Your last opportunity to order a LibrePlanet 2018 T-shirt before the conference is fast approaching -- early orders must arrive by February 28. The shirt is a real prize, printed in an eye-popping green-and-yellow color scheme on a high-quality black shirt.

If you're attending this year's LibrePlanet, we'll have your shirt waiting for you; you can waive the shipping fee by entering the coupon code LPSHIRT18 at checkout. If you're not attending LibrePlanet, we'll mail you your shirt after the conference. Either way, you wind up with a real snazzy piece of clothing made of soft, high-quality cotton. It's a limited edition shirt -- after this year's conference there will never be a second print run -- so this is your only chance!

PRE-ORDER YOUR LIBREPLANET 2018 T-SHIRT HERE

We at the Free Software Foundation (FSF) value net neutrality for many reasons, and we know it's necessary for a free Web and the future of free software.

Protecting net neutrality in the United States is one of the most important issues facing digital rights activists and advocates here. After the Federal Communication Commission (FCC) shamefully revoked the common carrier classification of Internet Service Providers (ISPs) -- the closest thing to pro-net neutrality laws that we had at a national level -- members of Congress finally took notice and started working on a Congressional Review Act (CRA). A CRA allows Congress to vote to overturn a policy decision, like the FCC's reclassification of ISPs.

In order for a CRA to work, a simple majority of Senators and Representatives need to support it -- which means 51 Senators. We currently have 50 Senators pledging to support net neutrality. We need one more.

This February 27th, the Internet is coming together to support the CRA, and we need you to join.

We urge you to call your Senator. Information about contacting your Senator is available on the Senate Web site.

Not sure what to say? Try the following:

I'm a voter/resident in your district, and I am concerned about the future of the internet. Net neutrality is necessary for a free Web. I hope you will support the CRA to overturn the FCC's decision on ISPs as common carriers.

After you call, share on social media. We prefer GNU social and Mastodon -- if your social media supports hashtags, use #NetNeutrality and #OneMoreVote. Don't forget to tag @fsf and let us know!

Want some bonus points? There are more than 100 members from the House of Representatives supporting the CRA. We need 218 to step up for a free Web. Call your Representative and ask them to save net neutrality and vote for the CRA.

You can find your Representative online.

Thank you for everything you do for free software, the FSF, and net neutrality. We're looking forward to hearing from you on the 27th!

Participate in supporting the Directory by adding new entries and updating existing ones. We will be on IRC in the #fsf channel on irc.freenode.org.

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions, to providing detailed info about version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing info that has been carefully checked by FSF staff and trained volunteers.

While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for over a decade now, it has the potential to be a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help!

We are back with another classic week of adding new entries to the Directory.

If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it onto IRC on Friday, our participation guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the Directory today! There are also weekly Directory Meeting pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.

On March 24th and 25th, 2018, the free software community will come together at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) to learn, exchange ideas, catch up with friends, and plan the future of the movement. Will you join us?

It's the tenth anniversary of LibrePlanet, and now is a good time to register to attend. As always, Free Software Foundation (FSF) members and students attend gratis.

Hundreds of people from across the globe will converge on Cambridge, Massachusetts to explore this year's theme, "Freedom Embedded." We'll look at embedded systems in everything from our cars to our bodies, discuss how these systems affect our entire society, and talk about how to change the narrative, making free software the norm, instead of walled gardens, Digital Restrictions Management (DRM), and proprietary code.

In addition to the keynote speakers we announced last month, LibrePlanet 2018 will feature a panoply of presentations. Our lineup includes Jeremiah Foster, who will examine free software and vehicles; a panel of speakers including Karen Sandler, Mad Ball, Rachel Kalmar, and Dana Lewis, who will discuss freedom and devices used for health, medicine, and wellness; and Bob Call, who will talk about libreCMC, a distro for embedded devices.

LibrePlanet 2018 offers lots of opportunities for fun, too: in addition to the annual FSF open house the evening of Friday, March 23rd, and the LibrePlanet party on Saturday night, there will be a special piano concert featuring freely licensed arrangements. And the conference looks at gaming and art, too: Noah Swartz will walk us through the roguelikes game genre, and Bassam Kurdali will teach a workshop in free software photogrammetry! The full program will be published soon. In the meantime, check out the list of confirmed speakers.

LibrePlanet brings together software developers, activists, policy experts, and computer users to share accomplishments, learn new skills, and address challenges to software freedom. Newcomers are always welcome, and LibrePlanet 2018 will feature programming for all experience levels, including students.

LibrePlanet 2018 is produced by the Free Software Foundation in partnership with the Student Information Processing Board (SIPB) at MIT.

Pre-order a LibrePlanet 2018 T-shirt by February 28th

You can also pre-order a LibrePlanet 2018 commemorative T-shirt in the GNU Press shop. Order your shirt by February 28th, 7am EST/13:00 UTC to guarantee availability in your size. If you will be picking up the shirt at the conference, use the code LPSHIRT18 to waive shipping costs. If you want it shipped to you, do not use that code, and expect it to arrive in April.

LibrePlanet needs volunteers -- maybe you!

In ten years, LibrePlanet has grown in size and scope -- and its continued success is thanks to dozens of volunteers who help prepare for and run the conference. Volunteering is a great way to meet fellow community members and contribute to LibrePlanet, even if you can't attend in person! If you are interested in volunteering for LibrePlanet 2018, email resources@fsf.org. We thank all of our volunteers by offering them gratis conference admission and a LibrePlanet T-shirt.

Seeking raffle prizes!

We are still looking for prizes to raffle off at this year's LibrePlanet. If you or your company have a prize you would like to donate, please email campaigns@fsf.org. Examples of past LibrePlanet raffle prizes include a 3D printer running free software, a laptop with free BIOS and free GNU distro, and DRM-free eBook gift certificates.

Donating a prize is a great way to support LibrePlanet and the FSF while engaging the diverse audience who attends the conference. Raffle ticket sales support travel scholarships, student admission, and other LibrePlanet expenses (including coffee!). Donors receive acknowledgment on the Web, via social media, and at the conference at the raffle ticket booth and during the prize drawings.

Spread the word about LibrePlanet 2018: blog or microblog to let people know that you'll be there, using the hashtag #libreplanet.

Help improve the Free Software Directory by adding new entries and updating existing ones. Every Friday we meet on IRC in the #fsf channel on irc.freenode.org.

Tens of thousands of people visit directory.fsf.org each month to discover free software. Each entry in the Directory contains a wealth of useful information, from basic category and descriptions, to providing detailed info about version control, IRC channels, documentation, and licensing info that has been carefully checked by FSF staff and trained volunteers.

When a user comes to the Directory, they know that everything in it is free software, has only free dependencies, and runs on a free OS. With over 16,000 entries, it is a massive repository of information about free software.

While the Directory has been and continues to be a great resource to the world for many years now, it has the potential to be a resource of even greater value. But it needs your help! And since it's a MediaWiki instance, it's easy for anyone to edit and contribute to the Directory.

We are back with another classic week of adding new entries to the Directory. We'll also be discussing the work of various team projects, including the cryptocurrency donation tag and the import project.

If you are eager to help, and you can't wait or are simply unable to make it onto IRC on Friday, our participation guide will provide you with all the information you need to get started on helping the Directory today! There are also weekly Directory Meeting pages that everyone is welcome to contribute to before, during, and after each meeting.