<div class="gmail_quote"><blockquote class="gmail_quote" style="margin:0 0 0 .8ex;border-left:1px #ccc solid;padding-left:1ex;"><div><div class="h5">> I have no idea how long it would take a USArian to get permission to<br>
> travel to Cuba, but it is not entirely true that we are forbidden to<br>
> visit.<br>
><br>
> <a href="http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html#entry_requirements" target="_blank">http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/cis/cis_1097.html#entry_requirements</a><br>
><br>
> Looks like attendees could travel under some of the categories such as<br>
> the ones for journalist, videographers, researchers, instructors, or<br>
> professionals traveling to conferences.<br>
><br><br></div></div></blockquote><div>Yes, my associate Glenn Baker has helped lead a number</div><div>of groups to Cuba consisting of retired US military brass</div><div>interested in meeting Castro etc. (<a href="http://cdi.org">cdi.org</a> was the organization</div>
<div>behind these tours).</div><div><br></div><div>University of Havana participated in the Pi Challenge held </div><div>last Pi Day (3.14), which was to compute pi to 1000 places</div><div>using a specific convergent series invented by Ramanujan. </div>
<div><br></div><div>A lot of the themes concern open source more generally.</div><div>Before we do a Pycon, we might have a more OSCON-like</div><div>event with a Python track.</div><div><br></div><div>The PSF snake is huddled with the Perl Foundation camel</div>
<div>in the OSCON exhibit hall this year. I'll have some pictures.</div><div><br></div><div>Not sure of Unilever will be a sponsor but maybe (owner</div><div>of Liptons and Ben & Jerry's, already has operations in</div>
<div>Cuba. As Anglo-Dutch, they're not under the same </div><div>restrictions that keep out rival Procter & Gamble).</div><div><br></div><div>Small Cuban IT shops and start ups are a phenomenon</div><div>these days.</div>
<div><br></div><div><a href="http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17190349/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/cuba-embraces-open-source-software/">http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/17190349/ns/technology_and_science-tech_and_gadgets/t/cuba-embraces-open-source-software/</a></div>
<div>(chronicles Richard Stallman's visit in 2007)</div><div><br></div><div><a href="http://publicintelligence.net/ufouo-open-source-center-cuban-independent-blogging-political-activism-grows/">http://publicintelligence.net/ufouo-open-source-center-cuban-independent-blogging-political-activism-grows/</a></div>
<div>(regarding Cuban blogosphere, 2010) </div><div><br></div><div>Kirby<br>from OSCON</div><div>@thekirbster</div><div><br></div></div>