Date archives "September 2013"

Permaculture and the myth of future food scarcity

Excerpted from Charles Eisenstein: (don’t miss the very rich comments) “In Sacred Economics I cite research showing that when it is done properly, organic growing methods can deliver two to three times the yield of conventional methods. (Studies showing the opposite are poorly constructed. Of course if you take two fields and plant each with… Continue reading

Project of the Day: Fab Lab Athens

Fab Lab Athens = FAB LAB ATHENS is an active node of the Digital Fabrication Laboratories network Fab Labs, that are a platform for cooperation between people and organizations from different countries around the world.   Further Information “FAB LAB ATHENS is a platform for the development of Digital Fabrication Technologies. Fab Lab Athens explores… Continue reading

Mailpile’s crowdfunding success for a secure, open source, encrypted email service

Via Stacco Troncoso: Good news all around: with a few days left on their funding campaign, Mailpile has exceeded its funding goal for the development of an alternative web-mail application with enhanced encryption and safety features. Led by an Icelandic team of open source veterans and privacy advocates, Mailpile aims to provide a secure, open… Continue reading

“Partnership not protest”? Networked slum dweller organisations go beyond protest politics

In Reducing Urban Poverty in the Global South we highlight five interventions, each of which follows a broadly similar approach. They invest in building up neighbourhood groups able to improve the lives of people in informal settlements — places where people lack secure tenure, running water, sanitation and waste collection. And these neighbourhood groups are… Continue reading

Scotland’s exemplary Renewable Energy Policy

Republished from Cynthia Shahan: “The Scottish government is setting an economical and environmental standard for the world. I believe every government should model programs to meet this country’s standard. Its new program encompasses compassion, retains economic empowerment, and offers kindness to Scottish citizens. This program reaches out to those in poverty with environmental arms. “The… Continue reading

Allen White on the Vision of Corporate Redesign for Social Purpose

What would a corporation look like that was designed to seamlessly integrate both social and financial purpose? Corporation 20/20 is a new multi-stakeholder initiative that seeks to answer this question. Its goal is to develop and disseminate corporate designs where social purpose moves from the periphery. Watch this very interesting interview here, and for more… Continue reading

Essay: A New Political Contract for Digital Democracy

* Article: Digital Democracy: A New Political Contract. By Thomas Leif Olsen. (this is a version without notes) Thomas Olsen: “This paper argues that a ‘digital-political evolution’ should not base itself on what politicians can offer their voters, but on what voters can offer their politicians – i.e. their vote. Only then will peoples’ concerns… Continue reading

Selected Citations on P2P Spirituality

You can find the source of the citations here: * Dana Klisanin on Transception “It is not surprising then, that as our sphere of concern expands (i.e., from the personal to the global-planetary) we are creating technological means through which to address those concerns. Transception, described as, “Internet technologies fused with moral concerns,” is one… Continue reading