We continue our treatment of the excellent and stimulating PhD thesis from Jose Ramos, on the history and prefigurative future of the alterglobalization movement: * Dissertation: Alternative Futures of Globalisation. A Socio-Ecological Study of the World Social Forum Process. José María Ramos. Queensland University of Technology Division of Research and Commercialisation. May 2010 * Excerpt… Continue reading
Pirene Lab III – P2P Living Lab in the Pyrenees
From Pirene Lab: We invite you to take a breath of fresh air and get involved in Pirene Lab! An environment where citizens, businesses and public administration get together to develop and innovate new models, products and services, collectively for 500 million users. Pirene Lab is a High Mountain Rural Living Lab, backed by CitiLab… Continue reading
Spotting Unidentified Revolutionary Objects (U.R.O’s)
Help the P2P Foundation report on the new p2p-inspired social mobilizations in the world, such as recently in Tunisia , Spain, or Greece: * Bahrein * China * Egypt * Iran * Italy * Lybia * Palestina * Russia * Syria (graphic: thank you TheBoon!)
The Ecuadorian proposal for a Forest Commons
Excerpted from Johann Hari: ” At the tip of this South American country there lies 4,000 lush square miles of rainforest where the Amazon basin, the Andes mountains and the equator come together. It is the most biodiverse place on Earth. When scientists studied a single hectare of it, they found it had more different… Continue reading
Amicable networks and the peer governance mechanisms at Puerta del Sol
What is taking place within Spain at present is part of a wider narrative that police repression will simply not be able quell. A historic social and political shift appears to be taking place as an entire generation of young people attempt to take control of their own collective destiny – both in Europe and… Continue reading
The social media challenge in Singapore
Excerpted from Marwaan Macan-Marker, who cites analysis saying new technologies aided the opposition in the last election: “Weeks after a watershed general election in Singapore, the influential role played by social media to dramatically transform political debate in this affluent city- state continues to reverberate through cyberspace. “Social Media in Singapore Politics: It’s Serious Business… Continue reading
Software + data as business models
Insight on how open source software has changed the game for software businesses, excerpted from Stephen O’Grady: “The data is clear: while there is substantial money in software, the difficulty of employing it as a primary revenue mechanism is increasing. This supports our observations of generational shifts in attitudes towards the importance of software [coverage]…. Continue reading
The communication commons against corporate social media and the ‘recuperation’ of the Internet by capital
Just as capital’s introduction of new technologies, by potentially freeing huge surpluses of time, has opened up prospects of liberation from work – so its expansion of new communications technologies inadvertently opens up a world of counter-usage. As computerization makes possible either intensified exploitation of labour or subversion of the wage form – so too… Continue reading
The education of the French citizens movement at the Bastille, May 29th
Video report on the forceful evacuation of peaceful gathering at the Bastille: Commentary by Philippe Aigrain: “Evening stroll yesterday to Place de la Bastille. A Promenade du soir hier à la Bastille. A line of security police blocks the access to the part of the square in front of the Opera. Selective filter: they leave… Continue reading
Background to #spanishrevolution #asambleabarrios #europeanrevolution
Amaia has done a new post looking at the background of the events in Spain: [View the story “#spanishrevolution #asambleabarrios #europeanrevolution” on Storify]
Thesis of the Week: Alternative Futures of Globalisation and the Emergence of a Planetary Self
Really good PhD thesis from Jose Ramos, on the history and prefigurative future of the alterglobalization movement: * Dissertation: Alternative Futures of Globalisation. A Socio-Ecological Study of the World Social Forum Process. José María Ramos. Queensland University of Technology Division of Research and Commercialisation. May 2010 First, see the prologue, explaining his personal motivation, followed… Continue reading
Using sound canons against partying students
Testing riot gear and tactics against peaceful partying students in front of their homes, in Illinois:
P2P Foundation wins Ars Electronica award for Choke Point Project
We are very pleased to announce that our Choke Point Project has been selected as 2011 winner of [the next idea] voestalpine Art and Technology Grant as part of the Prix Ars Electronica 2011: “As an upshot of recent revolts in the Arab world, the Choke Point Project raises the question of who actually exercises control over the… Continue reading
Towards post-growth economics and politics
The original article by Jules Peck comes with many useful documentary links. Excerpt: “Surely it makes sense for our economy to move on to defining prosperity not as more “stuff” and money but more wellbeing? If you disagree with that idea, you won’t like what follows, but I hope you will read on. Why do… Continue reading
From Syntagma Square, Athens #europeanrevolution
From a correspondent in Greece: Hello from Greece, This is the fifth day and the crowd is increasing in Syntagma square in Athens. There must have been more than 30.000 people this evening and there are still there more than 10.000 at 11.30 pm (today). As a genuine gathering of the multitude there are not… Continue reading
Twitter’s Online Oral Psychodynamics
Excerpted from Zeynep Tufekci who argues Twitter and other social media cause a return of communication and media dynamics from the oral traditions: ” Keller is actually trying to complain about the reemergence of oral psychodynamics in the public sphere rather than about memory falling out of favor. If the latter were the case, his… Continue reading