Date archives "May 2010"

The Idea of a Red Tory (2): why conservatives can’t be peer to peer (Andy Robinson)

Andy Robinson argues that conservatism can’t be peer to peer, then adds an analysis of the social/political role of Red Toryism as “New Conservatism”: 1. Why conservatism can’t be peer to peer: “The reason Blond cannot be peer-to-peer is his complicity with neototalitarianism (outlined previously). While his aspirations aim towards a type of ‘community’ which… Continue reading

Stigmergic collaboration vs. collectivism

A short but illuminating contribution to the Digital Maoism debate (i.e. critiques of internet collectivism as representing a danger to individualism), by Kevin Carson: “It seems to me that a lot of the juxtapositions of “individual authorial voice” and the “collective,” in critiques of “Digital communism/Maoism” like those of Lanier, Helprin, etc., miss the point…. Continue reading

Obstacles to open source hardware (5): Patents are NOT the issue, argues Sam Rose

An update to the following series on obstacles to open source hardware: 1. The lack of open-source culture among component makers 2. IP, lack of adequate open licenses, patents 3. the MakerBot derivatives controversy 4. the public patent proposal Sam Rose: “In my opinion, it is not patents, but rather the world-view and perception of… Continue reading

Book of the week (2): Wikiworld, obstacles and stages to knowledge freedom

Book: Wikiworld: Political Economy of Digital Literacy, and the Road from Social to Socialist Media. Juha Suoranta – Tere Vadén. We presented the book on May 3. Here are some additional excerpts. The book is copylefted and you can get your hands of the text here at http://en.wikiversity.org/wiki/Wikiworld or order it via Amazon. 1. Edutopias… Continue reading

The China Future: Using CNC’s to make Anything

A provocative post by Steve Richfield on the future of distributed manufacturing. Comments on how realistic this is would be welcome. Steve Richfield, Apr 27, 2010 at the [email protected] : “REALLY ADVANCED CNC (Continuous Numerical Control) manufacturing machinery, some of which exists today, is instantly reconfigurable to make many very different things. Just put CNC… Continue reading

#talkingabout: P2P Foundation

Michel Bauwens , founder of the P2P Foundation was in Barcelona again last week to speak at the Universidad Nomada in the Sala Conservas and I went along with Ricard Espelt & Gemma Urgell to film this interview with him for their #talkingabout series. #talkingabout is a paltform which aims to create participation around things, people & ideas worth, well, talking about through a system of videos, votes, comments etc which is open to anyone. … Here’s a video which presents #talkingabout : I also recorded an interview with Michel for the Citilab blog : Here’s Michel’s presentation from the Universidad Nomada: Everything open and free on Prezi Ricard Espelt is also #talkingabout P2P Foundation here (in Catalan).

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Book of the Week: Wikiworld, the political economy of digital literacy

“In the digital world of learning there is a progressive transformation from the institutionalized and individualized forms of learning to open learning and collaboration. The book provides a view on the use of new technologies and learning practices in furthering socially just futures, while at the same time paying critical attention to the constants, or… Continue reading

Hygienic, spatial and class-based social racism in the Thai polity

The alleged “double standard” by the urban elite and media is strikingly consistent. It is in fact a single set of standards that laws, reasons, rights, rewards and punishments, and other value judgments should be applied to people according to their different hierarchy. The consistent “double standard,” cannot be explained otherwise except as a form… Continue reading