A 28-year-old New Zealand-born filmmaker from Berlin is attempting to drastically change his lifestyle. Sam Muirhead plans to abandon all copyrighted products for one year and instead make use of only open source products. The filmmaker’s goal is to raise awareness outside the world of technology about various open source projects. Muirhead, a Mac and Final Cut Pro user, will dive into the world of Linux for the first time, abandoning numerous programs he has come to know and love.
Muirhead notes that it will be difficult to open source numerous parts of his life such as housing, toilet paper, health care and even contraception, which might lead “to somewhat ridiculous results” as well as do-it-yourself dentistry and other projects. He does acknowledge, however, that it’s a “very ambitious project” and he will need help from family, friends and even strangers. By cooperating with others, Muirhead hopes to spread the word about open source initiatives and get people involved in do-it-yourself projects that could benefit the community.
Muirhead is looking to raise $20,000 through crowd-funding website IndieGoGo to support his efforts, although he plans to go through with his project even if his goal is not met. The filmmaker plans to publish weekly videos of his progress and update his blog to keep his followers informed.
