Who are we to judge failure or success and from what perspective? By Daniel Christian Wahl (www.danielchristianwahl.com) The consensus in the international press, the NGO sector, and with most scientists seems to be that Rio+20 was a failure. I beg to differ. I think it is too early to tell. What difference did a… Continue reading
Date archives "July 2012"
Michael Huesemann on the Dangers of Technological Optimism
Source: Extraenvironmentalist “Are you optimistic about technology? Let’s talk about why. Could the majority of our proposed technological solutions be doing little more than kicking the can down the road towards ecological collapse? Politicians and economists speak of the ability for technological innovation to boost and grow economies, yet where does their techno optimism come from?… Continue reading
The new Agrarians and the global resurgence of village economies
As we work in our own communities to bring about healthy regional economies, we are not working as isolationists, securing only our own future and our families’ futures, but rather we are working in solidarity with villagers around the world who are seeking ways to revitalize their own economies. It is important to share the… Continue reading
How to support open value creation?
On the occasion of the call for an Open Innovation support agenda by the Greens/EFA group at the European Parliament, I republish an older proposal of mine, on a set of interlocking institutions that could support open value creation. The P2P Foundation policy material can be found here. Here’s my proposal, a set of 3… Continue reading
Gar Alperovitz on the coming Great Transformation
This keynote for the U.S. Greens presidential candidates nomination congress is one of the best political speeches I have heard in a longtime, and worth watching for the insights into political change dynamics. The Greens may get a lot of traction as third party after #obamafail. Details from Democracy Now: “At the Green Party’s 2012… Continue reading
Building a global coalition of alter forces
A strong initiative is calling old, new, newer and newest progressive social movements to come together, join forces, reject financial dictatorship and enforce just, human and peaceful ‘real alternatives’ from today! With a dozen of associated networks and calls, we are joining many associative, citizen, cultural, trade union and political forces that refuse the current… Continue reading
Shame on the Swedish state and judiciary: Why Peter Sunde should be pardoned
Peter Sunde, condemned to one year in prison in Sweden for sharing music and culture. Please sign this petition if you support sharing rights! Below is his life’s story in his own words, and why he should be pardoned. Peter Sunde: “I’d like to tell a story from my life, a story that has come… Continue reading
What is specific about the positioning of the P2P Foundation?
This is a follow-up of our article of July 15, and the second part of our article in the Journal of Peer Production, which reviewed various related P2P movements: “Like Oekonux, the P2P Foundation is a collective marked by diversity, but it also has dominant personalities and themes, with a substantial influence of the author… Continue reading
Where the real action and hope was at Rio+20: the side events and People’s Summit
Excerpted from a lengthy and fascinating report on Rio+20 by Daniel Wahl. This excerpt only focuses on the side events. Contact the author via contact at danielchristianwahl dot com for the full version with a multitude of links. I’m of course happy with the positive evaluation of my own contribution to the event, see below…. Continue reading
Scott Constable on the Deep Craft Ethos and Manifesto of ‘exuberant frugality’
Fair Companies writes that “Scott Constable is a craftsman who designs utilitarian objects like furniture skateboards and handcrafted homes to the more esoteric, such as a mobile micro radio station or a mobile biodiesel processor. … Borrowing from the concept of deep ecology, Constable created the term Deep Craft and began to craft a manifesto… Continue reading
The internet as the multiplier of common goods
“The commons breaks with the individualistic vision as conceived by the capitalist tradition, a vision that has progressively transferred the idea of rights to individual people. The commons take inclusion and everyone’s equal right to access as its starting point, while property and the idea of the state that upholds it is based on a… Continue reading
A Critique of Open Core business model
Excerpted from a much loner article by Simon Phipps on Open Source Software Communities and their dynamics: “The idea of open core is simple enough. Here’s a modified quote from a business leader in a company that depends on an open core business-model. He said: “We deliver a fully functional production with our community edition…. Continue reading
Michael Hudson: Financialized neoliberalism as a weapon against free markets and industry
Excerpted from a longer and brilliant analysis of European vs. Anglosaxon responses to the meltdown, from Michael Hudson: “The term “neoliberalism” misrepresents and even inverts the classical liberal idea of free markets. It is a weaponization of economic theory, kidnapping the original liberal ethic that sought to defend against special privilege and unearned income. To… Continue reading
Thinking of ‘peer production’ and ‘transnationalization of production’ together
A proposal for working on a convergence of the ideas of Gramsci, Roberto Cox and P2P Theory, by Örsan ?enalp: Our intention is to draw mainlines for an historical materialist narrative of the rise of the p2p as the dynamic of true communal culture and social relationship among individuals and the people, We want to… Continue reading
Internet of food: Arduino-based, urban aquaponics in Oakland
Strongly recommended video, explanations are below: Via: “The land in West Oakland where Eric Maundu is trying to farm is covered with freeways, roads, light rail and parking lots so there’s not much arable land and the soil is contaminated. So Maundu doesn’t use soil. Instead he’s growing plants using fish and circulating water. It’s… Continue reading
Co-Production of public services and Co-Governance of public policies in Europe: progress report
It is worth noting that both co-production and co-management take place on the output or implementation side of the political system, once a public policy has been determined. Co-governance, on the other hand, is usually found only on the input side, and involves the third- sector and other private actors in the determination of public… Continue reading