Date archives "October 2009"

Life security through mutual aid: the U.S. Common Security Clubs

A report on mutual support clubs created after the meltdown in the U.S., that aim to obtain real life security. From Sam Pizzigati in AlterNet: “Local Common Security Clubs have already started up in over four dozen communities. The clubs typically bring from 15 to 20 people together for face-to-face sessions where they can grapple… Continue reading

Documentation of the 4th Inclusiva-net Meeting: P2P Networks and Processes

Via Sonia Díez Thale. Medialab Prado in Madrid URL = http://www.medialab-prado.es Dear friends, It’s a pleasure to announce that we have just published in our web the documentation of the 4th Inclusiva-net Meeting: P2P Networks and Processes: the videos of the presentations, for the moment only in their original version but in the near future… Continue reading

Global Privacy Standards in a Global World; November 3, 2009 in Madrid, Spain

The Public Voice, an international civil society coalition, will discuss: Global Privacy Standards in a Global World; during its conference on November 3, 2009 in Madrid, Spain, to be held in conjunction with the 31st Annual International Conference of Data Protection and Privacy Commissioners. Prominent advocates and experts from the academic, consumer, digital rights and… Continue reading

Citizen engagement + openness = improved p2p cities

City governance and open-source programming never seemed like a likely marriage. However, emerging initiatives have been working towards it, and have received a boost of popular support through Obama’s call for open government. When NYC’s Mayor Bloomberg launched the Big Apps competition this past June, he invited individuals and groups to program applications that make… Continue reading

The Shift from Human-Centered to Resource-Centered Design

The modern green response to these new environmental and social pressures attempt to make things better through new or altered methods of consumption. We’ve seen an explosion of everything from recycled paper to hybrid cars to green cleaning products to energy efficient electronics as purported solutions. This, unfortunately, is flawed logic — digging slower won’t… Continue reading

Is Capitalism starting a love affair with the commons?

It seems the combination of the works of both Ostrom and Williamson, the two winners of the recent Nobel Prize in Economics, offer “a workable theoretical framework to advance capital by coopting commons and commons discourse. There are some signs that a “discursive recomposition” of capital is occurring along these lines.” The above is from… Continue reading

European Internet Rights and Amendment 138: The Parliament betrayed by its negotiators

Via La Quadrature du Net: (references at the original) “Negotiations on the Telecoms Package took a worrying turn for citizens rights and freedoms. The European Parliament Delegation was betrayed by its negotiators, led by Catherine Trautmann (S&D) and Alejo Vidal-Quadras (EPP). In total contradiction with the mandate given by their colleagues representing the Parliament, the… Continue reading

Austin Brentley: My Brush with P2P Production in Renewable Energy Research (2)

Continued from Part 1 of My Brush with P2P Production in Renewable Energy Research Scenario 1 Under this model, there is no external entity, Green R&D. Inventors voluntarily come together and peer-fund explorative research, design, and development within the renewable energy sector. They place their findings in an online content management system that doubles as… Continue reading

Austin Brentley: My Brush with P2P Production in Renewable Energy Research (1)

This two-part guest post asks the question, of what mode of production and (intellectual) property might be optimal for progress in renewable energy, undertaken for an MBA dissertation. Austin Brentley: A relative newcomer to open collaboration, I accidentally stumbled upon an article written by Michel Bauwens while I was writing my MBA dissertation on renewable… Continue reading

Ramon Sangüesa – The Citilab Model?

Ramon Sangüesa, Director of Innovation recently spoke about “The Citilab Model” at the CCCB in Barcelona as part of the I+C+i cycle of talks. The I+C+i programme announced the session as: Citilab is a research project centring on models to promote and activate citizen innovation linked to information technologies and design, with an intrinsic component of… Continue reading