This is from the view of progressive, grassroots and Alt media in the UK: Silo, definition: Closed data systems hoarding information. Impact: Data vanishes when projects end, diminishing the effectiveness of alternative media. Most alt/grassroots media projects are silos, capturing data without open licensing for reuse. Portal, definition: Attempts to be the dominant site, locking…
#EU bureaucracy in tech funding
Tackling the challenges of bureaucracy and #mainstreaming inertia. We need to try and jump the hurdles within tech communities with for example the current pouring down the drain of tech funding provided by #NGI (Next Generation Internet). It is an obvious path we need to get right soon: Addressing bureaucratic inertia (and native corruption) in…
Caring in a culture that disregards human well-being requires resistance to dominant values
I have come to think that care for people requires a high degree of resistance to the culture around us, simply because that culture is dedicated to values that have no concern for people. A tension in society: the disconnect between cultural values and genuine care for people. Actually caring for people requires a strong…
Feudalism, #FOSS native governance?
#Feudalism, in Free and Open Source Software (#FOSS) governance, is not inherently native but is often found due to structural and cultural factors inside the development communities. Feudalism in FOSS Why? Manifestations Balancing Feudalism. Conclusion While feudalism is not inherent to #FOSS governance, structural and cultural factors lead to feudal-like power dynamics. Addressing these issues…
A European Future
Changing the European Union (#EU) to be more competent and progressive on social and tech issues requires concerted effort and engagement from all the stakeholders, including activists, citizens, civil society organizations (#NGO), policymakers, and industry. I outline some #fluffy strategies for driving change within the EU: Overall, changing the EU to be more competent and…
Academics at Oxford
Economic Diversification and Climate Change in the Middle East St Antony’s College, Dr Sarah Bush (University of Pennslyvania) The right-wing and the #NGO crew have both coopted the idea of activism with some of its traditions and without any use of its purpose and path. This academic aproch looks at gender and the shift to…
Why people should worry about NGO paths
The problem with #NGO (Non-Governmental Organization) and the wider (vertical adjacent) thinking they represent. In part, the issue is about how the organizations operate and adapt to pressures, particularly regarding funding. Overall, this dynamic results in a situation where NGOs, initially formed to challenge the status quo and advocate for change, become co-opted by the…
People in activism
In the coming era of #climatechaos the problem of #mainstreaming thinking and people will become a MUCH bigger issue that we need to mediate. The “common sense” they often bring is the #deathcult a strong problem we do need to do something with, the #NGO crew and “activists” who worship this cult. There is also…
The mess we keep making of #FOSS governance
It’s disheartening to see a community platform like #Trustroots https://trustroots.org facing challenges with governance, with issues and tensions among its contributors https://github.com/trustroots-community/trustrots/issues?q= and here https://trustroots.community/ This situation is messy and underscores the importance of establishing healthy governance practices within community-driven projects to ensure their long-term sustainability and effectiveness. The case of Trustroots alongside the earlier…
Reminder about the hashtag family
A breakdown of the #OMN hashtags and how they are typically used: And on the positive side: Each of these hashtags serves as a shorthand for broader discussions and concepts, allowing people to participate in and contribute to conversations around these topics on the #openweb and inside the #dotcons it’s about linking. #KISS