July 2011 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

Property Rights and Abundance (Diagram) (request for text before July 20)
by Michel Bauwens 15 Jul '11

15 Jul '11

http://anarchomutualism.wordpress.com/2011/07/14/property-rights-and-abunda… Dear Wolfgang: I'm republishing your page 149 diagram of your book The Economics of Abundance, on July 20, I wonder if you could send me some text that I could add to it? Michel -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

1 0

Fwd: Program of the International Workshop on "Ethics, Wellbeing and Meaningful Broadband" 16 - 18 August 2011
by Michel Bauwens 15 Jul '11

15 Jul '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Soraj Hongladarom <hsoraj(a)chula.ac.th> Date: Fri, Jul 15, 2011 at 9:09 AM Subject: Program of the International Workshop on "Ethics, Wellbeing and Meaningful Broadband" 16 - 18 August 2011 Dear all, Here is the 2nd version of the program of the workshop on August 16 - 18. Since some of us have not yet submitted the topic, I have inserted "Topic to be Announced" instead. Please send your topic very, very soon. Thanks. I will publicize this announcement now. This looks very exciting already. The workshop proper takes place only on August 16 and 17. On August 18 Craig will organize his own meeting of the research consortium. He will us more details later. Best wishes, Soraj International Workshop > Ethics, Wellbeing and Meaningful Broadband > > August 16 - 18, 2011 > Chulalongkorn University > > Introducing broadband to a country such as Thailand has faced a number of > challenges. Many of these challenges are regulatory and political in nature. > Many groups are vying for a lead position in the broadband game and no one > wants to lose out. This has led to an impasse where nothing is moving. > However, a brighter prospect appears to be on the horizon when a new law was > passed recently setting up the National Broadcasting and Telecommunication > Commission (NBTC) which has the responsibility and the authority to lay out > regulatory framework for broadband network. Hence it seems that Thailand > will have its own broadband network soon. > > Nevertheless, a new set of challenges are emerging as a result of the > introduction of the broadband network. When the physical infrastructure is > there, these new challenges include how the network will be used to the best > interest of the public as a whole. We have introduced the notion of > “meaningful broadband” to refer specifically to these new challenges. How > can broadband communication be “meaningful” in the sense that it responds to > not only the demand for economic growth, but also the need to maintain the > values and goals which are not so directly measurable? These values and > goals comprise the meaningfulness of people’s lives. Meaningful values, for > example, are present when the people do not become a mere cog in the giant > economic wheel but retain their sense of purpose and direction that is > ethically positive. Hence a number of questions and challenges emerges: How > can broadband use be integrated into the traditional lives of the people so > that it does not become a mere tool of the new seemingly all-powerful values > of consumerism and globalized commercialization? How can broadband fit with > and even promote the values that are meaningful to the people? > > This is the rationale for the international workshop on “Ethics, Wellbeing > and Meaningful Broadband.” A number of internationally recognized scholars > have been invited to the workshop to share their viewpoints with leading > Thai thinkers and members of the public to find ways to respond to the > challenges of ethical and meaningful broadband use mentioned above. The > workshop aims at answering the following questions: > > 1) How to operationalize "sufficiency economy" in NBTC? The Thai > constitution has a requirement for each Thai ministry and agency, including > its regulatory agency, to further "sufficiency economy," a principle laid > out by the Thai king. The principle has affinities with the Bhutanese > principle of “Gross National Happiness.” How is this requirement of either > Sufficiency Economy and Gross National Happiness being operationalized? Of > it is being ignored, why and which government agencies are innovating on > this theme. As a new regulatory agency tied to the theme of digital > convergence (linking broadcast and broadband), NBTC represent a new > opportunity to position Sufficiency Economy as an overall driver of digital > convergence strategies, integrated into the frequency allocation (spectrum > management) and taxation strategies of the new regulator as well as > establishing a new interface between regulation and "human development" > which is a traditional concern of ministries such as public health, culture > and education which have been totally isolated from telecommunications > regulation. > > 2) How to pre-empt government censorship of the Internet? Recently > political constituencies and governmental factions have furthered internet > censorship in Thailand and in other Asian nations. This is particularly > evident regarding online games, gambling, pornography, and (in particular > countries), certain themes such as Lese Majeste, Singapore's sensitivity to > criticism, China's sensitivity to human rights arguments, Arab countries > sensitivity to protest movements fostered by the internet. Censorship is an > example of "throwing the baby out with the bathwater" because exclusion of > web sites via censorship often prevents a country from receiving benefits > from internet-based learning in an effort to achieve specific goals and much > internet censorship is ineffective and unenforceable for a variety of > reasons. Nonetheless we can expect censorship to continue and grow unless > "national broadband ecosystems" emerge that that are meaningful to citizens > and nations. In particular, needs of vulnerable citizens (the poor, the > uneducated, young children) must be protected. What can be done in the > design and regulation of new technologies to attracted ethically valuable > applications technology and discourage negative impacts? What can be learned > by the effort to develop "quality of life indexes," e.g. those underlying > Bhutan's Gross National Happiness (GNH), to provide objective measures of > technologies that enable policymakers to exclude or attract certain > technologies based on their anticipated ethical impacts? > > 3) Rethinking "media ethics" for the broadband era: What is the track > record of "media ethics" strategies to limit harm from television and > encourage voluntary compliance by Hollywood or music-makers? What > has/hasn't worked in influencing behavior by large number of users, e.g. > young children? What are the obstacles that have prevented better success > of media ethics strategies? Now that the broadband era is introducing > multimedia convergence how is the media ethics field changing? What new > opportunities and challenges is it facing. What can be learn from South > Korea and other broadband-saturated nations? How to effectively integrate > media ethics considerations into broadband policies before a nation embarks > upon its broadband-enabled transformation? > > 4) Predicting the ethical impacts of broadband: What are the best methods > for scenario construction, forecasting and prediction of the ethical impacts > of broadband? How can a “wellbeing society” be visualized and construction > that involves broadband use? How can broadband contribute to wellbeing? How > are the ethical impacts in poor uneducated countries different from advanced > highly educated nations? > > 5) Technological determinism vs. human intervention: What are current > views regarding the philosophical concept of technological determinism? > What is the origin and development of this concept and what do we know from > empirical research on this theme -- from Pythagoras to Heidegger to McLuhan? > What are the technologically deterministic viewpoints that now dominate the > broadband era -- and what corporate or governmental interests sustain these > viewpoints? What opportunities exist to alter the course of > next-generation broadband-enabled technologies in order to ameliorate their > ethical impacts? > Schedule > Workshop on “Ethics, Wellbeing and Meaningful Broadband” > > Room 105, Maha Chulalongkorn Building, Chulalongkorn University > > August 16, 2011 > > 11.45 Lunch and Registration > > 13.00 “The Second Wireless Revolution: Bringing Meaningful Broadband to > the Next Two Billion,” Craig W. Smith > > 14.00 "Content Regulations in the Broadband Era: Incentives and > Disincentives Based Approach to Content Regulations,” by Akarapon > Kongchanagul > > 14.45 Topic to be Announced, Arthit Suriyawongkul > > 15.30 Break > > 15.45 Topic to be Announced, Poomjit Siriwongprasert > > 16.30 “Meaningfulness, IT and the Elderly,” Soraj Hongladarom > > 17.15 Closes > > August 17, 2011 > > 8.30 Registration > > 9.00 Keynote Lecture, “Ironies of Interdependence: Some Reflections on ICT > and Equity in Global Context,” Peter Hershock > > 10.00 Topic to be Announced, Hans van Willenswaard > > 10.45 Break > > 11.00 “From Veblen to Zuckerberg: Past, Present, and Future of > Techno-Determinism in Thailand,” Pun-arj Chairatana > > 11.45 Lunch > > 13.00 > > 13.45 "Give Them the Tools, Get Out of the Way: the Liberisation of > Communication and its Consequences," Nares Damrongchai > > 14.30 Mini-break > > 14.40 "Media and Information Literacy (MIL): the Move beyond Broadband > Access," Kasititorn Pooparadai > > 15.25 Break > > 15.40 Topic to be Announced, Supinya Klangnarong > > 16.25 “From Meaningful Broadband to Open Infrastructures and Peer > Economies,” Michel Bauwens > > 17.10 General Discussion - Where do we go from now? > > 17.30 Workshop closes. > > 18.00 Dinner (place to be announced later) > > August 18, 2011 > > 9.00 - 16.00 Workshop on “Meaningful Broadband Research Consortium,” > organized by Craig W. Smith > -- Soraj Hongladarom Department of Philosophy, Faculty of Arts, Chulalongkorn University Bangkok 10330, Thailand Tel. +66 (0) 2218 4756; Fax +66 (0) 2218 4755 -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

1 0

Sharing Costs and Swapping Skills for Use-Value Production
by Patrick Anderson 14 Jul '11

14 Jul '11

Here is a summary of a new Production Model I've been working on. Please let me know if you see any problems or have questions. 1.) Users commit Physical Sources toward production. Physical Sources are: land, capital or labor. 2.) The product is the return for the risk they take. 3.) Each investor owns a portion of the product according to the amount of Sources they own. 4.) For example, if you own 12% of a dairy cow, then you receive 12% of the milk each day. 5.) These co-owners must continue to pay the costs of production, but cannot pay profit. 6.) The product is not sold because the people who will use it are already the owners. 7.) This reduces our need to trade products and therefore also reduces the possibility of external government interference such as taxes or licensing etc. that are meant to protect consumers from owners - since, in this case, the consumers and owners are one and the same. 8.) Similarly, we can eliminate traditional wages by selling workers a portion of the Sources needed for the products *they* use - so those who commit to labor (for example) picking apples will receive commitments of land, capital and labor to insure (for example) his teeth are fixed and his car repaired when he needs solutions for which he does not have skills, or just wants to swap.

3 3

transitioning to ethical banks
by Michel Bauwens 14 Jul '11

14 Jul '11

hi amaia or sepp?, could you find out more about the following and announce/report on our blog? see http://www.peoplesassemblies.org/2011/07/report-lisbon-international-meetin… Transition Day Proposition: The proposal is to start an international campaign for everybody to take their money out of the commercial banks and pass it to ethic banks and credit cooperatives, or create new ones. It consist of a big campaign to show what the traditional banks are doing with our money but also promote the credit coops and the projects they finance. People can do it without changing anything on the way they use their money (debt cards, etc) they can have a bank account that will not contribute to war and exploitation. So this action will have two fronts: take the money out from the bankers elites, and also put more money available for sustainable projects who will contribute to everybody and help to heal the world. One day of the month would be the transition day, maybe the 10th or any day because that would have the most impact on the market, every month, so the people gets used to it and we will use the same comunication. Organization: Tati (from Barcelona) made a presentation some credit cooperative and ethic banks like Triodos or the Catalan Integral Cooperative http://cooperativa.ecoxarxes.cat started one year ago by Enric Duran, and Laurent (from Namur) present the Belgium Eltys Cooperative. We created the blog transitionday.wordpress.com who is looking for collaboration to explain the problem of the banks and spread information about ethic bank possibilities. Now we can start to archive the material (video, audio, text…) and link similar projects like moveyourmoney.org or banksters.com. We also created a group Transition Day in N-1.cc to share ideas about the organization. We talked about organising conferences and make anti-banksters actions during this transition days. -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

1 0

Open Civic Forum of Iceland
by Michel Bauwens 14 Jul '11

14 Jul '11

Hi amaia, could you possibly find more info about this? many thanks! Michel -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

1 0

real lisbon treaty
by Michel Bauwens 14 Jul '11

14 Jul '11

hi amaia, can you blog about this as well, see http://p2pfoundation.net/Real_Lisbon_Treaty -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

1 0

for blog and wiki ..
by Michel Bauwens 14 Jul '11

14 Jul '11

hi amaia: can you publish this in both the wiki and the blog (with a good title that explains enough context?), see: - http://acampadabcninternacional.wordpress.com/2011/06/07/list-of-mininum-de… - http://materialsdifusio.files.wordpress.com/2011/05/declaration-of-principl… -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

1 0

Fwd: one minute for world economics assn.
by Michel Bauwens 14 Jul '11

14 Jul '11

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Edward Fullbrook <edward.fullbrook1(a)btinternet.com> Date: Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 10:44 PM Subject: one minute To: pae_news(a)btinternet.com ** Dear Subscriber to the RWER,**** ** ** As editor of the R*eal-World Economics Review* and an organizer of the new *World Economics Association* (**WEA**), I am writing to you to ask for a literally one-minute-of-your-time favour: join the **WEA**. It is free. Just click * here* <http://worldeconomicsassociation.org/> ( http://worldeconomicsassociation.org/ ), enter your name, nationality and email address, and then click again. That’s it.**** ** ** And what do you get out of it? Two types of things.**** ** ** In addition to the *RWER*, you will be a subscriber to the **WEA**’s two new journals, the *World Economics Journal* and *Economic Thought*. You will receive them on the same digital basis as you now receive the *RWER*. Both of these journals have top people behind them, as you can see from their Boards of Editors listed below.**** ** ** The other thing you might get out of joining the World Economics Association is more intangible. Few people dispute that in recent years the economics profession has served humankind poorly, and that in consequence there has been much human loss. The **WEA** has been created to loosen neoclassicalism’s hold on the profession so as to open up economics to a global community of free enquiry as found in most other disciplines. By joining the **WEA** you can have the satisfaction of contributing to that development.**** ** ** The launch and initial establishment of the **WEA** has gone extremely well. After only seven weeks, membership is nearing the six thousand mark. Editorial boards have been appointed for the three journals, and seven of the ten co-editor posts for the new journals have been filled. **** ** ** So there are strong reasons to believe that the World Economics Association can become an effective force for major reform of the economics profession. But the success of these things depends ultimately on people like you giving their one minute. *Please give.* Click *here*<http://worldeconomicsassociation.org/>, go to the bottom of the page, enter your name, nationality and email address, and then click again.**** ** ** Thank you,**** ** ** Edward Fullbrook **** ** ** ** ** *World Economics Journal **Board of Editors** ***** *Alice Amsden*, USA, Massachusetts Institute of Technology **** *Dean Baker*, ****USA****, Center for Economic and Policy Research**** *C. P. Chandrasekhar*, ****India****, ****Jawaharlal** **Nehru** ** University******** *Ha-Joon Chang*, Korea, Cambridge University **** *Ping Chen*, ****China****, ****Peking** **University**** and ****Fudan** ** University**** **** *Fantu Cheru*, Ethiopia, Nordic Africa Institute, Research Director**** *Herman E ******Daly***, **USA****, ****University** of **Maryland******** *Paul ******Davidson***, **USA****, *Journal of Post Keynesian Economics * **** *****Heiner Flassbeck****,* **Switzerland****, UNCTAD**** *Roberto ******Frenkel***, **Argentina****, Universidad de Buenos Aires**** *James Galbraith*, USA, University of Texas at Austin**** *****Jayati Ghosh***, **India****, ****Jawaharial** **Nehru** **University** ****** *****Stephany Griffith-Jones***, **USA****, ****Columbia** **University***** *** *Geoffrey Hodgson*, UK, University of Hertfordshire **** *Ali Kadri*, ****Lebanon****, United Nations and ****London** **School****of Economics **** *Steve ******Keen***, **Australia****, ****University** of **Western Sydney* *** **** *Richard C. Koo*, Japan, Nomura Research Institute **** *Dic Lo*, ****China****, ****Renmin** **University**** of ****China**** and ****University** of **London**** **** *****Frédéric Lordon***, **France****, **CNRS**, CESSP, Université La Sorbonne **** *****Thandika Mkandawire***, **Malawi****, ****London** **School**** of Economics**** *Juan Calos Moreno-Brid*, Mexico, UN Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean**** *Keith Nurse*, Barbados, University of the West Indies **** *Rajah ******Rasiah***, **Malaysia****, ****University** of **Malaya**** ** ** *****Dani Rodrik***, **USA****, ****Harvard** **University******** *John Weeks*, ****UK****, ****University** of **London**** **** ** ** *Economic Thought **Board of Editors** ***** *Robert U. Ayres*, France, INSEAD**** *Bruce ******Caldwell***, **USA****, ****Duke** **University******** *****Victoria****** ******Chick***, **UK****, Univeristy of ****London****** ** *David C. Colander*, ****USA****, ****Middlebury** **College**** **** *John B. Davis*,* *****Netherlands*****, *Universiteit van Amsterdam**** *Sheila C. Dow*, UK, University of Stirling **** *Jean-Pierre Dupy*, ****France****, École Polytechnique and ****Stanford** * *University**** **** *Donald Gillies*, ****UK****, ****University** of **London******** *Tony ******Lawson***, **UK****, ****Cambridge** **University******** *Maria Cristina Marcuzzo*, ****Italy****, ****University** of **Rome**** * *** *Stephen ******Marglin***, **USA****, Harvard Universiy**** *****Manfred Max-Neef***, **Chile****, Universidad Austral de Chile**** *Deirdre ******McCloskey***, **USA****, ****University** of **Illinois****at ****Chicago**** **** *Erik S Reinert*, Norway, The Other Canon **** *Alessandro ******Roncaglia***, **Italy****, ****University** of **Rome***** *** *Irene van Staveren*, Netherlands, Erasmus University**** ** ** *Real-World Economics Review **Board of Editors** ***** *Nicola ******Acocella***, **Italy****, ****University** of **Rome**** **** *Robert Costanza*, ****USA****, ****Portland** **State** **University******* * *Wolfgang ******Drechsler***, **Estonia****, ****Tallinn** **University****of Technology **** *Kevin ******Gallagher***, **USA****, ****Boston** **University**** **** *Jo Marie Griesgraber*, ****USA****, New Rules for Global Finance Coalition **** *Bernard Guerrien*, France, Université Paris 1 Panthéon-Sorbonne **** *Michael ******Hudson***, **USA****, ****University** of **Missouri**** at * ***Kansas City**** **** *Frederic S. Lee*, ****USA****, ****University** of **Missouri**** at ****Kansas City**** **** *Anne Mayhew*, USA, University of Tennessee **** *****Gustavo Marqués***, **Argentina****, Universidad de Buenos Aires *** * *Julie A. Nelson*, ****USA****, ****University** of **Massachusetts****, *** *Boston******** *Paul Ormerod*, UK, Volterra Consulting **** *Richard Parker*, ****USA****, ****Harvard** **University**** **** *Ann ******Pettifor***, **UK****, Policy Research in Macroeconomics **** *Alicia ******Puyana***, **Mexico****, ****Latin** **American** **School****of Social Sciences **** *Jacques Sapir*, France, École des hautes études en sciences sociales **** *Peter **Söderbaum*, ****Sweden****, School of Sustainable Development of Society and Technology **** *Peter Radford*, USA, The Radford Free Press **** *****Immanuel Wallerstein***, **USA****, ****Yale** **University**** **** -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

1 0

Re: [P2P-F] syntagma
by Michel Bauwens 14 Jul '11

14 Jul '11

On Wed, Jul 13, 2011 at 11:22 PM, George Papanikolaou < georgepapani(a)gmail.com> wrote: > > http://real-democracy.gr/en/teamvotes/2011-07-03-warning-troica-banks-and-i… > -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

1 0

tube hotels
by Michel Bauwens 14 Jul '11

14 Jul '11

fyi Topic: More Tube Hotels<http://groups.google.com/group/openmanufacturing/t/a1d0afa979293621> Eric Hunting <erichunting(a)gmail.com> Jul 13 01:33PM -0600 ^<?ui=2&view=bsp&ver=ohhl4rw8mbn4#13128a1ad7b04799_digest_top> Some here may remember the Dasparkhotel in Germany that cleverly converted precast concrete tubes into little minimalist cabins. http://www.dasparkhotel.net/ Now a hotel in Mexico has copied this idea with a few nice alterations. http://www.tubohotel.com/welcome/ This brings to mind the Snail Shell system of N55; http://www.n55.dk/MANUALS/SNAIL_SHELL_SYSTEM/SSS.html And an experiment done some years ago by Australian Antarctic researchers in adapting rotomolded HDPE tanks into polar shelters by adding a door and a formed-in layer of PE foam; http://www.antarctica.gov.au/living-and-working/field-operations/tents-shel… The Snail Shell was pretty cool but a bit too small for anything but a fun experiment. It lacked any insulation and the tiny manway was difficult for most people. Still this picture ( http://www.n55.dk/MANUALS/SNAIL_SHELL_SYSTEM/SSSquintus.jpg) was worth that whole project. The tank huts were much larger and much more sophisticated and insulated well enough to withstand Antarctica. But, while much easier than a lot of shelters used there, they were still rather unwieldy without some lifting equipment and a little too hermetic, leading to condensation and ventilation issues. Suppose you rotomolded a tube with integral insulation as the tank huts used but more like these hotel cabins in form, with integral mounts for bed/floor decks and other fixtures inside, a recess to mount door/window frames of wood or aluminum like the Mexican hotel cabins, and on the outside some wheel ridges and recesses for plastic chock-blocks and tie-downs. I'd make them a little bit longer than the 8' or 2.5m long hotel cabins to provide a larger front standing space -maybe 3m. In a relief context, these would be pretty versatile. You would be able to pack a tough quick-deployed highly insulated, extremely weather-resistant shelter into a rolling and stackable package made of mostly recycled materials using a simple mass production fabrication process. You could install integral LED lighting and shelving and pack flex cell solar power, supplies, and other deployable gear in the open volume and under the bed deck. With both ends framed, you get cross-flow ventilation with openable screens and windows and quick mounting of heat pumps or mini-stoves. They would be very easy to transport because they are lighter and smaller than ISO containers, could float, be dropped by air (maybe even parachute), and could be dragged by people or trucks using a rick-shaw-like frame (remember the draggable water containers?), and could be deployed in side-by-side stacks. The design could also incorporate accordion fold laminate paper shades on the ends and arch, dome, or cone shaped shade roof units to group clusters or rows. The tubes could also be specially made for certain uses, like toilets, showers, dry storage or water storage tanks, kiosks, kitchens, and centralized power/communications units. For instance, turning a unit vertical, adding a portal, and partitioning the upper 1/3 of the height would make a nice simple solar shower, the upper section serving as a tank with a heat absorbing lid. Or a larger public shower installation could use a stack of three units, with the upper unit as water tank and the two lower ones as walk-through shower rooms with shower hear rows along the top. After the initial emergency situation, these structures could be endlessly re-purposed or recycled whole to make other products locally. In the non-relief context, I think these would also make for economical vacation cabins suited to winter climates, homeless shelters, capsule hotels at airports, worker housing, storage and work sheds, guest rooms, garden pavilions, yoga huts, farm animal shelters, kids play-houses (personal space capsule?), kiosks, giant composters, marina float modules, and telecom vaults. While the basic shelters would use the tubular profile to let them roll for transportability, the profile need not be round for other applications. For instance, it could have a box, hex, octagon, flat bottomed circle, or even the classic pitched roof house profile and these could be made in short stackable self-sealing sections for custom lengths and easier handling. So the production capability could be justified by these many non-relief applications. Eric Hunting erichunting(a)gmail.com -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net Connect: http://p2pfoundation.ning.com; Discuss: http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation Updates: http://del.icio.us/mbauwens; http://friendfeed.com/mbauwens; http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens

1 0