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I might be going to Anime Boston this year, I'll have to check it out. I hope they get some copies printed in the original Japanese, I'd love to buy them. This whole thing needs more of a hook though. Here's two ideas that would go a long way I think:

1. Use Ren'Py to make a game that puts users in the middle of this story, interacting more directly with the characters and asking their own questions about Ubuntu. The best part is, with a click of a button, the game can be distributed for Linux, Windows, and MacOS.
2. Throw some character wallpapers and desktop themes on an 'event-only' Ubuntu LiveCD with a custom splashscreen and stuff.

Thousands of dollars spent on little plastic anime girlies and ero 'hug pillow' covers would seem to speak otherwise, but practicality and usefulness are big with otaku culture. Highlighting certain capabilities of linux would help too. For instance, things like graphics apps, game development with Ren'Py, and story/comic/game writing and asset management with celtx. Also the fact that Linux will run on just about anything specs-wise.

OpenGoo.....

http://www.opengoo.org/

Works FANTASTIC. can be worked from afar easily with a netbook and an iPhone.

I'd give crews phones for comms, and netbooks that can be tethered to the phones so they dont hate you by being forced to type and read things on a useless phone screen.

Plus your people can use a local wifi location to use the netbooks for check-in/faster access.

P.S. Also look at http://celtx.com/ for your screenwriting and other production needs. It also works offline so they can collaborate on any scripts for segments easily.

...and songbird is the other.

And CeltX and chatzilla and NVU and Cyclone3...

One of my game designer colleagues (now a successful comic writer) suggested to use programs for storyboarding.

My colleague uses Dramatica http://www.dramatica.com/
but it seems Movie Magic Screenwriter is more suitable for movies/series http://www.screenplay.com/
There is also an open source alternative:
http://celtx.com/

These programs direct you in your writing, and are also able to suggest plots.

He strongly recommends that you MUST follow rules to write a storyboard.
These programs are perfect for forcing you to declare all interactions, and it also eases the addition of new characters.
Of course, the programs won't write the storyboard for you.

Find an appealing plot, then build some charismatic heroes.
Good luck !

Ok, I dabble with some writing, so your question prompted me to do a quick survey.. maybe there is some interesting stuff out there now?...

Here are a couple of options I found:

http://www.celtx.com/features.html
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/project/scr2
http://extensions.services.openoffice.org/node/909
http://www.write-brain.com/power_structure_main.htm (notes that it works under Wine)
http://www.writerscafe.co.uk/
http://www.spacejock.com/yWriter4.html (under Wine)
http://openoffice.blogs.com/openoffice/2008/03/an-equivalent-o.html (How to get "outline mode" in Open Office)

The other route, that will help if you don't want to keep a second machine around to clutter all that desk real estate, is to install VirtualBox under Ubuntu (easy under 8.04) and then put Windows inside that with FD or MM etc on it.

For software geared to writers, take a look at Celtx. I just found it the other day and it looks really interesting.

It looks like it's built using Mozilla's XUL. The license is Mozilla Public License with an attribution clause. I don't know how I feel about that, but the application itself looks very promising. It's available for Linux, Windows and Mac.

As far as Ubuntu adoption by the masses goes, I think marketing would definitely help. It seems as though Apple is currently reaping the benefits of Vista's failure and the ipod's success. Ipods have been hot and trendy for a bit longer than the current Mac fad, and there are probably a lot of ipod customers out there who appreciate its simplicity and looked to Apple to provide the same thing on the desktop.

People ask me all the time for advice about electronics and especially computers. I usually tell them that Mac OS X is a better option than Windows, but that Apple still isn't very good for reasons like DRM, not using ODF in iWorks and only having one mouse button.

Compiz is definitely a charmer though. I spent entirely too much time customizing it on my laptop, but the upshot is that when people watch me use my computer they start to get jealous and want some eye candy for themselves. So Shuttleworth is on to something... eye candy helps attract users who don't care about freedom and price. In a big way, the "marketing dept." for Free Software is nerds like me who raise awareness about GNU/Linux and apps. I probably spend more time encouraging people to use apps like Firefox and OpenOffice than I do trying to convince people to change their OS.

Something I'm really excited for is KDE 4 applications on Mac OS X and Windows. A huge body of free software is about to be made available to people using proprietary systems. While this obviously won't have a direct effect on GNU/Linux adoption, I hope it will raise awareness about free software in general.

AArgh. Missing Link.

This is kinda ridiculous. Who would do such a thing unless they absolutely NEED to because the people they have to share the files with are MS Office users?! Seriously. Ever since I installed OOo, I've been using nothing but its own formats... Even converting any old .doc files I have. If I had to give it to someone who doesn't have OOo... Hell, I'd probably print it as a PDF or something if it came down to a choice between that and saving out a .doc file. If I was in a position to do so, I'd recommend OOo to them.

Speaking of recommending free alternatives... (Read: Only slightly offtopic) If anyone here does any screenwriting or anything else you would write a script for, even a webcomic or something, I can't recommend celtx enough. For the longest time I was faced with probably having to buy Final Draft, which is really damn expensive for what it does... And then I found celtx, and it does a _LOT_ more...for FREE. (It also handles pre-production organization and stuff, as well as having a collaborative online community.) And it's available for Windows, MacOS, AND Linux. Ain't that a hell of a thing? :)

A market in goods protected by government granted monopoly copyright or patent rights is not a free market even where market dominance does not happen.

all the best,

drew

http://pc.celtx.com/project/PzgvZiYlZvx3/view/http://celtx.com/res/jLMr6m7L4SG4

"At the very least, try to obtain permission to include proprietary codecs like MP3 from the patent-holders."

This is not a safe route from what I gather. What would be needed is for the law to be changed along lines something like this.

Entity A wants to use technology Z. A publishes their intention to do so in the public register or preferably some international equivalent. A calls on all patent holders over technology Z to come forward and make themselves known.

A makes / tries to make deals with those who come forward. After A is satisfied they are OK to go ahead, they do so.

Any entity trying to assert patents over technology Z who did not come forward during the legally set time period is prevented from doing so.

I seem to remember something involving MP3 tech fairly recently that shows the need for the above.

all the best,

drew

http://pc.celtx.com/search?q=zotz&c=&o=rel

Something in this all is not making sense to me... Perhaps it is just too early and I was up too late.

So, assuming what you say above is right for a minute, I would say, just print a paper ballot along with the paper receipt providing cryptographic proof that the voter ID you were shown in step 1 voted for the candidate you chose. And you optional receipts... no optional ballots...

Put the ballot in the box outside the booth and carry on with your plan from there on.

Problems?

all the best,

drew

http://pc.celtx.com/search?q=zotz&c=&o=rel

"Dual licensing works because people that want to make commercial software and don't want to follow the GPL."

I know what people do, but what definition of commercial are you using?

http://www.innovativefinance.org/home_tools/glossary/C.htm
http://wordnet.princeton.edu/perl/webwn?s=commercial

Much GPL software is commercial software. You seem to be using the term in such a way that makes it impossible for GPL software to be commercial software. I am just trying to get it cleared up.

all the best,

drew

http://pc.celtx.com/search/zotz
http://www.youtube.com/profile?user=zotzbro

For all the folks eager to get started on writing the next Open Source blockbuster, you may as well use an open source script writing tool. Celtx is a collaborative scriptwriting and production breakdown tool that is currently in beta. The development is based largely on the input of its users, where they offer their suggestions and bug reports on the Celtx Forum. Celtx is also cross platform since it is being developed with the Mozilla API.

For all the folks eager to get started on writing the next Open Source blockbuster, you may as well use an open source script writing tool. Celtx is a collaborative scriptwriting and production breakdown tool that is currently in beta. The development is based largely on the input of its users, where they offer their suggestions and bug reports on the Celtx Forum. Celtx is also cross platform since it is being developed with the Mozilla API.