Save the Earth and Vote
There is no environmental crisis, and global warming is just “a socialist plot” – at least according to Prime Minister Harper, when he was denouncing the Kyoto Accord. But while Harper’s many sins are serious – ignoring child poverty, sending Canadians to fight in Afghanistan, attacking women’s rights – the worst one is his minority [...]
More Bad News for Dreams of Solid Journalism
A little over a year ago, I wrote about the importance of supporting and encouraging community papers, even in this electronic era with the ascendance of ambient media. But today we’ve seen another fail in the possibility of quality community journalism in BC with the announcement of another shakeout in community papers in BC. Black [...]
2010 Already Beats 2007 in Arctic Sea Ice Melt
Working from the premise that we [the collaborative society of humans] aren’t actually too stupid to avert climate breakdown, let’s look at the new bad news on Arctic Ocean sea ice melt. This year’s sea ice meltdown is well ahead of 2007 in loss of both area and thickness. The ice is failing at a [...]
Our Past is Our Future: The Place of Union Mobilization
For generations unions have been profound agents of social change, pursuing some of the noblest of goals, including equity and justice for workers. But changing our world is a different task in this new century. Today we face climate change; increasingly strong anti-union employers and governments; and several generations of young people who have little [...]
Politicians Still Don’t Get Twitter
There is generally a disconnect between politicians and people. Nothing new here. Many are too arrogant to care what people think. After all, they are elected so they know what’s best. Others maybe are just too busy to keep up with thousands of constituents. That’s more understandable. But when we look to Twitter to see [...]
When Conservatives Question Corporate Motives
I am always pleased when conservatives question the social commitment of corporations. You don’t actually have to be a radical left winger to reasonably question whether corporations care about us, profits or the damage from oil in the Gulf. I know it is irresponsible for any sensible person to adopt the radical left wing stance [...]
For Everyone Saying “I Told You So” About Facebook
Infrastructures via xkcd: Infrastructures. Share the Love: Twitter del.icio.us email RSS Facebook Google Bookmarks Digg LinkedIn StumbleUpon Technorati Yahoo! Buzz
Eco-Leaders Kerala, Sikkim and Montgomery County
In an era when effective global agreements on addressing climate breakdown are still elusive, it’s encouraging to see sub-national groups taking a lead. Kerala and Sikkim in India and Montgomery County in Maryland are working on organic farming and carbon taxes. The southern Indian state of Kerala has officially announced a new farming policy which [...]
Just Bring Your Social Network Out of Facebook
Sure, Diaspora is only weeks old, but if you’re reluctant to leave Facebook because they’re holding hostage the rest of your social network, just bring your people to an open source alternative. This blog is a fine companion to the official Diaspora development team blog. There are grounds to be optimistic about an alternative to [...]
Diaspora: #Facebook’s Open Source Nemesis
Here. Read this. If you don’t speak “social media sociology”, what it’s saying is that Facebook sucks and they’re going to build an open source, distributed, non-corporate, free, privacy-rich replacement. Now give them money to fund their junk food summer. It’ll be the best investment you’ll ever make in a liberating social media interweb. Thanks, [...]
The Government is Storing Your Baby’s DNA: Did You Know/Consent?
New law may create largest DNA database in Canada Recent revelations that B.C.’s health authorities are secretly storing and testing children’s DNA without parental consent, combined with provisions of Bill 11 that allow B.C.’s Minister of Health to gather information like these DNA records without notice or consent, have resulted in a call from the [...]
What Distributed Social Media Looks Like
Having already written about reasons why I’m leaving Facebook, I’d like to explore how new, open source, non-proprietary, non-profit, non-corporate, decentralized, distributed social media could work. Let’s start by talking about BuddyPress. It started as a WordPress plugin designed to add social media elements [like Facebook features and Twitter] to people’s WordPress sites. Then BuddyPress [...]
Quitting Facebook: Privacy Shouldn’t Be the Price of Community
Facebook is Celebration, Florida, the surreal Disney-owned community so effectively critiqued by Naomi Klein in her stimulating book, No Logo. It is a similacrum in the disturbing Dick/Baudrillard sense of the word. It is also a surrogate for more authentic and rich human connections. So I’ll be extracting myself from Facebook over the next few [...]
The BC Government and Social Media: #FAIL!
The BC government, being anti-social with its massive cuts to social and human services, is having a hard time using social media. No surprise. The provincial government wants to be your friend/follower. In November 2009, its public affairs bureau quietly launched a new social media/online communications unit. The unit – which was formed using existing [...]
A Detroit Electric Car from 90 Years Ago
Click through the other 18 pictures to see decades of great green technology, though I don’t think I would have included the first diesel engine in the collection. In pictures: Green technology through the ages | Environment | guardian.co.uk. A Detroit Electric, an early electric car, travels a mountain road from Seattle to Mount Rainier, [...]
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