Composting the Last 40 Years of Social Sh*t: Understanding Political Motivations and Embracing Openness and Trust

In today’s world, it’s common to feel overwhelmed by the barrage of information, opinions, and ideas flooding our #dotcons social media feeds and news outlets. From political debates to social issues, it is a challenging to navigate through the noise and understand what’s really happening.

A way to cut through the clutter to gain a better understanding of the political landscape is by using a metaphorical shovel to compost the last 40 years of social sh*t. By digging deep and examining the roots of political motivations, we can understand the forces driving the right and left wings of politics.

Firstly, understand that the right-wing is motivated by fear and the desire for control. Whether it’s fear of losing power, fear of change, or fear of the unknown, the right prioritize maintaining the status quo over progress and innovation. This translates into policies that restrict individual liberties, limit access to healthcare and education, and perpetuate systemic inequality.

On the other hand, the left-wing is motivated by trust and openness. Rather than relying on fear and control, the left prioritizes transparency, collaboration, and inclusivity. This leads to policies that prioritize social welfare, protect human rights, and promote equality and justice.

However, it’s not just politics that require an openness and trust-based approach. In the tech world, the framework provides a similar role in promoting transparency, collaboration, and decentralized decision-making. By embracing the principles of the :

* Open data – is the basic part of a project https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_data with out this open they cannot work.
* Open source – as in “free software” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Free_software this keeps development healthy by increasing interconnectedness and bringing in serendipity. The Open licences are the “lock” that keep the first two in place, what we have ain’t perfect but they do expand the area of “trust” that a project needs to work, creative commons is a start here.
* Open “industrial” standards – this is a little understand but core open, its what the open internet and WWW are built from. Here is an outline https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Open_standard
* Open process – this is the most “nebulous” part, examples of the work flow would be wikis and activity streams. Projects are built on linking trust networks so open process is the “glue” that binds the links together. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Process

helps ensure that technology is used for the benefit of “us”, rather than “them”. But, as with any tool or framework, and left-wing politics can only work if people are willing to pick them up and use them. This means taking a #DIY (do-it-yourself) approach to politics and technology and embracing the power of the communertys to create change.

Tilling the fertile soil of hope requires a commitment to openness, transparency, and collaboration, but it also requires simplicity. Keeping things simple, or #KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid), helps to prevent people from getting bogged down in complexity or becoming trolls on social media. By focusing on a simple but powerful vision of openness, trust, and collaboration, we can work towards creating a more ecological, just and equitable world.

In conclusion, composting the last 40 years of social sh*t requires a willingness to dig deep and examine the roots of political motivations. By understanding the fear-based approach of the right and the trust-based approach of the left, we can better navigate the political landscape. Embracing openness and trust-based working helps to ensure that technology is used for the benefit of all, while keeping things simple can prevent us from getting bogged down in complexity or becoming trolls. It’s up to each and every one of us to pick up the shovel and start tilling the fertile soil of hope.

Liberal trolls – are often not WHO they think they are

DRAFT to be edited

http://hamishcampbell.com/2023/02/14/archiving-the-openweb-in-a-personal-way/

http://hamishcampbell.com/2023/02/12/thinking-about-why-openweb-projects-fail/

It’s hard to get a thried out of mastodon, hopeful this is in the right order and not missing bits. As usually, if you would like to be anonymous with no linking please say so, thanks.

Made a blog post, if you reply your text might be added to this if you don’t tell me not to 🙂

We are talking about this blog post http://hamishcampbell.com/2023/02/12/thinking-about-why-openweb-projects-fail/ I sent to the people I had archived the conversation as a seed for a blog post, the guys jump in with limited good faith.

@bob Note that my posts are CC-BY-NC. If you’re quoting me, then you need attribution, otherwise it looks like your own work.

The blog is to take transitory content “a toot” and make it more long-lasting and link it into a flow of social memory. I would love a codebase that had this built into its #UX Now, if someone made code to automate credit and archiving work just as well, I would be happy to use it.

@elplatt yes, in general it’s good practice to quote or block quote and attribute. Right now, it’s not clear who said what

I don’t tend to do “good practice” as I do this #DIY and don’t get paid for my time. I have two ways to “anonymize” text, if I keep the flow then I take the names out and put Q. and A. as the voices, if it’s out of the flow I just put “from the #openweb” this makes it quick and simple to archive things I value without jumping though impossible conversations each time. If people won’t credit and ask, I add it, it’s the polite thing to do.

Then nuttyness starts – from @elplatt I’d prefer not to be associated with plagiarism. Please remove my content. Thanks.

It says from the #openweb in BOLD, so it’s not plagiarism (Plagiarism is the fraudulent representation of another person’s language, thoughts, ideas, or expressions as one’s own original work.) . But happy to remove stuff if people don’t won’t it archived. (I updated the blog post to add bob as he asked to be, then move the FROM THE OPENWEB under bob. Have a look and tell me what you won’t http://hamishcampbell.com/2023/02/12/thinking-about-why-openweb-projects-fail/

whaw that is bad behaver: @elplatt #GreatjusticeNet has blocked campaign.openworlds.info for plagiarizing fediverse content [IMAGE] lie about someone then block their instance.

Q. Interesting to think about, if this was an argument, should I keep the stuff online or remove it if asked? What’s the good path for this?

@bob Friendly reminder to always credit people for their work. Avoid making it look as if you wrote something, which you didn’t. This is really just courtesy, or treating people with care. Saying “this came from the internet” isn’t sufficient. There can also be cases where people request to remain anonymous, but that is typically rare.

That is way too much work is the problem, in grassroots activism the are to meany borderline nutters, so my work practice is a reflection of this. Good to remember all #OMN projects are CC licence and not for profit, so with this understanding its best just to hold the nuttiness and talk as a first step. People to people, not law/rights/property etc 🙂

@bob Well, in the case of plagiarism this isn’t really a law thing it’s just an act of courtesy to say who quotes originate from. (we get a bit lost here as it’s nothing to do with plagiarism, it is about a liberal troll) Ripping people off is what BigTech does. We need to be better, and treat people well. (its not about ripping people off it is about a liberal troll)

Nobody is doing plagiarism, nobody is stealing. Nobody is ripping anyone off, we are talking in good faith, I hope. Best to put bad words and judgments to one side https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Plagiarism it is not, now what else is the issue?

To @bob you are missing the point of what we/am talking about, and pushing a liberal private property view agenst a “commons” view.

Now this does bring up the issue of licence, my instance is the same as bobs CC-BY-NC so in theory I have the right to reuse content without asking as my blog is also CC-BY-NC, but I am polite and go a stage further if I am unshore if a person wants to be linked I initially publish post with “from the #openweb” post the URL to get feedback.

@bob This isn’t a stage further. It’s the BY part of the CC license. It doesn’t necessarily require links, but some indication of who the content is by.

Morally, you would be in most cases wrong to push this, but legally you are right. Now comes the issue of me making this into a blog post. I need to quote him in the post, but it would likely increase the bad feeling if I did this with name and LINK, under CC-BY-NC I have the right to use his post, he can’t say NO but morlay should I name and shame him or just leave the mess as an anonymous example of working practice?

@bob Under CC-BY-NC I have the right to use his post, but not without attribution.

I can see no copyright notice https://greatjustice.net/about But his personal sight is https://elplatt.com/ CC so let’s assume for now. Added the link though it feels like trolling, very happy to remove it

For the blog post, would likely need to look at en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Fair_use as am pretty sure at this stage he would say no text, but the is no story without the text, and he has already given me the right to use the text under CC-BY-NC if I link to him, the instance blocking and CC licencing cross site is icing on the cake.

NEED TO CHECK THIS

Thinking more about this, I likely did not need to have this conversation at all, as a journalist criticizing a “work” is a clear case of fair use. I anonymize the text so that I can freely reinterpret it, which is what the archives are for, and labaled (FROM THE OPENWEB) to stop people thinking it was my work TICK then it’s just a working document and a good example of a clash of Liberal ideas.

The CC side of the conversation is not wrong, it’s just NOT what my actions are based on, OK, this makes more sense. This conversation is ltraly a liberal troll storm in a tea cup, that’s what happens if you talk to people about archiving 🙂

This is based on the idea that this is a working document (which all my blog posts are, they get updated and reused all the time) So it’s not an act of publishing (which in this case it was not as I was still drafting, asking if people wonted attribution)

But would be when I mythically called it finished… round in circals in the world. The second story on the post is more finished, the text there is changed/transformed, so from the #openweb is OK.

hamishcampbell.com/2023/02/12/

 

 

Archiving the #openweb in a personal way

I spend a bit of time copying conversations off transient communication, microblogging, #failbook, chat etc. and archive this on my blog. I don’t tend to do “good practice” in this as I do it #DIY and don’t get paid for my time 🙂

I have two ways to “anonymize” text, if I keep the flow then I take the names out and put Q. and A. as the voices, if it’s out of the flow I just put “from the #openweb” this makes it quick and simple to archive things of value without jumping though impossible conversations each time. If people won’t credit and ask, I add it, it’s the polite thing to do.

Now if someone made code to automate credit and archiving work just as well, I would be happy to use it 🙂

Back in the day talking to traditional media

Hamish Campbell, an independent journalist, shared his experience selling footage to corporations in an interview. He explained that corporations often contact them to buy footage, but they won’t generally take the edited programs as a whole because they are too conservative. They ask for the price, the corporation often did not want to pay, Campbell’s team tells them to “f*** off.” However, if they want the story, they’ll pay for it. It’s a game that has to be played, pretending to be independent and not part of the campaign, and always saying the video was shot using professional equipment, no matter what camera was used. Please remember to send the invoices after the negotiation, we tended to, forgets this bit.

Interviewer: Can you tell us about your experience selling footage to corporations and how you handle those negotiations?

Hamish Campbell: We used to sell some footage here and there, but it was mostly just enough to pay for broken cameras and equipment repairs. Corporations often contact us asking to buy our footage, but they won’t generally take the edited programs as a whole because they are too conservative. We tell them the price, which is usually around 400 pounds a minute, and if they don’t want to pay it, we say “f*** off”. If they want the story, they’ll pay for it, and if they don’t want it, they’re not going to broadcast it anyway. It used to happen all the time, and we always say “f*** off” to corporate media repeatedly till they agreed to pay.

Interviewer: How do you navigate the process of selling footage to corporations?

Hamish Campbell: It’s a game you have to play. You have to speak a certain language and pretend to be a certain person, and everyone knows it’s pretending. You’re an independent journalist, you’re professional, it doesn’t matter if the footage was shot on a tiny camera or a professional one. You have to present yourself as independent and not part of the campaign. After a bit of back and forth, we usually end up telling them to “f*** off” three times, and then they’ll pay us some money. But I always forget to send the invoice.

History of copyleft activist grassroots video distribution

Hamish Campbell, the founder of #VisiononTV, began his journey into copyleft video through his project called #RoughCuts. In a recent interview, Campbell shared how RoughCuts started as one of the first copyleft video projects that encoded activist video in MPEG-1 format, an early standard format for video. He would burn CDs with an hour of different films and create a user interface using HTML to make it easy for people to watch them on their computers.

The CDs were sold for five pounds each, the project was designed to be a sustainable #DIY media distribution platform. People were encouraged to buy the CD, copy it, and give it away for free, and the revenue generated from the CD sales would help fund national screening tours, pay for travel expenses and equipment repair.

As the technology of the web advanced, people could watch videos online at a reasonable quality, which made the CDs obsolete. Hamish took a break from RoughCuts until the technology caught up a year or two later, and he started VisiononTV, a webTV project distribution platform for on-the-ground screenings. People could watch the videos on the web, but the primary focus was on taking the content offline and showing it on big screens to an audience in the same room.

Hamish Campbell’s RoughCuts project was a pioneering effort in the field of copyleft video, which paved the way for his later project, VisiononTV. His approach of creating sustainable DIY media distribution platforms continues to inspire and influence media activists around the world.

A interview with Hamish Campbell on grassroots media and tech

Interviewer: Can you tell us about your project #RoughCuts and how it started?

Hamish Campbell: Before I did #VisiononTV, I started a project called RoughCuts, which was offline copyleft video. It was one of the first copyleft projects with video, encode in the MPEG-1 an early standard format for video, about VHS quality video. You could fit an hour on a cheap CD. I would burn these CDs with different films, and an interface to the front of it using an HTML page, so you put the CD in your computer, and this web page would pop up with a list of all the films with a bit of information and a link to play the film. Then I would copy these in a CD burner. I’d go around the country doing screenings and I would sell the CDs for five pounds if people wonted to support the project.

Interviewer: How did you fund national screening tours for Rough Cuts?

Hamish Campbell: I funded national screening tours by selling these CDs, which were available for free if people wanted to copy them. So, I said, buy the CD, then go home, and copy it and give it all to your friends. It was a take-it-away-and-distribute-it-yourself project. It was sustainable DIY media distribution, so the person who was doing it could be sustained and could actually make a little bit of money to travel around and pay the expenses, repair cameras, etc.

Interviewer: How did the technology change of the web impact RoughCuts?

Hamish Campbell: The technology of the web moved on, so people actually could put video on the web and watch it on the web in reasonable quality. So then, why buy a CD? Why have a physical medium? It became an obsolete project. So then I kind of stopped doing that for a while, but then a year or two later, the web technology caught up, and it was really easy to do web video. So I thought, let’s do a webTV project distribution project for on the ground screenings, so people can watch on the web, but what it’s really about is taking it off the web and showing it on a big screen to a bunch of people in the same room. That’s how #VisiononTV came about.

 

Hamish Campbell is an activist and filmmaker

Hamish Campbell is an activist and filmmaker who gained attention for capturing footage of a police raid on the Independent Media Center in 2001. His footage was used in court and led to several police officers being disciplined and sacked. Campbell continues to work in media activism, founding the group #VisionOnTV, which aims to create a more horizontal media that challenges traditional gatekeepers. He believes that corporate media will continue to exist, but that we can build a different kind of media that is more open and democratic. Campbell is less interested in traditional media, and more focused on creating a new kind of media that is based on a more collaborative, decentralized model.

The Runnymede Eco-Village

The Runnymede Eco-Village community have built a long house kitchen, geodesic dome communal space and other low impact structures made from the renewable timbers and recycled materials. We’ve also dug a well (where we draw water from), setup solar panels for producing electricity. Our food growing is in the early stages, but our plan is to become as self-sufficient as we can.

Interview with Phoenix, a member of the Runnymede Ecovillage community:

Hamish: Hi Phoenix, can you tell us about the history of Runnymede Ecovillage and why it was established?

Phoenix: Sure, about 30 people walked out of London after some of the Occupy London movement, and the main mission was to get disused land to grow food and create low-impact homes. This was a response to the issue of land distribution in this country, where 1% own 70% of the land. The idea was to use disused land for sustainable living and experiment and learn about low-impact living.

Hamish: How did the community come about, and how long has it been here?

Phoenix: After some diversions by the police, we ended up at Runnymede, a historic place, and set up a camp. There were initial camps on other bits of land, but we eventually settled here. We were here for about a month before we were taken to court and got a possession order. We moved further down into the woods and set up here, and we’ve been here for about a year now. It hasn’t been easy, as we’ve been evicted multiple times, but we’re still here and still digging in.

Hamish: What is the issue with disused land, and why is it important to use it for sustainable living?

Phoenix: Disused land is a problem because it’s not used by anyone, and there’s a vast amount of it in the country. The idea behind the campaign is to use some of this land to grow food and provide a place for people to live sustainably and in a low-impact way. We’reliving very high-impact lives, and we need to learn to live in a more sustainable way.

Hamish: Can you tell us about the space and structures at Runnymede Ecovillage?

Phoenix: There’s a reproduction Anglo-Saxon longhouse about 50 foot long, built by one of our members who has experience in woodland skills. There’s also a big geodesic dome and various other structures and homes, including Hobbit-like homes, teepees, and benders. We’ve also cleaned up a lot of the area, including an old area covered in rubbish and old fridges, and made things beautiful.

Hamish: How has the community been received by visitors and the authorities?

Phoenix: We’ve been very friendly with all the people who come and visit here, and they see that there’s a good thing going on. We’ve had visits from the authorities, and they’ve been impressed with what we’re doing. We’ve also been evicted multiple times, but we keep coming back and keep networking with other communities. There’s another diggers camp over in the Forest of Dean, and we need more of these communities all over.

Hamish: Thank you for talking with us today, Phoenix. It sounds like Runnymede Ecovillage is doing some really interesting work.

They were evicted, by property developers

Runnymede Eco-Village: Sustainable Living on Disused Land

The Runnymede Eco-Village community was a group who walked out of London after the Occupy London movement to create a space for sustainable living and low-impact homes. The community aimed to use disused land to grow food and experiment with low-impact living.

The community was at Runnymede, a historic place, for about a year. They built various structures and homes, including an Anglo-Saxon longhouse, a geodesic dome, Hobbit-like homes, teepees, and benders. They also dug a well, set up solar panels for electricity, and were in the early stages of food growing.

The community faced challenges, including multiple evictions, but they dug in and networking with other communities. The idea behind the campaign was to use disused land for sustainable living and experiment and learn about low-impact living. The Runnymede Eco-Village community was doing some really interesting work, and there is a need for more communities like it all over the country.

Greenham Common – Lucy Campbell, who participated in the march, reminisces about her experience

On August 27, 1981, history was made in Cardiff, Wales when 36 women and four babies in pushchairs embarked on a march to the US Air Force Base Greenham Common to protest the deployment of American nuclear cruise missiles. This small start led to the Greenham Common Women’s Peace Camp, which became a major catalyst in the worldwide anti-nuclear movement throughout the 1980s. In August 2001, the original Greenham women gathered to unveil a life-size bronze sculpture commemorating their original march. Lucy Campbell, who participated in the march, reminisces about her experience, recalling the camaraderie and friendship she found among the women, as well as the challenges they faced on the journey, such as the windy Seven Bridge and the need to take down their banners. She also remembers the felt-tip version of the banner they created to inform those behind them about their cause. Looking back, she now appreciates the experience, though at the time, it was something her mother wanted her to do.

This was the thinking of the #OMN project ten years ago

This was the thinking of the #OMN project ten years ago: The proposed project is to reboot basic web tools and turn existing silos and portals into a network where data flows between different sites. The technology used will be #RSS and its lesser-known counterparts, allowing sites to link to each other and content to appear on multiple sites. The project aims to provide an alternative to the #dotcons and to serve alternative grassroots media by creating open tools and processes. The project will start with the addition of a sidebar to existing sites and the building of new aggregating sites with overviews on subjects. The long-term goal is to expand into other networks.

A trailer film script for the man who bought a lifeboat

FADE IN:

EXT. LONDON – DAY

We see the bustling city of London. People are rushing to work, cars are honking and the sound of construction is deafening.

CUT TO:

EXT. A BOATYARD IN SCOTLAND – DAY

A man, HAMISH, in his late-thirties, stands in front of a bright orange, round boat with 60 seats.

HAMISH
(to the boatyard owner)
I’ll take it.

BOATYARD OWNER
(shocked)
Are you sure? This is a lifeboat.

HAMISH
(smiling)
I’m sure. I want to downscale and have a more sustainable life.

CUT TO:

INT. THE LIFEBOAT – DAY

Hamish is inside the lifeboat, taking out the central seats to open up space.

HAMISH (V.O.)
It comes with nothing, no kitchen, no bathroom. But I have a plan.

CUT TO:

INT. THE LIFEBOAT – LATER

Hamish is setting up a stove and drainage system. He looks up and smiles.

HAMISH (V.O.)
For this summer, I plan to camp out in it. Take the central section out, open up the space, and just sling a hammock.

CUT TO:

INT. THE LIFEBOAT – DAY

hamish is looking at a map.

HAMISH (V.O.)
I’ve got this whole plan. After next year, I’ll take the boat across the channel and then go through the waterways of Europe.

CUT TO:

EXT. ENGLISH CHANNEL – DAY

We see Hamish sailing the lifeboat across the English Channel. It’s a bit uncomfortable, but he’s safe in the lifeboat.

CUT TO:

EXT. A CANAL IN EUROPE – DAY

We see Hamish navigating the lifeboat through a canal in Europe.

HAMISH (V.O.)
And actually go all the way down to the Mediterranean.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE MEDITERRANEAN – DAY

The lifeboat is sailing on the beautiful Mediterranean Sea.

HAMISH (V.O.)
And then, you know, through the rivers and canals of Europe and into Russia and down to the Black Sea.

CUT TO:

EXT. THE BLACK SEA – DAY

The lifeboat is sailing on the Black Sea. Hamish looks happy and fulfilled.

HAMISH (V.O.)
It’s technically possible to do that.

FADE OUT.

Memorial for Don of 50 Aston street Oxford

Don, provided a space for people to gather and connect, he was a free-spirited person who made his own choices and lived life on his own terms. He passed away, and many people who knew him gathered to remember him and the impact he had on their lives. The memories and connections that Don created have continued to endure even after his passing.

Some images from the house https://www.alamy.com/stock-photo/50-aston-street.html?sortBy=relevant

Talking about grassroots media as a step away from the current #techshit

Hamish Campbell, a veteran in radical media for the past 30 years, discusses the failure of current technology and mainstream culture. He highlights how the #dotcon boom commodified our data, resulting in closed technology silos like #Facebook and #Instagram that capture our attention and data for their own profit. Campbell argues that alternative technology built around an #encryptionist agenda has gone nowhere and that the world is dominated by these tech giants. He argues for the importance of the #openweb, which was born open but is dying closed over the last 20 years, and advocates for rebooting grassroots media as a solution. Campbell uses the Oxford #IMC as an example of how a simple federated network can work by sharing content, using trusted link flows, and allowing content to be moderated or rolled back. He believes that the beauty of the #openweb is based on free flowing links, unlike the #closedweb of our current dominating technology. Campbell concludes that the #OMN project is more important for what it does not do than for what it does, and highlights the need to take small steps towards a solution by rebooting grassroots media as a example project.

What you can do

In the last few years there have been events and gatherings in the US, Portugal, and Madrid, discussing the possibility of #rebooting #Indymedia. The current history of Indymedia has been primarily written by academics and is very Americanized, so there is a need to retell the stories and provide a wider perspective. To successfully reboot Indymedia, I think it needs to return to its open and serendipitous roots, rather than the bureaucratic and closed structure it became. Fortunately, most of the technical tools needed for a decentralized and federated system, such as ActivityPub and Scuttlebutt, already exist. To maintain its radical grassroots philosophy, the principles should be used to ensure openness and accessibility. To get involved, one can search for #indymediaback or “reboot Indymedia” and find useful links #OMN