get on board, help push, or get out of the way!
I haven't had much time to get online,lately; but I have noticed this video being posted in a few places:
And here's a slightly expanded text version of the "State of the village"
Also, if anyone is curious about why these numbers break down they way that they do, I would like to suggest that the gapminder's "trendalyzer" may offer some clues:
"Hans Rosling, Professor of International Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden... uses beautiful animated charts and minimalistic diagrams to explain the world we live in. Poverty, money and health can be seen at once shaping or being shaped by world events, technology and the passing of time." (PS don't miss the final three minutes, in which he proves that, "the seemingly impossible is possible!")
Hans Rosling: New insights on poverty and life around the world
This demonstration of paradigm shift reminds me of one of my favorite sites when I first started using the web, over a decade ago: the non-profit World Game Institute (originally founded in 1972, the year I was born) had an awesome web page that provided real-time statistics for population, resources, pollution, etc. (which can now be accessed @ worldometers.info). For a while, they also even offered a web-based version of Bucky Fuller's World Game! FYI, the design of the World Game can be downloaded in .pdf from the Buckminster Fuller Institute! The World Game provides an excellent demonstration of how concepts like Ephemeralization and The Design Science Revolution can be used to "provide for the basic needs of 100% of humanity without disadvantaging anyone." One of the best visual depictions I have ever seen of how this could work can be done originally came from The World Game Institute, and can be found here, today: What The World Wants - And How To Pay For It Using Military Expenditures
According to wikipedia's entry for the World Game, "In 2001, a for-profit educational company named 'O. S. Earth' purchased the principal assets of the World Game Institute and has been offering a Global Simulation Workshop that is claimed to be a 'direct descendant of Buckminster Fuller's famous World Game." Today, their website states, "In 2000, WGI’s Board of Directors determined that its mission could best be achieved by leveraging the resources of the private sector; o.s.Earth was created as the vehicle for this change."
This is a perfect example of how humanitarian projects still need funding to carry on their work! And as much as I support charitable work and open source projects, I realize that I too still need money for crucial things like food, water, clothing, rent, utilities, & transport.
So, there I am at the crossroads, trying to decide what to do in order to survive. Sure, I can just go get a temp job tomorrow morning in order to get money; but I am actually looking for something that will be more rewarding that just a paycheck. And all of the sudden, I realize how curious I am about campaigning for Barack Obama... wow, I haven't seriously considered politics as any sort of career since the start of the Persian Gulf War in 1990. Honestly, I know that in politics, I will have to deal with people who are possibly even more duplicitous than anyone in any other arena; but perhaps such a position would require exactly the sort of skepticism that I am willing to bring to the table. And electing Obama (which I believe is a certainty, at this point) will send the message that the people of the United States of America are indeed ready to make some major changes in our system!
Meanwhile, I must get back to planning for "The Tri-Cult Devival!"
...advance tix are on sale NOW for our launch party 07/06/08 @ The United States Art Authority in Austin, TX:
We have confirmed the bands Bring Back The Guns and Death Is Not A Joyride!
:::more music, video, theatre, art, & ranting TBA:::
Let me know if you want to get on the bill, or just show up early to signup on our roster.
We will have ample opportunities for you to pitch your presentation, albeit in a rather non-ordinary setting!
And here's a slightly expanded text version of the "State of the village"
Also, if anyone is curious about why these numbers break down they way that they do, I would like to suggest that the gapminder's "trendalyzer" may offer some clues:
"Hans Rosling, Professor of International Health, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden... uses beautiful animated charts and minimalistic diagrams to explain the world we live in. Poverty, money and health can be seen at once shaping or being shaped by world events, technology and the passing of time." (PS don't miss the final three minutes, in which he proves that, "the seemingly impossible is possible!")
Hans Rosling: New insights on poverty and life around the world
This demonstration of paradigm shift reminds me of one of my favorite sites when I first started using the web, over a decade ago: the non-profit World Game Institute (originally founded in 1972, the year I was born) had an awesome web page that provided real-time statistics for population, resources, pollution, etc. (which can now be accessed @ worldometers.info). For a while, they also even offered a web-based version of Bucky Fuller's World Game! FYI, the design of the World Game can be downloaded in .pdf from the Buckminster Fuller Institute! The World Game provides an excellent demonstration of how concepts like Ephemeralization and The Design Science Revolution can be used to "provide for the basic needs of 100% of humanity without disadvantaging anyone." One of the best visual depictions I have ever seen of how this could work can be done originally came from The World Game Institute, and can be found here, today: What The World Wants - And How To Pay For It Using Military Expenditures
According to wikipedia's entry for the World Game, "In 2001, a for-profit educational company named 'O. S. Earth' purchased the principal assets of the World Game Institute and has been offering a Global Simulation Workshop that is claimed to be a 'direct descendant of Buckminster Fuller's famous World Game." Today, their website states, "In 2000, WGI’s Board of Directors determined that its mission could best be achieved by leveraging the resources of the private sector; o.s.Earth was created as the vehicle for this change."
This is a perfect example of how humanitarian projects still need funding to carry on their work! And as much as I support charitable work and open source projects, I realize that I too still need money for crucial things like food, water, clothing, rent, utilities, & transport.
So, there I am at the crossroads, trying to decide what to do in order to survive. Sure, I can just go get a temp job tomorrow morning in order to get money; but I am actually looking for something that will be more rewarding that just a paycheck. And all of the sudden, I realize how curious I am about campaigning for Barack Obama... wow, I haven't seriously considered politics as any sort of career since the start of the Persian Gulf War in 1990. Honestly, I know that in politics, I will have to deal with people who are possibly even more duplicitous than anyone in any other arena; but perhaps such a position would require exactly the sort of skepticism that I am willing to bring to the table. And electing Obama (which I believe is a certainty, at this point) will send the message that the people of the United States of America are indeed ready to make some major changes in our system!
Meanwhile, I must get back to planning for "The Tri-Cult Devival!"
...advance tix are on sale NOW for our launch party 07/06/08 @ The United States Art Authority in Austin, TX:
We have confirmed the bands Bring Back The Guns and Death Is Not A Joyride!
:::more music, video, theatre, art, & ranting TBA:::
Let me know if you want to get on the bill, or just show up early to signup on our roster.
We will have ample opportunities for you to pitch your presentation, albeit in a rather non-ordinary setting!