Permanent Collective Spaces for Project Development

my post can also be found on

http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hc_ecology/message/268

I am eager to get to know about anyone that has ideas regarding spaces where we could live or hold events in a self organized way.

1) CouchSurfing and Travelling School of Life – Common Interests ? + Gathering Contacts for Collective Spaces
2) Legal Platforms for Collectively Purchasing Land ???
3) Decision Making Practices and Tools


1 ) CouchSurfing and Travelling School of Life – Common Interests ? + Gathering Contacts for Collective Spaces

Maybe an example of where Travelling School of Life objectives ( http://www.tsolife.org )
and CouchSurfing Objectives ( http://www.couchsurfing.org )
could potentially meet – such as in having our own Spaces :

http://wiki.couchsurfing.com/wiki/index.php/Permanent_CSC

( also see pasted below – on http://groups.yahoo.com/group/hc_ecology/message/268 )

and also other tools planned for development in CS :

http://wiki.couchsurfing.com/wiki/index.php/Future_Features_%26_Functions

one extract : ” From the CouchSurfing <!– D(["mb","University,nwe thought it would be good to be able to search people by interests.nLike I want to learn the guitar, who can actually host me out there andnprovide some lessons.. &amp;amp;amp;amp;amp;quot;
n
nhttp://wiki.couchsurfing.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page
n
nall pages: http://wiki.couchsurfing.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Allpages
n
—

2) List of Spaces + Legal Platforms for Collectively Purchasing Land ???


Talking about Nomadic Social Centers in Urban and Rural areas during my travels these last months, n
made me realise that there is alot of enthousiasm on this topic , and alot of people thinking and working on such topics.

I also met farm owners in different european countries that would be happy to host and let nomads self organize on their land. n

and I remember talking about this topic with Tsolife friends – a list of spaces was started and it will soon be on the www.tsolife.org wiki

—

nWhich kind of Legal Platforms for (Purchasing?/Borrowing?) Land?

Borrowingn : I remember Casey mentionned an idea that would offer interested owners of land to borrowing us their land / living spaces , under the agreement that their “property” would be returned in an equal or improved state n“,1] ); //–>University, we thought it would be good to be able to search people by interests. Like I want to learn the guitar, who can actually host me out there and provide some lessons.. ”

http://wiki.couchsurfing.com/wiki/index.php/Main_Page

all pages: http://wiki.couchsurfing.com/wiki/index.php/Special:Allpages

—

2) List of Spaces + Legal Platforms for Collectively Purchasing Land ???
Talking about Nomadic Social Centers in Urban and Rural areas during my travels these last months,
made me realise that there is alot of enthousiasm on this topic , and alot of people thinking and working on such topics.

I also met farm owners in different european countries that would be happy to host and let nomads self organize on their land.

and I remember talking about this topic with Tsolife friends – a list of spaces was started and it will soon be on the www.tsolife.org wiki

—

Which kind of Legal Platforms for (Purchasing?/Borrowing?) Land?

Borrowing : I remember Casey mentionned an idea that would offer interested owners of land to borrowing us their land / living spaces , under the agreement that their “property” would be returned in an equal or improved state <!– D(["mb","

Purchasing : It might eventually also be interesting to understand how to develop legal platforms to reclaim land by opening up a subscription and collectively buy land – , that could be used for all kinds of projects , and would be self-organized / and where objectives would not be focused on maximisation of profit , but on maximising opportunities and empowering individuals and communities – such a platform would ask for donations to buy land , and although I imagine cooperatives could develop on such land , the land in itself could not be sold or speculated on , and would not be dominated by any individual or selected group of individuals – it would become land managed by the collective of individuals living on the land – through decision making processes with wich we could experiment – … hmm … such as Concensus ( ? ) n

3) Decision Making Practices and Tools

… I propose to gather Decision Making Practices and Tools links and knowledge – my current list of links on this topic:n

http://del.icio.us/deliciousdante/decision

feel free to contact me on any of these issues – would also be nice to have some discussions on these topics on the lists and eventually complement existing articles on our wikis such asn

http://dominik.valledismeraldo.com/new/index.php/Tsolife/Openorg

nhttp://wiki.couchsurfing.com/wiki/index.php/Organizational_Structure ( ? )

——————————“,1] ); //–>

Purchasing : It might eventually also be interesting to understand how to develop legal platforms to reclaim land by opening up a subscription and collectively buy land – , that could be used for all kinds of projects , and would be self-organized / and where objectives would not be focused on maximisation of profit , but on maximising opportunities and empowering individuals and communities – such a platform would ask for donations to buy land , and although I imagine cooperatives could develop on such land , the land in itself could not be sold or speculated on , and would not be dominated by any individual or selected group of individuals – it would become land managed by the collective of individuals living on the land – through decision making processes with wich we could experiment – … hmm … such as Concensus ( ? )

3) Decision Making Practices and Tools

… I propose to gather Decision Making Practices and Tools links and knowledge – my current list of links on this topic:

http://del.icio.us/deliciousdante/decision

feel free to contact me on any of these issues – would also be nice to have some discussions on these topics on the lists and eventually complement existing articles on our wikis such as

http://dominik.valledismeraldo.com/new/index.php/Tsolife/Openorg

http://wiki.couchsurfing.com/wiki/index.php/Organizational_Structure ( ? )

"People are collectively participating in a system that is enslaving them."

<>
http://www.seek2know.net/money.html

( I found this last link through http://www.droppingknowledge.org/ questions list – more exactly: http://www.droppingknowledge.org/bin/posts/focus/10261.page – Is pusuit of profit/money or Life the goal here – by Atma )

also see

http://www.altruists.org/ideas/economics/

http://www.equilibrismus.de/

and other links ( including about alternatives ) I add to

http://del.icio.us/deliciousdante/Economy?setcount=100

http://del.icio.us/deliciousdante/AlternativeEconomics

hubs , rhizomes , and self-managed shared constructivist approach to learning

I would like to share the following project:

I am developping tools and networks with friends

for facilitating learning and discovery, living , and creative solution development ,

accross our increasing (un)conciousness of the environment of the oikoumene of thought and life, and off all the individuals , references, and questions that can be found , asked, and developped,

through a self-managed shared constructivist approach to learning

i believe that ECLA could benefit from such a project , by cooperating with active minds that could connect to ongoing activities, questions, and individuals that relate to the school, and trough such openness connecting itself and becoming a node , or a hub , for real world meetings , knowledge , and project development.

Other Hubs are online as well as offline , everywhere where individuals connected to the networks interact and share with one or more individuals ( and eventually has the option of sharing and multiplying outcomes with the rest of the network )

Open courses online could be shared and built together – such as through the Wiki University project

http://www.google.com/search?q=wikiversity

http://en.wikibooks.org/wiki/Wikiversity

Its seems that , originally, UNIVERSITIES DEVELOPPED AND BUILT THEMSELVES AROUND COLLECTIONS AND SOURCES OF KNOWLEDGE ( such as LIBRARIES , other thinkers and practicionners , … )

and around such spaces, THINKERS AND PUPILS WOULD GATHER TO SHARE AND QUESTION TOGETHER

With time, such spaces institutionalised and power structures and systems gradually increased control and dictated on the university the needs for their own development and maintanence ( sometimes by opening up such new spaces )

TODAY , KNOWLEDGE IS AVAILABLE EVERYWHERE through interconnected information and communication technologies such as THE INTERNET

I am EXPERIMENTING , by opening up further OPPORTUNITIES THROUGH INTERACTION AND THE DEVELOPMENT OF FACILITATING TOOLS AND HUBS

FOR RHIZOMIC EXTENSIBILITY

using not only new information technology tools , but also through practices for learning and interaction ,

and through POST-NOMADIC INDIVIDUALS that – full time or part time – HAVE THE OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE AND MEET REFERENCES – spaces and environments, individuals , questions , issues , … – AND CONNECT THEM as to LEARN FOR THEMSELVES , and SHARE WITH OTHERS – EXTENDING THE PARADIGMS OF POSSIBILITIES

and complementing existing and past initiatives for exchanges IN A VERY EFFICIENT – LOW COST WAY

( for example, I travelled for the last years, and usually spend more or less 200 euros a month for all my expenses, while roaming europe – and maybe this cost can be reduced as networks , tools , and practices are being developped and enhanced )

This brainstorming is available on http://www.oikoumene.be/RhiZomes and on http://dante.ecobytes.net AND IS OPEN TO BE FURTHER EDITED

Tool(s) for Reference Maps – Knowledge Building – First Steps

First Steps – relating to Reference Maps and Knowledge Building

I would like to use a ( multi dimensional? ) graphic interface , that enables me to VISUALISE RELATIONS between inputted elements / visualisations – on a scrollable map.

1 To start with :
Simply having a tool to manually map relations between inputted ideas, questions , issues, references, interests, … such as with a mindmap

2 and slowely building on this small piece of software as to be able to compare it / or add it / to other manually made maps of other people

3 and add a functionality that enables these to be accessible on the server by other authorized people ( or open to everyone )

4 then developping automated options that make it possible to translate wiki’s and other data sources into such representations

5 and end up with more and more extended maps / from wich options of comparisons, fusion , etc multiply, and from wich new questions of the development of such software will outcome

—–

first steps is to test existing softwares such as

http://www.deepamehta.de/install/client/

and others listed on

Reference Maps

related mailinglist

links collection

—

pasted brainstorming from Reference Maps
About the reference system

I imagine it being some kind of open source software – simple in design – lite weight – that would also be available trough a online platform.

a (downloadable?/open source/free) software/and-or online platform on wich one freely can brainstorm:

ideas – phrases – concepts – questions – words – and also links

each of such becoming an entity that can then be linked to other entities,

according to their nature – issue – question – idea – ressource – person – book – other reference

and to the relation between them

Such a process would have some main aspects

one influenced by the person brainstorming he’s ideas, questions, and issues

ACTUALLY INTEGRATING IN A ANARCHIC WAY different elements of he’s/her reality

and then, eventually, making a few relations afterwords as he sees them – but without obligation

SO THIS PERSON WOULD BE ABLE TO BUILD HES/HER OWN INDIVIDUAL MAP OF ISSUES , RESSOURCES , IDEAS , PEOPLE , ETC

and then – the magic is that individual maps can be gathered together

( they can be kept private online , or put into a network with other maps of people joining your own group / OR THEY CAN ALSO BE MADE PARTIALLY OR FULLY PUBLIC – such as with delicious links http://del.icio.us )

wich could enable not only to develop maps that are individual, but to understand commonalities between maps , differences between maps ,

and WIDER MAPS integrating a few , hundreds, or thousands of maps , depending on choosen options

and MAKE IT EASIER TO FOCUS and understand issues , and have access to references – and build on ideas

EASING ALSO SELF LEARNING – and also , at the same time, academic learning –

easing freelance activism , project development, etc

trough such kind of global brain mapping – reference mapping – etc

trough the online platform – this might then further connect to social networks and solutions could be found to ease connections with ressources/people in geographic surroundings
—

pasted brainstorming from Knowledge Building

I was wondering how to try to find ways to build ideas – ask questions and try to answer them + link them – in a cooperative and as efficient way as possible.

Blogs, mailing-lists,… are offcourse very usefull in this. Wikiwebs are also a interesting tool. ( websites like the wikipedia are great examples ) But is there a way to map even more efficiently collaborative building of questions, answers and ideas, and put them into perspective.

A certain epistemological model?

Maybe you are thinking about it too.

I realise there may be simple models like “question” – situation – suggestions – link to other related questions and information
I wonder, how could all these questions be (hyper)linked?

I’d like to be able to start with a very simple question, and from there build to more and more complex questions, trough the internet, in a collaborative way, in a way that allows me to have perspectives, make links, develop new questions and develop new ideas.

Although our brains are powerful processors, how can I manage to combine my brain and conciousness with the others?

Hmm… I’m wondering…Is there a place to simply brainstorm a question, or a few questions, and let the system self-organise itself ( because of the way it is modelled, and or and specific code/software that is capable of integrating a question and linking it within a whole ( ? ) ) but still being able to impact on the way the system organises the information, eventually being able to choose alternative organisation models ?

Currently, when I have a question I try to find a few words that might relate to it and do a search on google.
I know there are alot of ressources invested in trying to find even more efficient webcrawling practices.

But when I do a search, my search isn’t necessarily memorised on a platform for further utilisation.

Offcourse, one might ask the question whether this is desirable, especially when it seems current crawlers such as google are already capable of finding so much information.

But what if we see it on a different scale? One could for example imagine that this information and the questions we enter into this container ( even if I am the only one using this question container ) could then be used and automatically compared with other containers, and/or eventually with structures of the web.

There could for example be an option to compare ones container, and the relations between the questions in the container, with structures of another container, or a network of other structures such as the internet and/or inversely.

Hmm… although… yes… maybe this could be dangerous too since such a software might also be able to limit cooperative networked thinking within certain patterns.

What brings us to becoming concious of the question?

what may be different caracteristics of a question?

Connecting Nomads + Nomads Platform and Address Book

From: Dante-Gabryell Monson Date: May 18, 2006 12:33 PM
Subject: Re: [hc_ecology] NOMADS ADRESS BOOK AND COMMUNITY ONLINE – couchsurfing cooperation and nomadic tribe + Nomadic University Re: Nomads database
To: hc_ecology@yahoogroups.com, globalvillages@yahoogroups.com, sustainable_solidarity@yahoogroups.com

Yes, we are on the same wavelenght. 

also, for more openness and avoiding any one to have a specific control on such a database, I imagine that as you say there could be a lightweight program and website that would make it possible to access this specific nomadic database through specific and customizable communities through the Hospitalityclub.org portal and the Couchsurfing.com portal.

So the information and messages could be sent both trough HC and CS , while the data base would not be on any of these two servers, but would be spread between us – several servers and mirrors ( so that no one of us actually owns and controls the whole data base – p2p style )

And , in relation to accessing our communities ( nomads, greens , hospitality sites , openleader, etc ) etc – I imagine we could also have a small tool-gadget that would allow us to access it directly through our google desktop / personalized home – see:

http://www.google.com/apis/homepage/

http://www.google.com/support/bin/answer.py?answer=30959&topic=1592

http://www.google.com/ig/directory

http://searchenginewatch.com/searchday/article.php/3506541

http://www.google.com/ig

http://www.google.com/support/bin/topic.py?topic=1592&hl=en


Dante 

On 5/17/06, Roberto Barbagallo  wrote:
I totally agree! 

I think one of the first concept would be the fast conncetion between nomads. Then a adress book totally in text, without imagines, really light to access in! CS it’s really heavy to download when you are travelling and you need to save time and money in any Internet Cafee or wifi-ing around. I’ve just bought a pda + wifi conncetion + solar pannel 😀 I’d call it EcoPalm 🙂  now I need all those services online really light to access in 🙂
The wiki would be great with an attach Excell file or Txt  with inside any informations about nomads , such as mobile, email, skype and any onther way to keep in touch.
And this file could be also part of the Tsol wiki. About this…it’s often off line.

Psy

On 5/17/06, Dante-Gabryell Monson  wrote:


Dear Synnove ( cc: nomadic – eco – thinker – activist – alernative lifestyle friends ) 

IN RELATION TO THE NOMADS ADRESS BOOK

I imagine that , in addition to gathering and building together our own nomadic adress book of friends ( that eventually we could gather on a wiki? )

WE COULD ALSO WORK WITH SITES SUCH AS couchsurfing – note: I remembered they developped a special temporary http://care.couchsurfing.com/ ( currently leading to main site ) wich was aimed at building a community volunteering to support disaster victims at the time of the Cyclone’s a few months ago , and when googling , found this:

see http://www.couchsurfing.com/group.html?gid=2483  Community versions
Let’s start by figuring out the major communities to implement and get ambassadors to take ownership. For example, I think Mattthew of SF is interested in spearheading burners.couchsurfing.com for the Burning man community. These ambassadors will assess the needs of the specific version and work on the infrastructure, and on promoting it to that community. Care.CouchSurfing.com fits within this.

 Community versions Let’s start by figuring out the major communities to implement and get ambassadors to take ownership. For example, I think Mattthew of SF is interested in spearheading for the Burning man community. These ambassadors will assess the needs of the specific version and work on the infrastructure, and on promoting it to that community. fits within this.CouchSurfing University
We need an ambassador to lead a team to explore this concept and get the idea of the ground. We are in the zygote stage here. The idea is, people learn while they are traveling and perhaps we can create a more formalized, systematic way for people to get the most education in their travels. Members can register as teachers and students and find each other. We do not need to launch this by the end of the summer, but we have a goal of having a solid proposal then. I think Dani has expressed interest in this.

Partnerships
We need a leader to propose organizations and businesses with who CouchSurfing should considering approaching for formal affiliation. Once the potential partners are approved, begin building relationships.

On 5/15/06, Synnöve Mathč  wrote:
 

Hi Dante,
I was thinking about your project to create a database for nomadas.

 

I want to mean I have to do a new notebook, and after I have to ask to the people if they want to appear in our database (be sure in Spain some people don’t want to appear by net)
I’m talking with nomads around the planet :o) and some told me to do a database with advises and info for nomads since people who travel by hicht hike, and others who travel by caravans, bus etc…
What do you think? How many people are working in your project? Please tell me something because in a few days (after the zapatista meeting) I going to lose in Eire so my new notebbok and more ideas starts there.

Social Networks Around Books?

From: Dante-Gabryell Monson
Date: 01-Dec-2005 06:53
Subject: Re: [mindecos] Social Networks Around Books?

…

I am interested in real world community “living” space ( even with people from all over europe spending some time ) in berlin,

open to thinking related to collective intelligence, alternative local marketing solutions ( + produ-consuming? / engaging consumers into production / + gift economy + yes, indeed, like ideas of optimizing “lending” and yes, like social networks around anything ) , alternative DIGITAL(?)-currencies ( using… chip?? or… mobile devise like mobilephone? ) , money reform, + privacy issues??

+ interaction + nomadic architecture ( ? ) + + + + + + +

am interested in developping low cost solutions – good infrastructure ( broadband, … ad-hoc? ) , access to transportation, social life , … / access to university ( and particularly uni library )

for myself, and others – etc.

well, this already exists, but I want to connect also with your own experiences in London, Berlin, etc

and see how such “social hub” + ideas + ( temporary) livingspace could develop in ( different ) models… and more experiments

+ centres for informal project development, etc

–> Temporary Zones? Using Squats , and having everything thought for rapid transposition?

Understand better working of certain Squats + networks ???

but have one big zone that stays ( get support from some person with ownership on empty space ? )

—

also, I added some links on http://del.icio.us/deliciousdante

that seem quite interesting,

including for example

http://www.v-2.org/displayArticle.php?article_num=339

and

http://www.massivechange.com/

Also, am thinking about analysis of different opportunities and potential experiments

for example, this article, and setting in Somalia:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/africa/4020259.stm

–> opportunities for ( local? ) economic development, using ICT for boosting new initiatives, ideas, exchanges, and optimizing ressources and reducing waste trough digital market, etc… ???

etc

Tagging and Posting Non-Systemically

I will post past ideas in a anarchic way,

and hope to develop some solution to Tag them

Meinhard s reply: http://benn.org/

to this question of mine –
< I am still thinking and researching what would be the best blog – blog
> with Tags for example ( although quite a few have them? –

we (mokey.de) use wordpress a lot. something on tagging in wordpress:
http://www.sw-guide.de/wordpress/category-tagging-plugin/