Speaker FAQ
Speaker FAQ
Is there a Call for Proposals
Yes, the Call for Proposals is open, go to -> https://cfp.why2025.org.
We accept any and all proposals that fit to our event.
You can also submit proposals for workshops that you would like to give.
When I am invited to talk, will I get a free tickets?
No, you will not get a free ticket when you get a slot to speak.
WHY2025 is an event run by volunteers and everyone is pitching in.
Do I need to buy a ticket?
Yes - you can go and buy your ticket at tickets.why2025.org
Can you reschedule my talk?
Probably not. If you have a very good reason then please contact us (content@why2025.org) and we will do our best to accommodate changes.
I am not longer able to make WHY2025
We are sorry to hear that. Please contact us (content@why2025.org) so we can try to allocate another talk instead.
What AV is available on the main stages?
For up to 2 speakers, we support:
- Slides and/or video output from a laptop or similar device.
- Either no audio, or audio using headphone jack from a laptop or similar device (3.5mm).
- Laptop or similar device with HDMI output (bring your own adapter).
- Output is 1920x1080 (Full HD) resolution.
- 16:9 aspect ratio.
Will there be Ethernet/wired network on the podium?
No. In general we don't encourage reliance on network for presentations.
If you *really* need Ethernet then please bring your own (long) CAT5e cable - you won't be too far away from a switch.
What AV is available in workshop tents?
AV facilities for presenters are similar to the three stage tents, with a couple of differences.
The scale of the AV equipment will be much smaller and much more hands-on for the presenter to operate the equipment.
There will be a small audio system with two microphones and a cable to connect to the headphones port of your laptop or similar device and a single microphone for the audience to use if necessary.
On the video side there will be a large LED TV with HDMI input.
- Close-up camera on stage
- More than 2 speakers
- Live video conference
- Special audio/video devices
- High current (voltage?) equipment on stage (anything above a few amps @ 230V)
- Live experiments
- Live demos
You must let us know as soon as possible and we will see what is possible.
Please update your proposal in Pretalx and fill in the field for logistical support, and email us directly via content@why2025.org.
Will my talk be recorded/I don't want my talk to be recorded
All presentations # TODO # insert track names when available # will be recorded, streamed and released to VoD platforms.
We also really don't like it when speakers opt out from recording and/or streaming as the event is made possible by volunteers that tacitly expect to watch the content afterwards.
Unless you stated very good reasons for not wanting to be recorded and/or streamed in your submission, your talk has been accepted on the understanding that it will be recorded.
During the submission process you will (generally) have agreed to have your talk recorded under the CC-BY license.
When do I need to be at the stage?
You must be at the stage at least 10 minutes before your talk is due to start to make contact with the Herald.
When you arrive at WHY2025, we ask that you come via the Speaker Desk at a convenient time so that we can confirm your presence and scheduling. We'll also check your AV setup and make sure you have everything you'll need.
Can I do Q&A?
While you are allowed on-stage Q&A within your slot, we would prefer it if you asked the audience to meet you somewhere afterwards.
What happens if I start late or overrun?
Our schedule is tight and we have loads of awesome talks that need stage space.
Your end time is fixed and the Heralds will be doing their best to make sure other speakers have their setup time - it won't be possible for you to run over.
Is there a place for me to relax/prepare for my talk?
Yes. The Speaker Desk is equipped with seating options, a fridge and suitable refreshments.
Updating my availability as a speaker in pretalx doesn't work
Using Android is known not to work, please try to use a PC or laptop.
Can I get on stage with my wheelchair?
We will have a wheelchair ramp at each of the three main stages (Abacus, Battery, Clairvoyance).
What formatting can I use in my description?
You can use a subset of markdown: https://docs.pretalx.org/user/markdown.html
Can I still submit a talk or workshop?
The CfP will end with a soft close on May 1st, 2025.
A soft close means that you can still put proposals forward, but that there are no guarantees that they will even be considered, let alone accepted. The longer you wait now, the greater the likelihood that your great proposal will be rejected because we had already accepted a good proposal in its place, while being unaware of your procrastination.
Even if you don't get selected, there is plenty of opportunity to present in self-organized sessions, lightning talks or at villages!
What kind of participation are you looking for?
The things that you are enthusiastic about and want to share on a stage or on the field, and engage an audience with. Lectures, workshops, art installations - all those kinds of things.
We only facilitate in-person participation.
What kind of an audience can I expect?
A motley crew of around 3500 hackers, freethinkers, philosophers, activists, geeks, scientists, artists, makers, creative minds, and others from all over the world will convene to share, discuss, criticize, look ahead, code, build, and reflect.
What kind of content are you looking for?
We're into technology, society and science. We would like this event to be many things at once and call on you to contribute in the following (or other interesting) domains:
- information security
- decentralized infrastructures
- hardware hacks
- '"undocumented functionality" (we're into full disclosure, mind you)
- surveillance and/or anti-surveillance
- free culture
- free software
- art, mechatronic or otherwise.
Escapist tinkering with technology on a campground below sea level? Yes, please. Dreaming about a solar punk future? Tell us all about it. Confronting your fellow participants with the harsh realities of surveillance capitalism? Come aboard. Launching water rockets with the little and not-so-little ones? Sounds fantastic! Making trippy kaleidoscopes of high- and low-tech wonder, seriously reflecting upon ourselves and the world, wallowing in nostalgic retro computing, unadulterated fun as well as catching up with each other? This event is for all ages.
To give completely three random examples from the past: At SHA2017 there was a workshop organized by a teenager how to efficiently pack your luggage for air travel. At OHM2013 there was a literary workshop by the Dutch writer Arnon Grunberg. At HAR2009 there was a lecture on how to build your own particle accelerator. If it is something that gives you a sense of wonder, tickles your curiosity or just a vehicle to show off your cleverness, go for it.
Yes, that is pretty eclectic, is there something that ties the room together?
Ever since GHP1989 supply chains have gotten longer and more fragile, civil liberties and democracies eroded further and improvements in information security got swamped by whole sectors of society adopting IT in ways that ignored hard-learned lessons from the past. Part of our joint mission for July 2022 is figuring out how exactly we, as a community, can deal with this. How to rebound from drastic events, from the micro- to the macro-scale. Because nobody expects a Black Swan and since we're also pretty good at ignoring elephants in our rooms, regardless of their color, the question is how to be able to rebound. The future is Eventually Consistent, it is up to us what kind of consistency it'll have.
So long story short: we are especially looking for content that is about our ability to recover from extreme events of whatever nature. And if I don't like this theme?
Then submit it anyway. We have preferences, so it may not be a good fit. At the same time we do not want to pre-empt awesomeness that we didn't think about. It is up to you to define what will happen at WHY2025. This is a call for participation to you, the avant-garde of the information revolution and those who live and breathe technology, subversively or just retro and everything in between. Help us to create the inconceivable. Submit early, submit often - submit to WHY2025.
By stepping forward you can help make WHY2025 the most exciting, inspiring and awesome community-driven event everyone is looking forward to. Submit your proposal now, and if you know of someone you think should be present, ask them to submit.
When will the program be public?
The program is available at https://program.why2025.org (in case the link does not work right now, it might be that it's not up and running yet)
How is this organized?
WHY2025 is a non-commercial, self-organized community event. Visitors help us make it happen.
Being a community event means that it is unlike your typical conference. Luckily just a few hours of collecting bottles already includes you in the community instead of being a consumer. This also means that as a rule of thumb almost anyone who will be there, including the speakers, will have paid their own tickets. But I am not a rich Western tech-dude, how can I afford to speak at such an event?
A rule of thumb always has exceptions, so please indicate in your proposal if you would need support to attend. Whilst we'll do our best to support you, there will still be things you'll need to organize yourself such as travel and lodging.
Are there proposals you wouldn't like?
Yes.
We are not terribly keen on panels. Having a panel is a format that is difficult to get right. Neither are we keen on anything that is about blockchains, unless they do not involve proof-of-work blockchains. We think blockchains are terribly interesting, but very rarely a solution for anything. We are even less keen on flat-earthers, anti-vaxxers, climate-denialists, conspiracy theories, crackpot science and Nazis. Especially Nazis, fuck Nazis.
We also really don't like it when speakers opt out from recording and/or streaming. The event is made possible by volunteers that tacitly expect to watch the content afterwards. Unless you state very good reasons for not wanting to be recorded and/or streamed, you will drop the likelihood of your submission getting accepted dramatically. What copyright license will you publish the content under?
As a rule, it will be CC-BY. If your content proposal revolves around differently licensed content (such as a movie screening) presented to the audience, we will obviously not publish it and your own license choices will apply (if acceptable to us). Otherwise, exceptions are unlikely to be made since we want to record and stream content under a uniform license regime and having more than one is a pain for the volunteers who make this happen.
What if I don't want my submission to be recorded or streamed?
Look, it is 2025, we are not going to police the audience if they happen to hold a smartphone in the air and do it themselves. Moreover, a lot of the volunteers contribute under the tactic assumption that content, especially main stage content, will be made available afterwards. If you yourself delivering your content is dangerous to you, wear a mask and we will provide a vocoder. But that's about it. In some exceptional cases we will not stream the content live, but we do want to be able to show it to our volunteers afterwards.