March, 2008

• Pages tagged with "muniwireless" on del.icio.us
• PhilaVoice - Wireless Philadelphia - Olney Portal
  augmented with social development goals
• The Charms of Wikipedia - The New York Review of Books
  the ARS is a small group that opposes "extremist deletion." ; WPPDP (for "WikiProject Proposed Deletion Patrolling") in which people look over the PROD lists for articles that shouldn't be made to vanish.

continue reading "Links for 2008-03-30 [del.icio.us]"

Kaila Colbin of the VortexDNA blog has a great series on the evolution of the internet, inspired by Abraham Maslow’s hierarchy of needs theory. It starts here and then goes through the five stages separately.

continue reading "The Internet and its hierarchy of needs"

Henrik Igo reacts to our presentation of the proposal of Joe Geldart towards an Active Web. The intervention of Henrik is rather technical, but still of interest for non-developers.

Henrik Igo:

The Document web definition is fine, it is what anyone would consider “Web 1.0″. What I strongly disagree with is the authors criticism or belittlement of current “Web 2.0“. In my opinion a significant shift in the web happened with the maturation of the Firefox browser, which released an avalanche of web based applications and portals that made heavy use of JavaScript and CSS. (If someone wouldn’t like the term “Web2.0″ it may be better and clearer to call this “The advent of AJAX”.)

continue reading "Henrik Igo’s critique of the (Geldart) Active Web proposal"

Hassal Seder Pessah

Hassal Seder Pessah retrace la situation de l’homme qui vient de commencer son chemin, il est plein d’énergie, prêt à entreprendre ce chemin, il sait que s’ouvre à lui un processus allant jusqu’à sa réparation lui permettant de recevoir la Lumière, de recevoir la Torah. Du fait qu’il soit sorti d’Egypte (symbole de l’escalvage de l’égoïsme), qu’il ait su surmonter sa nature, il voit en cela une promesse absolue, que grâce à l’aide d’en haut, il aura la force, les capacités, pour tout ce qui lui a été réservé, de traverser ces 49 portes, réparations que l’on appelle Lag Ba Omer (33ème jour de l’Omer) et tous les jours du comptage de l’Omer pour recevoir la Torah.

continue reading "Mélodies de la Kabbale : Hassal Seder Pessah"

CC Licensed http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogersmith/121585602/in/set-1174606/

New territorial claims on islands and sea-routes emerging as the Arctic icecaps melt might make you laugh if you could forget the last 500 years of Euro-American expropriation and colonization. (See “ Arctic Ice Melts Create New Land Rush" by Robert J. Miller, May 7, 2007.) With global warming we have a ludicrous display of national patrimony along with the usual international theft. Denmark, Canada and Russia are dispatching warships to hoist flags on frozen tundra. Bottles of brandy have been buried as proof of discovery and claim. The U.S. is also making claims in the region on behalf of an international community eager to see the emerging waterways as “neutral,” open access global commons whose assets are ready for the taking by First World nations and multinational corporations. Folks, what is this nonsense of flag raising and bogus international commons all about?

continue reading "Reclaiming a True Global Commons in the Arctic Melt"

In our mission to advance the commons, we at OntheCommons.org have embarked upon a number of major changes that we are thrilled to share with you. You’re looking at the most visible change, our new online home! Re-conceptualizing and revamping the website has been a lengthy process, and we are excited about the new look and navigation of the site.

We are proud to offer a wide variety of editorial features, including “Commons Champions,” regular profiles of people doing important work on commons. You’ll also find two new departments: “Commons in Action,” which focuses on local commons work around the country and the world, and “Commons in the News,” which highlights coverage of commons issues in both mainstream and independent media. You’ll continue to find blogs and essays exploring new ideas and important developments related to the commons.

continue reading "Welcome to the New OntheCommons.org"

If there is one area of American life that could benefit from greater transparency and participation, it is the health care system. Now comes a terrific new report that describes in rigorous detail the many ways in which the open sharing of information could improve the quality of health care for everyone. Harnessing Openness to Transform American Health Care (pdf file) is a new report by the Committee on Economic Development, the business research group, released in January 2008.

continue reading "Openness in Health Care"

In 1971, one of the great experiments in congressional reform began when Ralph Nader enlisted more than 800 college students to spend their summer vacation doing extensive research profiles of every member of Congress (484) and six key Congressional committees. It was a monstrously complicated project of citizen oversight of Congress that made the institutional life of Congress a major national issue. The project generated some 21,000 pages of books and reports in the process of exposing Congress as a world of “protocol, alcohol and Geritol.”

continue reading "The Change Congress Initiative"

We are lucky to live in a golden age of cuisine. Never have we enjoyed so many choices of different foods from diverse cooking traditions than today.

CC Licensed http://openphoto.net/volumes/ska/20060125/opl_GB-Salat.jpg

My 13-year-old son can’t get enough empanadas (South America), spring rolls (Asia) and humus (the Middle East). I had never eaten these foods when I was his age—in fact, I had never even heard of them. The future of cuisine at that time appeared to be something like space food sticks (“What the astronauts eat”), an amalgam of nutrients and additives squeezed into a shape that looked like it came out of a test tube. Yccchh!

continue reading "The Kitchen As a Commons"

CC Licensed http://www.flickr.com/photos/rogersmith/121585602/in/set-1174606/

New territorial claims on islands and sea-routes emerging as the Arctic icecaps melt might make you laugh if you could forget the last 500 years of Euro-American expropriation and colonization. (See “ Arctic Ice Melts Create New Land Rush" by Robert J. Miller, May 7, 2007.) With global warming we have a ludicrous display of national patrimony along with the usual international theft. Denmark, Canada and Russia are dispatching warships to hoist flags on frozen tundra. Bottles of brandy have been buried as proof of discovery and claim. The U.S. is also making claims in the region on behalf of an international community eager to see the emerging waterways as “neutral,” open access global commons whose assets are ready for the taking by First World nations and multinational corporations. Folks, what is this nonsense of flag raising and bogus international commons all about?

continue reading "Reclaiming a True Global Commons in the Arctic Melt"

• What is DataPortability? - The DataPortability Project - The DataPortability wiki
  DataPortability is a group created to promote the idea that individuals have control over their data by determing how they can use it and who can use it. This includes access to data that is under the control of another entity.

continue reading "Links for 2008-03-29 [del.icio.us]"

What comes next?

Joe Geldart has an extensive interpretation of the history and future of the web, which I found very appealing as a non-technical observer, but which our associate Henrik Igo criticizes on technical grounds. We recommend reading the whole article, of which we present a summary here, and tomorrow, we will present Henrik’s commentary.

continue reading "Joe Geldart on the future of the (active) web"

continue reading "Cyber Worship Resource of the Week is Kashi Ashram"

Some of you might of noticed that the theme to this blog has looked a little screwy in the last week, a couple of times. That’s because someone replaced the header to this site with their own code, some of which looked very spammy. I’m trying to lockdown the security here and find the culprit(although doubt i will get anywhere on that count). Bear with us here at the P2P Foundation if you notice any odd changes in the coming period. Probably a Wordpress upgrade will not go amiss either. Thanks for your patience and understanding in advance.

continue reading "Security notice: fixing disruption to the wordpress theme of this site"

Since the posting about diamonds I’ve had people asking me if there was any other precious stone I was interested in from the historical point of view. Well, yes there is, but it is a precious jewel, not a precious stone. Here are a few pointers about pearls. The first part is about how the pearls are made by the creatures that make them. If you are only interested in celebrity pearls just scroll down to The Abernethy Pearl where I mention brief histories of some of the pearls famous to pearl lovers, including the Elizabeth Taylor Pearl.

continue reading "The Mysterious Pearl (135)"

1) Web Search: Multidisciplinary Perspectives, by Amanda Spink (Editor), Michael Zimmer (Editor) [via michaelzimmer.org]

continue reading "Top 5 P2P Books of the Month"

The ice is out. All ice shacks had to be removed from Minnesota lakes several weeks ago and a tight group of hardy souls packed up the 5th Annual Art Shanty Project on Medicine Lake for another year.

Photo by Willis Bowman. Used with permission.

I grew up on the shore of a Minnesota lake and remember well the first wonder and fright of walking on frozen water. Hearing the advancing and receding “ping” of cracks opening through miles of black ice. Peering down an ice crusted, manmade hole into the blue-black water and imagining fish in darkness and numbing cold. Walking all day in double layered clothing, looking at the shoreline from a novel perspective only possible in the dead of winter.

continue reading "Commons à la Mode"

• Michel Bauwens on Flickr - Photo Sharing!
  Photograph from eComm2008.
• Wikipedia:Articles for deletion/Myrzakulov equations (2nd nomination) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
  another example of deletionism because of notability, driven by scientific jealousy

continue reading "Links for 2008-03-28 [del.icio.us]"

There is hardly any scope for any original research in Army particularly in Corps of EME although some top Brass can never accept the criticism. Therefore each and every guy struggles to do some thing to bag an award by this way or that way. They try to make crow out of swan or vice versa. Earlier we used to have Distinguished Service Order (DSO) during British Indian Army and we now have VSM, AVSM and PVSM (Seva medals of merit). In fact services cannot bag gallantry awards (Although there is no bar) and there is hardly any scope even in war as direct clash with enemy is remote and one is literally a camp follower. In Delhi parlor the locals call EME as the Mistry ( Repair man ) of Army. They obviously have dirty hands. The services personnel thus can hope to get some Seva Medals and struggle and rat race takes place to corner these awards.

continue reading "MODIFY AND BAG VSM"

This is a quickie, because of something that I have just heard about that is happening locally.

I have not watched TV since 1958 in England when it became clear that it was developing into a system to mould public opinion at the will of some authority or other. That is now blatantly obvious. It is also true that when asked a couple of years ago if I could only have one book with me on a desert island I would choose “The Power of Now” by Eckhart Tolle.

continue reading "Brussels, Eckhart Tolle and Tinley Park, Illinois"

Pour fuir la confusion et la guerre intérieure, l’homme est obligé de rentrer dans l’arche. La signification kabbalistique est : dans l’Arche de Noé intérieure.

La semaine dernière (26 février 08) le gouvernement norvégien a inauguré « l’arche de Noé verte». Il ne s’agit pas de l’arche viking reconstruire au mieux d’après la tradition, mais d’un bunker congélateur sous terrain comprenant les graines des principales cultures vivrières dans le monde et à leurs côtés les échantillons ADN de toutes les variétés animales.

continue reading "Le déluge est déjà là"