Date archives "May 2018"

Building the Open Source Circular Economy Commons Commons Transition Featured Essay P2P Collaboration P2P Lab P2P Manufacturing P2P Research P2P Technology P2PF Articles Urban Commons

The emergence of makerspaces

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The emergence of makerspaces

Recently, our colleagues Vasilis Niaros, Vasilis Kostakis and Wolfgang Drechsler received the Tallinn University of Technology 2017 Publication of the Year award for “Making (in) the Smart City”. Abstract Critical approaches to the smart city concept are used to begin highlighting the promises of makerspaces, that is to say, those emerging urban sites that promote… Continue reading →

Economy and Business Open Coops & Sustainable Livelihoods P2P Collaboration P2P Governance Sharing

How to build companies that are a force for good in society

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How to build companies that are a force for good in society

Most technology startups say they’re “making the world a better” place as anyone who watches the TV show Silicon Valley knows. Reality is, of course, murkier. In some cases, it can pretty objectively be argued that a company is really making something the world needs; if they’re innovating on renewable energy or a cure for… Continue reading →

Activism Commons Culture & Ideas Networks P2P Carework P2P Collaboration P2P Cultures and Politics P2P Gender Issues P2P Governance P2P Lifestyles P2P Solidarity

The Beautiful Trap of Belonging

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The Beautiful Trap of Belonging

Exploring the paradox of community Group formation fascinates me. I invite you to get fascinated with me for a minute: In your imagination, picture a person as an H₂0 gas molecule, floating around in space. The molecule is an unattached individual. Maybe it’s you. You’re cruising through the atmosphere, bouncing off other individuals: maybe high-fiving… Continue reading →

Commons Food and Agriculture Open Coops & Sustainable Livelihoods P2P Cultures and Politics P2P Ecology P2P Governance P2P Labor P2P Localization P2P Public Policy P2P Rights P2P Science P2P Solidarity P2P Technology Peer Property

Making Local Woods Work

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Making Local Woods Work

Mark Walton: The Forestry Commission estimates that 47% of England’s woodlands are unmanaged. If you like to think of woods as wild places and flinch at the idea of a tree being felled, then you might consider this a good thing. But woodlands, at least in this country, need management. Whilst truly wild woodlands are… Continue reading →

Appropriate Technology Building the Open Source Circular Economy Commons Food and Agriculture Open Coops & Sustainable Livelihoods Open Hardware and Design Open Innovation Open Standards P2P Collaboration P2P Development P2P Labor P2P Manufacturing P2P Research P2P Science P2P Technology

Digital Revolution in Agriculture: Fitting for Agroecology?

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Digital Revolution in Agriculture: Fitting for Agroecology?

Vassilis Gkisakis, M. Lazzaro, L. Ortolani and N. Sinoir:  Digital technologies in the agricultural sector are highly promoted. However, do they offer a dimension of real sustainability, as regarded within the agroecological approach, or is it just another business trend? These new technologies are clearly market-oriented and they bring farmers dependency on costly tools, mostly… Continue reading →

Commons Culture & Ideas Events Featured Video Open Content P2P Cultures and Politics P2P Education Videos

Learn to Play Commonspoly: London, Thursday May 3

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Hello friends, this Thursday,  May 3, I’ll be holding an informal get together and workshop in London on the Commons along with a game of Commonspoly. This is a hacked version and critique of the game Monopoly, where the goals are to first re-municipalize private goods and, then, turn them into Commons. Rather than compete… Continue reading →

Featured Video Open Coops & Sustainable Livelihoods P2P Cultures and Politics Videos

The Plot: A short documentary on a community garden

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The Newton Commoners Plot for Renewing Community The Plot is more than interesting. It touches something deep within us – the yearning for connection, for conviviality, for joining up with people in a shared place that together we can co-create, a place where community can be meaningfully experienced and strengthened. I discovered ‘The Plot’ in… Continue reading →

Crowdfunding Crowdsourcing Networks Open Coops & Sustainable Livelihoods Open Hardware and Design Open Standards P2P Movements P2P Software P2P Technology Technology

The Making of the Cooperative Cloud

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The Making of the Cooperative Cloud

Co-owned web infrastructure is a clear goal for the co-op movement. As well as ensuring our data is not abused by big corporates a co-owned ‘cloud’ of services like email, docs, spreadsheets and calendars could do wonders for collaboration. A cooperative cloud would also provide a clear stepping stone towards the open source, collaborative working… Continue reading →