Programme

I. WHAT IS SOFTWARE

The first two days of The Techno-Galactic Software Observatory will be developed in collaboration with the NAM-IP in Namur and will take place in the surrounding of their collection of historical ’numerical artefacts’. Viewing software in this long-term context offers the occasion to reflect on the conditions of its appearance, and allows us to take on current-day questions from a genealogical perspective. What is software? How did it appear as a concept, in what industrial and governmental circumstances? What happens to the material conditions of its production (minerals, factory labor, hardware) when it evaporates into a cloud?

Wednesday 7 June: NAM-IP

08:45 Find us in Midi/South station, main hall
09:03 Train (look for the TGSO exclusive car ;)) to Namur from Midi/South -- Introduction WHAT IS SOFTWARE, reader (Femke + Peggy)
10:45 Arrival Nam-IP
11:00 Start 1st guided tour + demo for francophones w/ Clara
11:30 Start 2nd guided tour + demo w/ Amal for anglophones
12:30 Lunch
13:30 Intro guide/etherbox with collection of list of possible ToC/topics (Michael + Carlin)
15:00 Exercise: What is a stored program? Where is it stored? (and meta)? Looking at files in different ways (Anita + Martino)
18:00 Leave the museum, walk to the station
18:45 Namur - Brussels 19:57 (on the TGSO exclusive car ;)) Introductions: Observations (Michael + Carlin), etherbox with paper backup
Timekeeper: Seda

Thursday 8 June: Department of electrical engineering, KULeuven room B91.100 and B91.200

09:00 Find us in Midi/South station, main hall
09:14 Train (look for the TGSO exclusive car ;)) to Leuven from Midi/South Brussels, connect to Heverlee in Leuven
10:00 All go to room where we will work for the day
10:30 A: Exercise: Side channel attacks (if person that gives it gives it.)
B: Computer Museum II (Jean Heuns) group 1
11:15 Report (optional second tour of Computer Museum)
12:30 Group A Lunch in KUL-cafetaria
13:00 Group B Lunch in KUL-cafetaria
14:00 Discuss the guide ToC (narrow down topcis/ToC categories from day before)
15:00 [...]
17:00 Leave KULeuven
17:32 Train (TGSO exclusive car!) to Brussels from Heverlee
18:30 Opening Constant_V -- Quantify Wholeheartedly (Natacha Roussel + Samedies): http://constantvzw.org/site/QUANTIFY-WHOLEHEARTEDLY.html
Timekeeper: Peggy

II. WHEN AND WHERE IS SOFTWARE

The second two days will focus on the space-time dimension of IT development. The way computer programs and operating systems are manufactured changed tremendously through time, so its production times and places changed too. From military labs via the mega-corporation cubicles to the open-space freelancer utopia, what ruptures and continuities can be traced? From time-sharing to user-space partitions and containerization, what separations were and are at work? Where and when is software made today?

Friday 9 June: WTC25 Koning Albert II-laan 28-30, 25th floor

10:00 Introduction WHEN AND WHERE IS SOFTWARE, reader (Martino + Anita) + guide/etherbox (Anita + Femke)
11:00 Contribution: Entreprecariat (Silvio Lorusso)
13:00 Push and Pop lunch
See: https://users.ece.cmu.edu/~koopman/stack_computers/sec1_2.html

14:00 Short introduction to WTC25 (Mia) 14:30 [...]
18:00 End
Timekeeper: Carlin

Saturday 10: WTC25 Koning Albert II-laan 28-30, 25th floor

10:00 Collaborative/individual work
11:00 Recap/updates and re-groupings
13:00 Lunch by Louise Mestrallet + Chris Valens
14:00 Collaborative/individual work
17:00 Closing block II
18:00 End
Timekeeper: Martino

III. OBSERVATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES

The last two days at the Techno-galactic software observatory will be dedicated to observation and its consequences. The development of software encompasses a series of practices whose evocative names are increasingly familiar: feedback, report, probe, audit, inspect, scan, diagnose, explore ... What are the systems of knowledge and power within which these activities take place, and what other types of observation are possible? As a practical set for our investigations, we will together set up a walk-in clinic in the basement of the World Trade Center, where users and developers can arrive on Monday with software-questions of all kinds

Sunday 11: WTC25

10:00 Introduction OBSERVATION AND ITS CONSEQUENCES, reader (Carlin + Seda) + guide/etherbox (Peggy + Martino)
11:00 Exercise: Fingerprinting or brainstorm different observation tools and methods that are in the room
13:00 Lunch by Louise Mestrallet + Chris Valens
14:00 Preparations walk-in clinic: Tool/Method swap
18:00 End
Timekeeper: Anita

Monday 12: WTC25

10:00 Preparations walk-in clinic (prepare space, what does intake look like, etc?)
13:00 Lunch by Louise Mestrallet + Chris Valens
14:00 Walk-in Clinic Opens
17:00 Closing the clinic, drinks
19:00 End
Timekeeper: Femke

INTRODUCTIONS

http://www.constantvzw.org/site/Open-Call-for-The-Techno-Galactic-Software-Observatory.html