What went wrong with this is a classic case of the tension between grassroots ideals and the pressure of existing within a larger system that is fundamentally at odds with those ideals. The #fediverse, along with other #openweb movements, succeeds in small, meaningful ways but struggles to scale in a world built on capitalist structures,…
Why are people OCCUPYING WINDSOR CASTLE #XR
DRAFT The recent #XR event at Windsor received little meaningful media coverage, well not in my filter bubble, it was totally invisible, which is disappointing considering the importance of the action. The video I made of last year’s London event is still relevant and illustrates the same core issues, even though this time they did…
A fluffy view of the path, with a touch on spiky
The concept of the “good society” is the most socially profound questions we can ask, especially at this moment of history. When we face the overlapping crises of climate change, political instability, and extreme economic inequality, the question of what constitutes a “good society” becomes urgent and pressing. There should be an obvious view that…
Revolution: It’s Inevitable. So, What’s the Plan?
We all now know the system we live under is destroying itself. So, what comes next? Fascism or revolution? We all know it’s coming—the revolution. The signs are all around us, and it’s becoming increasingly clear that a significant shift is on the horizon. The question is no longer “if” but “when” and “how.” So,…
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…
We need pathways to sustainable, equitable and just societies
The idea of mixing capitalism and socialism in a “fluffy” path is proposed as a solution to the shortcomings of both systems. This notion is especially popular among well-meaning liberals who point to European social democracies as examples of successful mixed economies. However, any deeper examination reveals contradictions and challenges inherent in attempting to merge…
NGI Zero open source funding talks about the @sovtechfund
NGI Zero open source funding The @sovtechfund is offering grants to people who contribute to a sustainable open source ecosystem. Grants go up to €300,000 per application and cover three main topics: 1. Improve FOSS Developer Tooling 2. Securing FOSS Software Production 3. FOSS Infrastructure Documentation With this program, the Sovereign Tech Fund seeks to…
A short film about the bigone #XR event
Title: The Spiky Fluffy Debate: Reflections on the Extinction Rebellion Event Opening shot of London streets bustling with cars and people. Narrator: In 2019, the Extinction Rebellion movement took the world by storm with its call for urgent action on climate change. Thousands of people took to the streets, demanding that governments take concrete steps…
A look at the recent history of radical grassroots activism
#ClimateCamp was a radical grassroots direct action movement to directly challenge #climatechaos and raise awareness about climate change and advocate for solutions to mitigate its effects. The movement was made up of a loosely organized network of activists who used a diversity of tactics to achieve their goals. Climate Camps were established in many countries.…
Invisible agenda on the #openweb
A. #NGIforum21 #NGI #EU It’s not “usability” its “control” – the #dotcons are built for control the #eurocrates need, the #openweb tools which work fine is for people to people. The #openweb tools do not have the control that the #Eurocrats need to move onto our tools and be a part of our community. This…
Q&A on outreaching the fluffy/spiky debate to the fluffys
You’re bringing in the idea of “fluffy” and “spiky”. And you think both have merit. Have been working with bridging this often hostile divide for more than 30 years in hundreds of campaigns on the ground and online. The best outcome you can hope for is “diversity of tactics/strategy” You’re also drawing attention to the…
As with most metaphors (and real life) the definition is not exact
* Fluffy – asking/pressuring for change though the system * Spiky – fucking shit up to enact change and directly and sometime ethically using “violence” to property – not to people. * Beyond spiky the is WAR where direct harm to people happens – that’s outside the metaphor. It’s interesting to take a few moments…