Conferences. Artists, dentists and model train lovers all have them. Net.art and new media have certainly spawned their own, from the industry-focused Siggraph to the tactical media-oriented Next 5 Minutes. 'Open Cultures,' a project of Felix Stalder (founder of Openflows.org) and Konrad Becker (founder of World-Information.Org), is a gathering to discuss the state of networked culture and the 'free-flow' of information. Of particular focus is the endangerment of the 'commons' - those resources, like information, that should be accessible to everyone - by the development of restrictive technologies and laws. If you can make it to Vienna on June 5 and 6, you can participate in the flesh - if not, 'Open Cultures' invites you to take part anyway via an online repository of submitted ideas, organizations, and projects.-Ryan Griffis