Hamish Campbell an #openweb organic intellectual and technologist
Building beyond the #deathcult – Our current model of #tech funding and developer agendas is not neutral. The way we fund technology shapes the kind of technology we build. For the last 20 years, the dominant tech culture has followed the same path: This has produced #techshit – technology built because it can make money, … Continue reading Rethinking Grassroots Tech Funding
https://nlnet.nl/fediversity Project Title Open Media Network (OMN): Portable Digital Commons for a Federated Europe Summary The Open Media Network (#OMN) is a real grassroots initiative to build sustainable, human-centred digital infrastructure aligned with the principles of the #openweb and the #4opens. To providing easy-to-use, hosted cloud services with service portability and freedom at their core … Continue reading Funding Proposal: Open Media Network (#OMN) – Building Portable, Human-Centred Digital Commons
Across Europe, large-scale “mainstreaming” tech projects are increasingly shaping the future of the digital commons. From infrastructure initiatives to sovereign cloud strategies and federated social technologies, the EU tech stack is becoming more organised, more funded, and more institutionalised. On the surface, this looks like progress. But history suggests that without active counter-currents, #mainstreaming inevitably … Continue reading Why mainstream EU tech funding needs counter-currents, why tech activism matters
To Whom It May Concern, I am Hamish Campbell, a UK-based media professional, long-time participant in the independent media movement, and advocate for #4opens, federated, and trust-based communication networks. I am writing to express my support for the #datweb project, which I see as a needed step toward rebalancing the web away from centralized control … Continue reading Support letter for funding application
The intended consequence of that EU budget framing is to sound like “law, rights, stability” – but the (un)intended (and very real) consequence is to strangle the roots of protest, dissent, and grassroots organising we need to move way from the current mess. Here’s why it’s a problem for protest, which is the foundation of … Continue reading Pushing the #deathcult: “Respect for the rule of law is a must for all EU funding”
Funding the #openweb is a political act, yet most funding decisions today are framed in technical terms only, dominated by what we call the #geekproblem – a worldview where infrastructure is king, user needs are secondary, and social context is largely ignored. Let’s unpack this with real-world examples and look at how we keep falling … Continue reading Talking About the #geekproblem in Funding
Let’s be honest: we have a real and ongoing #geekproblem in how funding is allocated in the alt-tech and #openweb space, and it’s holding us back. The current push for infrastructure is important, but it’s not enough. Yes, backend infrastructure is vital. You can’t build sustainable alternatives to #dotcons without solid plumbing. Funding projects like … Continue reading Talking about the #geekproblem in #openweb funding
In the current sprouting landscape of #openweb infrastructure, it’s not just code that gets ignored, it’s the possibility of change itself. Projects like #makeinghistory, part of the wider Open Media Network (#OMN), aren’t asking for much. They’re not flashy, they’re not political in the #mainstreaming sense. They just quietly build the back-end tools that allow … Continue reading The wall of funding silence
Dear Michiel, At this point, it’s hard not to notice a pattern. You’ve received clear, thoughtful proposals aligned with your calls – yet no real engagement, year after year. I’ve said this gently before: your call-out text needs to be composted. If you’re not funding alternative, open, activist infrastructure – just say that. Don’t lead … Continue reading Composting the reboot funding
The following submission was recorded by NLnet. Thanks for your application, we look forward to learning more about your proposed project.Contact namehamish campbellphoneemailhamish@visionon.tvorganisation nameOMNcountryUKconsentYou may keep my data on record Project code2025-02-036project nameindymediabackfundCommons_Fundrequested amount€ 50000website Synopsis The #indymediaback is a Fediverse project about rebooting the radical grassroots media network, Indymedia, by anchoring it in trust-based … Continue reading #Indymediaback Funding Application 2025-02-036 indymediaback received
Funders, #NGOs, and the #mainstreaming crew are trapped in fixed truths, while real change comes from dynamic thinking. That’s why they keep failing us. So, how do we break this cycle and move forward? For meaningful #openweb funding, we need projects that are native and align with critical social needs for the evolution of the … Continue reading The #blocking of #openweb funding
The questioning over state funding of Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) and open-source initiatives revolves around invisible ideological debates about benefits and drawbacks. Let’s look at this from a few specific examples: #NLnet, #NGI, and the European Union (#EU), to understanding the implications and effectiveness of this funding path. The is some democratization as … Continue reading State Funding of #FOSS and Open Source: Is it a Good Idea or a Bad Idea?