independent selectors will choose up to 20 projects to take part in MeetMarket. The online pitch teasers will be made available to buyers attending AIDC who will then request meetings with the filmmakers. The meetings are scheduled to take place during the conference.

All successful applicants will have the opportunity to participate in a pitch preparation session the day before the conference commences.

Entries for selection close Thursday 20 November 2008.

Guidelines and application forms are available from http://www.aidc.com.au/market-place/meetmarket

Entheogenesis Australis

Entheogenesis Australis (EGA) is a not-for-profit association that exists to create a supportive environment that fosters mature, open discussion about psychoactive plants and chemicals. We seek to explore ways to assess societal impacts and examine the positive applications of plant-based psychoactives and empathogens.

Altered states of consciousness have long been a fundamental part of human culture, and as our world becomes increasingly fast-paced, alternative modes are becoming ever more significant and consciously explored.

The Entheogenesis Australis 2008 Symposium aims to address the issues relating to drug use/misuse from social, cultural and historical/traditional perspectives. EGA speakers will draw on the backgrounds of physiology, biology, pharmacology, psychology, neuroscience, anthropology, botany and more to provide a more realistic context to the role drugs and altered states play in the modern world.

If you’ve ever asked yourself “has the ‘War on Drugs’ created more problems than it tried to solve?” or “is MDMA really a more dangerous drug than alcohol?” – then EGA is for you.

Entheogenesis Australis is a collection of thinkers from all walks of life, we come together to share knowledge about sacred plants, chemical alchemy and states of consciousness.

We hope you will join us on this exploration

Saturday, December 6, 2008
Time: 8:45am – 8:45pm
Location: Melbourne University, Copland Theatre – Economics and Commerce Building
Street: Building No 148
City/Town: Melbourne, Australia

For more information and list of speaker:
http://www.entheo.net

Email: entheogenesisaustralis@gmail.com

CSIRO and the bioeconomy at AusBiotech 2008

AusBiotech will hold its 2008 conference, Building a Bioeconomy – climate, food, health, investment, fuel at the Melbourne Convention Centre 26 – 29 October 2008.

“As Australia’s leading science agency, CSIRO will have significant input on a number of topics and scientists from across the organisation will be there to talk about the issues,” Professor Alastair Robertson, CSIRO Deputy Chief  Executive for Science Strategy and Investment said  Professor Robertson is a plenary speaker and will talk on the topic the CSIRO view of opportunities for Australia in the bioeconomy.

Professor Robertson said that other senior CSIRO people involved are Mr Cameron Begley, CSIRO Entomology who will chair the Bioeconomy session; Dr Michael Fenech, Food Science Australia who will speak in the Nutraceuticals and Functional Foods session and Dr Allan Green, CSIRO Plant Industry who will speak in the Bioeconomy session. CSIRO will also feature in the BioIndustry Exhibition which will provide an opportunity for its scientists to network with other organisations and discuss the organisation’s bioeconomy related research.

The sustainable use of biomass is becoming increasingly important as the world deals with the challenges of security of food, water and energy supply, the need to reduce emissions and an unsustainable use of resources. Bioeconomy is an all embracing term that covers the sustainable production and conversion of biomass such as waste from sugarcane, forestry, canola and wheat, to a range of food, health, fibre and industrial products and energy. AusBiotech is the premier biotechnology conference for the Asia Pacific region and will be attended by delegates from the global biotechnology industry. It will bring together leading scientists and representatives in key biotechnology industries and research areas.

For more information: http://csiro.au/science/Bioeconomy.html

The Clean Energy Council Conference & Exhibition 2008

The Clean Energy Council Conference & Exhibition 2008 is organised by industry for industry. It will be held at the Gold Coast Convention Centre – November 24-26 2008.

There are limited exhibition spaces and sponsorship packages available.

To secure one of the last places please contact

Annie Cronyn on +61 3 9929 4103 or email annie@cleanenergycouncil.org.au .