Date archives "June 2017"

Put On Your Corbyn Face

Can you get 100% Jeremy? Telekommunisten have created a Facebook game to promote #votelabour Put On Your Corbyn Face might be the first ever Facebook game that you play with empathy and feeling. Your score depends on how well you can reproduces the emotion in a picture of Jeremy Corbyn! https://gamesforthemany.com/corbynface/ Telekommunisten promote Venture Communism…. Continue reading

History of Cooperative Practices in Greece

The following is an excerpt of a longer article, which may be found here. Marula Tsagkari: The idea of cooperation has always been an important element of Greek tradition. In fact, Greek cooperative traditions may be the oldest in Europe. The idea of self-organization can be found in ancient Greek times in the form of… Continue reading

How to see the people in the collaborative economy

The Waag Society’s Socrates Schouten examines the mistaken assumptions put forward by European policy makers on what a “collaborative economy” actually entails. Socrates Schouten: More and more opinion leaders are mistaking a few big corporate platforms for the collaborative economy. We need a pro-active policy framework that bends the collaborative economy towards the public good…. Continue reading

Robin Murray: a tribute

Ed Mayo, secretary general of Co-operatives UK, pays tribute to Robin Murray (1940-2017), the radical economist, visionary and co-operator, who passed away last week. Originally published in Co-operatives UK. Ed Mayo: Co-operation has always attracted visionary thinkers and Robin Murray, who passed away recently, was one. Robin was an Associate of Co-operatives UK from 2010, alongside… Continue reading

Book of the Day: ‘Made with Creative Commons’

Cross-posted from Shareable. Sarah Pearson: About 1.5 years ago, after a successful Kickstarter campaign, we set out to research and write a book about the ways creators and businesses make money when they share their work using Creative Commons licensing. We had a particular vision for the work. We would identify and interview 24 diverse enterprises…. Continue reading

On the life of Robin Murray, visionary economist

Robin Murray who died late last Sunday exuded vigour and hope. And he inspired those around him with his spirit. Maybe as a resuIt I find myself resisting the sadness which threatens to overwhelm me now that he is gone. The tears well, but they refuse to flow. He was not one for a passive response of… Continue reading

How Soon is Now? Daniel Pinchbeck on social change and global transformation

“We are on the brink of an ecological mega-crisis threatening the future of life on earth and our actions over the next few years may well determine the destiny of our descendants. Between a manifesto and a tactical plan of action, How Soon is Now? by radical futurist and philosopher Daniel Pinchbeck outlines a vision… Continue reading

Encrypted Tractors – and the Open Source Solution

Imagine that you’re a farmer who bought a John Deere tractor for $25,000 – or perhaps a big, heavy-duty model for $125,000 or more.  Then something goes wrong with the computer software inside the tractor (its “firmware”).  Thanks to a new licensing scheme, only John Deere can legally fix the tractor – for exorbitant repair… Continue reading

Commons Network Releases Urgent Call To Europe

Commons Network releases its new policy paper for Europe today. It is an urgent plea to Europe and a call to arms for all activists and Europeans. ‘Supporting the Commons: Opportunities in the EU Policy Landscape’ is an appeal to the European Union to truly become an ally to commoners and commons-thinkers. With this paper, Commons Network… Continue reading

A Conversation with Helena Norberg-Hodge

This is a conversation with the political thinker and activist Helena Norberg-Hodge. She had a huge radicalizing influence on my political thinking through her film Ancient Futures. By “radical” I don’t mean the usual leftist politics. Helena is a tireless advocate for re-localization, the reclaiming of the commons, and the importance of direct participation in… Continue reading

German Nonprofit Creates New Open-Source License for Seeds

Cross-posted from Shareable. Nithin Coca: We know about open-source software and hardware, but can the concept – decentralized development and open collaboration for the common good – be expanded to address other global challenges? The nonprofit OpenSourceSeeds based in the German town of Marburg has just launched a licensing process for open-source seeds, to create a new… Continue reading