Towards a second wave of world-changing hacks In recent years, the collaborative economy has been growing exponentially , reaching a stage of co-dependency with the emerging new forms of the for-profit economy, which we have described in our recent book, ‘Network Society and Four Scenarios for the Collaborative Economy‘. The new ‘netarchical’ (= net-archy, the… Continue reading
Date archives "October 2014"
THE COOPERATIVE MODEL REVISITED – John Restakis
Today, the second video from Open Everything which took place last month at Cloughjordan Ecovillage in Ireland. John Restakis independent researcher and teacher on co-operative economies and globalization discusses the challenges facing the cooperative movement. If you are interested in other videos see the presentation by Peter Couchman of the Plunkett Foundation earlier this week. Open… Continue reading
Book of the Day: Small is Beautiful
* Book: E. F. Schumacher. Small Is Beautiful: Economics as if People Mattered. 1973 Review Maria Popova: ” a magnificent collection of essays at the intersection of economics, ethics, and environmental awareness, which earned Schumacher the prestigious Prix Européen de l’Essai Charles Veillon award and was deemed by The Times Literary Supplement one of… Continue reading
One Perspective: The Liberating Potential of Bitcoin
One of the recurring themes on the P2P Facebook group is whether Bitcoin is a ‘good’ or a ‘bad’ thing, or whether it is even a fit subject for discussion in such a group (many think not) – but when one subject generates so much discussion and controversy I inevitably conclude that there must be… Continue reading
THE COOPERATIVE MODEL REVISITED – Peter Couchman
This week we will be posting a series of videos from Open Everything which took place last month at the lovely Cloughjordan Ecovillage in Ireland. First up we have Peter Couchman Chief Executive of the Plunkett Foundation speaking about the history of the cooperative movement and it’s Irish roots. Open Everything was organised in partnership… Continue reading
Video of the Day: Dilar Dirik, Kurdish Women’s Movement
Dilar Dirik, Kurdish Women’s Movement at the New World Summit Brussels, 2014. http://vimeo.com/107639261. At the New World Summit in Brussels (2014), Dilar Dirik, an activist with the Kurdhish women’s movement, and doctoral scholar discusses the conditions under which the PKK operates in the three autonomous cantons in northern Iraq, near the borders of Turkey and… Continue reading
Towards Blockchain Companies
Excerpted from John Robb: “A blockchain company isn’t like any company you know. It’s not run organically (it doesn’t have faux person-hood). It doesn’t have CEO, COO or effing board of directors. It doesn’t go to a fund or a bank for funding. It never floats an issue on Wall Street. Blockchain companies don’t need… Continue reading
Video of the Day: Michel Bauwens on why the P2P Foundation supports Fair.coop
This video interview between me and Michel Bauwens was filmed by our associate Kevin Flanagan and recorded at a break during the Open Everything Convergence held in the Cloughjordan Ecovillage in Tipperary, Ireland. In the video Michel explains why the P2P Foundation supports Fair.coop and its unheard-of experiment to create a new global economic system…. Continue reading
OpenHere – Digital Commons for an Equitable and Sustainable World
Both Vasilis Kostakis and myself Kevin Flanagan of the P2P Foundation will be participating in Openhere which is taking place in Dublin Ireland this coming November 14 – 16. If you are in Ireland and would like to learn a little more about what we do here at the P2P Foundation do come along. 3D… Continue reading
Tiziana Terranova reports on Social Network Unionism Strategies in Europe
(via the networked labour mailing list; version without notes; this article introduces some new developments in p2p-driven labor strategies) Tiziana Terranova: “Over the past few years, European social movements have struggled to find new ways of cooperating and connecting in order to oppose the verticalization of European governance. Following the crash of 2008, in fact,… Continue reading
P2P Theory: The War of Maneuver vs War of Position
“Politics isn’t, first and foremost, a matter of making allegations and raising awareness; there is no one straw that breaks the camel’s back, and what’s bad can be tolerated indefinitely. Instead, it is a sort of shedding of the skin, by which we become sensitive to this or allergic to that. Nor has it much… Continue reading
The three constituent elements of the Decentralized Computing Revolution
Excerpted from Gary Sharma: “There are three technologies that will form the foundation of the decentralized computing stack — mesh networks (decentralized networking), block chain (decentralized transactions) and autonomous agents (decentralized decision making). * Mesh networks The traditional network architecture of the Internet is vulnerable. There is risk of accidental damage or deliberate disruption (e.g…. Continue reading
Nathan Lewis: People Who are Not Directly Involved in Agriculture Should Live in Urban Places
My place Toten, by some named “Totscana” as a Norwegian counterpart of famous Italian Toscana, has lost much of its charm by suburban houses spread all over this pleasant landscape. This is a horrible thing to do! This way the beautiful landscape is reduced to a kind of Los Angeles like Suburban Hell! Suburban housing doesn’t… Continue reading
Book of the Day: The Squatters’ Movement in Europe
Book: The Squatters’ Movement in Europe. Commons and Autonomy as Alternatives to Capitalism. Squatting Europe Kollective. Pluto, 2013 URL = http://www.plutobooks.com/display.asp?K=9780745333953 Description “The Squatters’ Movement in Europe is the first definitive guide to squatting as an alternative to capitalism. It offers a unique insider’s view on the movement – its ideals, actions and ways… Continue reading
Can the decentralization of power in public services prevent the market failures of privatization ?
Excerpted / republished from Maria Felicita Ferraro: “When the neo-liberal approach of “marketisation” began to spread, it was rooted on a particular critique of state-run services. They were indeed perceived as top-down, inefficient and out of touch with people’s needs, knowledge and preferences. The public service agenda of the following governments has more often than… Continue reading
Podcast of the Day: Rachel O’Dwyer on the Role of Commons in Contemporary Capitalism
We met Rachel O’Dwyer a couple of weeks back, at the Open Everything 2014 Convergence, celebrated in Cloughjordan Ecovillage, Ireland. We really enjoyed talking to Rachel and listening to her contributions in the Q&As and, in fact, we’re hoping to work with her in the near future. Until then, please check out this podcast, originally published as… Continue reading