The basic pattern of openness is that better access to information and better systems lead to better decisions and better living. This general principal is broadly accepted, but we’re just now discovering that it also applies to the minutiae of our lives. An excerpt from a meditation by Paul Buchheit: “there’s another “open” that still… Continue reading
Andrew Harvey launches ‘networks of grace’
Via Reality Sandwich: (Source: excerpted from the Andrew Harvey’s new book The Hope: A Guide To Sacred Activism, recently released by Hay House) Andrew Harvey (excerpts): 1. “In a recent article in the “New York Review of Books” Bill McKibben wrote: “The technology we need most badly is the technology of community — the knowledge… Continue reading
Peak Globalization and the (historical) logic of relocalization
Fred Curtis: A double whammy of higher energy costs and extreme climate events will disrupt global transportation patterns, reversing the historical trend towards greater and greater levels of global trade and forcing a process of “relocalization” Excerpted from a contribution by John Michael Greer: “That relocalization needs to happen, and will happen, is clear. Among… Continue reading
Construction or resistance?
This is from an interesting exchange on the IDC list, where Brian Holmes responds to my following quote: Are you sure that activists from the old waves are not too wedded to particular types of spectacular resistance? What I see for example is a huge constructive shift towards new forms of being that go beyond… Continue reading
A visit to Wörgl
Rob Hopkins, of the Transition Town Movement, recently visited the legendary Austrian town, home of a very successfull open money experiment in the 1930’s. He retells the tale: “The Wörgl was introduced to the town in 1932, at the height of the Depression, when a third of the town was without work. It is an… Continue reading
Putting the commons to work: the next market wave
This blog entry from Massimo De Angelis is available from his website, with links: “The next disciplinary market wave — if it will come at all — will likely be greatly dependent on commons at every scale of social action. For this reason, a reasonably strong political recomposition wave around commons to contrast this market… Continue reading
Internet-based environmental organizing brings down price of solar
Via Wired Science, an excerpt on the One Block Off the Grid project: “While researchers have struggled for half a century to push down the cost of solar photovoltaic modules, an innovative web service is creating communities of customers who pay less for solar panels through collective bargaining with installers. One Block Off the Grid… Continue reading
Open Infrastructures I: conference report
This report on the conference in Manchester on November 3, on “Media Ecologies for Post-Industrial Production” should have been published 3 weeks ago, but got an erroneous draft status. Without further ado: This was an important week in the history of the P2P movement. I recently reported on the Free Culture Forum, which brought together… Continue reading
Ethical value creation and the economy: an Italian case study
A contribution by Adam Arvidsson: “The following is an attempt to use an empirical study of an actual instane of value co-creation. In essence: value depends on the ability attract affective investments from a co-producing audience. Such affective investments can be attracted through the promotion of a particular kind of ethos. The people who supply… Continue reading
Rethinking agriculture with Charles Fourier
(via Paul Fernhout) Here is an abstract from a document about an alternative vision of agriculture related to Charles Fourier’s thinking, written by Joan Roelofs. The illustrated pdf version is here. Abstract: “Charles Fourier has been disdained or ignored by political scientists, even by theorists. Some of his ideas were “mad,” but so many others… Continue reading
Comparing our weightless economy with that of the foragers
Kudunomics refers to property rights for the information-based economy, the topic of a talk by Samuel Bowles. He looks at the foraging economy to understand the knowledge economy. (the Kudu is an antelope of some sort hunted in Tanzania for its massive caloric value. When one is killed, it’s widely shared, perhaps 2/3 outside of… Continue reading
Special issue of OSBR on Value Co-Creation
Is it possible for companies and the users of their products to form mutually beneficial relationships that create value? The concept of value co-creation attempts to answer that question and it is the editorial theme of the November and December issues of the OSBR. Check the Table of Contents here. Excerpt from the editor’s summary… Continue reading
Online conflict in the light of mimetic theory
I am sure most readers of this essay know well the “community cycle” – the way on-line communities get started, they thrive with peaceful, civil conversations, helpful strangers and kind atmosphere, and later how suddenly some seemingly innocent misunderstandings grow into flamewars, people stop listening to each other and only want to win the fight…. Continue reading
Controversy in Second Life as it Removes Free Content From Web Search under Pressure of Top Merchants
Via Marc Garrett: “In a move that continues to shake the Second Life community of content creators, merchants, and consumers, Linden Labs has declared that free virtual content will no longer be searchable without listing payments on their website portal See: (http://wiki.secondlife.com/wiki/Linden_Lab_Official:Managing_Freebies_on_Xs treet_SL_Roadmap_FAQ); and additional fees will be added with the intention of discouraging content… Continue reading
Are spanish judges exemplary digital rights defenders?
Eddan Katz (EFF) points at the following article, showing how Spanish judges are quite exemplary in safeguarding public p2p rights: Spanish Court Dismisses Complaint From Nintendo Against Counterfiet DS Cartridges, Since They Add Functionality “It seems that Spain is a country that is pretty consistently figuring out that we shouldn’t just throw out all other… Continue reading
The EU Commission and IPR: the wrong fork in the road
Below is La Quadrature du Net’s response to the European Commission’s communication on “Enhancing the enforcement of intellectual property rights in the internal market” (COM(2009) 467) Download the memo in pdf here: On September 11th, 2009, the European Commission released a new communication on the enforcement of intellectual property rights (IPR) in the Internal market…. Continue reading