The researchers believe their analysis shows that the pressure on raw materials doesn’t necessarily decline as affluence grows. They argue that humanity is using natural materials at a level never seen before, with far-reaching environmental consequences. They hope the new material footprint model will inform the sustainable management of resources such as water. * Research:… Continue reading
The (mostly illegal) bitcoin economy is vastly inflated through price fixing
1. “I’m concerned over the irony of the net generation, which has spawned a number of anti-Wall-Street movements and sentiments, to see people in this generation intuitively picking up trading practices that carry on every bit of foul legacy that offline traders have practiced before the net generation. It seems the more things change, the… Continue reading
#OccupyWallStreet Documentaries (3): American Autumn: An Occudoc (the movement two years on)
Kelly McCartney writes: Now available on iTunes, American Autumn compiled experiences from New York City, Boston, and Washington, DC, in an effort to answer two questions: What does the Occupy movement stand for? And what are the movement’s demands? Among the luminaries included are Naomi Klein, Michael Moore, and Cornel West Watch it here:
Bernardo Gutierrez on the new architecture of protest
The Hungarian sociologist Peter Pal, describing what is happening in Brazil, helps us to understand what these networked revolts have in common. Although there may not yet be categories to describe this new type of movement, these uprisings are all “more insurgent, more movement than party, more flow than discipline, more impulse than purpose –… Continue reading
Project of the Day: the Restart Project
The Restart Project Michelle Bastian: [*also see Michelle’s comments at the very bottom on the Temporal Aspects of the Restart Project] “Restart was started by Janet Gunter and Ugo Vallauri in 2012. Their mission is to help grow a more widespread culture of repair. They organise Restart Parties in London twice a month, where people… Continue reading
We need to balance our “masculine” global economy with “feminine” global governance.
Excerpted from John Bunzl, founder of the International Simultaneous Policy Organization: “The feminist movement of recent decades has certainly brought major changes for women; more equality in the workplace, more sexual freedom and control, and a more equal social standing alongside men. But one can’t help noticing that women who achieve high positions of power,… Continue reading
Current status of peer to peer microgrid implementation
The City of the Future blog listened to a recent Columbia University panel of experts: “According to Shahidehpour, what makes the new generation of microgrid applications worth paying attention to is that that the elements of a modern microgrid have themselves gotten smart, to the point where they can easily shift loads based on different… Continue reading
A review of “To Save Everything Click Here” (critique of the Quantified Self movement)
Excerpted from Tom Slee: 1. “Chapter 7 is typical of the book. Here is a collection of people who record and track their everyday lives online, and then analyze and quantify their existence, from toothbrushing to reading to fecal contents. These “datasexuals” now have a social movement, of a sort, which they call the “Quantified… Continue reading
Matthew Slater on current activism strategies
We republish a two–part editorial from the complementary currency activist Matthew Slater: “Traditional historical narratives imply that change comes from the top down, as a result of the actions of about Kings and presidents. But focusing on the characters and personal circumstances of such leaders simplifies the larger forces always at work. We all know… Continue reading
#OccupyWallStreet Documentaries (2): The 99%: Occupy Everywhere (the movement two years on)
Kelly McCartney writes: “Narrated by Lou Reed, this doc looks at the wide swath of the population burned by the economic crisis, from a 22-year-old college graduate to a 92-year-old grandmother, from a Marine veteran to a police captain. They discuss issues like health care, education, the environment, income inequality, and unemployment. Economist Jeffrey Sachs… Continue reading