It’s easier than it looks – if we draw upon our common wealth by Peter Barnes There are many visions of what a new economy might look like: more local than global, more sharing than exploitative, more respectful of the earth than of profit. What’s missing in most of these visions, however, is the system architecture needed to guide the …
By Bronwyn Slater The rise of the internet has brought with it a huge growth in the availability of free online courses. For advocates of the Knowledge Commons this must be seen as a very progressive step. The diversity of topics which you can now study for free is amazing. You can learn new skills …
We discuss the benefits of homeschooling and the difficulties parents may face. Is homeschooling better or worse for children than standard education? Is homeschooling better than public school? The critically acclaimed American film Captain Fantastic, directed by Matt Ross, has made many families think about the problems and benefits of homeschooling. In the film Ben Cash …
Get fit and lose weight for free – no gym fees! Plus you get to go out in nature and help your local community as well. by Bronwyn Slater Green Gyms are an initiative set up by a group called The Conservation Volunteers (a community volunteering charity) in the UK. There are now over …
by John McDonnell Early computer hardware in the 50s/60s came bundled with source code, often developed in universities where free sharing of information was normal practice. By the late 1970s, companies, realising that there was a big profit opportunity being missed, had started making the software proprietary, keeping the source code to themselves and charging …
by John McDonnell The Digital Commons is part of an economic model where information resources are free for all to use and modify. Advocates of this system argue that such sharing benefits everyone and increases innovation and economic activity. Such free resources are usually broken down into (1) free open source software, (2) media …
Bronwyn Slater gives an introduction to The Commons – the cultural and natural resources held in common by all members of a society, or any system of free and open collaboration, stewardship and exchange. I had my first introduction to ‘The Commons’ last September when I attended the ‘Open Everything’ conference at Cloughjordan Eco-Village …