Republished from Motherboard’s Soundcloud: The internet of things, End User License Agreements, and Digital Rights Management are increasingly being used to give electronics manufacturers control and ownership over your stuff even after you buy it. Radio Motherboard talks to Aaron Perzanowski and Jason Schultz, authors of The End of Ownership about what we stand to lose… Continue reading
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Team Human: Neal Gorenflo on Sharing Cities
Playing for Team Human today is Neal Gorenflo from Shareable.net. Neal joins Douglas to spread the word about Shareable’s latest resource, Sharing Cities: Activating the Urban Commons. Sharing Cities is an inspiring collection of 137 case studies and policies across a wide spectrum of issues that show how empowered communities are building citizen-run, democratic solutions… Continue reading
Commons, Enclosure, and the Politics of Gentleness
Michel Bauwens: Few people have studied the protocols and processes of enclosures as Anthony McCann has, and this very interesting podcast represents an overview of years of study and insight into the matter. Recommended! As Anthony says: This work from 2007 was probably my last lecture on enclosure before turning back to the commons, in… Continue reading
Podcast: How is policing being used to maintain racial and class inequalities?
In this Upstream Conversation we spoke with author Alex S. Vitale about his new book, “The End of Policing,” which was published by Verso Books on October 10th, 2017. Alex Vitale’s work is based on a deep examination and structural critique of the fundamental nature of policing. Vitale stresses that it’s not enough to enact… Continue reading
Podcast: Could Universal Basic Income Spell the End of Capitalism?
It has been said that it’s easier to imagine the end of the world than to imagine the end of capitalism. That might have been true a decade ago, but today, the end of capitalism is becoming more and more plausible — at times it feels inevitable. In fact, at least half of Americans think… Continue reading
Degrowth in Movements: Radical Ecological Democracy
By Ashish Kothari; originally posted on Degrowth.de The podcast starts in German, but the interview starting after 42 seconds is in English. About the authors and their positions Ashish Kothari is a member of Kalpavriksh, which has been working on environment and development issues in India since 1979. He is also on the steering committee… Continue reading
Podcast: Universal Basic Income – An Idea Whose Time Has Come
What if you were paid just for being alive? Just imagine, you are given a check every month for the rest of your life, enough to cover all of your basic needs. You wouldn’t be driving around in a Ferrari or eating avocado toast every day, but you’d be receiving enough to live relatively comfortably…. Continue reading
Jose Ramos on Cosmo-Localization for the Anthropocene Transition
The following is a thoughtful and clear talk by our associate Jose Ramos about one of the central priorities of the P2P Foundation: the creation of a cosmo-local production system in which ‘what is light is shared globally’, in open design commons, and ‘what is heavy is produced locally’, by generative economic entities. Jose introduces… Continue reading
Podcast: What Would an Economy Based on Wellbeing Look Like?
In last week’s episode Upstream explored the theme of economic inequality and looked at how neoliberal policies have impacted many communities, including Frome. This week’s episode asks the following question: How can towns and communities around the world begin to make wellbeing and happiness the ultimate goal of their economy? Upstream takes a look at… Continue reading
Podcast: A View of Global Economic Inequalities from the English Town of Frome
After exploring some of the exciting initiatives developed by Frome’s radical town council in last week’s episode, this second episode of Upstream’s documentary series investigates the themes of economic inequality, gentrification, and poverty within the town of Frome and also at a national and global level. In the 1970s and 80s, a series of economic… Continue reading
Podcast: How Residents of Frome, UK Took Governance and the Local Economy Into Their Own Hands
The stories in this Upstream documentary series come from a small town in the United Kingdom called Frome, but the themes and topics explored are global in scale, ranging from the Americas to the Himalayas. Despite its unique setting, nestled in the sleepy countryside of southeast England, Frome is a microcosm of much of what… Continue reading
Podcast: Flatpack Democracy Architect Peter Macfadyen’s DIY Guide to Independent Politics
In this episode of Upstream we spoke with Peter Macfadyen, one of the architects behind Flatpack Democracy, a do-it-yourself guide to creating independent politics. Macfadyen is the former mayor of the small town of Frome in the U.K., which we explored in depth in our series on Frome. In many ways he is a legendary… Continue reading
Podcast: Cheyenna Weber on the History and Future of the Solidarity Economy
In this episode, we spoke with Cheyenna Weber, co-founder of Solidarity NYC and a lead organizer of the Cooperative Economics Alliance of NYC, or CEANYC. We talked with Weber about her work with SolidarityNYC and CEANYC and how these organizations support a growing solidarity economy in New York City and beyond. The conversation broadly explores the concept… Continue reading
Podcast: Anthropologist Jason Hickel on How Capitalism Fuels Climate Change
In this episode, we spoke with Jason Hickel, an anthropologist at the London School of Economics. Originally from Swaziland, Hickel’s research has focused on development and globalization. He has written extensively on a number of topics, including capitalism, inequality, climate change, basic income, and soil regeneration. Hickel argues that we cannot begin to seriously tackle the climate crisis… 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
The great transition – Alternative paths for a better and climate just future
Tipping Point – a podcast on climate justice in the Anthropocene In this series of podcasts, we explore pathways for climate justice in the Anthropocene – a geological epoch shaped by humans. Should we become stewards of our planet or live in harmony with nature to achieve a good life for all? We take our… Continue reading