August 2013 - P2P-Foundation - lists.ourproject.org

New Waste re-utilization technologies (International Patent appld.)
by Rahul Nagpaul 22 Aug '13

22 Aug '13

Dear all, I would like to introduce Two (2) recent NEW Environmentally Sound Technologies (ESTs) that re-utilize Solid Wastes in BULK & details are as follows: OBJECTIVE:To produces substitutes for Wood, baked soil Brick,Stone,Marble, Granite etc & have NIL land fill. RESULT: Four/4 nos Prototypes have been prepared/ tested successfully, using non-biodegradable wastes.All have been found to be equally or more tough, aesthetic, economical & resilient. For details refer to LATEST NEWS, www.scpclearinghouse.org [1] (UNEP). IP: International Patent (under PCT) filed/under processing at the International Bureau, WIPO,Geneva & International Searching Authorities of Six/6 countries ie. Austria, Australia, China, Sweden,USA & European Patent offices. Also Listed as WIPO Green technologies. (This was preceded with unsuccessful attempts made twice earlier in 2008 & 2012, vide Provisional Patents 881/ MUM/2008 & 55/ MUM/2012 were filed, but both were eventually abandoned). BRIEF DESCRIPTION: Both ESTs involve complete & direct re-utilization of non-biodegradable wastes (Plastic,used Tyres,MSW- Total 17 categories of Wastes & e-Waste/WEEE,listed in CPCB & EWC) completely without any heating or special infrastructure . Large scale/rapid Benefits for Carbon sequestration, People,Eco-systems & accelerate progress towards MDGs in many countries (for BENEFITS,refer http://rescuwearth.com/files/documents/EST-BENEFITS.pdf [2]). Only Low energy required,expeditious & nil emissions/GHG. Life-cycle assessment (LCA)/ life-cycle analysis: There is an indefinite extension of the 'Life Cycle Span' of a product or 'Product Life Cycle', due to postponing or further moving forward its 'end-of-life' stage (after it has fulfilled/ended/completed partially or fully, the primary function for which it was originally manufactured or created). This is applicable to all non-Biodegradable Waste & include waste/non-waste, hazardous/non-hazardous waste,damaged, defective,deteriorated,out dated,re-use,many POPs, second hand goods, used goods and end-of-life goods. Over 50 nos of MSW/ end-of-life products have gone into making the 4 prototypes & include: Empty glass bottles,plastic bags,rubber eraser & balloon material,full/old CDs,broken plugs,shaving blade cartridge,old pen,old pencils,discarded toothbrushes & empty toothpaste tubes (variously made of Plastic,Metallic & Rubber materials). Thus,we save trees from deforestation & mountains etc from excavation without banning plastic etc.Contact me for Details or Technology Transfer/ Licensing etc (for details visit http://rescuwearth.com [3]) & for Benefits visit: http://rescuwearth.com/files/documents/EST-BENEFITS.pdf. Thanks & BRGDS, - Rahul Nagpaul ------------------------- RAHUL NAGPAUL C Eng, MEO Cl.1 (M),DCE (O) II,MERI, MIMarE(I),MIE(I),PmGHGMI,MISTE,MISCA CEO, RESCUW Earth Technologies & Advisory LLP (RETA Llp) Registered Office: Row House 4, Plot 138, Sector 21, Nerul (E), Navi Mumbai 400706, Maharashtra, India. e-m: rahulnagpaul(a)rescuwearth.com [4], rahulnagpaul(a)gmail.com [5] * RESCUW Earth Technologies & Advisory Limited Liability Partnership (LLP), Mumbai, Ministry of Corporate Affairs (MCA) no.: AAB-07, Dt.21st August, 2012 (RESCUW Earth: '_Reinforcing Environmental Sustainability with Constructive Utilization of Waste' on Earth_) * Registered Service Provider - Partnership Development Activities, Global Innovation & Technology Alliance (GITA,applied), The Technology Development Programme (TDP), Department of Science & Technology (DST), Government of India * Member, Maharashtra Industries,India (Directory listing) * Registered, ECAS (EU) * Member,Transparency Register,EUROPA/ The European Parliament and the European Commission (ID: 635093111083-07) * Registered Participant Identification Code (PIC): 950218306. The Research Directorates-General of the European Commission * WEEE/ e Waste re-utilization Technology, WIPO Green Technologies. * Assorted waste & Plastic re-utilization Technology, WIPO Green Technologies. * Member, International Partnership for Expanding Waste Management Services of Local Authorities (IPLA), United Nations Centre for Regional Development (UNCRD). * Member, Global Sustainable Consumption and Production (SCP) Clearinghouse,UNEP Present address: Rahul Nagpaul Associate Professor (Marine Engineering) Tolani Maritime Institute (TMI), Induri, Talegaon, Pune 410507.India. Member, Pune's Inventors Network,Venture Center, Pune, Expert,Consultancy Development Centre (CDC),DSIR,Ministry of Science & Tech. Member,Group of Experts,GESAMP Member,Environment & Safety Committee,TMI Experts/ Resource person, Global SCP Clearinghouse,UNEP All of the above have been carried out as independent, un-aided,self financed solo research projects in my personal capacity (with _kno_wledge of/ info. to Mgmt.,TMI Pune). Links: ------ [1] http://www.scpclearinghouse.org/ [2] http://rescuwearth.com/files/documents/EST-BENEFITS.pdf [3] http://rescuwearth.com/ [4] mailto:[email protected] [5] mailto:[email protected] ------------------------ Powered by BigRock.com

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Fwd: [Networkedlabour] UNLOCKING THE STATE
by Michel Bauwens 21 Aug '13

21 Aug '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Laboratorio Eudemonia <eulab(a)hyperlinker.com> Date: Thu, Aug 22, 2013 at 4:05 AM Subject: [Networkedlabour] UNLOCKING THE STATE To: networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org ### Manning sentenced to 35 years in espionage case http://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2013/08/21/manning-sentencing-e… ### Waiting to see literally turned upside down this situation, I give the small contribution below. In honor of all those, within the system, who break ranks and finally tell us what happens inside. Waiting for all of us to can be part of a new, democratic State, once downed the thick crystal of "transparency", once posed a rotating wheel at the entrances of public jobs to make us alternating ourselves at temporary assignment. Danilo D'Antonio UNLOCKING THE STATE - accomplished anarchism http://www.hyperlinker.com/ars/en/unlocking.htm _______________________________________________ Networkedlabour mailing list Networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Fwd: [Networkedlabour] CAMRI Seminar (Sep 25): Vincent Mosco on the Political Economy of Cloud Computing and Big Data
by Michel Bauwens 21 Aug '13

21 Aug '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Christian Fuchs <christian.fuchs(a)uti.at> Date: Wed, Aug 21, 2013 at 6:43 PM Subject: [Networkedlabour] CAMRI Seminar (Sep 25): Vincent Mosco on the Political Economy of Cloud Computing and Big Data To: networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org Vincent Mosco: To the Cloud: Big Data in a Turbulent World September 25, 2013 02:00pm-04:00pm Room A7.03, Harrow Campus, University of Westminster, Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), London: Northwick Park tube station (Metropolitan Line) Full information: http://www.westminster.ac.uk/**research/a-z/camri/seminars/** camri-seminar-calendar/2013/**to-the-cloud-big-data-in-a-**turbulent-world<http://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/a-z/camri/seminars/camri-seminar-cale…> Opening talk of this autumn’s CAMRI Research Seminar Series (announcement of further dates/events will follow) Participation Participation is free and everyone is welcome. Please register at latest until 22 September by sending an email to Christian Fuchs: christian.fuchs(a)uti.at. Abstract This presentation offers an account of the political, economic, social and cultural issues emerging from the growth of cloud computing. It starts by situating cloud computing as a major force in the globalisation of informational capitalism and in the advance of a particular way of knowing, what I call digital positivism. It proceeds to examine the origins of cloud computing in the movements that arose in the pre-internet era to create an information utility. The presentation then defines cloud computing, describes its major characteristics, and identifies the leading corporate, and government cloud players. In doing so, it describes the battles for market power among a handful of companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Rackspace, the rapid and, for some, worrisome, expansion of the government cloud, the internationalisation of cloud computing, and the emergence of bottom-up community cloud projects. Next, it considers how the cloud is being marketed and mythologised through advertising, social media, corporate and government research, industry lobbying, and marketing events. Massive promotion is essential because dark clouds are gathering over the industry including the environmental problems created by data centres; concerns over privacy, security, and surveillance; and labour issues, particularly the impact on IT departments, and more generally on knowledge workers whose jobs are threatened by the cloud. The presentation concludes by offering a technical and a cultural critique of big data, digital positivism, and the cloud’s “way of knowing.” Biography Dr Vincent Mosco is Professor Emeritus, Queen's University, Canada. He is formerly Canada Research Chair in Communication and Society and Professor of Sociology. He is author of many works, including The Political Economy of Communication, second edition (Sage, 2009), The Laboring of Communication: Will Knowledge Workers of the World Unite (co-authored with Catherine McKercher, Lexington Books, 2008), and The Digital Sublime: Myth, Power, and Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2004). -- Christian Fuchs Professor of Social Media University of Westminster, Communication and Media Research Institute http://fuchs.uti.at, http://www.triple-c.at @fuchschristian +44 (0) 20 7911 5000 ext 67380 ______________________________**_________________ Networkedlabour mailing list Networkedlabour(a)lists.**contrast.org <Networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org> http://lists.contrast.org/**mailman/listinfo/**networkedlabour<http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour> -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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P2P, Not for Profits, and Pro-Bono ?
by Dante-Gabryell Monson 21 Aug '13

21 Aug '13

broadly related to the thread below, found out about this pro-bono network in support of not for profits * * *http://www.taprootfoundation.org/* <http://www.taprootfoundation.org/> via http://www.linkedin.com/today/post/article/20130820122502-201849-success-ri… http://www.scribd.com/doc/152482286/Bringing-Purpose-Creativity-to-Work excerpt : " *Today there are over 250,000 **foundations in their database "* * * *" The Foundation Center would soon be not only a resource for nonprofits seeking financial grants but also service grants, grants of pro bono s ervice. " * Post Scriptum : I do hope we can organize our own pro-bono distributed databases, using semantic technology / web approaches, such as for example http://netention.org code in development : https://github.com/automenta/netentionjs2 For example, one of the netention instances in development focuses on a semantic cv ... see : http://www.netention.org/semantic-learning/ On Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 7:35 AM, Marco Giustini <info(a)marcogiustini.info>wrote: > IOPS is a political international association related to Z Communications > (Z Magazine, Z Net). I'm part of Z Net Italy and I translated their > manifesto in italian. > > 2013/8/20 Dante-Gabryell Monson <dante.monson(a)gmail.com> > >> Meaning ... we better do not count on a "political economy" of grants ... >> ? >> Governmental or Private ? >> >> ... nor on monetized capitalist social entrepreneurship dependent on >> priorities of ( big ) investors ? ... >> >> Instead focusing our efforts on a social economy aimed at reducing >> dependency on corporate tokens , as only resort to create less >> hierarchical non artificially scarce interdependency systems and further >> opportunities to empower emergent collective intelligence ? >> >> further excerpts from >> >> >> http://truth-out.org/news/item/18279-how-billionaire-philanthropy-is-fuelin… >> >> " As Buffett suggests, this growth in elite largesse, totaling $316 >> billion <http://www.cnbc.com/id/100831257> in 2012, has done little to >> combat economic inequality. But the problem isn’t just one of >> ineffectiveness. A recent paper<http://ideas.repec.org/a/kap/jecinq/v9y2011i1p1-21.html> published >> in the Journal of Economic Inequality shows philanthropy hasn’t simply >> failed to meet its goals; it’s made the situation worse. " >> ... >> >> " While pretending to fix inequality, contemporary philanthropy’s actual >> role has been to strengthen the arrangements that make gross inequality >> possible in the first place. " >> >> >> On Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 2:15 AM, Dante-Gabryell Monson < >> dante.monson(a)gmail.com> wrote: >> >>> or possibly simply my own misunderstanding, the author possibly giving >>> examples of organizations who are bottom up and not financed through >>> philanthropy. >>> >>> in that case, we could add a whole long endless list, including many of >>> the individuals on this p2pfoundation list ;) >>> >>> >>> On Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 2:09 AM, Dante-Gabryell Monson < >>> dante.monson(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>> >>>> Thanks Jenny. >>>> before answering, >>>> just want to say I'm glad to read you here on this list. >>>> I've noticed some of your initiatives and want to state there is >>>> overlap in some of our approaches. >>>> >>>> // >>>> >>>> Yes, I kept the question mark, having the same question. >>>> >>>> via the following reference I am lead to see a connection with >>>> Philanthropy : >>>> >>>> >>>> http://truth-out.org/news/item/18279-how-billionaire-philanthropy-is-fuelin… >>>> >>>> *" Of course, there are occasional flickers of light that emerge from >>>> the nonprofit world. Foundations like Marian Wright Edelman’s Children’s >>>> Defense Fund <http://www.childrensdefense.org/>, growing out of Martin >>>> Luther King, Jr.’s Poor People’s Campaign to advocate for working-class >>>> families, and the new International Organization for a Participatory >>>> Society <http://www.iopsociety.org/about>, seeking to build a >>>> bottom-up, classless global society, work for the poor and powerless in >>>> important ways. "* >>>> >>>> >>>> A mistake from the article to connect it to Philanthropy ? ... >>>> Or perhaps some info not publicly released the author knows about ? >>>> >>>> The wikipedia page says >>>> >>>> >>>> http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Organization_for_a_Participatory… >>>> >>>> " Conceived in the circles of left-wing media group Z Communications<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Z_Communications> >>>> [2]<http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/International_Organization_for_a_Participatory…> and >>>> founded in January 2012 " >>>> >>>> >>>> On Tue, Aug 20, 2013 at 1:45 AM, Jenny Ryan <jenny(a)thepyre.org> wrote: >>>> >>>>> It's great language and all, but I'm unable to see how this is a >>>>> philanthropic organization. Perhaps you can clarify why you introduce it as >>>>> such? >>>>> >>>>> Jenny >>>>> http://jennyryan.net >>>>> http://thepyre.org >>>>> http://thevirtualcampfire.org >>>>> http://technomadic.tumblr.com >>>>> >>>>> `~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` >>>>> "Technology is the campfire around which we tell our stories." >>>>> -Laurie Anderson >>>>> >>>>> "Storytelling reveals meaning without committing the error of defining >>>>> it." >>>>> -Hannah Arendt >>>>> >>>>> "To define is to kill. To suggest is to create." >>>>> -Stéphane Mallarmé >>>>> ~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~`~` >>>>> >>>>> >>>>> On Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 3:39 PM, Dante-Gabryell Monson < >>>>> dante.monson(a)gmail.com> wrote: >>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> *MailScanner has detected a possible fraud attempt from >>>>>> "www.iopsociety.org" claiming to be* http://vimeo.com/57851102<http://www.iopsociety.org/about> >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.iopsociety.org/about >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.iopsociety.org/vision >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.iopsociety.org/structure-and-program >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.iopsociety.org/mission >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>>> Key Goals & Priorities >>>>>> >>>>>> - IOPS is anti capitalist, anti racist, anti sexist, and anti >>>>>> authoritarian. It centrally addresses economics/class, politics, >>>>>> culture/race, kinship/gender, ecology, and international relations without >>>>>> privileging any one focus above the rest. >>>>>> - IOPS seeks to transcend 20th Century market and centrally >>>>>> planned socialism with a new participatory society - or participatory >>>>>> socialism - that combines classless economy, feminist kinship, >>>>>> intercommunalist culture, and self managing polity. >>>>>> - IOPS flexibly explores and advocates long term vision >>>>>> sufficiently to inspire and orient current activity but does not advocate >>>>>> or seek to implement detailed blueprints that transcend movement needs and >>>>>> knowledge. >>>>>> - IOPS sees social strategy and especially tactics as largely >>>>>> contingent on place and time and therefore continually revises shared views >>>>>> in light of new evidence including regularly updating analysis, vision, and >>>>>> strategy. >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.youtube.com/user/iopsociety >>>>>> >>>>>> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4buR4J3WPA >>>>>> >>>>>> _______________________________________________ >>>>>> P2P Foundation - Mailing list >>>>>> http://www.p2pfoundation.net >>>>>> https://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation >>>>>> >>>>>> >>>>> >>>> >>> >> >> _______________________________________________ >> P2P Foundation - Mailing list >> http://www.p2pfoundation.net >> https://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation >> >> >

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CAMRI Seminar (Sep 25): Vincent Mosco on the Political Economy of Cloud Computing and Big Data
by Christian Fuchs 21 Aug '13

21 Aug '13

Vincent Mosco To the Cloud: Big Data in a Turbulent World September 25, 2013 02:00pm-04:00pm Room A7.03, Harrow Campus, University of Westminster, Communication and Media Research Institute (CAMRI), London: Northwick Park tube station (Metropolitan Line) Full information: http://www.westminster.ac.uk/research/a-z/camri/seminars/camri-seminar-cale… Opening talk of this autumn’s CAMRI Research Seminar Series (announcement of further dates/events will follow) Participation Participation is free and everyone is welcome. Please register at latest until 22 September by sending an email to Christian Fuchs: christian.fuchs(a)uti.at. Abstract This presentation offers an account of the political, economic, social and cultural issues emerging from the growth of cloud computing. It starts by situating cloud computing as a major force in the globalisation of informational capitalism and in the advance of a particular way of knowing, what I call digital positivism. It proceeds to examine the origins of cloud computing in the movements that arose in the pre-internet era to create an information utility. The presentation then defines cloud computing, describes its major characteristics, and identifies the leading corporate, and government cloud players. In doing so, it describes the battles for market power among a handful of companies such as Amazon, Apple, Google, Microsoft, Facebook, and Rackspace, the rapid and, for some, worrisome, expansion of the government cloud, the internationalisation of cloud computing, and the emergence of bottom-up community cloud projects. Next, it considers how the cloud is being marketed and mythologised through advertising, social media, corporate and government research, industry lobbying, and marketing events. Massive promotion is essential because dark clouds are gathering over the industry including the environmental problems created by data centres; concerns over privacy, security, and surveillance; and labour issues, particularly the impact on IT departments, and more generally on knowledge workers whose jobs are threatened by the cloud. The presentation concludes by offering a technical and a cultural critique of big data, digital positivism, and the cloud’s “way of knowing.” Biography Dr Vincent Mosco is Professor Emeritus, Queen's University, Canada. He is formerly Canada Research Chair in Communication and Society and Professor of Sociology. He is author of many works, including The Political Economy of Communication, second edition (Sage, 2009), The Laboring of Communication: Will Knowledge Workers of the World Unite (co-authored with Catherine McKercher, Lexington Books, 2008), and The Digital Sublime: Myth, Power, and Cyberspace (MIT Press, 2004). -- Christian Fuchs Professor of Social Media University of Westminster, Communication and Media Research Institute http://fuchs.uti.at, http://www.triple-c.at @fuchschristian +44 (0) 20 7911 5000 ext 67380

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New Philanthropic Organization ? : International Organization for a Participatory Society
by Dante-Gabryell Monson 20 Aug '13

20 Aug '13

http://vimeo.com/57851102 <http://www.iopsociety.org/about> http://www.iopsociety.org/about http://www.iopsociety.org/vision http://www.iopsociety.org/structure-and-program http://www.iopsociety.org/mission Key Goals & Priorities - IOPS is anti capitalist, anti racist, anti sexist, and anti authoritarian. It centrally addresses economics/class, politics, culture/race, kinship/gender, ecology, and international relations without privileging any one focus above the rest. - IOPS seeks to transcend 20th Century market and centrally planned socialism with a new participatory society - or participatory socialism - that combines classless economy, feminist kinship, intercommunalist culture, and self managing polity. - IOPS flexibly explores and advocates long term vision sufficiently to inspire and orient current activity but does not advocate or seek to implement detailed blueprints that transcend movement needs and knowledge. - IOPS sees social strategy and especially tactics as largely contingent on place and time and therefore continually revises shared views in light of new evidence including regularly updating analysis, vision, and strategy. http://www.youtube.com/user/iopsociety http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w4buR4J3WPA

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Fwd: [Networkedlabour] Capitalism, Internet, Democracy, Fascism
by Michel Bauwens 19 Aug '13

19 Aug '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: peter waterman <peterwaterman1936(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 3:37 PM Subject: [Networkedlabour] Capitalism, Internet, Democracy, Fascism To: networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org [image: rabble.ca] Published on *rabble.ca* (http://rabble.ca) Home <http://rabble.ca/> > Digital revolution: 'Digital Disconnect' analyzes corporate control of our digital communications future ------------------------------ Digital Communication<http://rabble.ca/category/slug/digital-communication> [1] Digital revolution: 'Digital Disconnect' analyzes corporate control of our digital communications future Why a broad, progressive movement is needed to reform our Internet By Greg Macdougall <http://rabble.ca/taxonomy/term/7741> [2] | August 1, 2013 [image: image/jpeg icon]cover.jpg<http://rabble.ca/sites/rabble/files/node-images/cover_6.jpg> [7] Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy by Robert W. McChesney (The New Press, 2013; $27.95) *Digital Disconnect: How Capitalism is Turning the Internet Against Democracy<http://thenewpress.com/index.php?option=com_title&task=view_title&metaprodu…> [8] *discusses how politics and the "capitalist*" economic system of the United States has very much warped the initial vision and potential of a non-commercial democratic Internet. In it noted scholar and activist Robert W. McChesney does a good job of illustrating the "banana republic" -- that is the corporately-controlled -- status of the U.S. state. Beyond just communication media, McChesney describes how for the overall society, "what is emerging veers toward a classic definition of fascism: the state and large corporations working hand in hand to promote corporate interests, and a state preoccupied with militarism, secrecy, propaganda and surveillance." And this understanding of U.S. society is very important in understanding the business of the Internet. McChesney cites a scene from *The Godfather II* where the gangsters meet to divide up their control of Cuba and then show their appreciation for how nice it is to be working in a country "with a friendly government that knows how to work with 'private enterprise'" -- this, McChesney says, is an apt analogy showing the true nature of who controls the Internet and the trend of continuing (and increased) consolidation of this control. *Digital Disconnect *aims to bring a political economy analysis to our digital media communication future. Specifically, McChesney describes and applies a "political economy of communication" (PEC) that "evaluates media and communication systems by determining how they affect political and social power in society and whether they are, on balance, forces for or against democracy and successful self-government." And he notes that how a society chooses to structure its media system is "of paramount importance." Personally, I’ve always liked a quote of McChesney’s: "regardless of what a progressive group's first issue of importance is, its second issue should be media and communication, because so long as the media is in corporate hands, the task of social change will be vastly more difficult, if not impossible, across the board." This quote frames the importance of *Digital Disconnect*; it provides a deep analysis of the contributing factors and potential ways forward in relation to what has become such a vital element in shaping our societies and the way the future will develop. McChesney starts off by describing and examining the different sets of views -- from the "celebrants" and the "skeptics" -- about the Internet’s potential and impact upon society. McChesney then adds that a critical omission was that most of these people did not have a sufficient analysis of the impact of "capitalism*" and the effect it has had on the development of the Internet. And then McChesney gets to the (*) on "capitalism." The fact that theoretical capitalism, or capitalism by standard definition or catechism, does not equal the same thing as what we actually have -- or as he puts it, "really existing capitalism." The second chapter explores this "really existing" capitalist economic system that exists in the U.S. and elsewhere, with specific aim of how it is relevant to the communications analysis that is the rest of the book. McChesney has developed his thinking through a lengthy career of academic research, writing 12 other authored or co-authored books and involvement in media reform advising and advocacy, including being a co-founder and past president of the Free Press organization. In *Digital Disconnect*, he states that now, "We are in a position, in some respects for the first time, to make sense of the Internet experience and highlight the cutting-edge issues it poses for society." And thus, he attempts to address some of the "big questions" out there, the main one being exactly that: to make sense of what is happening with the Internet and society. One major fact to help make sense of things is that "in short, the Internet monopolists sit at the commanding heights of U.S. and world capitalism." This is backed up by the fact that in 2012, 13 of the 30 largest U.S. corporations were Internet or computer companies. McChesney illustrates the way that these major corporations have worked and lobbied with governments to set policy in their own favour, as well as illuminating how Internet factors work to create monopoly-inducing conditions. One statistic he cites is from *Wired<http://www.wired.com/magazine/2010/08/ff_webrip/> [9]* magazine: in 2001 the top ten websites accounted for 31 per cent of all page views, 40 per cent in 2006 and about 75 per cent in 2010. He also breaks down the near-monopolies in different areas: Google controls nearly 70 per cent of the search-engine market and 97 per cent of mobile searching; Microsoft Windows accounts for 90 per cent of computer operating systems; Apple's iTunes has 87 per cent market share of digital music downloads and 70 per cent of media-player downloads; and Amazon sells between 70 and 80 per cent of all books and e-books online. He also writes about what "may be the great Achilles' heel of the Internet under capitalism: the money comes from surreptitiously violating any known understanding of privacy." This is not only true when it comes to surveillance operations by the government -- which he analyzes in terms of the nature of the relationship between the government and the major Internet corporations -- but more broadly as influenced by "targeted-advertising" approaches that reward sites for collecting as much information on their visitors as possible. He notes the change from 2003, when digital publishers received almost all the advertising money spent on their sites, to 2010, where nearly 80 per cent of the advertising money went instead to the ad networks and data collectors and managers. Google and Facebook are the two most noted data gathering companies. In terms of journalism, he gives a list of the fundamental characteristics of the type of journalism required for a healthy democratic society and then describes the deepening crisis in journalism -- basically a reduction in original news gathering and no real difference between almost all mainstream journalistic thinking and establishment political thinking. McChesney argues this crisis is not caused by digital communications, but simply quickened by it. Further analysis leads him to the argument that there is no for-profit business model that works for the type of journalism that we need for the public good; instead it must be publicly supported and invested in. Overall, McChesney's conclusion to the digital problems laid out in *Digital Disconnect* is that a large, broad progressive movement is needed, not one solely devoted to the Internet or media, but one that does necessarily challenge the "really existing capitalism" that has so much negative influence on society’s overall functioning and on people’s individual lives. McChesney calls on people concerned with the media to broaden their focus and make joint cause with others working towards social justice, and he sees this current time as a critical juncture where real substantive changes are possible. However, McChesney argues that this broad movement must have Internet and media issues at its centre: "efforts to reform or replace capitalism but leave the Internet giants riding high will not reform or replace really existing capitalism." *Digital Disconnect* shows how and why this broad movement is important, and helps make sense of how we could get this reform to work. *Greg Macdougall does community organizing, education and media-making based in Ottawa, unceded Native territory. More of his work on media can be found at his site EquitableEducation.ca <http://equitableeducation.ca/writings/media> [10]* Tags: internet activism <http://rabble.ca/category/tags-issues/internet-activism> [11] internet democracy<http://rabble.ca/category/tags-issues/internet-democracy> [12] corporate agenda<http://rabble.ca/category/tags-issues/corporate-agenda> [13] book reviews <http://rabble.ca/category/tags-issues/book-reviews> [14] digital future <http://rabble.ca/category/tags/digital-future> [15] communication policies <http://rabble.ca/category/tags/communication-policies> [16] ------------------------------ *Source URL (retrieved on Aug 19 2013 - 4:35am):* http://rabble.ca/books/reviews/2013/08/digital-revolution-digital-disconnec… - *EBook (co-editor), February 2013: World Social Forum: Critical Explorations http://www.into-ebooks.com/book/world_social_forum/ ** * - ***EBook, November 2012: Recovering Internationalism<http://www.into-ebooks.com/book/recovering_internationalism/>. *[Now *free *in two download formats]<http://www.into-ebooks.com/book/world_social_forum/> * <http://www.into-ebooks.com/book/world_social_forum/>* - *Interface Journal Special (co-editor), November 2012: **For the Global Emancipation of Labour <http://www.interfacejournal.net/current/>* - *Blog:** http://www.unionbook.org/profile/peterwaterman. * - *EBook 2011, Under, Against, Beyond (Compilation 1980s-90s) http://www.into-ebooks.com/book/under-against-beyond/* - *Paper 2012:** The 2nd Coming of the World Federation of Trade Unions <http://www.unionbook.org/profiles/blogs/peter-waterman-the-second-coming-of…> * - * <http://www.unionbook.org/profiles/blogs/peter-waterman-the-second-coming-of…>Paper 2012: Marikana, South Africa, The March of the Undead<http://www.unionbook.org/profiles/blogs/marikana-south-africa-elsewhere-the…> * - *Chapter, 2013. 'Many New Internationalisms!', in Corinne Kumar (ed), Asking, We Walk:** The South as New Political Imaginary, Bangalore: Streelekha Publications.* - _______________________________________________ Networkedlabour mailing list Networkedlabour(a)lists.contrast.org http://lists.contrast.org/mailman/listinfo/networkedlabour -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Fwd: Empowering the Citizens Voice
by Michel Bauwens 19 Aug '13

19 Aug '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Tom Crowl <culturalengineer(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 7:49 PM Subject: Empowering the Citizens Voice To: *"In the work that’s essentially the gold standard in the field, it’s concluded that for roughly 70% of the population – the lower 70% on the wealth/income scale – they have no influence on policy whatsoever. They’re effectively disenfranchised. As you move up the wealth/income ladder, you get a little bit more influence on policy. When you get to the top, which is maybe a tenth of one percent, people essentially get what they want, i.e. they determine the policy. So the proper term for that is not democracy; it’s plutocracy."* Chomsky: The U.S. behaves nothing like a democracy<http://www.salon.com/2013/08/17/chomsky_the_u_s_behaves_nothing_like_a_demo…> There are no excuses and there is no need to keep the great majority voiceless and shut out of the political process. The narrowness of opinion input is destroying the faith of the people in their government, producing bad policy... and is eroding the Enlightenment culture that makes democracy possible at all! The micropayment is an essential missing tool for an empowered citizenry... *and a fundamental of speech.* I'm not an experienced entrepreneur. That's obvious. But the pooled-user-determined account is the method to make the micropayment viable for its array of needed uses... charity, journalism and politics especially (but not only). Attention should be paid. And sooner-or-later it will be. With Great Impatience, *Tom Crowl* http://CulturalEngineer.blogspot.com -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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query on loomio / intertwinkle use
by Michel Bauwens 19 Aug '13

19 Aug '13

<alice.casey(a)gmail.com> Aug 13 (6 days ago) asks Hi Michael, do let me know if you get any intersting replies re loomio and intertwinkles etc. I'd be interested to find way of documenting the usage of these kinds of online collaboration/decision making tools. dear alice, I'm sure you saw the twitter replies right? otherwise not much came in, Michel -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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Fwd: My New Show For Aslan Media
by Michel Bauwens 19 Aug '13

19 Aug '13

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Michael Brooks <michael.majority(a)gmail.com> Date: Mon, Aug 19, 2013 at 11:32 AM Subject: My New Show For Aslan Media To: Michael Brooks <michael.majority(a)gmail.com> Dear Friends, This is my first ever "dear friends" email and I promise its for a good reason. This week I am launching my own weekly Podcast called Intersection for Aslan Media. This will be a weekly show focusing in depth on the relationship between the United States, the Middle East, North Africa and South Asia, in politics, art, business, technology and athletics. Some of you have seen my recent work hosting the show I produce, Majority Report, or doing television appearances. I love doing this work and when I pitched Reza Aslan on a weekly show for his site, I was incredibly happy when he wanted to move forward with it. So please take a listen to the first show which interviews the young Sudanese author Amir Ahmed Nassr on his new book My Islam and Reza Aslan on his new controversial book Zealot along with original commentary from me on the crises in Egypt. Please listen to the show, share it with friends and let me know what you think! Link Below My Best, Michael http://aslanmedia.com/media-features/intersection -- P2P Foundation: http://p2pfoundation.net - http://blog.p2pfoundation.net <http://lists.ourproject.org/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/p2p-foundation>Updates: http://twitter.com/mbauwens; http://www.facebook.com/mbauwens #82 on the (En)Rich list: http://enrichlist.org/the-complete-list/

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