The Open Solace Haiti Project Archive (OpenSolaceHaiti)

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THIS PAGE EXISTS FOR ARCHIVAL PURPOSES ONLY Please visit http://opensolacehaiti.org, our public facing website, or Category:Open Solace Haiti for the pages we are currently using in this wiki.

Contents

[edit] Open Solace Haiti

This project aims to set up independent channels of communications between Haitians currently living in Haiti and Haitians in the Diaspora. Our first priority is to establish the Haitian Video Postcard Exchange Network as a mechanism for video messages to get into and out of Haiti.

On a psychological and spiritual level, this open platform seeks to be an intracultural relief effort that deals in the cycle of grief, compassion and the flow of dialog. Specifically, through the exchange of these postcards people will be moved to unload, intra-culturally. The cross cultural sharing and unburdening of grief through speech, eye contact and affirmation are at the root of crisis management. Without it, people will not be able to move on or heal. It is our goal to provide an open platform that facilitates the spiritual and psychological re-building that Haitians in the country and in the Diaspora will need to move forward.

[edit] Objectives

Our immediate objectives are to establish a protocol for American Haitians, starting Brooklyn NY to send video messages of love, compassion, and support to their relatives in Haiti. We also plan to get video messages out of Haiti and deliver them to the Brooklyn Haitian community. Additionally, we want to encourage anyone to compose video postcards of hope to be sent to Haiti, but Haitian postcards will have first priority over others.

We have observed that most of the communications efforts going on right now are focused on getting information about the Haitian situation into the hands of journalists, professional relief workers, and audiences. This is important, but we feel that it is also essential to create flows of information into, out of, and within Haiti -- from Haitians to Haitians. Independent, locally, produced media, by and for Haitians.

For more background on the analysis that led to this strategy and project, see Humane Communications over Human Networks.

For an understanding of just how essential information can be in a crisis, see The Red Cross World Disasters Report 2005: Focus on information in disasters.

[edit] Status

Transitioning out of startup phase. We have a proof of concept, a demonstrated need, and content (video postcards) are starting to roll in. Looking for content to ship (priority goes to messages from Haitians in the diaspora to Haitians in Haiti), volunteers, organizational allies, publicity, and funding to equip our first video messenger.

[edit] News

1/24 Important OpenSolaceHaiti is spawning a new initiative micro text message exchange (more information here. We are working on our video exchange network concurrently, but Hatians need support, NOW. So, start tweeting your messages of love, prayer and support to hashtag #opensolacehaiti - We have made contact with radio broadcast operators on the ground in Haiti and hope to start disseminating this support soon. We have also reached out to ushihidi/swiftapp so we can begin currating messages - e.g. inbound, outbound, prayers, personal, etc. Haitians in New Orleans have starting creating video postcards!

1/23 DNS has finally propagated to zoneedit. Site is going up at opensolacehaiti.org - currently a redirect, but wordpress to follow soon. Jonah participates in a top secret conference call with OPLC, which is planning to send OLPCs down to Haiti in what is starting to smell like a publicity stunt. The OLPC is definitely the wrong platform for the first wave of relief.

1/22 Maggie Reid donates her time to design our first, presentable logo. She is also working on a fuller treatment to follow. Corinne Tinacci is working on a paper flyer (postcard size) we can distribute at fundraisers and elsewhere. She had the awesome idea recently of using photo printing services to create these postcards, instead of full color printing on cardstock.

1/21 Contacted by OLPC about bringing more laptops down to Haiti. Some collaborators express distrust at OLPC's motives - it is unclear if the OLPC is the right hardware for the first wave of transmissions, and OLPC might want to piggyback/highjack control of this project. Vendors, funders, and sponsors are starting to hear about this project, and are contacting the Open Solace Collective about possible partnerships.

1/20 Development of donation/funding model (our registry/wish list). Planning a session of postcard recordings in brooklyn haitian community this weekend. Jonah attends openmobile event in nyc. Video messaging begins to emerge across the web - Our New Haiti, Haitian Film Students Filming in Haiti (Ciné Institute's videos, Google Relief Video

1/19 Extensive outreach to filmakers, grantmakers, activists, and journalists. Connected with related projects like hatianvoices.org (by Intridea and Information for Radio Broadcast teams. Made more connections with potential messengers. Continued to refine hardware kit. Jonah an Adrianne both participate in 5pm CrisisCommons conference call, and pitch promoting open solace to front page of http://crisiscommons.org (Noel said this would happen). Planning for widespread video postcard creation campaign. http://OpenSolaceHaiti.org registered and we are in the process of setting up a simple web page to direct interested participants to our resources.

1/18 Project is launched. We identified our first video messenger, Eric Johnson, who will be traveling to Haiti this Friday. We have also been in local Haitian community leaders and politicians (city council people, church leaders, etc), and are starting to plan the recording of the first batch of video messages to be sent to Haiti with our messenger. OpenSolaceHaiti.org registered, and is being rigged up soon to provide a simple portal to expalian this project and direct people to our resources.

1/17 Consolidation and Outreach

1/16 - Jonah and Adriane meet at CrisisCamp NYC, and after some advice from Kenold Pierre-Louis, brainstorm the Open Solace Haiti Project and the Haitian Video Postcard Exchange Network.

[edit] Implementation Plan

To enable this exchange, the video postcard exchange project envisions short video messages being recorded and sent to and from Haiti.

Eventually, we dream of real time, synchronous video telepresence portals between Brooklyn and Haiti. The Brooklyn Haitian community has already found a community space and committed to standing vigil at this portal, once it is created.

Initially, bandwidth is too limited and unstable for real time video. Instead, we have conceived a exchanging video postcards, to and from Brooklyn to Haiti. Participants on either end of the exchange will assist in recording 3 minute video messages, and we will attempt to arrange delivery to Haiti.

We will transmit these videos to Video Messengers on the ground in Haiti - either over the internet, if the bandwidth is available, or by transporting physical memory cards with couriers traveling to and from Haiti.

Once on the ground in Haiti, video messengers will play these messages to Haitians. Video postcards will be able to be played on smartphones, laptops, dedicated video playback devices, and we hope to set up some video projectors on the ground so that small audiences can watch these messages of support.

Video messengers will also record original video postcard messages from Haitians to the Diaspora. We plan to try to capture video on small, inexpensive portable video devices, though many laptops and cellphones might be sufficient for video/audio capture as well.

The video messenger will be responsible for transmitting the messages back to the states, where they will be delivered to the Brooklyn Haitian community for community viewing, and subsequent distribution and dissemination.

[edit] Creating a Video Postcard

To make a video postcard, first create a sign that states your name, city and country of origin, and who and where the message is directed to, and the day/date/time. The message can be directed at a particular person, community, nation, or anyone/anything. For example: 

From: Mike Bloomberg, New York City, NY, USA
To: The People of Port-au-Prince
Date: Wednesday, January 13, 1400
Open Solace Haiti

Please record this sign for 10 seconds before and after your video postcard message.

Record your video postcard and upload.

What video resolution? Format, if its not on you tube?

[edit] Hardware Kit

Anyone who wants to volunteer to be a video messenger on the ground in Haiti might want to consider bringing the following hardware. This list is a work in progress, as we continue to iterate and improve this ad hoc, peer to peer, "sneakernet".

In all hardware categories we are still looking for the best balance between price, size/weight, durability, and quality. If you have any hardware suggestions, please add them here.

  • Video Capture Device Used to capture 3 minute video messages from Haitians to the World, on the ground in Haiti
    • We recommend the Kodak Zi8 over the Flip since it supports an external mic.
  • External Microphone Best to try to get the best audio possible.
    • The Lavalier mics are the best here, but any external mic will be better than the built in.
  • Extra Memory Cards Lots. They are ~ $10 for 2G cards, so take as many as you can?
  • White Board and Markers For creating opening/closing title
  • Portable Video Projector For playing back vidoe postcards to larger crowds in Haiti. We are still looking to find the best balance between price, size/weight, power consumption, lumens, and projection size. If you have any hardware suggestions, please add them here.
  • Portable Speakers For playing back video postcards to larger crowds in Haiti. We are still looking to find the best balance between size/weight, power, and output. If you have any hardware suggestions, please add them here.
    • iHome Portable Speakers - Suitable for small screenings, alongside a portable projector
    • Boom Box - suitable for larger outdoor screenings, alongside a powerful projector (TODO research connectivity requirements - does this have a standard line-in?)
  • Extra Batteries and Convertors
    • Ideal power backup solution XPower Powerpack 1500 - needed for running a full power projector (not a hand held). Also really useful for many other purposes
  • Laptop (optional) depending on your plans for projection, you may want a laptop or netbook to hook up to the projector, store video, and upload it over the internet.
  • Network Relief Kit (optional) NKR Pricey, but if you can afford one, this kit will provide you with internet anywhere.

[edit] Secondary Benefits

... numerous, we just haven't had a chance to write this up yet.

[edit] How can I help?

Unlike many other relief efforts currently being advertised, you can participate in the Haitian Video Postcard Exchange project without donating any money!

  • Create a video postcard Record a video postcard to Haiti and upload it to youtube. Your video should be under 3 minutes total in length, due to severe bandwidth constraints. Please tag your video opensolacehaiti and also email the link to one of the project organizers. We cannot guarantee the delivery of your message to Haitians, but we will do our best to deliver it as soon as it is feasible. Priority will go to messages from Haitians living in the Diaspora
  • Know someone traveling to/from Haiti? Please put them in touch with us! We need couriers to transport memory cards with the video to and from our video messengers on the ground in Haiti, as well as more video messengers!
  • Donations Of course, if you believe in this cause, we would certainly appreciate donations (of money or equipment). Since this is a pure, peer-to-peer, community driven volunteer effort, our overhead is non-existent. All donations will go toward the purchase of hardware to build out the network transporting these postcards.

[edit] Related Projects and Organizations

[edit] Related Media and Materials

[edit] Video Postcards

[edit] Project Communications/Collaboration Tools

[edit] To Do

  • Continue to research, test, and improve hardware specifications
  • Spec out Video Mix Tape Exachange protocol

[edit] Open Solace Collective

Kenold Pierre-Louis

Jonah Bossewitch (wiki username: mrenoch) New York City - jonah at alchemicalmusings dot org

Adriane Stewart - adriane at openhealthchannel dot com Brooklyn, New York City

Eric Johnson

Sascha DuBrul

[edit] Open Solace Collaborators

[edit] Individuals

Benjamin Saller

Mar Cabra

John Durham Peters

Rasmus Nielson

Briana Ferigno

Brian O'Hagan

Biella Colman

Amanda Hickman


Will Hall

Bonfire Madigan Shive

Ashley McNamara

[edit] Organizations

Participatory Culture Foundation

IFC Film Center - Stranger Than Fiction

Prometheus Radio

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