Carliss Y. Baldwin and Eric von Hippel have produced a useful synthetic report explaining why user-led open innovation is displacing producer led innovation, why the former is beneficial for social welfare, but held back by regulations and IP protections dating from an era where only the second form was deemed functional. Report: Modeling a Paradigm… Continue reading
Date archives "December 2009"
An introduction to the economics of abundance (2): the demand side
It is the profit-motive, it seems, that keeps us away from abundance, not “infinite” human wants We continue our presentation of this landmark essay: Source: 21st-Century Political Economies: Beyond Information Abundance. by Roberto Verzola. International Review of Information Ethics Vol. 11 (10/2009) Roberto Verzola on The Demand Side of Abundance: “Abundance archetypes represent the supply… Continue reading
New version of openArtist released: an annotated multimedia Linux distro with focus on ease of use
An artist friendly Linux distro One great thing about open-source is that it allows you to remix your own operating system, build something that really fits e.g. a communities needs. openArtist, based on the latest Ubuntu KarmicKoala, focuses on making sure that everything an artist will need – is included in the standard installation –… Continue reading
On the nature of the new social movements
From an interview of Paul Hawken: (of whom we also strongly recommend this wonderful commencement address, given to Portland students) * You write about how this evolving movement will look very different from movements of the past. There’s no charismatic leader, no center. It’s not ideological. That’s often lost in the reporting of it, because… Continue reading
An introduction to the economics of abundance (1): the supply side
To even acknowledge at all the existence of abundance is a huge conceptual leap for many economists, whose fundamental assumptions are based on scarcity. Some economists even say that abun-dant goods cease to be interesting because the problem of scarcity has been solved. But if abundance solves the problem of scarcity, shouldn’t economists devote as… Continue reading
Seven Policy Switches for Global Security
“Together the switches define a practical strategy for global security, for a serious attempt at revival of co-operation, ecosystems and prosperity.” Paper and slides from James Greyson presented to a NATO Science meeting (NATO Advanced Research Workshop. Split, Croatia 17th-19th June 2009). Abstract: “Everyone desires a secure life. Yet the security of more and more… Continue reading
Rob Carlson on open-source biology, buying DNA online and the problem with patents
Very informative and important interview:
Robert Karp: Completing Capitalism by Liberating Land from the Market
When we buy and sell land we are really buying and selling certain rights of use to the land, rather than the land itself. And rights are always balanced by responsibilities. Therefore, having the right to a certain piece of land should always come with specific responsibilities, such as social, economic and environmental stewardship. When… Continue reading
‘P2PFOUND CITIES’. Project Proposal for the Reconstruction and the Preservation of Abruzzo
by Agatino Rizzo, Eric Hunting, Michel Bauwens, Cityleft, P2P Foundation *** This project was submitted to an international open context held in June in Italy and titled “Un’idea per la ricostruzione”. Together with other proposals, it was selected Among 204 participants for a honorable mention.*** We present in this proposal a scheme for efficient transitional… Continue reading
The RepLab initiative: Machines making Machines
Via Sam Putnam: “Look around you. Look down, past your hands, at the keyboard beneath. Look at the frame of the screen you’re reading this by. You are seeing the products of machines. Chances are you’re surrounded by them, from the light over your head to the pipes and beams below. You are clothed by… Continue reading
Free Beer, Free Software, Free Culture
Free Beer is a collection of texts written by speakers at FSCONS 2008 and based on their respective talks. FSCONS is that rare conference that unites both free software and free culture movements. The list of essays is below. Amongst those we particularly recommend are: – Johan Söderberg’s Hackers GNUnited!, an account of hackers as… Continue reading
Forward Foundation @ Media Ecologies Workshop
A writeup of the Media Ecologies & Post-Industrial Production Conference (http://www.espach.salford.ac.uk/sssi/p2p/) by participants Paul B. Hartzog and Sam Rose of The Forward Foundation (http://www.forwardfound.org) Forward Foundation @ Media Ecologies
Why people are joining Common Security Clubs
“In this video, three members of the Jamaica Plain Common Security Club talk about how they’re facing the economic crisis by talking, sharing and helping their neighbors.”
BIBO – A Standard for Stable Currencies
I believe it was more or less a year ago that Michel Bauwens pointed me to the International Currency System Engineering Group, ICSEG (http://www.icseg.org/) which was running a discussion list about the architecture of monetary systems. I joined the list and the discussions were of great interest. There has now been a conclusion. Just recently,… Continue reading
The commons as a common strategic perspective
“In my opinion, the commons approach, which we have discussed here repeatedly, meets all these demands. Conservatives like that it is conserving and community-oriented, liberals like its distance to the state and that it is not completely incompatible with market economies, anarchists like its focus on self-organisation, and socialists and communists embrace that it promises… Continue reading
In search of the historical roots of P2P: the cosmobiological tradition
It seems quite clear to me that the P2P ethos and sensibility differs from both the old and new forms of leftism, including the postmodern variants. Where then, can we trace back some historical connections for this sensibility? One historical connection could be made with the historical tradition of civil socialism which existed before the… Continue reading