Software Freedom Day (SFD) is a worldwide celebration of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) to be held this year on Saturday 20th September, 2008.

Our goal in this celebration is to educate the worldwide public about the benefits of using high quality FOSS in education, in government, at home, and in business -- in short, everywhere!

So what's happening in Wellington? Well, there's a hackfest, a bar camp and free coffee all day long. Check out the software freedom day site for more information...

A wee heads-up about a very interesting (and FREE) film screening this Saturday at 7pm at the Film Archive.

Shot in 1954 by a UK team, The Seekers is a very colonial take on first contact between Maori and Pakeha in a bizarre NZ 'Wild West' style feature film.

Both riveting and shocking viewing (there's eroticised dancing and plasticine moko for a start) it's also one of the few films made in NZ the late fifties/early sixties. A combination of the introduction of television and a lack of government support for independent film making at the time means we have only the occasional international project like The Seekers to show for nearly 15 years of New Zealand’s feature film history.

Witness people falling live into boiling mud, geysers exploding around sailors etc etc - all used for maximum impact to represent our great 'Land of Fury.'

And did I mention it's FREE?!

As a website for people who are constantly on the go around Wellington, we recently got contacted by Vodafone who wanted us to know that they're changing the way their mobile internet works.

Vodafone is making it even easier for people to connect to the internet – wherever they are – with the launch of revamped mobile data pricing and a smart backend that reformats webpages for easy viewing on a mobile screen.

Now, for up to just $1 a day on the days you use it, casual users of the mobile internet can browse the world wide web easily and inexpensively... without committing to a fixed monthly data contract.

The new $1 a day casual rate gives customers up to 10MB of data.

And how do we know this is actually true? Because we've got a new Nokia 6121. And even more excitingly, we've got one to give away, so you can have a chance to find out for yourself too. Find out how after the jump.

This particular Wellingtonista was sitting at the bus-stop last night, when a lad on a motorbike scooted up, and asked me if I wanted to make use of his now unneeded daytripper pass. Of course I did! $2.80 saved (the cost of a click on my 3-zone ten-trip)! Score!

This led to some discussion on the Wellingtonista list as to other acts of kindness/generosity you can perform for your fellow citizens without any great opportunity cost of your own.

The other obvious one is parking coupons. Got half an hour left when you go to leave? Just roll the ticket up and pop it in the coin slot of the vending machine. Next person to come along will (hopefully) realise they've got a freebie, and everyone wins (except the council revenue department, I suppose).

Might I also remind our readers that while the library doesn't send out overdue reminder notices until after your books/cds/dvds/whatever are overdue (and thus already accumulating late charges), you can use the Library Elf service to send you reminders before the due date. This has saved my family literally hundreds of dollars over the last few years.

Any other suggestions for ways to save people money or, indeed, just to make their lives more pleasant, with a minimal amount of effort on your own behalf? Pop 'em in the comments.

A visit to The Children's Bookshop in Kilbirnie with Meg this arvo had me staring at (and snapping on my mobile) a poster advertising Weta Cave's first event - Narnia Day, Sunday 15th June, 1pm-4pm

The details* after the break:

I just wrote about this for this week's issue of Bandwagon, but it'll be out a day late because of the Queen's day off yesterday - so I thought I'd let you Wellingtonistas know about it too.

Thursday June 5th is World Environment Day, and one of the cutest of a bunch of interesting events going on is happening down at the MP's end of town. The folks at Green Land, purveyors of fine coffee and counter foods with an eco-ethos, are giving away free Northern Rata (Metrosideros robusta) saplings with each coffee sold on Thursday until stocks run out.

Hunt them down in Kate Sheppard Place in Environment House -- walk/bus/run/skate there for extra carbon kudos!

What you see here is Mary Jane, the Cannabus. She is "parked up" outside of Parliament for another one of NORML's protests.

So if you're looking to score, I guess, head there. But I ask you, was it just too much of a coincidence that they protested today, the same day as graduating students were marching down the road?

Did you know? Craiglist, the hugely successful free online classified, personal ad and listing service has a Wellington site. As an experiment, a few weeks ago I put up an ad for volunteers for the 'V' 48 Hour Film Competition and got a couple of responses (two more than I was expecting).

There are sections on employment, services, personals, community and housing. All listings are free and you can monitor any section via RSS.

Sadly, the signal to noise ratio is not great as most of the entries are a bit spammy but that should change as Wellingtonians start to use it.

The first person who can supply us with photographic evidence of any workmen in the city, operating heavy or noisy machinery, AND WEARING EAR PROTECTORS!!

Will win a 1kg bag of Rahui Lodge Macadamia Nuts.

But I'm not sure you'll find one.

On the off-chance anyone wants a bag of nuts... photos of ear muff wearing Wellington workmen can be emailed to andrew.llewellyn@gmail.com.

On April 27 something magical is going to happen. Te Papa will start thawing out a colossal squid. MmmmMmm. Though I hope they are following safe food practices.

Here's the schedule:

27 April: Thawing starts
28-29 April: Examination of four giant squid
30 April: Examination of the colossal squid
1 May: Series of lectures discussing the examination
2 May: Series of lectures discussing the examination

The thawing and examinations will be filmed and broadcasted via a "web-cam" over this internet thing everyone is talking about. Also the Discovery Channel will release an in-depth documentary programme on this topic later in the year.

The two lecture series above are free (FREE) in the Soundings Theatre and will also be shown on a feed in the Marae. And after the thawing and examinations and stuff the colossal squid will be displayed in a tank of propylene glycol preservative (not sweet chilli sauce as originally suggested).

(You may also note that the squid in the picture has hooks, these are not your nice neighbourhood squid.)

Superhero comics fans should press their best unitards this week in preparation for Armageddon, and likewise indie and underground comics fans should pull out their copies of Hicksville for signing, as the NZ Comix Weekend is setting up shop on the 19th-20th April at the Southern Cross, Graphic and Spacething.

There are talks, jams, stalls, seminars and exhibitions - providing a homegrown counterpoint to the big budget pulp culture-fest over at the TSB Arena (although some of the Comix Weekend artists are also represented at Armageddon)
Details and links after the jump...

A swag of Wellington artists have produced video art for The Artists Film Festival, opening tonight at 5:30pm at the Film Archive (cnr Taranaki and Ghuznee Sts).

Curated by Wellington-based curator (and Listener art critic) Paula J Booker, the show promises an extreme mix of artworks....28 video works in total, possibly the largest video exhibition ever undertaken in NZ.

Highlights include someone singing to Janis Joplin until almost passing out, CHCH artist James Oram generating electricity by bike to power his own ME sign....it's all pretty entertaining/shocking/thought-provoking stuff.

EXHIBITION DETAILS
The Artists Film Festival
11 April – 17 May 2008

LIVE PERFORMANCE, Thursday 17 April, 7pm
The Twilight Drone by Johannes Contag (of Cloudboy fame) Tickets $8/6.

Contag explores the notion of the ambient film with live accompaniment to this film work shot in a snow-covered Austria...

It's not often a true blue hero bowls up into town and let's you poke around their innards but it's happened!

The famous Greenpeace boat, Rainbow Warrior, that you'll have seen on TV tussling with the Japanese whale hunting ships in the Southern ocean is currently moored up on Queens Wharf.

On Saturday and Sunday they're giving free tours of the boat.

BREAKING NEWS!

This just in from those fine folk at Arovideo:

It is our pleasure (and absolute thrill) to announce that Arovideo will be playing host to the hottest act in New Zealand (and possibly the world) right now, "Flight of the Conchords".

In support of the local release of their widely-acclaimed HBO TV show on DVD, Bret and Jemaine will be performing a short set live in store from 10am, Wednesday the 13th of February, at 97 Aro Street in Wellington.

Then from 10.30am until 12pm, they will be signing copies of the DVD, which will be available to buy on site at $39.95 for the 2-disc set.

Space limitations on the ground floor of our store mean this will be a very intimate, exclusive event indeed, and entry will be on a "first come, first served" basis. While we cannot guarantee you will gain entry for the performance itself, their should be ample opportunity to meet the guys, especially if you are armed with a copy of their fantastic DVD! There will be eftpos facilities available, though cash is recommended.

...

What more do you need to know people!

Now, don't get me wrong: we Wellingtonistas are not usually parsimonious when it comes to paying for drinks. On the other hand, we're a canny and logical bunch, and it only takes about 10 free glasses of house wine to save up enough for a Mega Mai Tai, so in the long run it pays to seek out gratis grog.

Let's start with the obvious: gallery openings and launches. You can get lucky by simply cruising the streets on a midweek night seeking the tell-tale sounds of clinking glasses and poststructuralist discourse, but dedicated cheapskates know that the best way to guarantee results is to get on the mailing lists.