User: MagicFab

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Fabián Rodríguez


Contact information

Always see my personal website for current contact information.

If you are on JoinDiaspora.com or if you use identi.ca you can find me here:

I also share my bookmarks here: https://l1bre.ca/l/bookmarks.php/magicfab (semantic bookmark aggregator)

About me

FSF member #3877 since 2005

I am a full-time consultant, mostly doing "free IT" advocacy & coaching (software , hardware, formats, licenses) in and around Montreal, QC, Canada, focusing on training, security and migration from non-free IT. I am always open to any full-time positions or opportunities, specially if they involve using or promoting free technologies. My full contact information is available on my personal site.

I am interested in free technologies advocacy (including formats, content, licensing) & training for new users, with an emphasis on security. I am fluent in English, French and Spanish.

See my LinkedIn profile for more information. I also microblog on Identi.ca and occasionally blog on my website.

Although there is no local FSF chapter in Quebec province or in Canada, FACIL is probably the closest thing we have. I volunteer my time and participate in both organizations (FSF and FACIL).

The Free Technology Definition

I have adapted the Free Software Definition principles to apply them broadly in technology usage:

  • The freedom to use the technology, for any purpose (freedom 0).
  • The freedom to study how any given technology works, and adapt it to your needs (freedom 1). Access to the source code, schematics, plans or creation / manufacturing instructions are a precondition for this.
  • The freedom to redistribute copies so you can help your neighbor (freedom 2).
  • The freedom to improve a technology, and release your improvements to the public, so that the whole community benefits (freedom 3). Access to the source code, schematics, plans or creation / manufacturing instructions are a precondition for this.

At the FSF

  • Since October 2011, I am encouraging local technology freedom advocates to help with LibrePlanet Québec. Among the first services we offer under l1bre.ca is a local instance of SemanticScuttle. See http://l1bre.ca/l.
  • As an associate member since 2005, I closely follow FSF activites and try to help in any local events. The last one was Software Freedom Day 2011 where I started coordinating Canadian teams and organized conferences, an install-fest and other activities in Montreal.
  • I volunteer my time in translation and wiki content maintenance. The first document that caught my attention was the GPLv2 license, which was missing a paragraph in French. Lately I contributed to FDroid, part of the Replicant project for Android devices.
  • Within the High Priority projects I contribute by testing and using Trisquel. As a former Ubuntu Systems senior support analyst at Canonical for 4 years I try to document my findings, share best practices and help other users transition to Trisquel or use Ubuntu with as much free software as possible, targeting 100% :)
  • Every year I help organize and participate in local activities - our hub for such local events is the Agenda du Libre
  • I have a keen interest in free, open media formats, which makes my advocacy work often intersect with the PlayOgg and Defective by Design campaigns. I use archive.org regularly to illustrate transcoding and hosting media formats and often bring attention of local media to the problems introduced when using Flash only. I currently coordinate a campaign to get Radio-Canada to use free formats on their web site.

At FACIL

  • I am a founding member and Vice-President since June 2012
  • I am a regular contributor to the blog and media archives of local interviews/news reports
  • I participate in the Forum mailing list and volunteer at different activism events
  • I actively network with other organizations.

Other projects I am active in

Hardware

  • Intel Core i5 680 workstation with integrated Intel GPU (HD55) on an Asus P7H55-M PRO motherboard (home system, now runs Trisquel 5.5)
    • GPU full support starting with xserver-xorg-video-intel version 2.14 (available in Ubuntu Natty or via the xorg-edgers PPA)
    • Temperature and other sensors supported since Ubuntu Natty
  • Lenovo Thinkpad x230 Intel Core i5-3320M CPU laptop with Intel HD Graphics 4000, running Trisquel 6
    • Backlit keyboard and Thinklight options
    • Intel Corporation Centrino Advanced-N 6205 [Taylor Peak] [8086:0085] wifi required non-free firwmare and manual compilation of compat-drivers / former compat-wireless. I am researching options to replace the internal wifi card for one supported with free open source drivers+firmware, but this requires the BIOS being hacked too.
    • Added a Crucial 256GB SSD myself, an upgrade I had hacked together on my previous laptop - I appreciated having two hard disks.

Home networking

  • Linksys WRTGS2 router with DD-WRT
  • Printing: HP Officejet Pro 8500 Wireless All-in-One Printer, a bit pricey for the model with scan-to-email and duplex features, but worth every penny. 100% supported and work out of the box in Ubuntu/Trisquel with HPLIP.
  • Storage: DNS-323 small NAS (with 2x500GB), using the Alt-F alternative free firmware, I use NFS R/W mounts (for data) and Samba RO mounts (for media), everything worked out of the box but required some exploration
  • Bicycle: A BionX - equipped bicycle is my daily ride. Ok, this does not run Gnu/Linux but is very hackable. :) As an early adopter I had my share of problems mostly due to my infinite ignorance combined with the incompetence and terrible customer service of local dealers.

Phones / Tablets / other

  • Google Nexus 7 tablet running Cyanogen's ROM based on Android
  • HTC Wildfire S and HTC Panache (AWS phone, aka HTC myTouch 4G) both running Cyanogen's ROM based on Android
  • Chumby, a Gnu/Linux-based multi-media hardware player. Used mostly to show pictures, jokes and remaining days until important dates.

Retired / repairing

  • Neuros OSD open, embedded media center
  • Asus WL-500W 802.11n Multi-Functional Wireless Router, undergoing unbricking
  • Google Nexus One
  • Nook Color Android 7" tablet running Cyanogen's ROM based on Android
  • [N810] Internet tablet - I need to buy a new battery and install Android on this thing
  • Samsung N120 netbook (home system), with Trisquel 5.5 (deffective LCD)
  • HP Pavilion tx1220ca tablet laptop (work system, retired/testing) - worse hardware to use with Gnu/Linux, pretty much everything needed tweaking. Best laptop to practice on when you do support :)

Presentations / Events

These are some examples of past presentations and speaking engagements, workshops and other events participation. I am open to present on related subjects in FLOSS or non-FLOSS events. My presentation material is licensed under the Free Documentation license or some variant of Creative Commons licenses, accordingly.

  • July/August 2012 - James M. Stine College (St-Marc, Haiti) - Computer room setup, help desk implementation (OCS Inventory/GLPI), free software training & workshops
  • June 2012 - Accessibility Day (Montreal, Canada) - OpenStreetMap participant, observer for on-site survey and possible OSM proposal for extended accessibility attributes
  • Apr. 2012 - LibreOffice workshop for a local NPO (Montreal, Canada) - including presentation notes, branded DVD
  • Mar. 2012 - LibrePlanet (Boston, USA) - organizer for 5 people to represent LibrePlanet QC at this annual, international event
  • Oct. 2011 - LibrePlanet Québec kickoff meeting
  • Oct. 2011 - Occupy Montreal, Montreal - on site advocacy and FLOSS demonstrations, advocacy material donations
  • Sept. 2011 - Software Freedom Day 2011 - Canadian coordinator, Montreal events organizer, speaker. Round tables, conferences, and workshops
  • Jul. 2011 - Fin de semaine du Logiciel Libre 2011, Centre Culturel Simón Bolívar, Montreal - audience participation, InstallFest organizer (2 days)
  • Apr. 2011 - Centre St-François d'Assise, Grand Goâve, Haïti, "Les logiciels libres et GNU/Linux, une alternative durable"
  • Oct. 2010 - Mile-End Library, Montreal: "Getting started with Linux and FLOSS", offered monthly starting Jan 2011
  • May 2010 - Libuntu, 2-day advocacy event at SupInfo: "FACIL and FLOSS in Quebec", "Why is it important to know about Ubuntu ?"
  • Oct. 2008 - [attachment:20081013-Ubuntu-FabianRodriguez-BarCampDelhi.zip Why is Ubuntu important for you ?] (16MB), delivered at BarCamp Delhi
  • Ubuntu Developers Summit: Montreal (6.06 LTS, 2005), Seville (7.10, 2007), Texas (10.04 LTS, 2009), Orlando (11.04, 2010)
  • Ubucon
    • 2008 - San Francisco - Speaker: "Discovering the Ubuntu Desktop"
    • 2008 - San Salvador - Speaker: "Ubuntu: En pro o en contra del software libre", taller de práctica
    • 2008 - Guatemala - Speaker: "El ecosistema Ubuntu: comunidades, empresas, Canonical "
    • 2007 - New York (Google HQ) - Speaker: "The Ubuntu support ecosystem"
    • 2007 - Seville
  • 2008 - Linux World Expo – Ubuntu desktop and Landscape presentations
  • Sept. 2007 - Cultures Libres, innovations en réseau, UQAM - "L'écosystème de soutien technique Ubuntu: réussites, expériences" (speaker)
  • « Myths and truths of securing a software development environment », presentation at PHPConf 2006
  • Summer 2006, « Securing email communications: a challenge everyone can take – and win», Accès Libre magazine
  • 2004, Semaine Québécoise de l'Informatique Libre, « Improving security on your computer desktop with Mozilla »
  • Oct. 2006 - 33e Congrès annuel et colloque de l'ASTED, "Appropriation des Technologies Émergentes: nouveaux contenus, nouveaux services" (speaker)
  • Apr. 2006 – Linux Expo Toronto (sales engineering support for Savoir Faire Linux)
  • Apr. 2006 – ARIN XVII – American Internet Registry annual meeting (for ISOC Québec)
  • Mar. 2006 – Forum Internet Participatif Internet Society Québec (speaker)
  • Nov. 2005 – Ubuntu Below Zero, Ubuntu Linux developpers conference
  • 2005, 2006 - PHPConf : "PHP: Pretty Hot Programming: Tips & Tricks to keep coding securely" (speaker)
  • Mar. 2005 - Forum ISOC Quebec sur l'Internet participatif - "Les outils de l'Internet participatif: Un petit tour d'horizon" (speaker)
  • Oct. 2004 – GTEC 2004, largest canadian hi-tech expo for governement and their suppliers (Ottawa)
  • Oct. 2004 – Conference day: « eGovernment: community groups and minorities problematics » (Montréal)
  • Sept. 2004 – Semaine Québécoise de l'Informatique Libre « Improving security on your computer desktop with Mozilla » (workshop speaker)
  • Aug. 2004 – Conference: “Profession: Entrepreneur; colombian entrepreneurs success stories in Quebec” (organizer)
  • Jun. 2004 – First eGovernment Seminar (Québec, QC)
  • Jun. 2004 - Centre de Recherche Informatique de Montreal (CRIM) / Linux Québec – Conference: « Residential VoIP »
  • 2003 – Conference: « Constellation W3 » - provincial hi-tech « Think Tank »
  • Dec. 2003 - Conference « Digital security: It's (no) kid's play » (speaker)
  • Oct. 2003 – Provincial Free Software Conference
  • May 2003 – CRIM / Linux-Québec – Conference « La sécurité (n'est pas) un jeu d'enfants » (speaker)
  • Mar. 2003 – U. Del Valle, ICESI, ACUC, etc. (Colombia) – Training and conferences on security and cryptography
  • 2002 – Mercado Multimedia de las Américas, Montreal QC (business development)
  • 2001 – eCommerce Gala (finalist, “Security” catégory)
  • 2001 – Linux Expo Toronto - « Microsoft ASP applications under Linux » (speaker)
  • 2001 – Provincial OCTAS programming contest (evluation committee)
  • 2000 – ISP Con Toronto, Linux Expo Montreal - « Microsoft ASP applications under Linux » (speaker)
  • 1998 – Provincial OCTAS programming contest (finalist)
  • 1996 – iNet '96 – « Creating an Internet Presence - Student's extra-curricular IT activities » (speaker)
  • 1995 – GTEC 2004, largest canadian hi-tech expo for governement and their suppliers (Ottawa)
  • 1986 – CompuExpo (Bogota, Colombia) speaker, invited by Radio Shack Colombia
  • 1985 – Microsistemas conference (Cali, Colombia) at age 13 , speaker invited by Apple Cali, Colombia
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