I enjoyed corresponding with Cornelius Fortune at AFKInsider recently for an interview about Paperight. Here’s an excerpt. AFKInsider: You grew up in South Africa. What was that experience... Read more – ‘Interview with AFKInsider’.
Once upon a time textbooks were hard to create …
My Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow colleague, Arthur Atwell, sent an intriguing challenge out to our gang of fellows. The challenge was to come up with a pitch for our projects that follows the Pixar... Read more – ‘Once upon a time textbooks were hard to create …’.
Introducing Mathias Klang
February is coming soon, and with it another member joins our team. We are very happy to announce that Mathias Klang will be working as a researcher for Commons Machinery. Among other... Read more – ‘Introducing Mathias Klang’.
The UNESCO years: A brief review
From 2011 to 2013 I was the Senior Project Officer in mobile learning at UNESCO headquarters in Paris. My role was to help establish and lead the organisation’s mobile learning programmes,... Read more – ‘The UNESCO years: A brief review’.
Privacy Metaphors
We are living through a privacy tipping point. Technology is dramatically changing what is possible in terms of surveillance, monitoring, persistence, analysis. We are cracking open the lid of... Read more – ‘Privacy Metaphors’.
Another year of Fellowship
I hinted about this in the last newsletter of Commons Machinery and now that we’re halfway into the first month of 2014, I’m very happy to say that I’ve been entrusted with another... Read more – ‘Another year of Fellowship’.
Africa’s LTE Future
This entry is part 4 of 4 in the series Africa and Spectrum 2.0If you follow communication infrastructure in Africa, you would be forgiven if you have begun to think of LTE as the promised land.... Read more – ‘Africa’s LTE Future’.
Open Book 2014
This weekend, a group of about 50 developers met at the historic NY Public Library for the Open Book 2014 Hackathon with the goal of imagining a new future of digital books, as well as advancing the... Read more – ‘Open Book 2014’.
Open Book 2014
This weekend, a group of about 50 developers met at the historic NY Public Library for the Open Book 2014 Hackathon with the goal of imagining a new future of digital books, as well as advancing the... Read more – ‘Open Book 2014’.
Copyright Week and the Creative Commons
This week the Electronic Frontiers Foundation is taking the 2-year anniversary of the SOPA blackout protest as an opportunity to centre on the impacts of copyright law on free speech, creative... Read more – ‘Copyright Week and the Creative Commons’.
Recent talks about creating, editing, and remixing textbooks with the OERPUB editor
Normally I would create a post after each talk, but I got behind so I am going to link in my talks from "The New Publishing" W3C workshop, Books in Browsers, and Open Ed, all in fall/winter... Read more – ‘Recent talks about creating, editing, and remixing textbooks with the OERPUB editor’.
Our lightning talk at the 30th Chaos Communication Congress
We had a very inspiring time at 30C3 in Hamburg. More than 9000 people came from all over the world to participate with the biggest ChaosCommunicationsCongress so far. The Congress Center Hamburg was... Read more – ‘Our lightning talk at the 30th Chaos Communication Congress’.
Video plugin prototype (from last year).
Apparently, I never blogged about the prototype video plugin that two OERPUB interns created for the Aloha-Editor last year. We are getting ready to add multimedia capability to the github-bookeditor... Read more – ‘Video plugin prototype (from last year).’.
Plagiarism: The other side of attribution
In my last blog post I presented a few concepts and aspects related to attribution. I also mentioned how attribution can be examined from a legal, social or economic perspective. In this post... Read more – ‘Plagiarism: The other side of attribution’.
GSM and Dynamic Spectrum
MTN Coverage Map from South Africa Adoption of Television White Spaces (TVWS) spectrum saw great progress in 2013. The Google-sponsored Cape Town TVWS trial was completed and the results were an... Read more – ‘GSM and Dynamic Spectrum’.
GSM and Dynamic Spectrum
MTN Coverage Map from South Africa Adoption of Television White Spaces (TVWS) spectrum saw great progress in 2013. The Google-sponsored Cape Town TVWS trial was completed and the results were an... Read more – ‘GSM and Dynamic Spectrum’.
Not Yet For Profit
The world is gripped by a startup fetish. And from it, or so it seems to me, more and more startups are looking for popularity before money: “Get big first, and figure out how to make money... Read more – ‘Not Yet For Profit’.
Automatically Geocoding Higher Ed Institutions Using the Google Maps API and Google Spreadsheets
I recently needed to quickly create a map of higher education institutions Lumen is working with, and consequently needed LAT and LONG info for dozens of schools. Rather than do that all by hand, I... Read more – ‘Automatically Geocoding Higher Ed Institutions Using the Google Maps API and Google Spreadsheets’.
A Crypto Challenge For The Telegram Developers
Earlier this week, a company called Telegram announced a “secure mobile” messaging product. How secure? In their words of their FAQ, ”very secure.” Curious to learn more,... Read more – ‘A Crypto Challenge For The Telegram Developers’.
Taking a Leap of Faith
Exactly a year ago today I published a post about some exciting changes in my professional life. I had just applied for a 12-month unpaid leave of absence from BYU. My goal was to spend the time away... Read more – ‘Taking a Leap of Faith’.
Meet us at 30C3
Good News! We will be at this years Chaos Communication Congress in Hamburg 27th – 30th of December. It’s the 30th meeting of hackers from all around the world, organised by the Chaos... Read more – ‘Meet us at 30C3’.
Tidewater’s “Z Degree” Nominated for Bellwether Award
Great news for Tidewater Community College, one of Lumen Learning‘s first partner schools: Tidewater Community College’s textbook-free degree in business, which was launched as a pilot... Read more – ‘Tidewater’s “Z Degree” Nominated for Bellwether Award’.
Thanks for an inspiring Tech4Open
This Wednesday Tech4Open kicked off in London and we spent a whole day talking about attribution of digital works. In a small, but skilled and dedicated group we discussed the social importance of... Read more – ‘Thanks for an inspiring Tech4Open’.
The importance of attribution
Over the last couple of months, we’ve spent quite a bit of time thinking about attribution and how to automate the process of crediting the creator of a work when it’s published or used.... Read more – ‘The importance of attribution’.
Follow Tech4Open live
Tech4Open happens today in London, and we are so excited to be discussing solutions and needs that can enable massive re-use of open works. If you are not able to join us, you can follow what’s... Read more – ‘Follow Tech4Open live’.
RDF metadata support in Gimp
Last week we finished a proof-of-concept implementation of RDF metadata support in Gimp. While the implementation is still far from being complete, it brings us a step closer to solving the bigger... Read more – ‘RDF metadata support in Gimp’.
Automatically generating attributions
This blog post is part of a series that takes a closer look at the sessions on the Tech4Open summit. Commons Machinery is hosting Tech4Open and we hope to inspire you to come join us in London on... Read more – ‘Automatically generating attributions’.
Thoughts on Badges for LINCS: Lessons from History
This week I’m participating in a conversation about badges over on the Department of Education’s LINCS website. I believe badges are potentially a key piece of infrastructure necessary to... Read more – ‘Thoughts on Badges for LINCS: Lessons from History’.
Spectrum Auctions for Beginners
This entry is part 3 of 3 in the series Africa and Spectrum 2.0In the previous article, I looked at the merits of licensed vs. unlicensed spectrum and suggested that there might be scope for some new... Read more – ‘Spectrum Auctions for Beginners’.
Keeping and finding metadata
This blog post is part of a series that takes a closer look at the sessions on the Tech4Open summit. Commons Machinery is hosting Tech4Open and we hope to inspire you to come join us in London the... Read more – ‘Keeping and finding metadata’.
Velocar – the Open Source Tilting Microcar
We are collaborating with Yann Lischetti – developer of an open source, tilting, electric Microcar. See his latest progress. The site is http://en.velocar.cc. No related posts.... Read more – ‘Velocar – the Open Source Tilting Microcar’.
The attribution chain
This blog post is part of a series that takes a closer look at the sessions on the Tech4Open summit. Commons Machinery is hosting Tech4Open and we hope to inspire you to come join us in London the... Read more – ‘The attribution chain’.
Tate metadata mashup
Tate has released metadata for some 70,000 artworks in their collection as a github project. That’s the kind of things that we at Commons Machinery get very excited about, and I can’t... Read more – ‘Tate metadata mashup’.
Join us at Tech4Open
At Commons Machinery, we believe that it’s important to maintain a persistent link between the context of a work (such as who created it) and the work itself. This would, for instance, enable... Read more – ‘Join us at Tech4Open’.
Don’t Panic, it’s a Serval Mesh Extender
I have been working on the firmware for the Mesh Extenders the last couple of weeks.This has involved combining a few features to make a 0.01 release that can go out on the perk Mesh Extenders, as... Read more – ‘Don’t Panic, it’s a Serval Mesh Extender’.
Credit best practices and code
Commons Machinery is proudly announcing the relase of libcredit v0.1, as well as a project to collect best practices for crediting shared and remixed digital media. We’ve spent the last couple... Read more – ‘Credit best practices and code’.
I was honored to speak at the recent launch of Yellowwood’s white paper on transformative innovation in Johannesburg and Cape Town. Here’s my talk. Introduction I used to be a... Read more – ‘On transformative innovation with Yellowwood’.
Impress support in LibreOffice plugin
Our Paste with credit LibreOffice extension has been updated to support LibreOffice Impress. The extension works a bit differently in Impress though, because there are no frames to put an image with... Read more – ‘Impress support in LibreOffice plugin’.
US Supreme Court Declines Review Of Controversial Copyright Ruling
This article was originally written by Steven Seidenberg and published on the site Intellectual Property Watch. IP Watch requires you to create an account to read their CC BY-NC-ND licensed articles.... Read more – ‘US Supreme Court Declines Review Of Controversial Copyright Ruling’.
I have been helping some mechanical engineering students from the side-lines with a project to make an open-source rapidly-erectable communications tower, with internal space for comms gear and... Read more – ‘Open-Source Collapsable Communications Tower’.
I’m currently in Edinburgh at the semi-annual Shuttleworth Foundation Gathering. One of the other Fellows, Dan Whaley, is working on a killer an open source annotation and highlighting tool... Read more – ‘Hypothesis Integration’.
The OSE Lasersaur build of the open source, 100 Watt laser cutter is going well. We have so far uploaded a few instructionals on Dozuki - The instructionals were generated in real-time from picture... Read more – ‘OSE Lasersaur Build and Documentation Sprint Update’.
Yesterday, I spoke at the inaugural Footnote Summit, South Africa’s new digital-publishing conference. Here’s my talk. Over the last seven years, I’ve pitched technical or otherwise... Read more – ‘Tough truths about selling to publishers’.
Data Issues is a prototype initiative to track “issues” with data using a simple bug tracker—in this case, GitHub Issues. We’ve all come across “issues” with data, whether it’s... Read more – ‘Tracking Issues with Data the Simple Way’.
In August of this year, Ladar Lavinson shut down his email service, Lavabit, in an attempt to avoid complying with a US government request for his users’ emails. To defy the US... Read more – ‘A Critique Of Lavabit’.
I am now in Innsbruck, Austria, at Nortd Labs for OSE’s build of a Lasersaur, an open source, 100W laser cutter operated by wireless control from any browser. We will use the laser cutter for... Read more – ‘OSE Lasersaur Build + Documentation Sprint’.
Our last week’s development work mostly evolved around carrying over attribution in GIMP, an advanced image editing tool. GIMP development branch has recently gotten metadata support for quite... Read more – ‘How to mix metadata’.
Amidst the temple-like setting of the Internet Archive, Hypothes.is and the Frankfurt Book Fair, with the support of the Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, swissnex San Francisco, and many sponsors, held... Read more – ‘Books in Browsers IV’.
Thanks for an awesome Mozilla Festival
The energy from MozFest is beginning to wear off, but that does not mean that the excitement is gone. We at Commons Machinery were super thrilled to be part of the festival in London and so happy to... Read more – ‘Thanks for an awesome Mozilla Festival’.
Seeking Microhouse Client in the Southern USA
We have built the first prototype of the Microhouse at Factor e Farm, and we would like to build more of these as we build out our infrastructure in 2014. We are increasing our capacity to host... Read more – ‘Seeking Microhouse Client in the Southern USA’.
Tom Reeves on Things and Problems
I’m at AECT this week, the annual meeting of the professional association for academic educational technologists and instructional designers. This is my 15th year attending the conference, and... Read more – ‘Tom Reeves on Things and Problems’.
The First Design-Build-Documentation Sprint – and Open Source Ironworker Cuts 1″x8″ Steel
Last Saturday we accomplished a significant milestone in the GVCS development process. For the first time, we did a machine build at the same time that we uploaded media in realtime, and created an... Read more – ‘The First Design-Build-Documentation Sprint – and Open Source Ironworker Cuts 1″x8″ Steel’.
Architecture Lead Joins the OSE Team
This is our overview and result timelapse for the Microhouse - Our microhouse build came from dirt and open-source equipment such as the soil pulverizer, tractor: and brick press to final... Read more – ‘Architecture Lead Joins the OSE Team’.
Spectrum — To License or Not To License
In part one of this series on Spectrum 2.0, I highlighted just how complex radio spectrum management is and why experts can’t seem to agree on whether we are running out of spectrum or entering... Read more – ‘Spectrum — To License or Not To License’.
Spectrum — To License or Not To License
In part one of this series on Spectrum 2.0, I highlighted just how complex radio spectrum management is and why experts can’t seem to agree on whether we are running out of spectrum or entering... Read more – ‘Spectrum — To License or Not To License’.
See you at Mozilla Festival!
The Mozilla Festival starts today, and we at Commons Machinery are very happy to be there with a team of three. The Mozilla Festival is about collaboration, skill sharing, learning and hacking... Read more – ‘See you at Mozilla Festival!’.
Copy-paste conclusions: put the metadata on the clipboard
Step by step we’ve been teasing apart the clipboard to see how metadata could survive a copy-paste between applications. If the metadata survives, then the destination can be used to... Read more – ‘Copy-paste conclusions: put the metadata on the clipboard’.
What I’m Reading: ‘Content Industry’ set to privatize net infrastructure: digital rights management in html-5
Every time I bookmark something interesting in Pocket, I share it here. It seems that the internet as we knew it is about to pass away, giving way to a much more controlled environment where websites... Read more – ‘What I’m Reading: ‘Content Industry’ set to privatize net infrastructure: digital rights management in html-5’.
Open Ebooks
Digital publishing is one of the most exciting and most depressing areas on the web. “Exciting” because we are witnessing the dawn of a revolution in communications, and... Read more – ‘Open Ebooks’.
What is Open Pedagogy?
Hundreds of thousands of words have been written about open educational resources, but precious little has been written about how OER – or openness more generally – changes the practice... Read more – ‘What is Open Pedagogy?’.
What I’m Reading: Domain of One’s Own: Notes from the Trailing Edge
Every time I bookmark something interesting in Pocket, I share it here. This morning I was fortunate enough to present at the first university sponsored TEDX event in Puerto Rico hosted at the... Read more – ‘What I’m Reading: Domain of One’s Own: Notes from the Trailing Edge’.
Re-Engineering the Workings of Government
During a time of intense political change and government dysfunction, a focus on open government– bringing transparency to government affairs and information, while facilitating engagement by... Read more – ‘Re-Engineering the Workings of Government’.
Re-Engineering the Workings of Government
During a time of intense political change and government dysfunction, a focus on open government– bringing transparency to government affairs and information, while facilitating engagement by... Read more – ‘Re-Engineering the Workings of Government’.
Serval recognised in International Red Cross/Crescent World Disasters Report
It is very pleasing to see our partnership with New Zealand Red Cross to enable communications during disasters has been recognised in the International Federation of the Red Cross/Crescent (IFRC)... Read more – ‘Serval recognised in International Red Cross/Crescent World Disasters Report’.
At the recent mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C., I presented the closing remarks. Below are my key observations from the... Read more – ‘“Closing Remarks”: Observations @ mEducation Alliance Symposium 2013’.
Improved 3D printable case for mesh extender
In recent blog posts I have been talking about the 3D printable cases for the mesh extender prototypes. We had a little problem with the first prototype not fitting the USB memory sticks that... Read more – ‘Improved 3D printable case for mesh extender’.
Implementing user-friendly default settings
Here at Commons Machinery we have been thinking about default software settings lately. The software we are building is supposed to work seamlessly and technology that works seamlessly is software... Read more – ‘Implementing user-friendly default settings’.
Advancing Literacy through Mobile Technologies: Empowering Women and Girls – Phase II: From Insight to Action
At the recent mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C., I presented, on behalf of my colleague, Diane Boulay, Advancing Literacy through Mobile Technologies: Empowering Women and Girls –... Read more – ‘Advancing Literacy through Mobile Technologies: Empowering Women and Girls – Phase II: From Insight to Action’.
mReading to children: Leveraging mobile reading to promote and advance early childhood literacy
At the recent mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C., I presented, along with Elizabeth Wood, mReading to children: Leveraging mobile reading to promote and advance early childhood... Read more – ‘mReading to children: Leveraging mobile reading to promote and advance early childhood literacy’.
Integrating mobile learning solutions for Syrian refugees in Iraq
Last week was the third annual mEducation Alliance Symposium in Washington, D.C., attended by over 175 participants from 20 countries with 40+ presentations about innovations for using technologies... Read more – ‘Integrating mobile learning solutions for Syrian refugees in Iraq’.
What I’m Reading: Differentiated, Personalized & Adaptive Learning: some clarity for EDUCAUSE
Every time I bookmark something interesting in Pocket, I share it here. Everyone will want to talk to Knewton. The ASU / Pearson / Knewton partnership is a huge deal. Knewton has the technology,... Read more – ‘What I’m Reading: Differentiated, Personalized & Adaptive Learning: some clarity for EDUCAUSE’.
What I’m Reading: Interaction Equivalency in an OER, MOOCS and Informal Learning Era
Every time I bookmark something interesting in Pocket, I automatically share it here. Today I bookmarked: Interaction Equivalency in an OER, MOOCS and Informal Learning... Read more – ‘What I’m Reading: Interaction Equivalency in an OER, MOOCS and Informal Learning Era’.
Mesh Extender custom case fitting
As mentioned in the last post we now have a 3D printable case for the MR3020-based Mesh Extender prototypes. Until today we had only seen the images of the one that Musti printed in Slovenia.... Read more – ‘Mesh Extender custom case fitting’.
Custom case for MR3020 based Mesh Extender prototypes
With the help of the very capable Musti from WLAN Slovenija and some of our crowd funding campaign funds (thank you again to everyone who contributed!) we now have a nice 3D-printable case for... Read more – ‘Custom case for MR3020 based Mesh Extender prototypes’.
White paper: Metadata – state of the art standards
An important part of our work have been to review the most relevant standards at the moment. This has been feeding into our goal to support remixing by using metadata to credit the sources and... Read more – ‘White paper: Metadata – state of the art standards’.
Arduino Yun as a possible Mesh Extender Platform
Regular readers of this blog will know that we have been looking at a variety of hardware options for the Serval Mesh Extender.The Serval Mesh Extender is a device that combines ad-hoc WiFi meshing... Read more – ‘Arduino Yun as a possible Mesh Extender Platform’.
Lets use Thingometrics instead of Biometrics
One of these pebbles could be your next password, and this is a much better idea than using your fingerprint as a password. Sound crazy? Then read on.Image in the public domainIt is entirely... Read more – ‘Lets use Thingometrics instead of Biometrics’.
On Quality and OER
As I travel the country (and the world) telling people about open educational resources, open textbooks, etc., I frequently receive questions about the quality of openly licensed instructional... Read more – ‘On Quality and OER’.
As part of our #CreativeHustles series, hosted in partnership with British Council Connect ZA, we are currently running a digital survey. We’re interested in young creatives’ (18 to 35... Read more – ‘Live Magazine SA launches digital trends survey’.
edWeb Webinar: Global Efforts to Understand the Potential of Mobile Learning: UNESCO Shares Its Insight
The potential of mobile learning continues to expand in the U.S. and around the world. As districts and schools work to implement technology that has become commonplace for many students outside of... Read more – ‘edWeb Webinar: Global Efforts to Understand the Potential of Mobile Learning: UNESCO Shares Its Insight’.
Automatic attribution in Aloha Editor
We’ve just released a new plugin for pasting images with automatic attribution inside Aloha Editor. The plugin is largely based on Peter’s simple editor (described in his earlier post) and... Read more – ‘Automatic attribution in Aloha Editor’.
Prototyping our Grade 10 Rework
One of the reasons I believe openly-licensed resources are a better proposition for education is that they are a much more natural fit with the idea of continuous development and improvement. In the... Read more – ‘Prototyping our Grade 10 Rework’.
The MicroHouse Goes Up An idea for a small, energy-efficient, low-cost sustainable house that could be built using OSE machines became a carefully laid out plan, devised in modules. With... Read more – ‘The MicroHouse Goes Up’.
Herewith is a report on recent improvements to PublicBodies.org, our project in Open Knowledge Foundation Labs project to provide “a URL (and information) on every “public body” - that’s... Read more – ‘PublicBodies.org – Update no. 2’.
Lumen Learning Update – Saving Students $700,000 Fall 2013
This month is the one year anniversary of Lumen Learning, the “RedHat for OER” I founded with Kim Thanos in October, 2012. It’s been an incredible first year, and we’ve... Read more – ‘Lumen Learning Update – Saving Students $700,000 Fall 2013’.
This is a cross-posting of an article that first appeared at the Knight Foundation Blog. Journalism is moving from something that a small number of professionals perform to something that citizens... Read more – ‘A Grant from the Knight Foundation’.
Someone just pointed me at this post from Ben Balter about Data as Code in which he emphasizes the analogies between data and code (and especially open data and open-source – e.g. “data is where... Read more – ‘Data as Code Deja-Vu’.
Honored, Humbled, and Excited
Creative Commons has announced my appointment as CC Education Fellow. I’m honored, humbled, and excited to be formally affiliated with CC, and am looking forward to continuing to passionately... Read more – ‘Honored, Humbled, and Excited’.
MediaGoblin plugins for SVG and RDFa
Last week we’ve made a couple of MediaGoblin plugins to complement our previous work on Firefox and Inkscape. The first is an SVG plugin that enables SVG image support in MediasGoblin and the... Read more – ‘MediaGoblin plugins for SVG and RDFa’.
Embedded or linked metadata?
LWN.net wrote about the image copy-paste add-on and ballombe asked why the metadata was in the web page: All the standard image format allow to embed metadata. Why not store attribution there ? This... Read more – ‘Embedded or linked metadata?’.
Malawi is not a country that often makes the international news, particularly not in the realm of connectivity. Economically poor and landlocked, it faces significant challenges in achieving... Read more – ‘Malawi Leaps Ahead With White Spaces Pilot’.
Ten things to know about making ebooks
These days I’ve got my head down at Paperight, putting ebooks back on paper. But I still get asked a lot about how ebooks are made in the first place. Where does a person even start to learn?... Read more – ‘Ten things to know about making ebooks’.
SDI and Namati Release New Guide to Assist Liberian Communities Obtain Title to Their Lands
The government of Liberia is currently drafting new land laws that give communities ownership rights over their lands. To help communities take advantage of these new laws, the Sustainable... Read more – ‘SDI and Namati Release New Guide to Assist Liberian Communities Obtain Title to Their Lands’.
More about the Textbook Editor
In my last post I talked about a textbook sprint with teachers in South Africa, remixing their own content with Siyavula and Connexions textbooks. The teachers worked with our textbook editor that... Read more – ‘More about the Textbook Editor’.
Learning about intellectual property, community protocols and ABS
A training for indigenous peoples and local communities in Africa on intellectual property, biocultural community protocols (BCPs) and access and benefit sharing (ABS) is taking place in Addis Ababa,... Read more – ‘Learning about intellectual property, community protocols and ABS’.
Global Capital, Local Concessions: A Data-Driven Examination of Land Tenure Risk and Industrial Concessions in Emerging Market Economies
Using geospatial data from 12 emerging market economies (EMEs), this analysis by The Munden Project attempts to guide investors in emerging markets by shedding light on a difficult problem:... Read more – ‘Global Capital, Local Concessions: A Data-Driven Examination of Land Tenure Risk and Industrial Concessions in Emerging Market Economies’.
The MicroHouse, the Tractor, and the Spark That Changes Everything
MicroHouse Build With the kickoff for the MicroHouse build only four days away (Sept. 28), preparations are in high gear. Chris Reinhart has put together materials lists for each module (see log),... Read more – ‘The MicroHouse, the Tractor, and the Spark That Changes Everything’.
Pasting images with automatic attribution
When you can copy an image with it’s metadata to the clipboard, it becomes possible for applications to use that information when you paste the image. One very useful feature is to use the... Read more – ‘Pasting images with automatic attribution’.
Following our crowd-funding campaign we have funds to build a number more mesh extenders, and get them out to some early adopters as well as to NZ Red Cross. So the last few days have been a... Read more – ‘Mesh Extender assembly’.
Scaling-up Strategies to Secure Community Land and Resource Rights
From the 19th to the 20th of September, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) is attending the International Conference on Scaling-up Strategies to Secure Community Land and Resource Rights in Interlaken,... Read more – ‘Scaling-up Strategies to Secure Community Land and Resource Rights’.
James Anaya on the “resource curse” in the global south
Professor James Anaya (United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples) has written an opinion article for Al Jazeera entitled "Is natural resource development a blessing,... Read more – ‘James Anaya on the “resource curse” in the global south’.
Textbook writing sprint with K12 teachers in South Africa
Although I have much more to share about this sprint and what we learned, I wanted to let people know about an exciting first outing of OERPUB's textbook editor.Screenshot of the editor (books stored... Read more – ‘Textbook writing sprint with K12 teachers in South Africa’.
Avoiding jet-lag completely, and other body-clock hacks.
Jet-lag is not fun. Nobody likes jet-lag.But for me, the situation is more acute.First, I live in Australia, so travelling almost anywhere involves substantial time-shifts. I still remember my... Read more – ‘Avoiding jet-lag completely, and other body-clock hacks.’.
Comments on Africa’s mobile phone e-learning transformation
I was recently interviewed by the Times Higher Education about mobile learning and higher education in Africa. The article, Africa’s mobile phone e-learning transformation, provides a good snapshot... Read more – ‘Comments on Africa’s mobile phone e-learning transformation’.
OSE Update for September 16
Open Source Ecology is busy on many fronts. The first is that our Compressed Earth Brick Microhouse build is almost here. MicroHouse Build The MicroHouse foundation is ready for the build September... Read more – ‘OSE Update for September 16’.
Practical Approaches to Ensuring the Full and Effective Participation of Indigenous Peoples in REDD+: Assessing Experiences and Lessons to Date.
Cath Traynor (Natural Justice) attended the Joint Expert Workshop on Practical Approaches to Ensuring the Full and Effective Participation of Indigenous Peoples in REDD+: Assessing Experiences and... Read more – ‘Practical Approaches to Ensuring the Full and Effective Participation of Indigenous Peoples in REDD+: Assessing Experiences and Lessons to Date.’.
Natural Justice and the Berne Declaration Submit New Letter to EU MEPs Regarding the Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol as the European Parliament considers its Implementation within the Union
On 6 September 13, Natural Justice and the Berne Declaration sent an letter to the Members of the European Parliament regarding the implementation of the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic... Read more – ‘Natural Justice and the Berne Declaration Submit New Letter to EU MEPs Regarding the Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol as the European Parliament considers its Implementation within the Union’.
The Rise of the South African Platinum Mining Industry and the Nature of the Post-Apartheid Order
On 11 and 12 September, Stephanie Booker of Natural Justice attended an international colloquium anchored by leading researchers, co-organised by the Society, Work and Development Institute (SWOP)... Read more – ‘The Rise of the South African Platinum Mining Industry and the Nature of the Post-Apartheid Order’.
Copy RDFa metadata from webpages
Copy RDFa metadata It’s been quiet on the show-and-tell side of things here as we’ve been working on more lower-level stuff, but now it’s time to pick up the thread again on how to... Read more – ‘Copy RDFa metadata from webpages’.
What is a maintained standard?
In my latest post here I mentioned how I considered Exif to be a non-maintained standard. If you’ve been following our Tweets, you’ve seen that this caused some comments. What is a... Read more – ‘What is a maintained standard?’.
Why the “Open” Education Alliance Matters
I expressed my frustration yesterday about the infuriatingly inaccurate name of the “Open” Education Alliance. Despite the obvious problems with the name, this new initiative demonstrates... Read more – ‘Why the “Open” Education Alliance Matters’.
Honourable Mention at the Global Security Challenge Grand Final
Earlier in the year we entered the Serval Project into the Global Security Challenge. The theme for this year's challenge was cyber-security, something that we felt was a good fit for the Serval... Read more – ‘Honourable Mention at the Global Security Challenge Grand Final’.
The “Open” Education Alliance
“Open” is a word with a wide range of meanings. The Oxford Dictionaries Online lists no fewer than 20 meanings. Consequently, we should not be surprised when we encounter the word used in... Read more – ‘The “Open” Education Alliance’.
What makes Exif successful?
If you’ve worked anything with primarily photographs, you’ve at one point or another come across Exif, a standard that specifies information such as where a photograph was taken (GPS... Read more – ‘What makes Exif successful?’.
Data Pipes provides an online service built in NodeJS to do simple data transformations – deleting rows and columns, find and replace, filtering, viewing as HTML – and, furthermore, to connect... Read more – ‘Data Pipes – streaming online data transformations’.
Remixing for Learning – Learning Remixing
Together with the awesome people here at Commons Machinery, I’ve been working on an application for funding from the .SE Internet fund where we want to create an environment for children to... Read more – ‘Remixing for Learning – Learning Remixing’.
Self-evaluation workshop of civil society actors and indigenous peoples on REDD+ in DRC
From 2nd to 7th September 2013, Cath Traynor and Lassana Koné from Natural Justice attended as observers, a self evaluation workshop in Kinshasa, Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). The objective of... Read more – ‘Self-evaluation workshop of civil society actors and indigenous peoples on REDD+ in DRC’.
The Importance of Context
What is digital art? This was the question of the day on Wednesday this week when a group of people, myself included, under the leadership of Ronald Bengtsson (Strandverket Art Museum) gathered in... Read more – ‘The Importance of Context’.
Microhouse Update
From Chris, our construction manager: During the last few days of September and the first week of October we will be constructing a prototype house, using prototype machines, and using a prototype... Read more – ‘Microhouse Update’.
Block Level Training Programme on Community Forest Rights in Keounjhar District
A Series of workshops on community forest rights (CFR) was organized in Harichadanpur, Banspal & Telkoi Block of Keounjhar district on 22nd, 23rd and 24th August 2013 respectively. The programme... Read more – ‘Block Level Training Programme on Community Forest Rights in Keounjhar District’.
The Inertia of Bad Behavior: Still Misunderstanding NC
Stephen provides an “I told you so” link to this post, A Troubling Result From Publishing Open Access Articles With CC-BY. He continues the claim he has been making for some time that... Read more – ‘The Inertia of Bad Behavior: Still Misunderstanding NC’.
Theatre and the Law with the Borana Community
Natural Justice has been working with its Kenyan partner, Kivulini Trust, to support the Borana Pastoralist community assert their traditional land and resource rights. Through this process the... Read more – ‘Theatre and the Law with the Borana Community’.
Significant Victory for Lamu
Kenyan national newspaper, The Daily Nation, reported on a recent legal victory for the community of Lamu, as a result of application by Lamu Resident and the Vice Chairman of Save Lamu, Mr Mohamed... Read more – ‘Significant Victory for Lamu’.
The 6-in-60 Report, the New CEB Press, and a Call for DPVs
Summing Up the 6-in-60 The 6-in-60 Production Report video is as close as you can get to the 6-in-60 Campaign without your safety glasses. And it’s one to share. Watch as the Open Source Ecology... Read more – ‘The 6-in-60 Report, the New CEB Press, and a Call for DPVs’.
Natural Justice attends Fracking Lecture at University of Western Cape
On 26 August 2013, Stephanie Booker and Lesle Jansen of Natural Justice attending a lecture entitled: “Fracking: Towards a Promised Land or a Broken Promise” presented by Ralhus, a project of the... Read more – ‘Natural Justice attends Fracking Lecture at University of Western Cape’.
A Voluntary Code of Practice for Metadata
Late last year, the Copyright Licensing Steering Group (CLSG) was established together with the Copyright Licensing Co-ordination Office (CLCO), an industry funded office to work on issues related to... Read more – ‘A Voluntary Code of Practice for Metadata’.
Over-the-Mesh Updates for Serval Mesh Extender Prototypes
I have just spent the day working on field upgradability for the serval mesh extender prototypes.Note that the following is how updates for the prototypes work at present. We expect that this may... Read more – ‘Over-the-Mesh Updates for Serval Mesh Extender Prototypes’.
Use of the Mesh Potato at a Wildfire Exercise in Maine
A guest post by Steve Hansen (KB1TCE) of Owl’s Head, MaineSome BackgroundFor a bit of background, I became a ham operator in late 2009. I was part of a small group who saw the value of amateur... Read more – ‘Use of the Mesh Potato at a Wildfire Exercise in Maine’.
Demoing the Serval Mesh and Mesh Extenders to School Children as part of Australian National Science Week 2013
We were fortunate enough to win a National Science Week grant to run several events in the north of South Australia to demonstrate what we are doing primarily to school students in schools in... Read more – ‘Demoing the Serval Mesh and Mesh Extenders to School Children as part of Australian National Science Week 2013’.
Natural Justice legally supports the National Khoi-San Council in historic benefit sharing agreement
On 19 August 2013, the indigenous San and Khoikhoi groups signed a historic benefit sharing agreement with Cape Kingdom Nutraceuticals Pty under South Africa’s Biodiversity Act 10 of 2004. Cape... Read more – ‘Natural Justice legally supports the National Khoi-San Council in historic benefit sharing agreement’.
Community-driven IEB Physics and Chemistry books
We are currently engaged in a collaboration with a group of Physical Sciences educators and the OERPub team to develop two books, Physics and Chemistry. The intention is that the books are focused on... Read more – ‘Community-driven IEB Physics and Chemistry books’.
New member of staff
Starting this month, I’ll be joining the team. Here’s a short introduction of myself: My name is Leena Simon and I live in Berlin and Bielefeld, Germany. Last year I graduated in... Read more – ‘New member of staff’.
What’s the Difference Between OCWs and MOOCs? Managing Expectations.
What’s the difference between OCWs and MOOCs? At the end of the day, it may be nothing more than managing expectations. Let’s take Physics for example. Here’s the MIT OCW Physics... Read more – ‘What’s the Difference Between OCWs and MOOCs? Managing Expectations.’.
Annotating the law
This last week, Hypothes.is coordinated our second “tiger team,” convening communities likely to have a strong interest in open annotation, interaction, and new forms of access. Our first... Read more – ‘Annotating the law’.
HydraFabber Technical Update: Laser Cutter Design for Review, CNC Circuit Mill Ready for Build
Open Source Ecology’s HydraFabber, now in development, is a foldable, portable combination 3D printer, CNC circuit mill, and laser cutter. Its purposes will be to enable 2D and 3D rapid prototyping... Read more – ‘HydraFabber Technical Update: Laser Cutter Design for Review, CNC Circuit Mill Ready for Build’.
Reconciling Open Data and Privacy
Digital rights advocates have a hard time these days because the ability to manifest things online and the growth of online data have brought two “rights” into conflict. On one hand... Read more – ‘Reconciling Open Data and Privacy’.
2013 Global Environments Summer Academy (GESA)
In early August, Natural Justice participated in the 2013 Global Environments Summer Academy (GESA) on socio-ecological interactions that brought together eighteen young environmental change-makers... Read more – ‘2013 Global Environments Summer Academy (GESA)’.
Latest iteration of the Mesh Extender
We finally got our hands on some nano-USB memory sticks, and have adjusted the radio placement in the MR3020 routers we are using, so that the lid can go back on without duct-tape, and the whole unit... Read more – ‘Latest iteration of the Mesh Extender’.
Producing a slate of openly-licensed titles
In my previous post I alluded to 45 titles that we’d like to produce. That’s too strong because we wouldn’t be able to take credit for having worked on all of them so it’s... Read more – ‘Producing a slate of openly-licensed titles’.
Why Bill Gates is Wrong About Project Loon
In a recent interview with Bloomberg BusinessWeek, Bill Gates took issue with long time competitor Google and their plans to create an alternative communication infrastructure using balloons (Project... Read more – ‘Why Bill Gates is Wrong About Project Loon’.
Progress on the MicroHouse
Open Source Ecology’s two-module MicroHouse MicroHouse Construction Manager Chris Reinhart is moving forward on the OSE Microhouse design. The Microhouse is a modular, low-cost,... Read more – ‘Progress on the MicroHouse’.
UN Secretary General Calls on States to Honor Treaties With Indigenous Peoples on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
Friday, 9 August 2013, was the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. This important day was recognized at United Nations headquarters in New York, where Indigenous peoples from around... Read more – ‘UN Secretary General Calls on States to Honor Treaties With Indigenous Peoples on International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’.
6-in-60 Video Update and Optimizing the Development Process
For an exciting taste of the action at Open Source Ecology’s HabLab, follow the ups and downs of the 6-in-60 Campaign in our no-holds-barred video update, part one. Watch Dedicated Project... Read more – ‘6-in-60 Video Update and Optimizing the Development Process’.
Swedish version of our video
Blink Tower has made a Swedish version of our amazing explainer video! Swedish Explainer... Read more – ‘Swedish version of our video’.
Peter Buffett, Warren Buffett’s son and chairman of the NoVo Foundation, recently posted an opinion piece for the NYT about his frustrations with philanthropy. He suggests there is a problem... Read more – ‘Reflections on philanthropy (mostly by others)’.
Today marks 11 years, to the day, since we started the hair-brained scheme to collaboratively author, openly-licensed textbooks for South Africa under the banner of the Free High School Science... Read more – ‘My OER Journey, 11 Years & Counting’.
This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series Africa and Spectrum 2.0Electromagnetic spectrum is the crude oil of last-mile connectivity, especially in Africa where more traditional kinds of last-mile... Read more – ‘Why Can’t Anyone Agree on Spectrum?’.
Natural Justice partner works to alleviate poverty and protect biodiversity
Natural Justice attended the Annual General Meeting of Phyto-Trade Africa from the 29th to the 31st of July. During the 3-day meeting, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) met with Phyto-Trade members... Read more – ‘Natural Justice partner works to alleviate poverty and protect biodiversity’.
The Most Unique Thing About MOOCs – And Where Creative Effort is Most Needed
I am, ostensibly, on vacation. But if I don’t get this thought out of my brain it will continue to torment my cross-country driving. What exactly is most unique / special about MOOCs?... Read more – ‘The Most Unique Thing About MOOCs – And Where Creative Effort is Most Needed’.
Latest Natural Justice E-module: Introduction to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights System
Natural Justice has developed a draft e-learning module introducing the UN Human Rights System to support communities and practitioners in increasing understanding of key international human rights... Read more – ‘Latest Natural Justice E-module: Introduction to the United Nations (UN) Human Rights System’.
Q2 Update
2013 has been an exciting year so far. We last sent out news in January. Moving forward we’ll be providing quarterly updates. Launch time We are working on a few remaining features necessary... Read more – ‘Q2 Update’.
The Semantic Web
As linked data gets more common and the Semantic Web becomes reality, information retrieval will become much simpler. There has been a lot of talk about the Semantic web and for a long time. But the... Read more – ‘The Semantic Web’.
Lifetrac 5 Tractor Delivered, DPV Updates
This week the LifeTrac 5 Tractor was shipped to New Orleans. With the build of this most recent LifeTrac design complete, we are in the process of setting up LifeTrac 5 on GrabCAD, an Open... Read more – ‘Lifetrac 5 Tractor Delivered, DPV Updates’.
Annotating the news
The desire to engage in a conversation – and to debate – is central to human experience. At Hypothes.is, we’re trying to bring that capability to the web. We realize that how and... Read more – ‘Annotating the news’.
What is Attribution and how do you do it?
Attribution is when you name the authour/creator of a work. To be named as the creator is one of the rights imparted by copyright. When using a Creative Commons licence you are always required to... Read more – ‘What is Attribution and how do you do it?’.
Download LifeTrac 5 CAD files and documentation here. Our School at Blair Grocery’s LifeTrac 5 is finished! When filmmaker Ian Midgley went in search of world changers, he found Open Source... Read more – ‘Lifetrac 5 Ready to Roll, Microhouse Coming Soon’.
Pillars in Practice: Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Business and Human Rights in Zimbabwe
On 20 June 2013, Stephanie Booker (Natural Justice) attended the "Pillars in Practice: Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Business and Human Rights" in Zimbabwe, held by Zimbabwe Environmental Law... Read more – ‘Pillars in Practice: Multi-Stakeholder Forum on Business and Human Rights in Zimbabwe’.
Linked Data
Parts of the Linking Open Data cloud diagram, by Richard Cyganiak and Anja Jentzsch. LOD cloud diagram Licence: CC BY-SA 3.0 The term Linked Data refers to a set of best practices for publishing and... Read more – ‘Linked Data’.
501.c3 Determination
Hypothes.is has received its official US IRS 501.c3 letter of determination, meaning we can enjoy tax-exempt status as a US non-profit corporation. While it’s an administrative detail in... Read more – ‘501.c3 Determination’.
The Right to Responsibility – Our Latest Book for Peer Review
We’re pleased to announce that Natural Justice and the United Nations University – Institute of Advanced Studies (UNU-IAS) have just released a new book for peer review, entitled: The Right to... Read more – ‘The Right to Responsibility – Our Latest Book for Peer Review’.
View of Mesh Extender prototype with 50Wh external battery
Just a couple of quick snaps from in the lab today showing the Mesh Extender prototype with an external battery that should be sufficient to run it for 24 hours.A lot of the battery case is empty... Read more – ‘View of Mesh Extender prototype with 50Wh external battery’.
I really could have used some mesh communications gear last weekend
(Please also take a look at our crowd-funding campaign at igg.me/at/speakfreely)Last weekend my family and I stayed down at Second Valley, an hour and a half drive from home in Adelaide. It is... Read more – ‘I really could have used some mesh communications gear last weekend’.
Pasting image metadata into Inkscape
In the previous post I showed a patch to GNOME Image Viewer (eog) to put metadata onto the clipboard when copying an image. This post shows the corresponding patch to Inkscape to pick up this... Read more – ‘Pasting image metadata into Inkscape’.
Smaller, more elegant Mesh Extender prototype
(Please check out our crowd-funding campaign at http://igg.me/at/speakfreely to help us turn the Mesh Extender into a product that can be used to help people communicate in difficult... Read more – ‘Smaller, more elegant Mesh Extender prototype’.
EMRIP Side Event on the Relationship between ICCAs and Access to Justice
At the Sixth Meeting of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP) a side event was hosted on 11 July by Natural Justice, the ICCA Consortium and the Indigenous Peoples of... Read more – ‘EMRIP Side Event on the Relationship between ICCAs and Access to Justice’.
The Spark Update, OSE Car Ready for Review, and Much More
OSE is Teaming up with The Spark Documentary Team and with Our School at Blair Grocery to Produce a Tractor in One Day Preparations for The Spark tractor build are in full swing. On Sunday, filmmaker... Read more – ‘The Spark Update, OSE Car Ready for Review, and Much More’.
How are Attribution and Provenance interconneted?
Attribution in copyright is the right to be named as the creator of a work. Be it an author, a photographer or a musician, most of them will want to have their name linked to their work. Provenance... Read more – ‘How are Attribution and Provenance interconneted?’.
Inkscape – A new GUI to manage metadata
In my last post I talked about the SVG file format and how metadata is stored in it. I also showed an addition to Inkscape where metadata “follows” the objects it belongs to so it is... Read more – ‘Inkscape – A new GUI to manage metadata’.
Android phone prices hit new low
The march of technology keeps driving the price of low-end Android phones ever lower.Economics is a strange beast at the best of times, and all the more so when it comes to the price of mobile phone... Read more – ‘Android phone prices hit new low’.
Natural Justice Meets with Khoi & San Communities in the Eastern Cape
Lesle Jansen and Steph Booker of Natural Justice attended a three day meeting of the Khoi & San communities in the Eastern Cape from 28 to 30 June 2013. Set in Graaff-Reinet, the heart of... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Meets with Khoi & San Communities in the Eastern Cape’.
Interfacing between the Serval Mesh and Cellular Networks (Part 2)
In a previous post we described our initial work towards creating a two-way mesh to cellular gateway using mobile phones as the only major component.Thanks to Michael's great work, we have this... Read more – ‘Interfacing between the Serval Mesh and Cellular Networks (Part 2)’.
Creative Commons on Flickr
Flickr is a popular photo-sharing platform. It is also an active community centred around photography and a platform that makes it easy to share your photos with others. The choice to use one of the... Read more – ‘Creative Commons on Flickr’.
Introducing Open Knowledge Foundation Labs
Today we’re pleased to officially launch Open Knowledge Foundation Labs, a community home for civic hackers, data wranglers and anyone else intrigued and excited by the possibilities of combining... Read more – ‘Introducing Open Knowledge Foundation Labs’.
Advanced Seminar on the Implementation and Promotion of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the Namibia context
Lesle Jansen and Stephanie Booker of Natural Justice presented in Windhoek, Namibia on the topics of indigenous peoples and the environment; post-2015 UN development agenda as well as a situational... Read more – ‘Advanced Seminar on the Implementation and Promotion of Indigenous Peoples’ Rights in the Namibia context’.
Natural Justice and Indigenous Information Network send letter to ENVI Regarding Concerns over Nagoya Protocol Implementation
Photo Credit: World Intellectual Property ReviewOn 2 July 2013, Natural Justice, jointly with the Indigenous Information Network, sent a letter to the Committee on the Environment, Public Health and... Read more – ‘Natural Justice and Indigenous Information Network send letter to ENVI Regarding Concerns over Nagoya Protocol Implementation’.
Developer’s corner: copying images with GTK
In a previous post I looked at the data that is put on the clipboard when an image is copied in some Linux applications. No metadata was included by any of the tested applications. The GTK-based... Read more – ‘Developer’s corner: copying images with GTK’.
Workshop on Spatial Planning for Conservation and Sustainable Development in Sabah
Hand-held GPS units have been used by communitiesaround the world to map their territories and importantresources and cultural sites.On 8 July, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended a day-long... Read more – ‘Workshop on Spatial Planning for Conservation and Sustainable Development in Sabah’.
Serval in the MIT Technology Review
See the current issue of the MIT Technology Review for a write up about Serval and Commotion and mesh telephony in... Read more – ‘Serval in the MIT Technology Review’.
Developer’s corner: A distributed metadata registry
The concept of a registry for creative works is not new: your national library likely has a registry of books, indexed by their ISBN number, the U.S. Copyright office has a (voluntary) copyright... Read more – ‘Developer’s corner: A distributed metadata registry’.
Community forest rights in villages of Maharastra paved the way for economic empowerment
The Vidarva region of Maharastra is infamous for the highest number of farmers’ suicide cases in India. Few people know the brighter side of the region and more particularly the stewardship rights... Read more – ‘Community forest rights in villages of Maharastra paved the way for economic empowerment’.
Open Data Maker Night London No 3 – Tuesday 16th July
The next Open Data Maker Night London will be on Tuesday 16th July 6-9pm (you can drop in any time during the evening). Like the last two it is kindly hosted by the wonderful Centre for Creative... Read more – ‘Open Data Maker Night London No 3 – Tuesday 16th July’.
Crowd-funding the Serval Mesh Extender Announcement & Video
Those who have been following the blog here will have heard about our prototype Mesh Extenders that we have been developing.In short, the Mesh Extender lets us break the "Wi-Fi barrier" of Mesh... Read more – ‘Crowd-funding the Serval Mesh Extender Announcement & Video’.
Save the Date – OGP Pre-Conference, London Wednesday 30th October
This Autumn the Open Government Partnership Annual Conference is coming to London and will place on the 31st October and 1st November. As a lead into the main event, OGP is planning a 1-day civil... Read more – ‘Save the Date – OGP Pre-Conference, London Wednesday 30th October’.
ABS and BCP Workshop in East London, South Africa
On 3 and 4 July 2013, the Department of Science and Technology, in collaboration with the Indigenous Knowledge Systems (IKS) unit of the Medical Research Council of South Africa held the third and... Read more – ‘ABS and BCP Workshop in East London, South Africa’.
6-in-60 Machine Builds Under Way
With the machine builds of the 6 in 60 campaign now in full swing, exciting work at OSE continues. Days start at 9:00 a.m. and end at midnight, but Product Lead Gary DeMercurio reports, ... Read more – ‘6-in-60 Machine Builds Under Way’.
Copy-paste metadata test
This test is inspired by the Embedded Metadata Manifesto (EMM) tests of what happens to metadata in images uploaded to different social media sites and other web services. The EMM test includes... Read more – ‘Copy-paste metadata test’.
Developer’s corner: copy-paste in Linux
The Embedded Metadata Manifesto (EMM) tests what happens to metadata in images uploaded to different social media sites and other web services. The test includes saving an image to local disk from... Read more – ‘Developer’s corner: copy-paste in Linux’.
Participatory Mapping Workshop in Melangkap
From 29 June to 1 July, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) joined Borneo Conservancy Initiative for the first of a series of participatory mapping workshops with the villages of Melangkap (Sabah,... Read more – ‘Participatory Mapping Workshop in Melangkap’.
A first look at Inkscape and keeping track of metadata
As presented in an earlier video, software should be able to keep track of the metadata available in digital works. As a start to tackle this issue I will look into how it works today in Inkscape and... Read more – ‘A first look at Inkscape and keeping track of metadata’.
Git (and Github) for Data
The ability to do “version control” for data is a big deal. There are various options but one of the most attractive is to reuse existing tools for doing this with code, like git and mercurial.... Read more – ‘Git (and Github) for Data’.
ODRL in JSON
In the Open Digital Rights Language group (a Community Group of the W3C), we’ve been working on ways in which we could encode an ODRL policy into JSON. The current specifications cover encoding... Read more – ‘ODRL in JSON’.
Natural Justice Submits Letter to US Secretary of the Treasury Regarding World Bank Safeguard Policies
Natural Justice, along with several other organizations, endorsed a July 1, 2013 letter to US Secretary of the Treasury Jacob Lew regarding the ongoing review and update of the World Bank safeguard... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Submits Letter to US Secretary of the Treasury Regarding World Bank Safeguard Policies’.
Next Steps from the Accessibility Sprint
A lot of why we got folks together for a sprint on accessibility when creating and using web-based scholarly and educational materials was to make sure that the different participants got to know... Read more – ‘Next Steps from the Accessibility Sprint’.
Exploring Challenges in Embedding Metadata of Licence Information in Digital Work
Earlier this year two students from the Department of Computer Science and Engineering at the University of Gothenburg and Chalmers University of Technology worked on a project for Commons Machinery.... Read more – ‘Exploring Challenges in Embedding Metadata of Licence Information in Digital Work’.
ElasticSearch is a great open-source search tool that’s built on Lucene (like SOLR) but is natively JSON + RESTful. Its been used quite a bit at the Open Knowledge Foundation over the last few... Read more – ‘Querying ElasticSearch – A Tutorial and Guide’.
Notes from the Aloha Barcamp
A few weeks ago, I attended an Aloha editor barcamp in Vienna, Austria. I know you are feeling sorry for me, right now. It was actually during the recent floods in Austria, the Czech Republic,... Read more – ‘Notes from the Aloha Barcamp’.
Video Documentation as It’s Never Been Done Before: An Invitation
Rob Kirk here. I’m Open Source Ecology’s documentation manager, and I’d like to fill you in regarding our innovative, collaborative approach to creating documentation. More than... Read more – ‘Video Documentation as It’s Never Been Done Before: An Invitation’.
I’ve been thinking this week about the similarities and differences among the various TV White Spaces (TVWS) pilots that are currently underway in Africa, in particular about Kenya and South... Read more – ‘White Spaces in Africa – A Tale of Two Trials’.
Open educational publishing is commercial publishing
Recently I spoke on a panel at the Education Week conference about developing open educational resources. It was great to share a stage with innovators like Mark Horner of Siyavula, Andrew Einhorn... Read more – ‘Open educational publishing is commercial publishing’.
We’re happy to announce the release of the 2.0 (Release Candidate 1) of the Village Telco firmware. Here a breakdown of what’s new:Updated mesh protocol with B.A.T.M.A.N. adv... Read more – ‘New firmware release – Version 2.0 RC1’.
Using Statistics to Mislead the Public about Charter Schools
The Deseret News, a local Utah newspaper, today published a story titled Study: Majority of U.S. charter schools perform equal or worse than traditional schools, accompanied by the following... Read more – ‘Using Statistics to Mislead the Public about Charter Schools’.
This post points to the results of prototypes built at a sprint with educators, technologists, and accessibility specialists. Earlier posts describe the process we went through before working on... Read more – ‘Accessiblity Protototypes from the Sprint’.
Metadata gives structure to data
Aaah metadata Photo by: xmacex Licence: CC BY-SA 2.0 Metadata is structured data about data. It is used to describe the content of a document. The content description is done to make a document... Read more – ‘Metadata gives structure to data’.
Forever Sabah Workshop with Community Conservation Leaders
A selection of community conservation initiatives fromaround Sabah and a timeline of key events.From 21-22 June, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) joined a Forever Sabah workshop of community... Read more – ‘Forever Sabah Workshop with Community Conservation Leaders’.
Let’s kick off this Tuesday update with a quick word from Marcin, OSE’s Executive Director: As our Operations Manager Katie Whitman joins us officially this week, we are excited to say that OSE... Read more – ‘All Aboard! The 6 in 60 Campaign Continues’.
A new opinion piece, published on 18 June by Natural Justice and the Berne Declaration, sharply criticises the European Commission’s draft EC Regulation 2012/0278 (COD) to implement the Nagoya... Read more – ‘Will the European Union Legalise Biopiracy?’.
My friend Chris Geith asked me for five points on how to build a new project. Here is what I sent back to her. I have more questions than answers. Some of these are things I wish I’d done... Read more – ‘How to build a project’.
On 16 June, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) joined Lanash Thanda and Dorothy Lim (Borneo Conservancy Initiative) at a community workshop in Melangkap, Sabah, Malaysia. The participants discussed a... Read more – ‘Community Workshop in Melangkap, Sabah’.
On the 15th of June 2013, Natural Justice held a meeting of the African BCP Initiative in Nairobi, Kenya with its Kenyan partners. Phase 2 of the African BCP Initiative has now begun and local... Read more – ‘African BCP Initiative meets in Kenya’.
Please take a look at our crowd-funding campaign at igg.me/at/speakfreely.It has been interesting to read about Google's plans to deliver internet via a fleet of helium balloons.Despite the... Read more – ‘Balloon Communications’.
RELs, or Rights Expression Languages, are used to express the rights (often copyright) associated with a work in a way that can be read and understood by machines. There are many RELs and we have... Read more – ‘CC REL – A Rights Expression Language’.
On 12 June, Cath Traynor (Natural Justice Associate) attended an Energy Training Workshop organised by Project 90x2030 and the Alternative Information Development Centre in Cape Town, South Africa.... Read more – ‘Energy Training Workshop Held in Cape Town’.
Call for Applications for the Natural Justice Legal Researcher Fellowship in India
Natural Justice (Lawyers for Communities and the Environment) is a pioneering international team of legal practitioners. We do cutting edge work on environmental and human rights law, support... Read more – ‘Call for Applications for the Natural Justice Legal Researcher Fellowship in India’.
Associate Lawyer Fellowship- India
Natural Justice (Lawyers for Communities and the Environment) is a pioneering international team of legal practitioners. We do cutting edge work on environmental and human rights law, support... Read more – ‘Associate Lawyer Fellowship- India’.
ICCA Toolkit Now Available
The UN Environment Programme World Conservation Monitoring Centre (UNEP-WCMC) has recently released a new resource entitled "A Toolkit to Support Conservation by Indigenous Peoples and Local... Read more – ‘ICCA Toolkit Now Available’.
Richard Poplak wrote a great article earlier today in the Daily Maverick about how the balance between what we can know about government versus what they can know about us has gotten... Read more – ‘Prism – A Wake-up Call for South Africa?’.
We Should All Have Something To Hide
Suddenly, it feels like 2000 again. Back then, surveillance programs like Carnivore, Echelon, and Total Information Awareness helped spark a surge in electronic privacy awareness. Now a decade... Read more – ‘We Should All Have Something To Hide’.
The following is a chapter I submitted to an upcoming collection of essays on Television White Spaces spectrum being put together by the Wireless Laboratory of the International Centre for... Read more – ‘Spectrum and Development’.
6 in 60 Update
This is my first blog post as OSE’s new Product Lead – and I’d like to report that we are busy making progress. Our five Dedicated Project Visitors (DPVs) have just arrived a little... Read more – ‘6 in 60 Update’.
Guidance for Web Publishers
The post Guidance for Web Publishers appeared first on... Read more – ‘Guidance for Web Publishers’.
White House Honors Crowdfunding Champs
Yesterday, June 4, 2013 – in Washington, DC, the White House honored twelve Crowdfunding “Champions of Change.” We are excited to share with you that one of those recognized was Open Source... Read more – ‘White House Honors Crowdfunding Champs’.
From 2-4 June 2013, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice and Ashoka Fellow) attended an Ashoka-hosted Globalizer Summit in Frankfurt, Germany. This year's Globalizer focused on the concept of 'nutrients for... Read more – ‘Ashoka Summit on “Nutrients for All”’.
Publishers Taking Notice of OER
EdWeek has a nice writeup of the recent conference organized by the Association of Educational Publishers and the Association of American Publishers’ school division. The article, Ed Publishers... Read more – ‘Publishers Taking Notice of OER’.
On my way to the Aloha Barcamp, June 6,7 in Vienna
Here is what I am proposing to talk about at the Aloha state of the art HTML5 editing barcamp.The OERPUB editor: Aloha for Authoring Textbooks!We are using a customized version of Aloha to create... Read more – ‘On my way to the Aloha Barcamp, June 6,7 in Vienna’.
Let’s bust this “reading is dying” myth
In a wonderful piece for Time, Annie Murphy Paul argues that reading literature makes us smarter and nicer people. That’s something most book lovers would agree is a no-brainer. Apparently a... Read more – ‘Let’s bust this “reading is dying” myth’.
Natural Justice Participates in Workshop hosted by International Council on Mining and Metals
Sankar Pani of Natural Justice has participated in a workshop organized by International Council on Mining and Metals (ICMM) on human rights issues on 27 May 2013 and on indigenous peoples issues on... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Participates in Workshop hosted by International Council on Mining and Metals’.
Learning Born Accessible – Sprint Design Challenges
With a bit of delay, I am back to documenting the "Born Digital, Born Accessible Learning Sprint". The first thing we did was show off tools and software that the groups brought to the sprint. See my... Read more – ‘Learning Born Accessible – Sprint Design Challenges’.
And the winners are…
Science Hack Day NYC wrapped up with a grand finale Sunday night, when 12 teams presented their hacks. Judged by Beth Noveck, director of NYU’s Govlab, Steve Koonin, Director of NYU’s... Read more – ‘And the winners are…’.
Declare Your OSE Wish
Hello Open Source Ecology Fans and Friends. I will be presenting this week at the Glimpses Conference on human potential. In my presentation, I will give a few examples of what people hope to do... Read more – ‘Declare Your OSE Wish’.
6 Years’ Spring Cleaning at Factor e Farm
Open Source Ecology is entering a new era – scaling up and laying foundations for major growth in the coming years. After 6 years of starting from raw land – and hosting countless... Read more – ‘6 Years’ Spring Cleaning at Factor e Farm’.
NMC Horizon Report > 2013 K-12 Education Edition
The New Media Consortium, the Consortium for School Networking (CoSN), and the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE), have once again released their annual Horizon Report >... Read more – ‘NMC Horizon Report > 2013 K-12 Education Edition’.
Keep on hackin’
Thought hackers were dangerous people? Think again! Like some other words in the English language, hacker started out as a benign activity, then got co-opted somewhere along the line to mean... Read more – ‘Keep on hackin’’.
Crossing the Charles River by Mesh Extender
I am just about to head off to the airport to head home to Australia, but had the chance last night to do one last range test with the Mesh Extenders here in Boston.Again I put one Mesh Extender on... Read more – ‘Crossing the Charles River by Mesh Extender’.
Cross Format Annotation
The post Cross Format Annotation appeared first on... Read more – ‘Cross Format Annotation’.
The Post Flickr World – TroveBox
One of the many benefits of my Shuttleworth Fellowship is getting to hang out with other Shuttleworth Fellows twice a year at a meeting called The Gathering. They are an insanely bright, motivated,... Read more – ‘The Post Flickr World – TroveBox’.
Range Testing Serval Mesh Extender on the National Mall in Washington with the New America Foundation
Please take a look at our crowd-funding campaign at igg.me/at/speakfreely.The following is a joint blog post with the New America Foundation's OTI/Commotion Wireless project:On an... Read more – ‘Range Testing Serval Mesh Extender on the National Mall in Washington with the New America Foundation’.
Building an open business
Over a decade ago, when I was working for a large multinational, I was deeply concerned that so many of my colleagues were unhappy. I decided I would one day build my own company. It would be founded... Read more – ‘Building an open business’.
Epub.js: Bringing Open Annotation to Books
Why should we annotate books? Here’s a short story to illustrate: Once upon a time, there were two notable ink-makers, Amaz and Applet (there were others of course, but those two were the most... Read more – ‘Epub.js: Bringing Open Annotation to Books’.
A quick guide to self-publishing: start small and cheap
I was asked recently for advice on self-publishing a science fiction novel written by a teen author. He’s been quoted R9000 (about $1000) by an ebook-only self-publishing company, but was also... Read more – ‘A quick guide to self-publishing: start small and cheap’.
World Bank Steps Up Discussions with Indigenous Groups at this Year’s UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
Photo Credit: UNPFIIDuring this year’s Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues the World Bank engaged with Indigenous Peoples in a number of formal and informal sessions. Formally these engagements... Read more – ‘World Bank Steps Up Discussions with Indigenous Groups at this Year’s UN Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues’.
The Mother of All Science Hackfests
This weekend, New York will have its first Science Hack Day. It will take place at ITP, NYU’s Interactive Telecommunications Programme, in collaboration with CUSP, NYU’s new Center for... Read more – ‘The Mother of All Science Hackfests’.
Range Testing Mesh Extenders in Boston & at the MIT Media Lab
While here in Boston with the Shuttleworth Foundation, I decided to take the opportunity to see what kind of coverage we can obtain with a Mesh Extender in my hotel room. My room is on the 7th... Read more – ‘Range Testing Mesh Extenders in Boston & at the MIT Media Lab’.
World Indigenous Network Conference 2013
The World Indigenous Network Conference, held in Darwin, Australia, brought together over one thousand indigenous people and local community land and sea managers from the 26th to the 29th of May.... Read more – ‘World Indigenous Network Conference 2013’.
“As a Brit living in America, every time I have to deal with a plug socket I feel ever so slightly…”
“As a Brit living in America, every time I have to deal with a plug socket I feel ever so slightly like I’m about to electrocute myself.” - Jennie... Read more – ‘“As a Brit living in America, every time I have to deal with a plug socket I feel ever so slightly…”’.
African Caucus Meets with UN Special Rapporteur
Prof James AnayaPhoto Credit: UNDuring the twelfth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) held in New York, representatives of indigenous peoples and... Read more – ‘African Caucus Meets with UN Special Rapporteur’.
“In all the arts there is a physical component which can no longer be considered or treated as it…”
“In all the arts there is a physical component which can no longer be considered or treated as it used to be, which cannot remain unaffected by our modern knowledge and power.” - Paul... Read more – ‘“In all the arts there is a physical component which can no longer be considered or treated as it…”’.
data.okfn.org – update no. 1
This is the first of regular updates on Labs project http://data.okfn.org/ and summarizes some of the changes and improvements over the last few weeks. 1. Refactor of site layout and focus. We’ve... Read more – ‘data.okfn.org – update no. 1’.
United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Enters Second Week
The twelfth session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is currently taking place at United Nations headquarters in New York City from May 20 to May 31. The UNPFII is... Read more – ‘United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues Enters Second Week’.
“We must expect great innovation to transform the entire technique of the arts, thereby affecting…”
“We must expect great innovation to transform the entire technique of the arts, thereby affecting artistic invention itself and perhaps even bringing about an amazing change in our very notion of... Read more – ‘“We must expect great innovation to transform the entire technique of the arts, thereby affecting…”’.
Adrian. Henceforth, I’ll be one of those annoying parents…
Adrian. Henceforth, I’ll be one of those annoying parents who can’t keep from pushing their babies’ cuteness onto... Read more – ‘Adrian. Henceforth, I’ll be one of those annoying parents…’.
Economics and the Common(s): From Seed Form to Core Paradigm
From the 22nd to the 24th of May, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) and Britta Rutert (Natural Justice Associate based in Germany) attended a meeting on the commons hosted by the Heinrich Boell... Read more – ‘Economics and the Common(s): From Seed Form to Core Paradigm’.
Kulthoum Omari, Heinrich Boell FoundationFrom 21-23 May, Cath Traynor (Natural Justice Associate) participated in the “Ensuring Climate Finance Effectiveness in Africa” workshop in Magaliesburg,... Read more – ‘Ensuring Climate Finance Effectiveness in Africa’.
OSE Design Sprints Spur Innovation
6 in 60! How can Open Source Ecology design and build 6 new machines from the Global Village Construction Set— a microtractor, bulldozer, truck, car, backhoe, and ironworker machine—in just 60... Read more – ‘OSE Design Sprints Spur Innovation’.
More on MOOCs and Being Awesome Instead
I’m grateful for your responses to my recent post Be Awesome Instead. In reading your comments, tweets, and other blog posts responding to the post, I was a bit concerned that some readers may... Read more – ‘More on MOOCs and Being Awesome Instead’.
The face value of art
Here’s a quick text on the face value of art that I put together for our Indiegogo campaign. What do you think? Is the analogy with the face value of fiat currencies sound, or does it need... Read more – ‘The face value of art’.
Demonstrating child safety with soft toys.
Demonstrating child safety with soft... Read more – ‘Demonstrating child safety with soft toys.’.
Born Digital, Born Accessible Learning Sprint – Day 1 (Toolbox)
This week a diverse group of educators, technologists, and accessibility specialists (30 of us!) gathered to envision and prototype end-to-end solutions for born accessible eBooks; from creating, to... Read more – ‘Born Digital, Born Accessible Learning Sprint – Day 1 (Toolbox)’.
WIPO launches Draft TK Documentation Tool-Kit at UNPFII in New York
Photo credit: Q"apaj Conde The World Intellectual Property Organization organised a side event during the Twelfth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues discussing the... Read more – ‘WIPO launches Draft TK Documentation Tool-Kit at UNPFII in New York’.
Baba FestusThe Twelfth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) is currently underway in New York. Issues of health, education, culture and human rights are... Read more – ‘Statement by Africa Caucus at UNPFII’.
Spatial Planning for Conservation and Sustainable Development in Sabah
On 23 May, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended a day-long meeting on spatial planning for conservation and sustainable development in Sabah, Malaysia, which was organised by Hutan and the... Read more – ‘Spatial Planning for Conservation and Sustainable Development in Sabah’.
Natural Justice Attends Documentary Screening at UNPFII
Filmmaker Nilson Tuwe Huni KuinOn Monday, 20 May 2013 Johanna von Braun and Laureen Manuel of Natural Justice attended the screening of a documentary film produced by, Nilson Tuwe Huni Kuin, an... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Attends Documentary Screening at UNPFII’.
Open Course Frameworks: Lowering the Barriers to OER Adoption
I’ve been fairly quiet recently about Lumen Learning, the “RedHat for OER” I founded earlier this year with Kim Thanos. Lumen (for short) is where I’m spending my Shuttleworth... Read more – ‘Open Course Frameworks: Lowering the Barriers to OER Adoption’.
Be Awesome Instead
Cole Camplese, for whom I have great respect, recently wrote a wonderful essay about the negative response to MOOCs from many voices in the open ed space: Just a couple of years ago we were all... Read more – ‘Be Awesome Instead’.
Online Debate on RSPO and Palm Oil Sustainability
Darrel Weber, RSPO Secretary GeneralOn 21 May, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) joined an online debate hosted by the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) on a range of questions concerning palm... Read more – ‘Online Debate on RSPO and Palm Oil Sustainability’.
Why I put ebooks on paper for South Africans
On Publishing Perspectives today, I explain why – in an age of digitisation – it’s more important than ever to keep books on paper. The irony of the digital revolution is this: as it... Read more – ‘Why I put ebooks on paper for South Africans’.
Natural Justice Attends Twelfth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues
The Twelfth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues (UNPFII) opened on Monday, 20 May 2013 at the UN General Assembly Hall in New York. The opening address was... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Attends Twelfth Session of the United Nations Permanent Forum on Indigenous Issues’.
Making money with metadata
One of the advantages of being able to uniquely identify a work and its creator is that it make a number of mechanisms available that can be used to further support individual creators. One of those... Read more – ‘Making money with metadata’.
Tools for mapping Mesh Extender coverage
In previous tests of the Mesh Extenders we were manually noting the signal strength at various locations, and then drawing maps by hand to get an idea of the coverage.Thanks to the great work by one... Read more – ‘Tools for mapping Mesh Extender coverage’.
Regional Workshop on awareness raiding and capacity-building to support the ABS mechanism under the Nagoya Protocol, Chengdu, China
Arpitha Kodiveri of Natural Justice attended the Regional Workshop on awareness raiding and capacity-building to support the ABS mechanism under the Nagoya Protocol held in Chengdu, China between the... Read more – ‘Regional Workshop on awareness raiding and capacity-building to support the ABS mechanism under the Nagoya Protocol, Chengdu, China’.
“I’m an American lawyer with a guilty conscience.”
“I’m an American lawyer with a guilty conscience.” - Lawrence... Read more – ‘“I’m an American lawyer with a guilty conscience.”’.
Hidden in the deepest corners of my hard drive, I stumbled upon…
Hidden in the deepest corners of my hard drive, I stumbled upon this image from my old GNU-Friends project. It was part blog, part community, part aggregation of news, and part interviews. I wanted... Read more – ‘Hidden in the deepest corners of my hard drive, I stumbled upon…’.
MOOCs and Regifting
Jim Groom briefly but insightfully runs the numbers on the Georgia Tech / Udacity deal: Apart from all sorts of misgivings about Georgia Tech’s MOOCish Master’s program in Computer... Read more – ‘MOOCs and Regifting’.
If you ever thought that copyright was simple, you might think…
If you ever thought that copyright was simple, you might think differently after looking at this visualisation from Roberto Garcia at the Universitat de Lleida. It’s a striking display of how... Read more – ‘If you ever thought that copyright was simple, you might think…’.
Participatory photography workshop held in Melangkap, Sabah
On 16 May, Borneo Conservancy Initiative and Natural Justice co-organised a participatory photography workshop with the five villages of Melangkap in Sabah, Malaysia. The workshop was facilitated by... Read more – ‘Participatory photography workshop held in Melangkap, Sabah’.
Help Ignite The Spark on July 13!
Hi, my name is Lisa, and I am OSE’s blogging assistant. Marcin recruited me to help with the blog, and my goal is to fill in the gaps to bring to you more of the many developments that are... Read more – ‘Help Ignite The Spark on July 13!’.
DiskWarrior Error (-36 2747) "hardware failure" unless you wait for hours: solution
(Please take a look at our crowd-funding campaign at igg.me/at/speakfreely.)I have a DROBO which I am trying to recover with DiskWarrior.When I connect the DROBO and try to run DiskWarrior, I... Read more – ‘DiskWarrior Error (-36 2747) "hardware failure" unless you wait for hours: solution’.
Testing of the editor designs at the Connexions Conference
The OERPUB UI team, Adrian Garcia and Max Starkenburg, were hard at work during the sprints after the Connexions Conference testing the usability of new features that have been designed for the... Read more – ‘Testing of the editor designs at the Connexions Conference’.
Researching attribution
Together with @gnugirl, I’ve done some work at figuring out the age-old question: how large a percentage of images used online are used without giving proper credit to its creator? From a... Read more – ‘Researching attribution’.
What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?
Thank you for this most interesting question! Aside from the obvious remarks that one could make in jest, Jonathan Corum has dug deep into this question. I propose that you check it... Read more – ‘What is the airspeed velocity of an unladen swallow?’.
On the subject of Javascript
On the subject of Javascript: I just received the following anonymous, and very pretinent, comment: Regarding this post: /post/50262865487/javascript-in-the-2010s (this form doesn’t allow full... Read more – ‘On the subject of Javascript’.
Unique identifiers
We all have names or aliases that help identify us in our surroundings. Most of the time, a name or alias is not unique, and it doesn’t matter if it’s unique or not. In some cases though,... Read more – ‘Unique identifiers’.
How often are images incorrectly credited?
I’m interested in researching how often images are correctly credited when used online. I have some ideas of how to go about researching this using random samples of images from various social... Read more – ‘How often are images incorrectly credited?’.
Boston à l’heure bleue | Flickr – Photo…
Boston à l’heure bleue | Flickr - Photo Sharing!Manu_Hhttp://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/2.0/deed.en / CC BY 2.0 In the end of the month, I’ll be off to Boston for a gathering of the... Read more – ‘Boston à l’heure bleue | Flickr – Photo…’.
A Saudi Arabia Telecom’s Surveillance Pitch
Last week I was contacted by an agent of Mobily, one of two telecoms operating in Saudi Arabia, about a surveillance project that they’re working on in that country. Having published two... Read more – ‘A Saudi Arabia Telecom’s Surveillance Pitch’.
Javascript in the 2010s
I recently found myself in a situation where I needed to write a small web application. Nothing terribly complicated: something that would allow you to login to the application and send changes to or... Read more – ‘Javascript in the 2010s’.
Rev Up Change Win Powers Documentation Initiative
The Feast and NBCUniversal have announced the results of the Rev Up Change Challenge, and the grand prize winner is … Open Source Ecology! Thanks to all who voted. Literally, we couldn’t have... Read more – ‘Rev Up Change Win Powers Documentation Initiative’.
Here’s an image of yours truly, taken by Creative Commons’ own David Kindler. It’s an example of a watermark in an image, this time to announce that the picture is from the Global... Read more – ‘Watermarking’.
ODRL & Metadata
Metadata is used to convey data about data in a structured way. The relationships it is used to describe are complicated, but a basic outline in the contexts of rights information is provided in the... Read more – ‘ODRL & Metadata’.
One of the advantages of being a Fellow of the Shuttleworth Foundation is that they encourage you to be open. To be open about your ideas, so that others can complement, criticize, add to, change,... Read more – ‘Being a Shuttleworth Fellow’.
We have batches of good news to share about what’s going on with Open Source Ecology. The most important news of all, as a foundation for everything else, has to be our bringing on board a... Read more – ‘Introducing the OSE Core Team 2013’.
Redefining MOOC
If you haven’t read Audrey Watters’ coverage of the Coursera / Chegg deal, I highly recommend it. The short version is, DRM’ed commercial content is making its way into MOOCs, and... Read more – ‘Redefining MOOC’.
Natural Justice Attends Meeting of the Working Group on Extractive Industries
Following the Secretariat of the African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights' press release on 25 April 2013, Stephanie Booker of Natural Justice attended a meeting of the Working Group... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Attends Meeting of the Working Group on Extractive Industries’.
Multi-Hop MeshMS (Mesh SMS) and Ringing Phones via Mesh Extender
Today we did some more testing with the prototype Mesh Extenders, and finally got around to filming the Mesh Extenders actually relaying mesh data, rather than just reporting link quality figures. As... Read more – ‘Multi-Hop MeshMS (Mesh SMS) and Ringing Phones via Mesh Extender’.
Open Attribute
Over on Twitter, patlockley asks the critical question, how is the work of Commons Machinery different from Open Attribute? The difference is in the ease of use, and in the distribution. With Open... Read more – ‘Open Attribute’.
Please credit my work!
Please credit my work!: Ensure that creative works are properly credited to the authors by building the infrastructure needed to automate the process of attribution. We’ve just launched a... Read more – ‘Please credit my work!’.
I’ve been working on creating a map of the field in which…
I’ve been working on creating a map of the field in which we’re working now with Commons Machinery. There are a lot of details that go into making metadata work and be useful, and there are a lot... Read more – ‘I’ve been working on creating a map of the field in which…’.
Deulahudi Villagers Map Their Claim Under Forest Rights Act
Deulahudi, a small tribal village in Hrichandanpur Block of Keounjhar District n Odisha, India assembled for a participatory mapping exercise of their Community Forest Resources on 28th April 2013.... Read more – ‘Deulahudi Villagers Map Their Claim Under Forest Rights Act’.
Urban testing of Mesh Extender – Part 2
Following the previous test where we placed a mesh extender on a bench in my house, we decided to test again with the mesh extender located in a better, higher location to simulate a purposeful... Read more – ‘Urban testing of Mesh Extender – Part 2’.
Urban testing of Mesh Extender – Part 1
Yesterday we finally got around to performing an urban test of the Mesh Extender prototypes.To make this a realistic test, we have one Mesh Extender just sitting inside my house on a cupboard.... Read more – ‘Urban testing of Mesh Extender – Part 1’.
Update on PublicBodies.org – a URL for every part of Government
This is an update on PublicBodies.org - a Labs project whose aim is to provide a “URL for every part of Government”: http://publicbodies.org/ PublicBodies.org is a database and website of... Read more – ‘Update on PublicBodies.org – a URL for every part of Government’.
Conservation & Society Special Section on Community-based Conservation
The latest issue of Conservation & Society (an open-access interdisciplinary journal exploring linkages between society, environment and development) contains a special section on community-based... Read more – ‘Conservation & Society Special Section on Community-based Conservation’.
More on Utah Open Textbooks
The Salt Lake Tribune has published a great article on Utah’s transition to open textbooks. But perhaps the most enlightening part of the article isn’t in the article at all –... Read more – ‘More on Utah Open Textbooks’.
Natural Justice Facilitates Biocultural Community Protocol Training for the Ogiek Community
On 17 April, Natural Justice facilitated a biocultural community protocol (BCP) training workshop for the Ogiek Community in Nakuru, Kenya. Lack of recognition of their status as indigenous... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Facilitates Biocultural Community Protocol Training for the Ogiek Community’.
Release of “Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation” by Chinese Ministries
The Chinese Ministry of Commerce and the Ministry of Environmental Protection recently released its "Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation". The... Read more – ‘Release of “Guidelines for Environmental Protection in Foreign Investment and Cooperation” by Chinese Ministries’.
Utah Open Science Textbooks for 2013-2014
The Utah State Office of Education has posted their open science textbooks for grades 7 – 12 for the coming school year. Here are some of the highlights: Based on the CK-12 Foundation‘s... Read more – ‘Utah Open Science Textbooks for 2013-2014’.
Day 2 — Sprinting continues
The Saga ContinuesA few people headed home after day 1, but we still had over 20 people sprinting on day 2. On Day 2, we continued to code and also had several design discussions on technology and... Read more – ‘Day 2 — Sprinting continues’.
“FPIC and the Extractive Industries: A Guide to Applying the Spirit of Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Industrial Projects
The International Institute for Environment and Development has published a resource on free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) as it relates to extractive industries. FPIC and the Extractive... Read more – ‘“FPIC and the Extractive Industries: A Guide to Applying the Spirit of Free, Prior and Informed Consent in Industrial Projects’.
World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty Stresses Land Governance
Photo: World BankFrom 8-11 April 2013, the World Bank Group held its annual World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty in Washington, DC. The theme for this year’s conference was “Moving towards... Read more – ‘World Bank Conference on Land and Poverty Stresses Land Governance’.
Sprints at Connexions – Day 1
We had an excellent first day of sprinting after the Connexions conference. Today's report includes pictures of people working together, but tomorrow we will include more links and screenshots,... Read more – ‘Sprints at Connexions – Day 1’.
"Access is Denied" when attempting to install drivers on Windows 7
This is just a quick post to share a problem I had while trying to update the firmware on an MK808B recently, and the solution I came up with. The problem was trivial, but none of the suggested... Read more – ‘"Access is Denied" when attempting to install drivers on Windows 7’.
Fuzzy anchoring
The post Fuzzy anchoring appeared first on... Read more – ‘Fuzzy anchoring’.
First OSE Annual Report + Team for 2013
We’ve been quiet but very busy lately – and we have a lot of good news to share with you. First, here is Open Source Ecology’s first ever Annual Report for download. Thanks... Read more – ‘First OSE Annual Report + Team for 2013’.
Webinar on Livestock Management in Sustainable Landscapes
Courtesy of the e-Institute.On 17 April, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) participated in a webinar entitled "The Role of Livestock Management in Sustainable Landscapes". It was hosted by the... Read more – ‘Webinar on Livestock Management in Sustainable Landscapes’.
US Supreme Court Backs Corporation in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum
Photo courtesy of Huffington PostOn the 17th of April 2013, the US Supreme Court released its decision on the case of Kiobel v Royal Dutch Petroleum. The unanimous court decision found that “acts... Read more – ‘US Supreme Court Backs Corporation in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum’.
SCOTUS Backs Corporation in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum
Photo courtesy of Huffington PostOn the 17th of April 2013, the US Supreme Court released its decision on the case of Kiobel v Royal Dutch Petroleum. The unanimous court decision found that “acts... Read more – ‘SCOTUS Backs Corporation in Kiobel v. Royal Dutch Petroleum’.
I Annotate 2013: Our Take
The post I Annotate 2013: Our Take appeared first on... Read more – ‘I Annotate 2013: Our Take’.
A conversation on innovation at Paperight (and beyond)
I recently enjoyed an email conversation with Wouter Burger, a marketing executive who, for his part-time studies, is writing a paper on innovation and brand leadership. We talked about Paperight in... Read more – ‘A conversation on innovation at Paperight (and beyond)’.
Stephen comments on the “Great Rebranding” of MOOCs: MOOCs were not designed to serve the missions of the elite colleges and universities. They were designed to undermine them, and make... Read more – ‘Giving Too Much Credit’.
Stephen comments on the “Great Rebranding” of MOOCs: MOOCs were not designed to serve the missions of the elite colleges and universities. They were designed to undermine them, and make... Read more – ‘Giving Too Much Credit’.
Save Lamu Calls Upon NEMA to Refuse Issuance of ESIA License for Lamu Port
Save Lamu has called upon the National Management Environmental Authority (NEMA) to refuse the issuance of an Environmental and Social Impact Assessment (ESIA) License for a proposed Lamu... Read more – ‘Save Lamu Calls Upon NEMA to Refuse Issuance of ESIA License for Lamu Port’.
Member of Parliament, Dr. Wilmot James, Submits New Protection of Traditional Knowledge Bill
Dr. Wilmot James, Member of ParliamentPhoto courtesy of Democratic Alliance A Protection of Traditional Knowledge bill based on the bill drafted by the incumbent of the StellenboschChair of... Read more – ‘Member of Parliament, Dr. Wilmot James, Submits New Protection of Traditional Knowledge Bill’.
Submission on Indigenous and Local Knowledge to IPBES
On 15 April, Natural Justice made a submission to the Intergovernmental Science-Policy Platform on Biodiversity and Ecosystem Services (IPBES) on an information document entitled 'Consideration of... Read more – ‘Submission on Indigenous and Local Knowledge to IPBES’.
Talks from Linux Conf AU 2013
For convenience, here are direct links to four of the five talks we gave at LCA2013 in... Read more – ‘Talks from Linux Conf AU 2013’.
Root-free operation of the Serval Mesh
We have known from the beginning that expecting people to root their Android phones to use the mesh was not the ideal solution. This is why we have put effort into liaising with the IEEE 802.11... Read more – ‘Root-free operation of the Serval Mesh’.
Advancing the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda
From 20-22 March, Civil Society from around the world met for a conference entitled "Advancing the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda: Reconfirming Rights – Recognising Limits – Redefining... Read more – ‘Advancing the Post-2015 Sustainable Development Agenda’.
ABS and BCP Workshop in Zeerust, South Africa
A workshop on the international legislative framework and the South African domestic laws relating to access and benefit sharing was held in Zeerust, South Africa on 9 and 10 April 2013. This... Read more – ‘ABS and BCP Workshop in Zeerust, South Africa’.
Quick and Dirty Analysis on Large CSVs
I’m playing around with some large(ish) CSV files as part of a OpenSpending related data investigation to look at UK government spending last year – example question: which companies were the top... Read more – ‘Quick and Dirty Analysis on Large CSVs’.
"Multi-threaded radio" for the ISM915 band for fun and profit
This is some ideas that I plan to implement that I wanted to capture somewhere public before I forget. I plan to implement this in the RFD900 firmware for the Mesh Extenders.---The ISM915 band... Read more – ‘"Multi-threaded radio" for the ISM915 band for fun and profit’.
BIOPROSPECTING WORKSHOP
Lassana Koné from Natural Justice will participated in a 1-day bioprospecting workshop organised by the South African Department of Home Affairs in Durbanville, Cape Town on 10 April 2013. The... Read more – ‘BIOPROSPECTING WORKSHOP’.
Training on IPRs and ABS commences in Gaborone, Botswana
A week-long training on Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) commenced in Gaborone, Botswana, on 6 April. The target audience of the training are ABS focal points... Read more – ‘Training on IPRs and ABS commences in Gaborone, Botswana’.
Call for Comments on Lamu Port EIA by 16 April
The Business and Human Rights Resource Centre produces "On the Horizon", a practical bulletin on what is ahead in the field of business and human rights, five times a year. In the April 2013... Read more – ‘Call for Comments on Lamu Port EIA by 16 April’.
In Support of the Monterey Institute of Technology and Education
Last week I had the incredible opportunity to spend about three hours talking with Gary Lopez, founder of the Monterey Institute for Technology and Education (or MITE, pronounced... Read more – ‘In Support of the Monterey Institute of Technology and Education’.
Massive Fiction
Today Robison Wells, Marion Jensen (of USU OCW fame), and I are launching a new project called Massive Fiction. Massive Fiction is an effort to create and define a fictional world in three novellas,... Read more – ‘Massive Fiction’.
Educators using Intelligent Practice the classroom
Intelligent Practice is Siyavula’s premium homework practice service. It was implemented in 2012 and is now been used by over 60 South African schools. Community involvement is one of the three... Read more – ‘Educators using Intelligent Practice the classroom’.
A new guide by the Center for International Forestry Research (CIFOR), entitled "Tenure Rights and Access to Forests: A Training Manual for Research", attempts to help students, researchers and... Read more – ‘CIFOR Guide for Research on Forest Tenure Rights’.
Petition to Halt Mining on Mountain Range in Odisha
The Mining Zone Peoples' Solidarity Group, an international research group focusing on new economic policy, has drafted a petition directed towards Sonia Gandhi, the Chairperson of the National... Read more – ‘Petition to Halt Mining on Mountain Range in Odisha’.
On the Shoulders of Average Joes*
“Astronomical Find by Three Average Joes” was the title of a news item that accompanied a major discovery about pulsars, published in Science in 2010. The discovery was due to a project... Read more – ‘On the Shoulders of Average Joes*’.
Serval versus Infrastructure
Today I needed to charge our Mesh Helper prototypes (which we are thinking of calling Mesh Extenders instead -- anyone with suggestions for better names is invited to poke me with them). This... Read more – ‘Serval versus Infrastructure’.
Cleaning up Greater London Authority Spending (for OpenSpending)
I’ve been working to get Greater London Authority spending data cleaned up and into OpenSpending. Primary motivation comes from this question: Which companies got paid the most (and for doing... Read more – ‘Cleaning up Greater London Authority Spending (for OpenSpending)’.
What Google Should Do In Africa – Launch a Digital Television Station
This entry is part 1 of 1 in the series What Google Should Do in Africa - Part 2Inspired by the recent successful launch of the Television White Spaces pilot in South Africa, I am once again tempted... Read more – ‘What Google Should Do In Africa – Launch a Digital Television Station’.
Book on the Right to Consultation for Indigenous Peoples in Latin America
The Konrad Adenauer Foundation has recently published a book in Spanish called “The right to consultation for Indigenous Peoples in Latin America” as part of their Regional Program on the... Read more – ‘Book on the Right to Consultation for Indigenous Peoples in Latin America’.
Fan Creates Anthem for Open Source Ecology
It is always immensely encouraging to know that we have supporters world over who are looking for ways to get involved in our mission. Lonnie Ray Atkinson is one such supporter, who personally made... Read more – ‘Fan Creates Anthem for Open Source Ecology’.
Manual on Indigenous Rights in the African Human Rights System
The African Commission on Human and Peoples' Rights (ACHPR) and International Work Group for Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) recently released a manual on the promotion and protection of the rights of... Read more – ‘Manual on Indigenous Rights in the African Human Rights System’.
Been playing around with JSON representation of ODRL briefly today. This is my first attempt at…
Been playing around with JSON representation of ODRL briefly today. This is my first attempt at expressing one of the ODRL offer Policy examples in JSON... Read more – ‘Been playing around with JSON representation of ODRL briefly today. This is my first attempt at…’.
Interfacing between the Serval Mesh and Cellular Networks (Part 1)
A number of people now have asked whether a Serval Mesh can be connected to the cellular network, e.g., to allow people living just beyond the range of cellular service to be able to make and receive... Read more – ‘Interfacing between the Serval Mesh and Cellular Networks (Part 1)’.
I Annotate: Agenda
AGENDA DAY 1 : April 10 Morning sessions: Demonstrating annotation 8:00 | Welcome and logistics 8:30 | Keynote “Let’s talk about Ulysses.” (Caterina Fake, Findery) 9:00 | Open... Read more – ‘I Annotate: Agenda’.
Tokyo Meeting on Articles 19 and 20 of the Nagoya Protocol
Buddha of KamakuraKabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) participated in an informal meeting from 25-26 March 2013 in Tokyo, Japan. The meeting was organized by the Japanese Ministry of Foreign Affairs in... Read more – ‘Tokyo Meeting on Articles 19 and 20 of the Nagoya Protocol’.
Conservation and Land Grabbing
Salamander in the reptile house at London Zoo(Courtesy of Harry Jonas)Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) attended a workshop in London (26-27 March) entitled: “Conservation and Land Grabbing: Part of... Read more – ‘Conservation and Land Grabbing’.
ICCA Consortium Holds Mesoamerican Regional Meeting in Guatemala
Courtesy of Eli MakagonOn March 23, 2013, the ICCA Consortium held a Mesoamerican regional meeting in Totonicapán, Guatemala. The meeting, held from March 23 to March 27, brought together... Read more – ‘ICCA Consortium Holds Mesoamerican Regional Meeting in Guatemala’.
Our Forests, Our Life! Indigenous Peoples and REDD+ Video
The central role that indigenous peoples should play within Reducing Emissions From Deforestation and forest Degradation (REDD+) is highlighted by a new community friendly video ‘’Our Forests,... Read more – ‘Our Forests, Our Life! Indigenous Peoples and REDD+ Video’.
Report of the Second Meeting of the Asia Regional Initiative on BCPs Now Available
The report of the second meeting of the Asian Regional Initiative on Biocultural Community Protocols, held in Bangalore, India, from 18-20 February 2013, is now available. The meeting was... Read more – ‘Report of the Second Meeting of the Asia Regional Initiative on BCPs Now Available’.
‘Woman gives birth to child’
On Thought Leader last week I wrote about Aidan’s birth, and what it taught me about the astonishing feat that is childbirth. From the piece: When my wife Michelle gave birth to our first... Read more – ‘‘Woman gives birth to child’’.
EU Working Towards Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol
The Nagoya Protocol is an international agreement which aims at sharing the benefits arising from the utilization of genetic resources in a fair and equitable way. It was adopted on 29 October 2010... Read more – ‘EU Working Towards Implementation of the Nagoya Protocol’.
Major Geotagged Report on Oil Palm in Palawan, the Philippines
Ancestral Land/Domain Watch (ALDAW) has just released a major report on the environmental and social impact of oil palm expansion on the Palawan UNESCO Biosphere Reserve in the Philippines, with... Read more – ‘Major Geotagged Report on Oil Palm in Palawan, the Philippines’.
“We need lots of not-especially-exciting help in maintaining the web site. Would you like to help…”
“We need lots of not-especially-exciting help in maintaining the web site. Would you like to help out in that way?” - Richard Stallman - his exact words when asking me to help out as a GNU... Read more – ‘“We need lots of not-especially-exciting help in maintaining the web site. Would you like to help…”’.
Talking to GNU chief webmaster Jason, I realize how much history is missing in the history of the…
Talking to GNU chief webmaster Jason, I realize how much history is missing in the history of the GNU web. Hopefully I’ll be able to contribute some of the information to this, given that I was... Read more – ‘Talking to GNU chief webmaster Jason, I realize how much history is missing in the history of the…’.
Diffmon
Diffmon: I can’t believe this is still in... Read more – ‘Diffmon’.
The Bazaar, December 1999
In December of 1999, the Bazaar conference took place at the Javits Center in New York. I was in Boston at the time and went down to the conference together with Richard Stallman, Lisa Lewis and Tom... Read more – ‘The Bazaar, December 1999’.
Do not disturb pillow, at the Kendall hotel, Cambridge, MA
Do not disturb pillow, at the Kendall hotel, Cambridge,... Read more – ‘Do not disturb pillow, at the Kendall hotel, Cambridge, MA’.
ECCHR Workshop on Transnational Accountability
From 19-21 March in Manila, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended a workshop on judicial and quasi-judicial instruments for holding transnational corporations accountable for human rights... Read more – ‘ECCHR Workshop on Transnational Accountability’.
Buying Our Way into Bondage: The Risks of Adaptive Learning Services
The Perfect Storm Much of the education technology world – and many of the foundations and venture firms that provide the funding for it – are obsessed with adaptive learning. The Gates... Read more – ‘Buying Our Way into Bondage: The Risks of Adaptive Learning Services’.
Workshop on Biocultural Community Protocols Held in Guatemala
Between March 18 and March 20, 2013, Eli Makagon attended a workshop on biocultural community protocols (BCPs) in Totonicapán, Guatemala. The workshop, coordinated by Guatemalan NGO Oxlajuj Ajpop... Read more – ‘Workshop on Biocultural Community Protocols Held in Guatemala’.
Success for Lamu regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment Report
After a flurry of complaints from local community members including an online petition created by Save Lamu supported by people worldwide and a submission from Natural Justice, the National... Read more – ‘Success for Lamu regarding the Environmental Impact Assessment Report’.
Mobile learning at the Nigeria Summit
I was honored to sit on a panel at The Economist’s Nigeria Summit 2013 in Lagos. The panel was titled SKILLS AND EDUCATION – DEVELOPING NIGERIA’S PEOPLE POWER. Below are my speaking... Read more – ‘Mobile learning at the Nigeria Summit’.
The Supreme Court Gets It Right on Copyright
Excellent coverage by Ronald Mann over on the SCOTUS Blog of an even more excellent decision by the court in Kirtsaeng v. John Wiley & Sons, Inc. While the whole analysis is worth a read, here... Read more – ‘The Supreme Court Gets It Right on Copyright’.
Guardian’s StrongTrustManager Vulnerabilities
Last week I saw a tweet about Guardian Project’s “StrongTrustManager,” which was built for increasing the security of SSL connections in Android. It’s part of their... Read more – ‘Guardian’s StrongTrustManager Vulnerabilities’.
Right Openness If You Meet the Open Guru on the Road, Kill Him
Let me start by saying how much I love Open Source software, peer production, the tide that raises all ships, Wikipedia, all things “open”. It is part of how I define myself. I love what... Read more – ‘Right Openness If You Meet the Open Guru on the Road, Kill Him’.
ABS capacity development workshop in Bhutan
Left to right: Dr. Tashi Yangzome (Director, National Biodiversity Center),Morten Tvedt (Fridtjof Nansen Institute),Dr. Pema Gyamtsho (Minister for Agriculture and Forests), Dr. Kabir... Read more – ‘ABS capacity development workshop in Bhutan’.
Example of an Intelligent Practice question and its fully worked solution
Curious to see what a question on Intelligent Practice might look like? Check out this one from the Grade 11 Maths syllabus… Learners using the service will see a range of multiple choice... Read more – ‘Example of an Intelligent Practice question and its fully worked solution’.
Progress on the Data Explorer
This is an update on progress with the Data Explorer (aka Data Transformer). Progress is best seen from this demo which takes you on a tour of house prices and the difference between real and... Read more – ‘Progress on the Data Explorer’.
The Story of HabLab
We have built our 3,000 square foot living unit – HabLab – in 2012 using bricks from our open source Compressed Earth Brick (CEB) press. Here is a summary of the process that began in... Read more – ‘The Story of HabLab’.
MRC Workshop in Upington
From 13-14 March 2013 in Upington (Northern Cape, South Africa), Natural Justice, in collaboration with the Indigenous Knowledge Systems unit of the Medical Research Council of South Africa (MRC),... Read more – ‘MRC Workshop in Upington’.
NATURAL JUSTICE 2013-03-15 14:48:00
Urgent: Save Lamu.The Kenyan government has unconstitutionally submitted the environmental and social impact assessment final report to a select handful of stakeholders without facilitating public... Read more – ‘NATURAL JUSTICE 2013-03-15 14:48:00’.
The First Open Source Hardware Documentation Jam – New York City
The power of open source hardware lies in the ability to build upon others’ work and good documentation is the key to making this happen. We believe that documentation best practices can increase... Read more – ‘The First Open Source Hardware Documentation Jam – New York City’.
NATURAL JUSTICE 2013-03-14 13:44:00
On 1 March 2013 Natural Justice submitted a letter to the United Nations Global Compact, commenting on their Draft Practice Note on Free, Prior and Informed Consent (the draft practice note can be... Read more – ‘NATURAL JUSTICE 2013-03-14 13:44:00’.
Submission to UN Working Group on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises
On 1 March 2013, Natural Justice with the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) made a further submission to the United Nations Working Group on Human Rights and... Read more – ‘Submission to UN Working Group on Human Rights and Transnational Corporations and Other Business Enterprises’.
IPR and ABS Workshop in Bhutan
Via www.moaf.gov.btKabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) is involved in a workshop on 'Intellectual Property Related to Genetic Resources and Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) in relation to the... Read more – ‘IPR and ABS Workshop in Bhutan’.
Workshop on the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol and Indigenous Peoples Held at University of New Mexico Law School
From March 8-10, 2013, Eli Makagon attended a workshop in Albuquerque, New Mexico addressing the rights of Indigenous peoples related to the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Nagoya... Read more – ‘Workshop on the Convention on Biological Diversity, the Nagoya Protocol and Indigenous Peoples Held at University of New Mexico Law School’.
Major CBD Publication on ICCAs
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has released a major new publication entitled “Recognising and Supporting Territories and Areas Conserved by Indigenous... Read more – ‘Major CBD Publication on ICCAs’.
Sitting down for a session on metadata.
Sitting down for a session on... Read more – ‘Sitting down for a session on metadata.’.
Lumen Learning: A Red Hat for OER
Last week I wrote about the many goals I have for the open education movement, and how a Fellowship from the Shuttleworth Foundation is enabling me to spend focused time pursuing them. While I tried... Read more – ‘Lumen Learning: A Red Hat for OER’.
Workshop on Legal Tools and Agricultural Investments in Bangkok
Palm oil development in peninsularMalaysia. From 7-8 March, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) attended a workshop on Legal Tools for Accountability in Agricultural Investments for South... Read more – ‘Workshop on Legal Tools and Agricultural Investments in Bangkok’.
Expert Seminar on Access to Justice for Indigenous People
On February 27, Eli Makagon attended the International Expert Seminar on Access to Justice for Indigenous Peoples including Truth and Reconciliation Processes at Columbia University 27 February – 1... Read more – ‘Expert Seminar on Access to Justice for Indigenous People’.
Natural Sciences Gr 7-9 Brainstorming Workshop
This last weekend’s brainstorming workshop certainly kick started the process to produce workbooks for Natural Sciences! Following the production, and success, of the Gr 4-6 workbooks last year... Read more – ‘Natural Sciences Gr 7-9 Brainstorming Workshop’.
Open licensing vs sales: tricky decisions and the Pratham Books data
Few questions in publishing are more clearly polarised by personal opinion than whether open-licensing is compatible with increased revenue. In general, fans of open-licensing don’t work for... Read more – ‘Open licensing vs sales: tricky decisions and the Pratham Books data’.
AIPP Briefing Paper on Indigenous Women & Access to Justice in Southeast Asia
In conjunction with the 57th Session of the UN Commission on the Status of Women, Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP) has released a briefing paper entitled "Indigenous Women in Southeast Asia:... Read more – ‘AIPP Briefing Paper on Indigenous Women & Access to Justice in Southeast Asia’.
Paperight on CNBC Africa
It was a huge pleasure to meet and chat to Thomas Maree and Lungile Tom from CNBA Africa last week. They were doing a short segment on Paperight after we won the TOC Startup Showcase in February.... Read more – ‘Paperight on CNBC Africa’.
Boden
... Read more – ‘Boden’.
Testing Serval Mesh Helper Prototypes in Moores Valley
Where we have been staying in Moores Valley near Wellington, NZ, the mobile phone coverage drops out half-way along the road, and power and even the bridge are cut from time to time by fallen trees... Read more – ‘Testing Serval Mesh Helper Prototypes in Moores Valley’.
Panel on TK Documentation, Valorisation and Compliance
On 27 February 2013, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) and Rodney Sibuyi (Kukula Traditional Health Practitioners Association) participated in a panel discussion together with Tom Suchanandan (South... Read more – ‘Panel on TK Documentation, Valorisation and Compliance’.
On our way north! 24 hours of train in from of us, leaving…
On our way north! 24 hours of train in from of us, leaving Göteborg in half an... Read more – ‘On our way north! 24 hours of train in from of us, leaving…’.
Katiba Institute’s Strategic Litigation Conference in Nairobi
On 1 March 2013, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) attended a regional forum on Litigating Minority/Vulnerable Groups’ Rights in Nairobi, Kenya. The forum was organized by the Katiba Institute which... Read more – ‘Katiba Institute’s Strategic Litigation Conference in Nairobi’.
Once a year, my laptop and I dance. It’s a routine called…
Once a year, my laptop and I dance. It’s a routine called I’m replacing you for a younger model and salvaging you for... Read more – ‘Once a year, my laptop and I dance. It’s a routine called…’.
Meeting of the African Group of Parties to CBD
Via abs-initiative.infoOn 1 March 2013, the African Group of parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (the African Group) had a meeting on the sidelines of the 7th Pan-African Access... Read more – ‘Meeting of the African Group of Parties to CBD’.
Arbitrary and abusive use of power against the Pandumaan-Sipituhuta Indigenous People in North Sumatra, Indonesia
The Pandumaan-Sipituhuta Indigenous People depend on benzoin forests for their livelihoods. Since 2009 the Toba Pulp Lestari company (TPL) has been clearing the community’s forest under a... Read more – ‘Arbitrary and abusive use of power against the Pandumaan-Sipituhuta Indigenous People in North Sumatra, Indonesia’.
Side Event on Proposed EU ABS Regulations
Via abs-initiative.infoOn 28 February 2013, the ABS Capacity Development Initiative held a side event on the draft EU ABS regulations during the 7th Pan-African Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS)... Read more – ‘Side Event on Proposed EU ABS Regulations’.
FAO Report: Biofuels and the Sustainability Challenge
Via the International Institute for Sustainable Development (IISD), the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation has released a new report entitled “Biofuels and the Sustainability Challenge.”From... Read more – ‘FAO Report: Biofuels and the Sustainability Challenge’.
ABS Initiative Team Meeting
From 4-5 March 2013, the ABS Capacity Development Initiative held a team meeting in Phalaborwa, South Africa following the 7th Pan-African ABS Workshop attended by Lassana Kone and Gino Cocchiaro of... Read more – ‘ABS Initiative Team Meeting’.
Thematic Session on BCPs
During the 7th Pan-African Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) workshop in Phalaborwa, South Africa, six thematic sessions were offered in French and English on 28 February 2013. Participants had the... Read more – ‘Thematic Session on BCPs’.
Where I’ve Been; Where I’m Going
Sometimes it helps to look backwards and figure out where you’ve been to get a clearer picture of where you’re going. As today is the first official day of my Shuttleworth Fellowship,... Read more – ‘Where I’ve Been; Where I’m Going’.
Launching the Commons Machinery
Today we officially start working on what will become a metadata infrastructure to make it easy to use free culture. Commons Machinery will work with standardised metadata to be used to mark up... Read more – ‘Launching the Commons Machinery’.
FPP Resource on RSPO Dispute Resolution System
Via www.forestpeoples.org/The Forest Peoples' Programme has produced a booklet documenting the dispute resolution system of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), a not-for-profit... Read more – ‘FPP Resource on RSPO Dispute Resolution System’.
IDLO Publications on Customary Justice
The International Development Law Organisation (IDLO) has released three edited volumes on customary justice. "Customary Justice: Perspectives on Legal Empowerment" was edited by Janine Ubink... Read more – ‘IDLO Publications on Customary Justice’.
Seventh Pan-African ABS Workshop
Natural Justice’s Lassana Kone and Gino Cocchiaro are attending the seventh Pan-African Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Workshop hosted by South Africa’s Department of Environmental Affairs from... Read more – ‘Seventh Pan-African ABS Workshop’.
Designers and Geeks
The post Designers and Geeks appeared first on... Read more – ‘Designers and Geeks’.
3KM Mesh link using Mesh Helper Prototypes
After the short-range testing of the mesh helpers, we then set about creating a longer-range test so that we could determine the maximum useful range. As part of the exercise, a VHF repeater... Read more – ‘3KM Mesh link using Mesh Helper Prototypes’.
Mesh link using our prototype Mesh Helper through ~200m of forest
Yesterday we setup a test link between two buildings here on the field exercise. The distance between the points was about 300m -- in theory short enough for a good WiFi link, like between a... Read more – ‘Mesh link using our prototype Mesh Helper through ~200m of forest’.
#cat
... Read more – ‘#cat’.
Presentation at National University of Juridical Sciences
On 24 February, 2013, Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) was invited by the Nature Committee of the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata to speak to students on Biocultural Rights and... Read more – ‘Presentation at National University of Juridical Sciences’.
Presentation at National University of Juridical Sciences
On 24 February, 2013, Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) was invited by the Nature Committee of the National University of Juridical Sciences, Kolkata to speak to students on Biocultural Rights and... Read more – ‘Presentation at National University of Juridical Sciences’.
#caturday
... Read more – ‘#caturday’.
Meeting on the Scope of BCPs in Bhubaneswar
Natural Justice and Vasundhara jointly organised a meeting on 22 February 2013 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha District, to discuss the scope of Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) in asserting community... Read more – ‘Meeting on the Scope of BCPs in Bhubaneswar’.
Meeting on the Scope of BCPs in Bhubaneswar
Natural Justice and Vasundhara jointly organised a meeting on 22 February 2013 in Bhubaneswar, Odisha District, to discuss the scope of Biocultural Community Protocols (BCPs) in asserting community... Read more – ‘Meeting on the Scope of BCPs in Bhubaneswar’.
Help Us Win $25,000! Rev Up Change
In 2012, Open Source Ecology board member Colby Thomson spoke at The Feast conference in New York. They recently selected us for the finals round of their competition to win $25,000 and a chance to... Read more – ‘Help Us Win $25,000! Rev Up Change’.
Launch of the Philippines ICCA Consortium
In the Philippines, the future of conservation is directly linked to Indigenous peoples. Recent spatial analysis shows that the vast majority of the country's remaining forests and key biodiversity... Read more – ‘Launch of the Philippines ICCA Consortium’.
Launch of the Philippines ICCA Consortium
In the Philippines, the future of conservation is directly linked to Indigenous peoples. Recent spatial analysis shows that the vast majority of the country's remaining forests and key biodiversity... Read more – ‘Launch of the Philippines ICCA Consortium’.
MOOCs and Digital Diploma Mills: Forgetting Our History
When David Noble first published his groundbreaking critique of online education in 1998, Digital Diploma Mills: The Automation of Higher Education, I thought to myself “he couldn’t be... Read more – ‘MOOCs and Digital Diploma Mills: Forgetting Our History’.
Second Meeting of the ARI-BCP
Natural Justice and the Law, Environment and Design (LED) Lab organised the second meeting of the Asia Regional Initiative on Biocultural Community Protocols (ARI-BCP) at the Srishti School of Art,... Read more – ‘Second Meeting of the ARI-BCP’.
Second Meeting of the ARI-BCP
Natural Justice and the Law, Environment and Design (LED) Lab organised the second meeting of the Asia Regional Initiative on Biocultural Community Protocols (ARI-BCP) at the Srishti School of Art,... Read more – ‘Second Meeting of the ARI-BCP’.
Yoza presentation given at NetExplo awards
Below is the presentation given by Steve Vosloo at the Netexplo Awards in Paris, 15 February 2013. It contains the latest stats on Yoza as well as examples of other mobile reading initiatives... Read more – ‘Yoza presentation given at NetExplo awards’.
An exciting new advertising sales role for Live Magazine’s new JHB office. Live Magazine is South Africa’s highest circulating free youth magazine, distributed every 3 months across the... Read more – ‘Wanted: Sales executive in Johannesburg’.
On 15 February 2013, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) attended a stakeholder dialogue meeting on the on-going plans and sharing of updates on the implementation of the Lamu Port and Lamu... Read more – ‘LAPSSET Dialogue Meeting in Nairobi’.
LAPSSET Dialogue Meeting in Nairobi
On 15 February 2013, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) attended a stakeholder dialogue meeting on the on-going plans and sharing of updates on the implementation of the Lamu Port and Lamu... Read more – ‘LAPSSET Dialogue Meeting in Nairobi’.
Yoza Cellphone Stories wins NetExplo Award
Yoza Cellphone Stories won a Netexplo Award in Paris. More information about the award and the presentation I gave is on the Yoza Project site. Me receiving the NetExplo Award for Yoza Cellphone... Read more – ‘Yoza Cellphone Stories wins NetExplo Award’.
Pastoralist BCP Programme Planning – Nairobi
Natural Justice's Gino Cocchiaro met with Life Africa Trust, Kivulini Trust and the Marsabit Accountability Forum in Nairobi, Kenya on 14 February. The meeting was to plan the two-year... Read more – ‘Pastoralist BCP Programme Planning – Nairobi’.
Pastoralist BCP Programme Planning – Nairobi
Natural Justice's Gino Cocchiaro met with Life Africa Trust, Kivulini Trust and the Marsabit Accountability Forum in Nairobi, Kenya on 14 February. The meeting was to plan the two-year... Read more – ‘Pastoralist BCP Programme Planning – Nairobi’.
On the 8.35 to Stockholm today. I’ll be talking to the PTS…
On the 8.35 to Stockholm today. I’ll be talking to the PTS about MediaGoblin and accessibility... Read more – ‘On the 8.35 to Stockholm today. I’ll be talking to the PTS…’.
Document Reveals Gas Company Plans for Manú National Park
Via guardian.co.ukA new document reveals Pluspetrol interests in the gas reserves of Manú National Park in the Peruvian Amazon. Unesco considers the park's biodiversity to exceed that of... Read more – ‘Document Reveals Gas Company Plans for Manú National Park’.
Document Reveals Gas Company Plans for Manú National Park
Via guardian.co.ukA new document reveals Pluspetrol interests in the gas reserves of Manú National Park in the Peruvian Amazon. Unesco considers the park's biodiversity to exceed that of... Read more – ‘Document Reveals Gas Company Plans for Manú National Park’.
On my way home from Brussels.
On my way home from... Read more – ‘On my way home from Brussels.’.
We finally have all the bits and pieces we need to assemble three prototype Serval Mesh Helper (SMH) devices, that under ideal conditions should be able to support links over tens of kilometres,... Read more – ‘Building Serval Mesh Helper Device Prototypes’.
Yoza Cellphone Stories is extremely proud to be a winner of the prestigious Netexplo Award in Paris. “Every year the Netexplo global observatory of digital innovations identifies the latest... Read more – ‘Yoza wins NetExplo Award’.
Michael AdeyeyeMichael Adeyeye has been a member of the Village Telco community since its earliest days. Back then he was a graduate student at the University of Cape Town but has since gone on to... Read more – ‘Ibadan Wireless User Group’.
EMRIP Submission on Indigenous Peoples and Access to Justice
Orang asli (Indigenous peoples) of Malaysia celebrate asuccessful High Court judgment in 2012. Photo via The Star.On 11 February, Natural Justice made two submissions to a Human Rights... Read more – ‘EMRIP Submission on Indigenous Peoples and Access to Justice’.
L’accès à la Justice des Autochtones Pygmées en Province du Nord Kivu
Mission de médiation foncière entre les populationsautochtones pygmées et non pygmées dans 4 localitésdu Groupement Ufamandu 1er, en territoire de Masisi.Photo de PIDP-Kivu.En date du... Read more – ‘L’accès à la Justice des Autochtones Pygmées en Province du Nord Kivu’.
L’accès à la Justice des Autochtones Pygmées en Province du Nord Kivu
Mission de médiation foncière entre les populationsautochtones pygmées et non pygmées dans 4 localitésdu Groupement Ufamandu 1er, en territoire de Masisi.Photo de PIDP-Kivu.En date du... Read more – ‘L’accès à la Justice des Autochtones Pygmées en Province du Nord Kivu’.
David L. Kirp writes an opinion pieces in the New York Times today, on the Secret to Fixing Bad…
David L. Kirp writes an opinion pieces in the New York Times today, on the Secret to Fixing Bad Schools. It’s a compelling piece that to me highlights some of the most fundamental aspects of... Read more – ‘David L. Kirp writes an opinion pieces in the New York Times today, on the Secret to Fixing Bad…’.
Community Visioning Workshop in Melangkap
Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) worked with Lanash Thanda and Alice Matthew (Borneo Conservancy) from 8-10 February to facilitate a workshop in Melangkap, a cluster of villages in Sabah, Malaysia,... Read more – ‘Community Visioning Workshop in Melangkap’.
Community Visioning Workshop in Melangkap
Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) worked with Lanash Thanda and Alice Matthew (Borneo Conservancy) from 8-10 February to facilitate a workshop in Melangkap, a cluster of villages in Sabah, Malaysia,... Read more – ‘Community Visioning Workshop in Melangkap’.
Major Court Victory for Tana River Delta Communities
Photo via www.facebook.com/pages/KenwebIn a significant victory for community land rights, the Kenyan High Court Judge Mumbi Ngugi has ruled that all land use plans for the Tana River Delta must be... Read more – ‘Major Court Victory for Tana River Delta Communities’.
Major Court Victory for Tana River Delta Communities
Photo via www.facebook.com/pages/KenwebIn a significant victory for community land rights, the Kenyan High Court Judge Mumbi Ngugi has ruled that all land use plans for the Tana River Delta must be... Read more – ‘Major Court Victory for Tana River Delta Communities’.
Assembly Videos – Power Cube and Brick Press
Those of you who’ve been following OSE over the years know how seriously we take documentation - it’s in keeping with our open-source principles and we believe it moves our work forward,... Read more – ‘Assembly Videos – Power Cube and Brick Press’.
CAO Audit of IFC Investments
The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the independent recourse mechanism of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has released an audit of the IFC’s financial sector investments together... Read more – ‘CAO Audit of IFC Investments’.
CAO Audit of IFC Investments
The Compliance Advisor Ombudsman (CAO), the independent recourse mechanism of the International Finance Corporation (IFC), has released an audit of the IFC’s financial sector investments together... Read more – ‘CAO Audit of IFC Investments’.
ICCA Consortium Newsletter Recaps 2012
The Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCA) Consortium has released the third edition of its newsletter, which focuses on Consortium events and activities from the... Read more – ‘ICCA Consortium Newsletter Recaps 2012’.
ICCA Consortium Newsletter Recaps 2012
The Indigenous Peoples’ and Community Conserved Areas and Territories (ICCA) Consortium has released the third edition of its newsletter, which focuses on Consortium events and activities from the... Read more – ‘ICCA Consortium Newsletter Recaps 2012’.
Prospectus sur les Protocoles Bioculturels Communautaires
Natural Justice vient de publier la version française de son prospectus sur les Protocoles Bioculturels Communautaires (PBCs). Ce prospectus fournit une définition des PBCs souvent utilisés par... Read more – ‘Prospectus sur les Protocoles Bioculturels Communautaires’.
Prospectus sur les Protocoles Bioculturels Communautaires
Natural Justice vient de publier la version française de son prospectus sur les Protocoles Bioculturels Communautaires (PBCs). Ce prospectus fournit une définition des PBCs souvent utilisés par... Read more – ‘Prospectus sur les Protocoles Bioculturels Communautaires’.
The team from the Law, Environment and Design (LED) Lab, a new partnership between Natural Justice and the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, visited three villages in the core area of the... Read more – ‘LED Lab Mapping in Sariska Tiger Reserve’.
The team from the Law, Environment and Design (LED) Lab, a new partnership between Natural Justice and the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology, visited three villages in the core area of the... Read more – ‘LED Lab Mapping in Sariska Tiger Reserve’.
My unpaid leave from BYU started January 1. I can honestly say I don’t think I’ve ever worked harder than I have during this past month. It’s been exhilarating and exhausting and... Read more – ‘Leave Update: Month 1’.
The Rights and Resources Initiative has released two ground-breaking reports highlighting the importance of secure land tenure in broader national and international law and policy and for... Read more – ‘RRI Reports on Secure Land Tenure’.
RRI Reports on Secure Land Tenure
The Rights and Resources Initiative has released two ground-breaking reports highlighting the importance of secure land tenure in broader national and international law and policy and for... Read more – ‘RRI Reports on Secure Land Tenure’.
Frukost, inspired by @klang67
Frukost, inspired by... Read more – ‘Frukost, inspired by @klang67’.
Embedded Annotations
The post Embedded Annotations appeared first on... Read more – ‘Embedded Annotations’.
Thought I better post a short note to say all the vacancies we’ve advertised are now unfortunately (or fortunately, for us) filled. Thanks for the incredibly overwhelming response – we... Read more – ‘Recruitment update: positions filled…’.
Read my piece published today in the Daily Maverick here, written mainly in response to the FNB advertising campaign that got everyone talking. Feel free to leave a... Read more – ‘(Mis)representing the voice of SA youth’.
Landmark Ruling Against Indigenous Title in Guyana
Via www.forestpeoples.orgThe High Court of Guyana has controversially ruled in support of a mining concession on titled Indigenous lands, setting a dangerous precedent for the already marginalised... Read more – ‘Landmark Ruling Against Indigenous Title in Guyana’.
Landmark Ruling Against Indigenous Title in Guyana
Via www.forestpeoples.orgThe High Court of Guyana has controversially ruled in support of a mining concession on titled Indigenous lands, setting a dangerous precedent for the already marginalised... Read more – ‘Landmark Ruling Against Indigenous Title in Guyana’.
One-day Strategy Charette
Emily Aiken, whom I met at the SupporTED Collaboratorium, has been working with me as a mentor on OSE media strategy, and recently organized a strategy charette in LA to move OSE’s offer... Read more – ‘One-day Strategy Charette’.
Usabilty team blog posts
The usability team that has been designing and testing the OER editor interactions will be blogging regularly to share everything about our design and testing process. Their first introduction... Read more – ‘Usabilty team blog posts’.
Major Publication on Multi-Stakeholder Processes
Natural Justice’s co-facilitator of the African BCP Initiative, ETC COMPAS, has released a significant new publication, “Power Dynamics in Multi-Stakeholder Processes: A Balancing Act,”... Read more – ‘Major Publication on Multi-Stakeholder Processes’.
Major Publication on Multi-Stakeholder Processes
Natural Justice’s co-facilitator of the African BCP Initiative, ETC COMPAS, has released a significant new publication, “Power Dynamics in Multi-Stakeholder Processes: A Balancing Act,”... Read more – ‘Major Publication on Multi-Stakeholder Processes’.
Serval Mesh 0.90 RC1 Demo
We hopped outside this week to run some tests on the Serval Mesh 0.90 release candidate to see how it performs outside, particularly Rhizome (including MeshMS) in a multi-hop configuration. We... Read more – ‘Serval Mesh 0.90 RC1 Demo’.
OERPUB Upcoming Plans – Embeddable OER editor, whole book authoring, sprints and workshops
I am thrilled to announce that the Shuttleworth Foundation will be supporting my fellowship and the OERPUB project for another year and we have an incredibly exciting year planned. We will be... Read more – ‘OERPUB Upcoming Plans – Embeddable OER editor, whole book authoring, sprints and workshops’.
It has been a very busy start to the year for everyone at Siyavula and on Friday last week (25th January) we met our criteria for our minimum viable product (MVP) which was really exciting.... Read more – ‘Siyavula’s MVP out’.
Kattlördagsmys
... Read more – ‘Kattlördagsmys’.
UN Human Rights Bodies’ Jurisprudence on Indigenous Peoples
In the rapidly changing field of international Indigenous rights, it can be difficult to track new developments. To address this gap, the Forest Peoples Programme has been monitoring all developments... Read more – ‘UN Human Rights Bodies’ Jurisprudence on Indigenous Peoples’.
UN Human Rights Bodies’ Jurisprudence on Indigenous Peoples
In the rapidly changing field of international Indigenous rights, it can be difficult to track new developments. To address this gap, the Forest Peoples Programme has been monitoring all developments... Read more – ‘UN Human Rights Bodies’ Jurisprudence on Indigenous Peoples’.
Namati Hiring
Natural Justice-partner Namati is hiring! Namati, which develops, implements and evaluates models for delivering quality legal aid at scale, has three positions open: Director of Finance and... Read more – ‘Namati Hiring’.
Namati Hiring
Natural Justice-partner Namati is hiring! Namati, which develops, implements and evaluates models for delivering quality legal aid at scale, has three positions open: Director of Finance and... Read more – ‘Namati Hiring’.
Serval Technology Stack (Part 2) – Rhizome
In a previous post, I began to discuss the Serval Technology stack, and gave a high-level overview of the lowest layers, upto the Serval Overlay Mesh (SOM), and the real-time Mesh Datagram Protocol... Read more – ‘Serval Technology Stack (Part 2) – Rhizome’.
FAO Journal on UN Guidelines on Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Land Tenure Journal’s latest edition examines the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the... Read more – ‘FAO Journal on UN Guidelines on Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests’.
FAO Journal on UN Guidelines on Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests
The UN Food and Agriculture Organization’s Land Tenure Journal’s latest edition examines the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the... Read more – ‘FAO Journal on UN Guidelines on Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests’.
Recruiting Operations Manager + Executive Team
Open Source Ecology is recruiting an executive team as part of its restructuring of 2013. The first position that we are looking to fill is an Operations Manager. Adrian Hong is advising us in this... Read more – ‘Recruiting Operations Manager + Executive Team’.
TänkOm’s intressekonflikter
TÄNK OM är utbildningskonsulter för skolan och vår vision är att skapa världens mest kreativa, nyfikna och innovativa skolor. Det här är jättebra: skolan behöver hjälp med att utvecklas... Read more – ‘TänkOm’s intressekonflikter’.
Welcoming Peter Brantley
The post Welcoming Peter Brantley appeared first on... Read more – ‘Welcoming Peter Brantley’.
Protocolos comunitarios bioculturales: Kit de herramientas para facilitadores comunitarios
Natural Justice acaba de lanzar la versión en español del "Protocolos comunitarios bioculturales: Kit de herramientas para facilitadores comunitarios". Desarrollado a través de las Iniciativas... Read more – ‘Protocolos comunitarios bioculturales: Kit de herramientas para facilitadores comunitarios’.
Protocolos comunitarios bioculturales: Kit de herramientas para facilitadores comunitarios
Natural Justice acaba de lanzar la versión en español del "Protocolos comunitarios bioculturales: Kit de herramientas para facilitadores comunitarios". Desarrollado a través de las Iniciativas... Read more – ‘Protocolos comunitarios bioculturales: Kit de herramientas para facilitadores comunitarios’.
Serval Mesh 0.90 Release Candidate 1 is Out
The past year and a half we have put a large amount of effort into rebuilding the Serval Mesh application from the inside out, to include end-to-end encryption, integrated short-messaging and... Read more – ‘Serval Mesh 0.90 Release Candidate 1 is Out’.
Paudibhuyan Community Meeting on Extractives – Odisha
In a meeting of the Paudibhuyan Community held in Kuanar Village, Keonjhar District, Odisha, India on 11 January 2012, community members raised serious concerns about mining and its impact on the... Read more – ‘Paudibhuyan Community Meeting on Extractives – Odisha’.
Paudibhuyan Community Meeting on Extractives – Odisha
In a meeting of the Paudibhuyan Community held in Kuanar Village, Keonjhar District, Odisha, India on 11 January 2012, community members raised serious concerns about mining and its impact on the... Read more – ‘Paudibhuyan Community Meeting on Extractives – Odisha’.
Last week I put up a P2PU Strategy post over at http://info.p2pu.org/2013/01/18/the-possibility-of-punk/ And I’ve increasingly been posting things related to P2PU over there. Which puts this... Read more – ‘P2PU Strategy post / Blog identity crisis’.
At TEDxAIMS: “Tech spreads slowly”
Yesterday’s TEDxAIMS was incredible. AIMS is the African Institute for Mathematical Sciences, an institution that provides full one-year, live-in scholarships to post-grad sciences students... Read more – ‘At TEDxAIMS: “Tech spreads slowly”’.
Bachelor/master thesis opportunity
I’m embarking on an exciting project with the Shuttleworth Foundation to explore the embedding of metadata for license and attribution requirements in digital works, something that will change... Read more – ‘Bachelor/master thesis opportunity’.
Disruptive innovations at Tools of Change
I’m thrilled to be heading to New York for this year’s Tools of Change for Publishing conference. I’ll be presenting along with Michael Smith of Worldreader in a session called... Read more – ‘Disruptive innovations at Tools of Change’.
Billigare anställa äldre än yngre
Det är sällan jag tar ut svängarna och tar ställning i några politiska hetpotatisar, men låt mig göra några observationer angående nystartsjobb och arbetsgivaravgift. Dagsläget är att... Read more – ‘Billigare anställa äldre än yngre’.
OSE Revamping in Critical 2013
This year is critical for OSE as we grow and stabilize as an organization. We are currently reorganizing in order to deliver on the promises of OSE’s Plan for 2013 as outlined in this 5 minute... Read more – ‘OSE Revamping in Critical 2013’.
The year in review – highlights for Siyavula in 2012
This last year has been a busy and exciting time for our small team, which has grown to 16 people who are dedicated to, and passionate about changing education in South Africa. We are proud of what... Read more – ‘The year in review – highlights for Siyavula in 2012’.
Factor e Farm has been the main development site for the Global Village Construction Set (GVCS), after we settled here in 2006 and built our first machine in 2008. (As an aside, we coined the term... Read more – ‘Machine Deployment and Pilot Projects’.
Report on CT REDD+ Dialogue
The outcomes of the Rights-based REDD+ dialogue held in Cape Town in November 2012 have been released in a new report. The dialogue was hosted by Natural Justice with the support of the Heinrich... Read more – ‘Report on CT REDD+ Dialogue’.
The outcomes of the Rights-based REDD+ dialogue held in Cape Town in November 2012 have been released in a new report. The dialogue was hosted by Natural Justice with the support of the Heinrich... Read more – ‘Report on CT REDD+ Dialogue’.
Community Corner – an update on the Siyavula Community
The Siyavula Community is for people who want to make a difference to South African education through volunteering their time, skills and expertise to our open educational resources. In 2012 we... Read more – ‘Community Corner – an update on the Siyavula Community’.
The free Intelligent Practice trial for your class
Siyavula is revolutionizing Digital Education in 2013 and you are invited The Intelligent Practice service is available for Maths and Science Grade 10, 11 and 12. Why do you need Intelligent... Read more – ‘The free Intelligent Practice trial for your class’.
Livity Africa is looking for a Senior Account Manager to work across our exciting young company, focusing on building the Live Magazine brand to become the leading youth media channel in SA. Launched... Read more – ‘Wanted: Senior Account Manager’.
Embedded Metadata for digital works
If you work with digital material: photos, music etcetera, you have probably encountered Creative Commons’s (CC) copyright licences (although there are others, CC is the best known). If you... Read more – ‘Embedded Metadata for digital works’.
Animated Film on REDD+
The Global Canopy Programme has released an updated version of “An Introduction to REDD”, described as "a short animated film that aims to explain REDD+ to non-expert audiences in a clear and... Read more – ‘Animated Film on REDD+’.
Animated Film on REDD+
The Global Canopy Programme has released an updated version of “An Introduction to REDD”, described as "a short animated film that aims to explain REDD+ to non-expert audiences in a clear and... Read more – ‘Animated Film on REDD+’.
ICCA Consortium Reports from IUCN Congress and CBD COP11 Available
Two participants' reports are now available from the ICCA Consortium that detail the events and outcomes of the International Union for Conservation of Nature World Conservation Congress (IUCN... Read more – ‘ICCA Consortium Reports from IUCN Congress and CBD COP11 Available’.
UN Resolution on Legal Aid
Via namati.orgThe United Nations Commission for Crime Prevention and Criminal Justice has unanimously adopted a resolution for the groundbreaking UN Principles and Guidelines on Access to Legal... Read more – ‘UN Resolution on Legal Aid’.
New article on Open Textbooks
Our latest article on open texts has been published! The Cost and Quality of Open Textbooks: Perceptions of Community College Faculty and Students (CC BY open access). Abstract: Proponents of open... Read more – ‘New article on Open Textbooks’.
Global Indigenous Movement in 2012
Intercontinental Cry, an independent, volunteer-run magazine dedicated to Indigenous Peoples, has released “Indigenous Struggles 2012: Dispatches from the Fourth World.” The report, which is... Read more – ‘Global Indigenous Movement in 2012’.
Workbooks available for download
You can download all the PDFs of the workbooks and Teachers’ Guides in English and Afrikaans at www.thunderboltkids.co.za To read a comprehensive blog post about the creation of these Natural... Read more – ‘Workbooks available for download’.
LED Lab Projects Presented
Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE... Read more – ‘LED Lab Projects Presented’.
PULP Book on Balancing Economic and Environmental Interests in Africa
As economic growth rates are increasing across Africa, questions and challenges around balancing ‘development’ with environmental protection are gaining significance. To consider how different... Read more – ‘PULP Book on Balancing Economic and Environmental Interests in Africa’.
Paudibhuyan Community of Odisha to Draft BCP
The traditional leaders of the Paudibhuyan community of the Khandadhar region of Sundergarh District in Odisha gathered on 24 December 2012 to prepare a strategy to protect their territory and... Read more – ‘Paudibhuyan Community of Odisha to Draft BCP’.
Via ikrweb.wordpress.com/Natural Justice partner Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan (LPPS) recently hosted a workshop for pastoralist communities who have drafted biocultural community protocols in... Read more – ‘Review of BCPs for Pastoralists in India’.
Towards the Open Source Civilization
We wrote Towards the Open Source Civilization for the latest issue of the MIT Innovations journal – an issue on Making in America. We have introduced the concept of Distributive... Read more – ‘Towards the Open Source Civilization’.
Guide to Investing in Locally Controlled Forestry
The Growing Forest Partnership initiative, in partnership with the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation, the International Institute for Environment and Development, the International Union for... Read more – ‘Guide to Investing in Locally Controlled Forestry’.
Main Outcomes of COP 18
Via unfccc.intThe Doha Climate Change Conference, the 18th Conference of Parties (COP 18) of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change, held at the end of 2012 resulted in the “Doha... Read more – ‘Main Outcomes of COP 18’.
Introducing the Land Matrix Project
The International Land Coalition, together with several international research institutes and development partners, has launched a ground-breaking new database to track global land deals. The... Read more – ‘Introducing the Land Matrix Project’.
Career Advice
To my great surprise, young people now somewhat frequently contact me in order to solicit career advice. They are usually in college or highschool, and want to know what the best next steps are... Read more – ‘Career Advice’.
Happy New Year 2013
The Christmas Gift to the World 2013 has been delivered. We are starting the year off on a good footing. I have succeeded in my re-application for the Shuttleworth Fellowship – a fellowship... Read more – ‘Happy New Year 2013’.
Corporate Narratives, ICTs, and Development
Once upon a time, a very long time ago, before even Google or mobile phones and long before Facebook, there was just the Internet. And folk who created the Internet and its early users were filled... Read more – ‘Corporate Narratives, ICTs, and Development’.
Four Perspective-Changing Books From 2012
This is about four books that changed the way I see the world in 2012. Two were published this year and two are a little older. Thinking, Fast and Slow – Daniel Kahneman Published: Oct... Read more – ‘Four Perspective-Changing Books From 2012’.
Introduction to Openness in Education, the 2013 Edition
Before I learned I would be able to take a sabbatical this year, I was scheduled to teach the 2013 edition of my Introduction to Openness in Education course at BYU during the winter term. Since I... Read more – ‘Introduction to Openness in Education, the 2013 Edition’.
2012 End of Year Update
Friends of Hypothes.is, While we've been fairly regular in our code contributions on github, in our tweets and more recently on our blog, we're past due for an outbound communication to... Read more – ‘2012 End of Year Update’.
Our Interface
The post Our Interface appeared first on... Read more – ‘Our Interface’.
Christmas Gift to the World 2012
Open Source Ecology is proud to present the Christmas Gift to the World. Our gift this year is demonstrating a major milestone in production efficiency. We have streamlined the production of our... Read more – ‘Christmas Gift to the World 2012’.
Kaffe i Japan (ping @klang67 :)
Kaffe i Japan (ping @klang67... Read more – ‘Kaffe i Japan (ping @klang67 :)’.
Shuttleworth Fellowship
Hypothes.is has just been awarded a Shuttleworth Fellowship for the 2013 year. Though the fellowship is technically awarded to an individual, the considerable funding it provides will help us bring... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Fellowship’.
Mayans, Flat World Knowledge, and Saylor.org
December 21, 2012 was supposed to be the day the world was going to end. Instead, it ended up being the day the Saylor Foundation saved a major portion of the educational Commons from disappearing.... Read more – ‘Mayans, Flat World Knowledge, and Saylor.org’.
Joining the Shuttleworth Foundation
As of March 2013, I’ll be taking up a seat as a Fellow of the Shuttleworth Foundation. This is extremely exciting and I’m grateful to everyone that helped make this happen! For those of... Read more – ‘Joining the Shuttleworth Foundation’.
Changes
There are some very exciting things happening in my life right now. 1. I’m extremely humbled and excited to have been awarded a Shuttleworth Fellowship. These Fellowships provide a... Read more – ‘Changes’.
M4D’s inconvenient truth
I loved this post by social-enterprise tech guru Ken Banks, articulating many of the principles we now (after years of getting it wrong) try to live by at Electric Book Works and Paperight. Yes, we... Read more – ‘M4D’s inconvenient truth’.
If I had any poetic talent, I would have done this in rhyming couplets set to the music of the Barenaked Ladies but sadly today you are left with my prose. Hum along with me anyway. If you work in... Read more – ‘If I Had 50 Million Dollars’.
Illich wrote of learning webs that provide access to people, materials and tools to support interest-driven learning. Open source software communities have demonstrated how self-organized communities... Read more – ‘Learning Like the Web’.
Natural Justice and the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology co-hosted a workshop entitled “Engendering Dialogue among Law, Environment and Design” at Srishti's campus in Bangalore,... Read more – ‘Law, Environment and Design Workshop – Bangalore’.
The Best OER Revise / Remix Ever?
In fall of 2011, I took a new approach to the Project Management course I teach each year. I wanted my students to gain hands on experience managing a project, I wanted them to feel the pressure of... Read more – ‘The Best OER Revise / Remix Ever?’.
Analysis of the Current State of COP18 Negotiations and Indigenous Peoples' Demands on the Green Climate Fund from Tebtebba on Vimeo.Via the Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), a recent panel... Read more – ‘Panel on COP 18 and Indigenous Peoples’ Rights’.
On 6-7 December 2012, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) attended a meeting of the Kukula Traditional Health Practitioners Association in Thulamahashe, South Africa. The Kukula Traditional Health... Read more – ‘Kukula Healers Review 2012 & Plan for 2013’.
BIOPAMA Regional Workshop – Eastern & Southern Africa
Via www.iucn.orgFrom 4-6 December, 2012, Gino Cocchiaro of Natural Justice attended the regional workshop for southern and eastern Africa on the Biodiversity and Protected Areas Management (BIOPAMA)... Read more – ‘BIOPAMA Regional Workshop – Eastern & Southern Africa’.
Writing up a quarterly update for the Shuttleworth Foundation folks is a good opportunity to look back on the last 3 months. Everything moves so fast here that one thing we’re definitely *bad*... Read more – ‘Things that make me proud…’.
Live Mag SA x eNca Internships
Last week, eNca – South Africa’s fast-rising news channel – confirmed the selection of two Live Magazine SA graduates for full-time paid broadcast internships at the channel’s... Read more – ‘Live Mag SA x eNca Internships’.
First UN Forum on Business and Human Rights
The first United Nations Forum on Business and Human Rights took place in Geneva from 3-5 December 2012, hosting around one thousand participants from around the world to discuss how governments and... Read more – ‘First UN Forum on Business and Human Rights’.
Principles of Remixable OER
For the past six months the OERPUB team has been working on an editor for remixable open education resources (OER). We are embedding the editor within a workflow that supports first converting... Read more – ‘Principles of Remixable OER’.
Analytics and The Art of Learning
I posted a long piece about analytics and the (lost) art of learning over on the P2PU blog. It is quite a personal reflection and made me think about my own personal journey, and the influence my... Read more – ‘Analytics and The Art of Learning’.
Good tools make you smile
I recently downloaded Sketch, an inexpensive vector drawing tool for OSX. I was actually hoping for a pixel / photo editing tool that could replace Seashore, which is free and I appreciate the fact... Read more – ‘Good tools make you smile’.
Is it caturday yet?
Is it caturday... Read more – ‘Is it caturday yet?’.
CBD Alliance Recap of COP 11
The CBD Alliance has launched a special issue of its ECO newsletter focused on the discussions, outcomes and challenges of the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological... Read more – ‘CBD Alliance Recap of COP 11’.
Wanted: Youth Development Producer for Live Mag (Cape Town)
Live Magazine SA is recruiting for a unique role that combines the challenge of helping to produce a national magazine and developing the young talent of the future. Launched in 2011, Live Magazine... Read more – ‘Wanted: Youth Development Producer for Live Mag (Cape Town)’.
National Geographic Post on Biocultural Diversity
Via nationalgeographic.comGleb Raygorodetsky of Natural Justice-partner the Sacred Sites Initiative has drafted a post at National Geographic on the intensifying erosion of the earth’s... Read more – ‘National Geographic Post on Biocultural Diversity’.
Rhizome over MDP
The Serval Mesh uses our own overlay network, rather than relying solely on any underlying IP network. This decision was made for several reasons. First, we knew that IP over ad-hoc WiFi has a... Read more – ‘Rhizome over MDP’.
As government representatives gather to consider solutions to, and means to mitigate the impact of, climate change at the 18th Conference of Parties of the United Nations Framework Convention on... Read more – ‘Important Publications on REDD+ for COP 18’.
Syria in the Dark
Today it was announced that all Syria was cut off from the internet, and parts of the cellular telephone networks were shut down as well. This is an example of a "politically induced disaster" as... Read more – ‘Syria in the Dark’.
Video Repository on Forest Commodification
Forests are facing immense challenges from the increased commodification of their resources. Some incoming policies may worsen these challenges dramatically. To highlight the lived experiences of... Read more – ‘Video Repository on Forest Commodification’.
Miskitu BCP Launched in Honduras
Moskitia Asla Takanka (MASTA), a Miskitu community-based organisation, has developed and launched a Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) with technical assistance from Natural Justice and the... Read more – ‘Miskitu BCP Launched in Honduras’.
Tuition is a Movie Ticket, OER are Popcorn
More response to the interesting discussion happening on the (closed) oer-community list. Brian Lamb asks: Finally, can somebody tell me if an NC license forbids reuse by non-profit public education... Read more – ‘Tuition is a Movie Ticket, OER are Popcorn’.
AIPP Report on Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change Adaptation
Climate change is increasingly impacting the livelihoods and wellbeing of Indigenous peoples through erratic rainfall, unpredictable climatic patterns, flooding, and increased water and food... Read more – ‘AIPP Report on Indigenous Peoples and Climate Change Adaptation’.
Agreeing with Stephen: Perspective Matters
Stop the presses. I’m going to agree with Stephen here. In a recent email to the (closed) oer-community mailing list, Stephen argued that perspective plays a significant role in this debate. He... Read more – ‘Agreeing with Stephen: Perspective Matters’.
Nu har jag varit och gett det årliga bidraget till familjen…
Nu har jag varit och gett det årliga bidraget till familjen Klang.... Read more – ‘Nu har jag varit och gett det årliga bidraget till familjen…’.
ABS Stakeholder Meeting – Vanuatu
On 26 November, 2012, a national stakeholder meeting was facilitated by Vanuatu’s Department of Environment and Conservation together with the national GEF Small Grants Program on Access and... Read more – ‘ABS Stakeholder Meeting – Vanuatu’.
Groundbreaking Resolution by Ecuador’s National Court of Justice
Via iucn.org/A resolution has been signed by all 21 judges of the National Court of Justice, a court with jurisdiction throughout all of Ecuador, declaring that judges in the province of... Read more – ‘Groundbreaking Resolution by Ecuador’s National Court of Justice’.
Oceania Biodiscovery Forum & ABS Capacity Development Workshop in Brisbane
From 19-22 November, 2012, the first ever Oceania Biodiscovery Forum took place in Brisbane, Australia. The meeting was jointly facilitated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment... Read more – ‘Oceania Biodiscovery Forum & ABS Capacity Development Workshop in Brisbane’.
The Worst
I don’t really know who Dustin Curtis is, but he blogs a lot, and those blog entries often end up on Hacker News. Not too long ago, he wrote a blog post titled “The Best,” in... Read more – ‘The Worst’.
UNFCCC COP 18
Via unfccc.intThe 18th session of the Conference of Parties (COP 18) to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is taking place from 26 November to 7 December, 2012 in Doha,... Read more – ‘UNFCCC COP 18’.
The great ideas in edtech are old. And that’s an opportunity.
I’ve been participating in the edtech reading group here at MIT, which brings together people from the Media Lab and CSAIL (Computer Science and Artifical Intelligence Lab). We have mainly... Read more – ‘The great ideas in edtech are old. And that’s an opportunity.’.
On a 16 bus home that will supposedly magically turn into a 17 bus in two minutes. Magic! …
On a 16 bus home that will supposedly magically turn into a 17 bus in two minutes. Magic! Let’s hope it... Read more – ‘On a 16 bus home that will supposedly magically turn into a 17 bus in two minutes. Magic! …’.
First Ever Global Soil Week
Let's Talk About Soil - English from IASS Vimeo Channel on Vimeo. Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE... Read more – ‘First Ever Global Soil Week’.
Göteborg. ..
Göteborg.... Read more – ‘Göteborg. ..’.
Sorting and validating SIM cards
Sorting and validating SIM... Read more – ‘Sorting and validating SIM cards’.
Sunday relaxing with cat
Sunday relaxing with... Read more – ‘Sunday relaxing with cat’.
Fellowship Opportunity at IACHR
Natural Justice strongly encourages partners to consider applying for a recently opened fellowship on Indigenous peoples' rights with the Executive Secretariat of the Inter-American Commission on... Read more – ‘Fellowship Opportunity at IACHR’.
Article on Unique Rights of Indigenous Peoples – Think Africa Press
Via thinkafricapress.comThe body of law and policy around the rights of Indigenous peoples and local communities is changing and expanding rapidly. To offer a brief overview of notable... Read more – ‘Article on Unique Rights of Indigenous Peoples – Think Africa Press’.
New Article on Ostrom’s Impact on American Legal Academy
Via www.thecommonsjournal.orgA new article has been released by the International Journal of the Commons on the impact of Elinor Ostrom’s work on the commons in the United States. The article,... Read more – ‘New Article on Ostrom’s Impact on American Legal Academy’.
US Carriers Continue to Seek to Avoid Emergency Preparedness (and all Other) Regulation
In the aftermath of "Super Storm Sandy", questions are being asked in the USA about carriers, their preparedness for handling emergencies and disasters, and in a subtle way, whether the carriers are... Read more – ‘US Carriers Continue to Seek to Avoid Emergency Preparedness (and all Other) Regulation’.
Smart Mob – Open Source Backhoe Design Review
Review the Design for the Open Source Backhoe Collaboration is the very core of our work. Join us in reviewing the new design for the open source backhoe by clicking the link below. People from all... Read more – ‘Smart Mob – Open Source Backhoe Design Review’.
Blog Post on Conservation and Human Rights
From its origins in seeking to protect disappearing wildlife at the behest of big-game hunters, conservation has evolved unpredictably and substantively over the past century. With a firm conviction... Read more – ‘Blog Post on Conservation and Human Rights’.
New Report on Sacred Natural Site Protection in Kenya
As Sacred Natural Sites in Kenya and around the world are increasingly threatened, the African Biodiversity Network, the Institute of Culture and Ecology and The Gaia Foundation have released a new... Read more – ‘New Report on Sacred Natural Site Protection in Kenya’.
‘Books for Africa’: Paperight at The Owl Club
It was a huge honour to be invited to speak at The Owl Club in Cape Town on 20 November 2012. The Owl Club gathers together every month a hundred of the wisest, friendliest, most distinguished men of... Read more – ‘‘Books for Africa’: Paperight at The Owl Club’.
New UEBT Brief on Nagoya Protocol
As the Nagoya Protocol to the Convention on Biological Diversity on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) is ratified by more and more nations, it is important that stakeholders understand its... Read more – ‘New UEBT Brief on Nagoya Protocol’.
True Fans Microfunding Development
Greetings, My name is Jacob Dalton, and I’m about to hit the road for Missouri. Along with Brad Lewis and Aaron Makaruk, I’ve been developing a True Fans microfunding web application.... Read more – ‘True Fans Microfunding Development’.
FAO Study on Women’s Role in Livestock Conservation
Via www.fao.orgWhile two-thirds of the world’s 600 million livestock keepers are women, the role of women in conservation and breeding indigenous livestock remains poorly documented and... Read more – ‘FAO Study on Women’s Role in Livestock Conservation’.
Two Opportunities for EMRIP Submissions
Via www.ohchr.orgTwo significant opportunities are available to contribute to the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples' (EMRIP) work to develop and monitor the... Read more – ‘Two Opportunities for EMRIP Submissions’.
Resource Media Report on Ecosystem Services Messaging and Strategy
Via the Ecosystem Services for Poverty Alleviation (ESPA) research programme, a new report has been released by Resource Media on public communications strategies and "messaging" for ecosystem... Read more – ‘Resource Media Report on Ecosystem Services Messaging and Strategy’.
Mozfest: Designing for authoring on mobile devices
Mozilla Festival, was as usual, energized and overwhelming at the same time. A thousand people filled the Ravensbourne media campus in East London. Marvin Reimer and I attended to show... Read more – ‘Mozfest: Designing for authoring on mobile devices’.
1st Africa Land Forum – Yaoundé Declaration
In recent years, the demand for productive land has surged as a result of global food and financial crises, as well as increasing concerns about energy security. In many countries, carbon... Read more – ‘1st Africa Land Forum – Yaoundé Declaration’.
DRAFT WIPO Toolkit on TK for Comment
While a wide range of tools have been developed to protect Traditional Knowledge (TK) and Traditional Cultural Expressions (TCEs), the focus has primarily been on documentation. With emerging... Read more – ‘DRAFT WIPO Toolkit on TK for Comment’.
Apply for Global Environments Summer Academy – 2013
Via www.global-diversity.orgThe third Global Environments Summer Academy (GESA) on Socio-ecological Interactions in a Dynamic World will be held from 27 July – 18 August, 2013 at the Centre... Read more – ‘Apply for Global Environments Summer Academy – 2013’.
Major Report on Ocean-Grabbing
The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the right to food, Olivier De Schutter, has warned of the threat of ‘ocean-grabbing’ to food security in a special report to the 67th session of the UN... Read more – ‘Major Report on Ocean-Grabbing’.
Natural Justice Presents at ECCHR Workshop
Normal 0 false false false EN-US JA X-NONE... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Presents at ECCHR Workshop’.
Special Rapporteur’s Annual Report to UN General Assembly
The UN General Assembly hall. (Courtesy of Wikipedia.)The United Nations Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, presented his annual report to the 67th... Read more – ‘Special Rapporteur’s Annual Report to UN General Assembly’.
OSE is Semifinalist in Focus Forward Film Competition
My name is Tristan – Video Communications Director for OSE. I directed, produced, and edited a 3 minute film, Build Yourself - for submission to the Focus Forward Film Competition. We... Read more – ‘OSE is Semifinalist in Focus Forward Film Competition’.
Live Mag is one year old
Happy birthday to us… And here’s the new issue, which hits the streets next... Read more – ‘Live Mag is one year old’.
Dialogue on Rights-based REDD+ Held in Cape Town
Cath Traynor (Natural Justice Associate) presenting onREDD+ Safeguards.Reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD+) is one of the key mitigation mechanisms under negotiation... Read more – ‘Dialogue on Rights-based REDD+ Held in Cape Town’.
ICCA Studies Featured in Stockholm Resilience Centre Research News
Indigenous rangers in Australia are increasingly gainingrecognition for "caring for country", including through theIndigenous Protected Area programme. Photo courtesy:Craig... Read more – ‘ICCA Studies Featured in Stockholm Resilience Centre Research News’.
Yoza nominated for WSA Mobile
In September last Yoza Cellphone Stories was nominated for a World Summit Award for Mobile Content. The goal of WSA Mobile is “selecting the world’s most outstanding mobile apps, putting... Read more – ‘Yoza nominated for WSA Mobile’.
Workshop on Legal Empowerment in Southeast Asia
Rooftops in Jakarta.From 6-7 November in Jakarta, Indonesia, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) attended a two-day workshop on legal empowerment in Southeast Asia. Hosted by Namati, the Open Society... Read more – ‘Workshop on Legal Empowerment in Southeast Asia’.
Presentation to GEF SGP – Kenya
Natural Justice was invited to present at a meeting of the GEF Small Grants Programme (SGP) Kenyan National Steering Committee on 9 November, 2012. The National Steering Committee includes... Read more – ‘Presentation to GEF SGP – Kenya’.
Kenyan Civil Society Meeting on ICCAs
Natural Justice's Gino Cocchiaro attended a meeting of Kenyan civil society representatives investigating the promotion of Indigenous peoples' and community conserved territories and areas... Read more – ‘Kenyan Civil Society Meeting on ICCAs’.
Cable on Free vs Open
Cable Green sent a frustrated email today to the Educause Openness Constituent Group. Here’s the key point: The Babson Survey Research Group has released a new report: Growing the Curriculum:... Read more – ‘Cable on Free vs Open’.
International Conference on Heart of Borneo Initiative
The proposed Heart of Borneo boundary(in yellow). Courtesy of WWF-Malaysia.The island of Borneo is one of the world's major biodiversity hotspots, with thousands of plant and animal species found... Read more – ‘International Conference on Heart of Borneo Initiative’.
How children (and everyone else) succeed
Paul Tough’s recent book “How Children Succeed” weaves together a broad body of research with stories of students, teachers, and principals to propose that there is hope for... Read more – ‘How children (and everyone else) succeed’.
Critical REDD Documentary from The Mending News
The Mending News, a news source that seeks to 'mend' current issues, has released a scathing critique of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) entitled "Exposing REDD:... Read more – ‘Critical REDD Documentary from The Mending News’.
Palm Oil Producer Violations Exposed
A series of major Asian palm oil companies that are members of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO) have been exposed for violations of RSPO guidelines. As a recent press release from the... Read more – ‘Palm Oil Producer Violations Exposed’.
Palm Oil and Bioenergy Strategies in SE Asia – Regional Seminar
Via SEIAs the cultivation and processing of palm oil and other biofuel foodstocks continues to expand in Southeast Asia, increasing its economic significance with support from international finance... Read more – ‘Palm Oil and Bioenergy Strategies in SE Asia – Regional Seminar’.
Wanted: Photography mentor for Live Mag SA
Could you help harness the enthusiasm and energy of talented young South African photographers and help them produce amazing work? We’re looking for an experienced photographer with an interest... Read more – ‘Wanted: Photography mentor for Live Mag SA’.
Reviewing OSE Strategic Plan
My name is Aaron Makaruk, and I am the Director of Development for Open Source Ecology. I recently gave a speech representing OSE at a TEDx event, and I’d like to invite you to watch the... Read more – ‘Reviewing OSE Strategic Plan’.
First Installment – OSEmail
We have begun writing a biweekly newsletter. While the blog posts tend to cover specific topics in depth, our newsletter aims to paint a broader update about our projects, partnerships, and other... Read more – ‘First Installment – OSEmail’.
Recognising Sacred Sites Could Double Conserved Area
Via www.cifor.orgAs attendees of the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) discussed how conserved areas can be increased from 12 to 17 percent of the... Read more – ‘Recognising Sacred Sites Could Double Conserved Area’.
Live Magazine SA: mentors needed
Wanted: volunteer professionals to mentor South Africa’s rising media stars Could you give up a few hours a month to help mentor young media trainees starting out on their careers? Use your... Read more – ‘Live Magazine SA: mentors needed’.
Open Writing of Serval Documentation
As the Serval Project is based in a University, we have a need to write academic papers. However, such papers take a while to write, get peer reviewed and published. This is a problem... Read more – ‘Open Writing of Serval Documentation’.
UNGA Report on Status of Indigenous Children’s Rights
Via www.unicef.orgThe UN Secretary-General has submitted a report on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which was adopted in 1989 and has been ratified or acceded... Read more – ‘UNGA Report on Status of Indigenous Children’s Rights’.
Major Conference on Land Grabbing
Via www.cornell-landproject.org/As international investors continue to buy large swathes of land in 'developing' nations, the Cornell University Department of Sociology and the Land Deal Politics... Read more – ‘Major Conference on Land Grabbing’.
Global Village Construction Set – 66 Prototypes Built to Date
Factor e Farm has been building Global Village Construction Set (GVCS) machines since 2008. That year, I announced the Global Village Construction Set concept for the first time in a presentation at... Read more – ‘Global Village Construction Set – 66 Prototypes Built to Date’.
After months of hard work we have completed our set of openly licensed books: ‘Grade 4-6 Natural Sciences and Technology with the Thunderbolt Kids’, according to the latest CAPS statement... Read more – ‘Update on the workbooks project’.
Kabir Bavikatte (left) and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice)discussing key issues in the negotiations towards a planof action on customary sustainable use. Photo via IISD-RS.Natural Justice was... Read more – ‘Overview of Key CBD COP11 Outcomes’.
Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) launching the study on legaland institutional aspects of ICCAs. Photo via IISD-RS.Natural Justice was recently in India for the 11th Conference of the... Read more – ‘Overview of Key CBD COP11 Events’.
Open Ed 2012 : Preliminary Results of Testing the OERPUB Editor designs
Chinese food in VancouverOpen Ed 2012 just closed in Vancouver and I wrote this on my way home while looking forward to the community of family. I am extraordinarily lucky to work with a group of... Read more – ‘Open Ed 2012 : Preliminary Results of Testing the OERPUB Editor designs’.
High-Level Panel on Implementation of Nagoya Protocol
On 18 October 2012, Laureen Manuel of Natural Justice attended a high-level panel discussion at a side event at the Convention of Biodiversity’s (CBD) 11th Conference of the Parties (COP 11) in... Read more – ‘High-Level Panel on Implementation of Nagoya Protocol’.
Tana River Delta a Wetland of International Importance – Kenya
Tana River Delta via www.ramsar.orgThe Tana River Delta in Kenya, which includes part of Lamu County, has been officially designated as a Wetland of International Importance by the Kenyan government.... Read more – ‘Tana River Delta a Wetland of International Importance – Kenya’.
Applications Open for PLAAS Post-Graduate Diploma
The Institute for Poverty, Land and Agrarian Studies (PLAAS), a leading research institute of the University of the Western Cape (UWC) in Cape Town, South Africa, is now accepting applications for a... Read more – ‘Applications Open for PLAAS Post-Graduate Diploma’.
New ABS Partnership Announced at COP 11
In light of the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS), emerging national ABS frameworks and increasing overall awareness of ABS, a new set of opportunities for communities to benefit... Read more – ‘New ABS Partnership Announced at COP 11’.
Open Ed 2012, Vancouver, Invitation to talk and User Interface Testing
We are proud to present our newest OERPUB importers at Open Education for Education 2012 in Vancouver! If you want to see them in action, create an account at the Open Repository cnx.org and... Read more – ‘Open Ed 2012, Vancouver, Invitation to talk and User Interface Testing’.
How to get a Shuttleworth fellowship
I’ve said it before, and I’ll say it again, the Shuttleworth fellowship is gold-dust for people interested in starting a venture at the cross-section of technology, learning, and... Read more – ‘How to get a Shuttleworth fellowship’.
REDD+ Day at COP 11
On 16 October 2012, Laureen Manuel of Natural Justice attended REDD+ Day, hosted by the UN-REDD Programme and other partners at the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on... Read more – ‘REDD+ Day at COP 11’.
Namibian Press Conference at COP-11
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World Food Day
Today (October 16) is World Food Day, celebrated every year to mark the founding of the UN Food and Agricultural Organisation (FAO) in 1945 and to highlight challenges in providing food security. The... Read more – ‘World Food Day’.
Collaborative Production Run Video – The Liberator – Prototype IV
In the last blog post – we summarized the Collaborative Production Run results for The Liberator – our open source, automated, Compressed Earth Brick Press. Here is a video. CEB... Read more – ‘Collaborative Production Run Video – The Liberator – Prototype IV’.
Secure Communications Is Valuable
Well, we already knew this, but it is pleasing to see when others create things that are similar to what we are doing. In this case, it is Phil Zimmermann (of PGP fame). He has a startup... Read more – ‘Secure Communications Is Valuable’.
Failure drives learning. Or rather, debugging drives learning. Not getting it right the first time, making strategic changes, and observing their outcome lets us learn. This is all second nature to... Read more – ‘Too big too fail – One problem with MOOCs’.
New Publication and Website from UNDP-GEF
The Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (GEF SGP), implemented by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), has published a major report on the work done since the Rio... Read more – ‘New Publication and Website from UNDP-GEF’.
New Publication and Website from UNDP-GEF
The United Nations Development Programme Global Environment Facility Small Grants Programme (UNDP-GEF SGP) has published a major report on the work done since the Rio Earth Summit in 1992 to... Read more – ‘New Publication and Website from UNDP-GEF’.
CBD Secretariat Hosts Colloquium on ICCAs and Aichi Targets
Participants of national conference on ICCAs in the Philippines, which took place in March 2012. Photo viaiccaforum.org.According to a notification of the Secretariat of the Convention on... Read more – ‘CBD Secretariat Hosts Colloquium on ICCAs and Aichi Targets’.
In-Depth Article on Tana River Massacre
After the tragic loss of more than 50 Kenyans on 22 August in Riketa, a village in Kenya's Tana River Delta, numerous commentators identified long-standing conflict between the agricultural Orma... Read more – ‘In-Depth Article on Tana River Massacre’.
Workshop on National Federations and Coalitions of ICCAs
Jorge Nahuel (Mapuche Tribe, Argentina) speaking about atri-national coalition of Indigenous peoples. Photo credit: Aurelie Neumann / ICCA Consortium.On 11 October at the 11th Conference of the... Read more – ‘Workshop on National Federations and Coalitions of ICCAs’.
Two New Biodiversity Resources from UNDP
The United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) has released a significant new publication and an innovative database developed by the Equator Initiative. Both are developed from... Read more – ‘Two New Biodiversity Resources from UNDP’.
New CBD Newsletter – Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) and the CBD Alliance have released a new edition of Square Brackets, the newsletter they publish jointly. This edition’s focus is on... Read more – ‘New CBD Newsletter – Achieving the Aichi Biodiversity Targets’.
OPDP Seeking Interns in Kenya
96 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE... Read more – ‘OPDP Seeking Interns in Kenya’.
OPDP Seeking Interns in Kenya
96 800x600 Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE... Read more – ‘OPDP Seeking Interns in Kenya’.
We have demonstrated initial results of open source, social production applied to hardware. It took us 4 days to produce a complete Compressed Earth Block (CEB) Press in a Collaborative Production... Read more – ‘Collaborative Production Results’.
India has encouraged delegates at the 11th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP-11) in Hyderabad, India, to adopt the Nagoya Protocol on Access to Genetic... Read more – ‘India Urges Adoption of Nagoya Protocol’.
The 11th Conference of Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD COP11) is being held from 8-19 October, 2012, in Hyderabad, India. COP 11 will consider the implementation of the... Read more – ‘Natural Justice in Hyderabad for CBD COP11’.
Back when we started with the Serval Project we were focussed on creating a proof-of-concept that showed the potential of the concept of enabling mobile telephones to communicate directly, and allow... Read more – ‘The Serval Technology Stack’.
Oxfam Briefing Note on Land Purchases in ‘Developing’ Nations
Via www.oxfamblogs.orgAs vast swathes of land in ‘developing’ nations are purchased by foreign investors, Oxfam has prepared a carefully researched briefing note on the impact of these... Read more – ‘Oxfam Briefing Note on Land Purchases in ‘Developing’ Nations’.
An Open Letter to Marc Andreessen and Rap Genius
When I got up this morning, I saw the remarkable news that VC firm Andreessen-Horowitz had announced a $15M investment in rap music annotation site Rap Genius. Congratulations to the team. I’m... Read more – ‘An Open Letter to Marc Andreessen and Rap Genius’.
Credit: Nick LunchAs delegates prepare for the 11th Conference of Parties (COP 11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) from 8-19 October in Hyderabad, India, Krystyna Swiderska of the... Read more – ‘New IIED Article on Community Protocols’.
Importante Nueva Publicación sobre Protocolos Comunitarios, Derechos y CLPI
El volumen 65 de Aprendizaje y Acción Participativos, (PLA), publicados por el International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), acaba de ser publicado. Intitulado “Biodiversidad y... Read more – ‘Importante Nueva Publicación sobre Protocolos Comunitarios, Derechos y CLPI’.
ALF Presentation on Creative Media and the Law
Namita Malhotra of the Alternative Law Forum (ALF) presented on her experiences using different forms of media to communicate the law at the Srishti School of Art, Design and Technology on 3 October,... Read more – ‘ALF Presentation on Creative Media and the Law’.
More Machines – Open Source Keyline Plow
“The ultimate goal of farming is not the growing of crops, but the cultivation and perfection of human beings.” -Masanobu Fukuoka, The One-Straw Revolution Open Source Keyline Plow from Open... Read more – ‘More Machines – Open Source Keyline Plow’.
TEDxCapeTown: Every book within walking distance of every home (video)
Back in July, I got to speak at TEDxCapeTown. It was a fantastic event, thanks to the tireless work of its amazing organising team. Here’s my talk. (It’s online only now because it was... Read more – ‘TEDxCapeTown: Every book within walking distance of every home (video)’.
Anaya Statement on Namibia Trip
The United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on the rights of indigenous peoples, James Anaya, has released an end-of-mission statement on his visit to Namibia from 20-28 September, 2012. During Mr... Read more – ‘Anaya Statement on Namibia Trip’.
Soul searching
We’ve been busy. In particular we’ve been thinking hard about the multitude of design decisions that inevitably present themselves in a project like this. How do we build an experience... Read more – ‘Soul searching’.
!Khwa ttu Awarded Golden Shield Heritage Award
Natural Justice partner !Khwa ttu, the San Education and Cultural Centre, has won the inaugural Golden Shield Heritage Award in the Outstanding Community Project category awarded by... Read more – ‘!Khwa ttu Awarded Golden Shield Heritage Award’.
CBD Alliance COP 11 Briefing Notes
The Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) Alliance, a consortium of activists and representatives from NGOs, CBOs, social movements and Indigenous People’s Organisations, has prepared 12... Read more – ‘CBD Alliance COP 11 Briefing Notes’.
Rio Tinto Mine’s Net Biodiversity Impact Measured
A fascinating partnership between the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the world’s largest environmental organisation, and Rio Tinto, one of the world’s largest mining... Read more – ‘Rio Tinto Mine’s Net Biodiversity Impact Measured’.
Major Khoe and San Genome Study
via SABC.co.zaA genomic study has revealed that the Khoe and San communities of southern Africa are “descendants of the earliest diversification event in the history of all humans - some 100 000... Read more – ‘Major Khoe and San Genome Study’.
The Liberator – CEB Press Prototype IV – Design Complete
We’re pleased to announce design completion of Prototype IV of the Compressed Earth Brick (CEB) Press. The machine has come a long way since Prototype I. The main changes since Prototype... Read more – ‘The Liberator – CEB Press Prototype IV – Design Complete’.
Nouveau film intitulé "Protocoles bioculturels communautaires: Articulant et Affirmant l’intendance des communautés"
Au moment où les protocoles bioculturelles communautaires se propagent dans le monde entier comme moyen d’auto-affirmation et de protection juridique des communautés, un nouveau film intitulé... Read more – ‘Nouveau film intitulé "Protocoles bioculturels communautaires: Articulant et Affirmant l’intendance des communautés"’.
Why we do what we do
Recently we became aware of an opportunity to join ReadyForce’s Hacker Tour 2012 of top US Computer Science and Engineering schools, as they reach out to graduating students interested in... Read more – ‘Why we do what we do’.
E-Module on REDD+ for Communities
Human activities are consuming huge amounts of fossil fuels and raw materials that are creating massive amounts of persistent gases that are dramatically changing weather patterns in unpredictable... Read more – ‘E-Module on REDD+ for Communities’.
UN Resolution: World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in September 2014
Photo via social.un.orgThe United Nations General Assembly has adopted a draft resolution to hold a high-level plenary meeting on 22-23 September, 2014 in New York to be known as the World Conference... Read more – ‘UN Resolution: World Conference on Indigenous Peoples in September 2014’.
Please vote for our SXSWedu 2013 panel
I am the organizer for a SXSWedu panel, Advances in Open Textbook Publishing, that will show off new OER authoring tools, production pipelines, and interactive content visualizations. I will be... Read more – ‘Please vote for our SXSWedu 2013 panel’.
New Scientist covers fact-checking
Jim Giles has written perhaps the best piece yet on the landscape of fact-checking in a New Scientist piece that published today (archival PDF). He details a range of efforts, both editorial and... Read more – ‘New Scientist covers fact-checking’.
35 Reasons to Worry About Privacy in Africa
Over the last five years there has been a steady trend for African governments to implement mandatory SIM card registration policies. This means that you can’t buy a SIM card for a mobile... Read more – ‘35 Reasons to Worry About Privacy in Africa’.
Creating and editing math: Can we get away with a lazy first cut?
If you would like to see a 2 minute video showing several quick workflows, please scroll to the end of this blog.Editing math: How lazy can our interface be and still be really useful to authors?My... Read more – ‘Creating and editing math: Can we get away with a lazy first cut?’.
Whanganui River to Gain Legal Personality
Credit: James Shook, Wikipedia Commons, vianewswatch.nationalgeographic.comIn a significant recognition of the significance of the environment, a framework agreement between the New Zealand... Read more – ‘Whanganui River to Gain Legal Personality’.
Película sobre Protocolos Comunitarios Bioculturales disponible con subtítulos en español
Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE... Read more – ‘Película sobre Protocolos Comunitarios Bioculturales disponible con subtítulos en español’.
Película sobre Protocolos Comunitarios Bioculturales disponible con subtítulos en español
Normal 0 false false false EN-GB JA X-NONE... Read more – ‘Película sobre Protocolos Comunitarios Bioculturales disponible con subtítulos en español’.
The LifeTrac Story
Here is a historical perspective on LifeTrac since September 2008 – the completion of LifeTrac Prototype I. The LifeTrac Story from Open Source Ecology on Vimeo. Right now we are using the... Read more – ‘The LifeTrac Story’.
UNEP Protected Planet Report
The United Nations Environment Programme's World Conservation Monitoring Center (UNEP-WCMC) has released its first ever "Protected Planet Report." The report seeks to track global progress towards... Read more – ‘UNEP Protected Planet Report’.
TCF Panel on Linking Agriculture and Conservation
Via www.christensenfund.orgNatural Justice partner and funder, The Christensen Fund (TCF), organised a panel discussion at the International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) World... Read more – ‘TCF Panel on Linking Agriculture and Conservation’.
Now in PE and Durban
Issue 4 is the first edition of Live Magazine to be distributed into both Durban and Port Elizabeth, as we widen our scope out from the Western Cape and Gauteng. Here’s a snap of the mag being... Read more – ‘Now in PE and Durban’.
IUCN Journal on PAs and Conservation Re-Launched
The International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) has released the first edition of its re-launched PARKS: The International Journal of Protected Areas and Conservation. The journal includes... Read more – ‘IUCN Journal on PAs and Conservation Re-Launched’.
E-Module on ABS for Communities
Natural Justice has developed a draft e-module that aims to provide an introduction to access and benefit sharing (ABS) and its implications for Indigenous peoples and local communities. It... Read more – ‘E-Module on ABS for Communities’.
Natural Justice’s Arpitha Kodiveri and Sankar Pani attended a two day consultation on ‘Community Forest Rights under Forest Rights Act: Challenges and Opportunities for Biodiversity Conservation... Read more – ‘Kachchh Community Workshop on Forest Rights Act’.
Transformed
I just got back from the SupporTED Collaboratorium. This is what it’s about: . It was my honor and privilege to attend as one of 9 TED Fellows, a peak moment. This is my debrief at minute... Read more – ‘Transformed’.
Choosing your first ereader
So you’ve decided that that many people can’t be wrong: it’s time to get an ereader. But which one? The industry of ereaders and other mobile devices is filled with big and small... Read more – ‘Choosing your first ereader’.
Collaboration XOR Offline Editing
Source: Public domainWe are building the latest and greatest authoring tool for creating textbooks and other educational material and we need to decide how important it is to support simultaneous... Read more – ‘Collaboration XOR Offline Editing’.
History in the Making: First Independent Replication of Open Source Tractor
Daniel and Hayden, recent graduates of the Polytechnic High School in Pasadena, CA, along with their engineering class and several students from nearby Blair High School, recently completed a build... Read more – ‘History in the Making: First Independent Replication of Open Source Tractor’.
Terralingua E-Magazine on Sacred Natural Sites
Terralingua has published its latest Langscape e-magazine, “Sacred Natural Sites; Sources of Biocultural Diversity.” This edition was co-edited by Luisa Maffi and Ortixia Dilts of Terralingua and... Read more – ‘Terralingua E-Magazine on Sacred Natural Sites’.
Anaya Report to UN Human Rights Council
From the Special Rapporteur'sYoutube channelThe United Nation’s Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, submitted a report to the UN Human Rights Council on... Read more – ‘Anaya Report to UN Human Rights Council’.
WIPO Indigenous Fellowship – Applications Open
The World Intellectual Property Organisation (WIPO) is seeking expressions of interest from indigenous individuals for the WIPO Indigenous Fellowship for 2013. The Fellowship seeks to build on a... Read more – ‘WIPO Indigenous Fellowship – Applications Open’.
FPP Seeking Executive Director
Via www.forestpeoples.orgThe Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) is seeking an experienced and dynamic person to serve as Executive Director. The person should be committed to the continued and successful... Read more – ‘FPP Seeking Executive Director’.
Short Film on Artisanal Fishing in Latin America
Artisanal fisherfolk in Latin America face immense challenges from overfishing and climate change. To highlight these challenges and allow young artisanal fisherfolk to share their own... Read more – ‘Short Film on Artisanal Fishing in Latin America’.
Natural Justice at 5th IUCN WCC
Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm of Natural Justice are in Jeju, South Korea, to participate in the Fifth World Conservation Congress of the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN). The... Read more – ‘Natural Justice at 5th IUCN WCC’.
Technology doesn’t solve problems
When you’re a tech-oriented person, people assume you think tech solves problems. Tech doesn’t, it’s just a useful and flexible tool. At Education Week recently, acclaimed ICT... Read more – ‘Technology doesn’t solve problems’.
Average Annual Change in US Mean Family Income, 1950-2010
Average Annual Change in Mean Family Income, 1950-2010, by Quintile and for the Top 5 Percent. Source: Pew Research report “Fewer, Poorer, Gloomier: The Lost Decade of the Middle... Read more – ‘Average Annual Change in US Mean Family Income, 1950-2010’.
Average Annual Change in US Mean Family Income, 1950-2010
Average Annual Change in Mean Family Income, 1950-2010, by Quintile and for the Top 5 Percent. Source: Pew Research report “Fewer, Poorer, Gloomier: The Lost Decade of the Middle... Read more – ‘Average Annual Change in US Mean Family Income, 1950-2010’.
Yanomami Community Members Killed in Clash with Miners
While details are still emerging, it appears that as many as 80 Yanomami community members in the Amazon in Venezuela have been massacred by illegal gold miners. According to a submission to... Read more – ‘Yanomami Community Members Killed in Clash with Miners’.
UEBT Hiring Project Officer
The Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT), a Natural Justice partner on work around communities, dialogue and biotrade, is seeking a Project Officer on Business and Biodiversity Policy Implementation.... Read more – ‘UEBT Hiring Project Officer’.
Open Source Dimensional Sawmill – First Test Run
We have built and run the Open Source Ecology Dimensional Sawmill for the first time. The Dimensional Sawmill allows you to turn logs into dimensional lumber. There are several other types of... Read more – ‘Open Source Dimensional Sawmill – First Test Run’.
Belo Monte Construction Allowed to Resume
Rendering of the proposed Belo Monte dam viahttp://indiancountrytodaymedianetwork.comThe $13 billion Belo Monte mega dam is under construction again in the heart of the Amazon as the Brazilian... Read more – ‘Belo Monte Construction Allowed to Resume’.
Participate in IUCN WCC
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature (IUCN) World Conservation Congress starts next week and the latest newsletter from IUCN has spotlighted the many ways that people from around... Read more – ‘Participate in IUCN WCC’.
Khwe Indigenous Values Workshop in Bwabata National Park
More photos hereFrom 19-22 August, 2012, Natural Justice attended and helped to facilitate a Khwe Indigenous Values workshop held in Bwabwata National Park, West Caprivi, Namibia as the beginning of... Read more – ‘Khwe Indigenous Values Workshop in Bwabata National Park’.
Imbak Canyon Ethno-forestry
Harry Jonas of Natural Justice presented on "ABS: From International Law to Local Realities" at a workshop hosted by Yayasan Sabah and Petronas in Kota Kinabalu, Malaysia. The workshop focused on how... Read more – ‘Imbak Canyon Ethno-forestry’.
Open Source Ecology is currently recruiting two key members to our team: a Master Prototyper and a Machine Designer. The pay is $4k/month for fully qualified candidates. This is part of our work... Read more – ‘Recruiting – Master Prototyper & Machine Designers’.
OSISA Briefing on San Values Workshop
Via www.OSISA.orgThe Open Society for Southern Africa, a partner and funder of Natural Justice, released a briefing this week on workshop held in Bwabata National Park on San Values and Biocultural... Read more – ‘OSISA Briefing on San Values Workshop’.
Natural Justice Joins GNHRE
Natural Justice has recently joined the Global Network for the Study of Human Rights and the Environment (GNHRE). The network, which describes itself as a network for the creation of change, is an... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Joins GNHRE’.
The future of education in Africa is mobile (BBC article, UK version)
The article I wrote for the BBC Future site (24 August 2012) is not available to users in the UK, so here it is below … The future of education in Africa is mobile Over the coming months, A... Read more – ‘The future of education in Africa is mobile (BBC article, UK version)’.
BCP Initiative Briefing Note
Natural Justice has released a new briefing note on the Biocultural Community Protocols Initiative entitled Biocultural Community Protocols: Articulating Stewardship, Asserting Rights, Affirming... Read more – ‘BCP Initiative Briefing Note’.
FPP Report: Indigenous Peoples and the Green Climate Fund
The Forest Peoples Programme and the Indigenous Peoples’ Network of Malaysia (JOAS) have drafted a technical briefing for Indigenous peoples, policy makers and support groups entitled Indigenous... Read more – ‘FPP Report: Indigenous Peoples and the Green Climate Fund’.
Environmental Law Association Conference in Cape Town
Photo via www.elasa.co.zaOn 25 August 2012, Laureen Manuel of Natural Justice attended the Environmental Law Association’s annual conference, which focused on the legal challenges facing South... Read more – ‘Environmental Law Association Conference in Cape Town’.
The TED Talent Search: five days left to vote
Over the last several months, TED has been running its global TED Talent Search (#TEDTalentSearch), an effort to draw on a wider pool of speakers than ever before for TED2013 in Long Beach,... Read more – ‘The TED Talent Search: five days left to vote’.
New SANBio Guidelines
The Southern Africa Network for Biosciences (SANBio), which is under the New African Partnership for Africa’s Development (NEPAD) of the African Union, has released new Traditional Knowledge and... Read more – ‘New SANBio Guidelines’.
3 New Village Telco Entrepreneur Profiles
Here are some new profiles of Village Telco entrepreneurship from around the world. Village Telco is growing now from many small deployments of 5-15 Mesh Potatoes to larger deployments of 50-200... Read more – ‘3 New Village Telco Entrepreneur Profiles’.
Sacred Natural Sites Interview
Sacred Natural Sites "IN Perspective": Indigenous Community Lawyer from South Africa from Sacred Natural Sites on Vimeo.Natural Justice's Lesle Jansen has been featured in a new Sacred Natural Sites... Read more – ‘Sacred Natural Sites Interview’.
Sacred Natural Sites "IN Perspective": Indigenous Community Lawyer from South Africa from Sacred Natural Sites on Vimeo.Natural Justice's Lesle Jansen has been featured in a new Sacred Natural Sites... Read more – ‘Sacred Natural Sites Interview’.
Photo credit: Cristina Mittermeier/International League of Conservation PhotographersIn a major victory for indigenous peoples’ rights, Brazil’s Regional Federal Tribunal has held that... Read more – ‘Major Court Victory over Belo Monte Dam’.
Textbooks in Rabat
The more I talk to people in education and publishing about what we’re doing at Paperight, the more I hear fascinating stories. My uncle David Attwell is an academic, teacher and writer who has... Read more – ‘Textbooks in Rabat’.
Open Source Cold Saw – First Prototype Test
We have developed an open-source Cold Saw – a cutting machine that produces rapid, precise, dust-free, burr-free cuts that leave the material cool to the touch. Cold Saw Intro: The... Read more – ‘Open Source Cold Saw – First Prototype Test’.
Live Magazine issue 4: the front cover
... Read more – ‘Live Magazine issue 4: the front cover’.
ABC figures announced: Live SA is top youth print title
Exciting news today: today the official Audit Bureau of Circulation figures were released, confirming Live Magazine SA as the biggest print title for 16-25 year olds in South Africa. According to... Read more – ‘ABC figures announced: Live SA is top youth print title’.
National Consultation on Protected Areas & Forest Rights
Sankar Pani of Natural Justice participated in a National Consultation on the Protected Areas and Forest Rights Act (FRA) on 12-13 August, 2012, in New Delhi. The consultation was organised by the... Read more – ‘National Consultation on Protected Areas & Forest Rights’.
Trade-publishing challenges in South Africa: Q&A with Smangele Mathebula
Smangele Mathebula is a Masters student at Oxford Brookes University studying trade publishing in South Africa. She’s looking for better business models that will allow trade publishers to... Read more – ‘Trade-publishing challenges in South Africa: Q&A with Smangele Mathebula’.
Collective Statement of Khoe Tribal Groupings
On the occasion of the International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples, representatives of the Griqua National Forum, the Khoi Heritage and Development Council, the Indigenous Peoples of Africa... Read more – ‘Collective Statement of Khoe Tribal Groupings’.
State Budget Crisis Task Force Report
The State Budget Crisis Task Force was convened in June 2011 and issued its report in July 2012. The top line quote from the main site states: State finances are not transparent and often... Read more – ‘State Budget Crisis Task Force Report’.
Debt Does Not Equal Revenue Except in California
Striking quote on inability to understand that debt != revenue: California is also confused about the meaning of the term “revenues”. Asked at a 2008 budget conference whether... Read more – ‘Debt Does Not Equal Revenue Except in California’.
The big news from our perspective is that my Shuttleworth Foundation (SF) Fellowship ended at the end of February 2012. A particularly exciting feature of SF Fellowships is that Fellows have the... Read more – ‘Siyavula, a social enterprise’.
Natural Justice is Seeking Volunteer Interns in New York
Natural Justice: Lawyers for Communities and the Environment is an international team of lawyers and legal experts. We engage with environmental, human rights and cultural heritage law to support... Read more – ‘Natural Justice is Seeking Volunteer Interns in New York’.
Joint Submission on Programme of Work on Article 8(j)
The Forest Peoples Programme, Natural Justice and 24 other Indigenous peoples’ and community-based organisations and supporting NGOs made a joint submission to the Secretariat of... Read more – ‘Joint Submission on Programme of Work on Article 8(j)’.
On mobiles for teacher development and edutainment: Interview by Russell Southwood of Balancing Act Africa
Below is an interview by Russell Southwood of Balancing Act Africa on mobile learning in Africa. The interview has two parts: the first video is about how mobile learning can tackle the global... Read more – ‘On mobiles for teacher development and edutainment: Interview by Russell Southwood of Balancing Act Africa’.
Flash Mobs – Towards Extreme Collaboration
Our process for building the Global Village Construction Set is radically collaborative. It has to be – because the task is huge: an open source set of the 50 different industrial machines that it... Read more – ‘Flash Mobs – Towards Extreme Collaboration’.
Open Source Ironworker Machine – Prototype II Completed
Hello World, it’s Brianna again, with the final update on Ironworker Prototype II. You can see former work on Prototype I from 2 years ago. See the wiki for more details. The Completed Ironworker... Read more – ‘Open Source Ironworker Machine – Prototype II Completed’.
New Report Critical of Biofuels
Science Magazine reports that the German National Academy of Sciences has issued a negative report on biofuels, suggesting they are not sustainable. The report, drafted by a panel of more than 20... Read more – ‘New Report Critical of Biofuels’.
IACHR Victory for Sarayaku Community
Sarayaku President José Gualinga via amnesty.orgIndigenous peoples claimed a major victory when the Inter-American Court on Human Rights ruled in favour of the Sarayaku community of Ecuador in... Read more – ‘IACHR Victory for Sarayaku Community’.
It’s competition season
I have been named a finalist in the South Australian Science Excellence Awards this year, which is really nice. You can check it out... Read more – ‘It’s competition season’.
REDD+ Readiness Workshop in Sabah
From 31 July to 1 August, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) participated in a workshop on Malaysia's emerging national institutional framework for Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest... Read more – ‘REDD+ Readiness Workshop in Sabah’.
CEB Press v4 Flash Mob and Production Director
CEB Press v4 – Flash Mob – Computer Aided Engineering (CAE) We are organizing a Flash Mob of contributors familiar with machine design and/or access to CAE/Finite Element Analysis... Read more – ‘CEB Press v4 Flash Mob and Production Director’.
Factor e Farm Update: June to July
Hello everyone, sorry for the delay between blog posts lately. I’m Parker Bonnell, one of OSE’s newer staff members, working primarily with Marcin and Aaron on organizational development. The... Read more – ‘Factor e Farm Update: June to July’.
Live Mag SA in Advantage Magazine
South Africa’s advertising trade publication, Advantage, this month featured a focus on how to reach a youth market, with a page dedicated to how Live Mag SA connects brands to a youth audience... Read more – ‘Live Mag SA in Advantage Magazine’.
IPACC Workshop in Pretoria
Photo from www.ipacc.org.zaLesle Jansen of Natural Justice participated in a workshop hosted by Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) in Pretoria from 23-25 July. IPACC is a... Read more – ‘IPACC Workshop in Pretoria’.
Siu Community Petition on Lamu Land
The Siu community in Lamu, Kenya, have taken the step of developing and signing a petition, presented to the Kenyan National Assembly on 21 June 2012, on the irregular allocation of land in... Read more – ‘Siu Community Petition on Lamu Land’.
From 24-26 July, Gino Cocchiaro of Natural Justice participated in the Public-Private Exchange on ABS Implementation for the Southern Africa Region, which took place in Maputo, Mozambique. The... Read more – ‘Public-Private Exchange on ABS in Mozambique’.
The Directors’ cut of our launch party in June, featuring breakdance, comedy, skateboards, house music and me sounding like John Major…... Read more – ‘Live Launch: the movie’.
With increased pressures upon the environment, and growing awareness of the need to engage broader populations in conservation efforts, the Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) has released a... Read more – ‘New RRI Report on NRM’.
OR12: Open Repositories in Edinburgh : OER and Institutional Repositories
Marvin Reimer, Ying Jin and I were recently in Edinburgh giving a workshop and talk related to our work with SWORD and OER. We have an extension called OERPub that adds defined metadata and specific... Read more – ‘OR12: Open Repositories in Edinburgh : OER and Institutional Repositories’.
OR12: Open Repositories in Edinburgh : OER and Institutional Repositories
Marvin Reimer, Ying Jin and I were recently in Edinburgh giving a workshop and talk related to our work with SWORD and OER. We have an extension called OERPub that adds defined metadata and specific... Read more – ‘OR12: Open Repositories in Edinburgh : OER and Institutional Repositories’.
New on the site: Wall of Fame
One of the biggest challenges of any social enterprise is proving or showcasing your social impact. But over the years we’ve always felt that the clearest way of showing the difference this... Read more – ‘New on the site: Wall of Fame’.
New Film on BCPs
As biocultural community protocols continue to spread around the world as means of community self-articulation and legal protection, a new film entitled ‘Biocultural Community Protocols:... Read more – ‘New Film on BCPs’.
I thought the time had come to finally dust off my blog and get things ticking over again. The best way to start probably being to reflect briefly on the events that led me to be in my current... Read more – ‘FHSST goals satisfied.’.
I thought the time had come to finally dust off my blog and get things ticking over again. The best way to start probably being to reflect briefly on the events that led me to be in my current... Read more – ‘FHSST goals satisfied.’.
New Paper on Traditional Resource Rights
Traditional resource rights (TRRs) are an integrated rights approach developed by Darrell Posey and colleagues in the 1990s. TRRs emerged as the result of an explicitly political legal project to... Read more – ‘New Paper on Traditional Resource Rights’.
New UNEP Global Environment Outlook
The Earth System is the basis for all of the consumption and work undertaken by the 7 billion human beings who now live on earth. Through increased exploitation of the earth’s resources, the Earth... Read more – ‘New UNEP Global Environment Outlook’.
Continuing Negotiations on Traditional Cultural Expressions Legal Instrument
The World Intellectual Property Organisation’s (WIPO) Intergovernmental Commission’s (IGC) negotiations on the draft text of an international legal instrument on the protection of traditional... Read more – ‘Continuing Negotiations on Traditional Cultural Expressions Legal Instrument’.
On 16 July, 2012, Greenpeace India held a panel discussion at the National Law School of India University in Bangalore to explore issues surrounding the nature of supplier liability under the recent... Read more – ‘Greenpeace Panel on India’s Nuclear Liability Act’.
In the aftermath of the United Nations Convention on Sustainable Development (Rio +20), Ahmed Abdel Latif of the International Centre for Trade and Sustainable Development has prepared a policy brief... Read more – ‘Policy Brief on IPRs and Rio +20’.
Natural Justice has developed a number of draft e-learning modules to support communities developing biocultural community protocols (BCPs) to increase their understanding of key international legal... Read more – ‘E-Module on TK and Sustainable Use of Biodiversity’.
It is now almost exactly two years since we made the first public demonstration of the Serval Project's vision for keeping mobile phones working without cellular networks or infrastructure, and it... Read more – ‘The Serval Project – Reflections Two Years In’.
Asia-Pacific Preparatory Workshop for COP11 Concludes
From 9-12 July in Chiang Mai, Thailand, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) served as a resource person for a preparatory workshop for representatives of Indigenous peoples and local communities in Asia... Read more – ‘Asia-Pacific Preparatory Workshop for COP11 Concludes’.
Everything Maths and Everything Science available on Mxit
Siyavula textbooks already available on a variety of devices Siyavula continuously strives to make their Everything Maths and Everything Science textbooks accessible to learners in a variety of... Read more – ‘Everything Maths and Everything Science available on Mxit’.
From 9-12 July in Chiang Mai, Thailand, the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is holding a workshop for representatives of Indigenous peoples and local communities from Asia... Read more – ‘Asia-Pacific Preparatory Workshop for COP11 Begins’.
UNDRIP E-Module for Communities
Natural Justice has developed a number of draft e-learning modules to support communities developing biocultural community protocols (BCPs) to increase their understanding of key international legal... Read more – ‘UNDRIP E-Module for Communities’.
UNDRIP E-Module for Communities
Natural Justice has developed a number of draft e-learning modules to support communities developing biocultural community protocols (BCPs) to increase their understanding of key international legal... Read more – ‘UNDRIP E-Module for Communities’.
Endogenous Development Training in Techiman, Ghana
The Natural Justice team and a number of its partners from Kenya, South Africa and Namibia attended a one week Certificate Program in Local and Indigenous Knowledge for Community-Driven Development... Read more – ‘Endogenous Development Training in Techiman, Ghana’.
Sneak-Peak of Encrypted Calls, Even on Slow Android Phones
Just a quick post to show the latest development code of the Serval Mesh running an encrypted phone call on some low-end handsets, and keeping comfortably below 50% CPU:As well as encryption, this... Read more – ‘Sneak-Peak of Encrypted Calls, Even on Slow Android Phones’.
Second Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol
Kabir Bavikatte of Natural Justice participated in the second meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol (ICNP 2) in Delhi from July 2-6, 2012. Kabir participated at the ICNP 2... Read more – ‘Second Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol’.
Who is Siyavula Siyavula works with volunteers to collaboratively author openly-licensed educational content. This means we grant educators the freedom to copy, edit, print and distribute the... Read more – ‘Siyavula’s take on teaching with technology’.
I just got back from TED Global. This was the best of the 3 TED conference that I attended so far – 2 of them at Long Beach. I have a chance to attend 2 more TED Conferences next year as the... Read more – ‘TED Global: Radical Openness’.
Not only did Aspiration invite us to the SanFrancisco Nonprofit Technology Center, butAllen Gunn (Gunner) gave us (4 of the 5) the scenic tour on the way, stopping at Twin Peaks.This past week a... Read more – ‘San Francisco Sprinting’.
Yesterday I touched down with my family in Halifax, Canada, our new home for the next few years. Well, actually near there, a small town south of Halifax called Lunenburg. When you have a foot in... Read more – ‘Cape Town to Lunenburg’.
New Namati Report on Community Land Registration
Namati, in partnership with the International Development Law Organization, the Sustainable Development Institute, Centro Terro Viva, and the Land and Equity Movement in Uganda, has released... Read more – ‘New Namati Report on Community Land Registration’.
Screenshots from Serval Nightly Builds
Hi all,Here are a few screenshots from the nightly builds of what will likely become Serval Mesh 0.90 in a couple of months time:The main display when running the mesh. The number at the bottom... Read more – ‘Screenshots from Serval Nightly Builds’.
Serval Project Quarterly Update 2012Q2
The last quarter has been quite an exciting one from our perspective, although much of the excitement has not been externally visible. So here are some of the highlights that you may or may not... Read more – ‘Serval Project Quarterly Update 2012Q2’.
Serval Mesh/BatPhone 0.08 Release
A release of the 0.08 version of Serval Mesh is going up on the Android Market as we speak (if you still see 0.07 on the market, please be patient -- it can take a few hours for Google to update the... Read more – ‘Serval Mesh/BatPhone 0.08 Release’.
It is the little things, the things that don't matter, that are really the big things, and the things that matter. This is doubly true if you are unable to live in your own home any longer, and... Read more – ‘Holodecks For Aged Care Facilities?’.
Evaluation Criteria for Choosing an Editor to Customize
Regarding the challenges proposed in the previous post, we have been working on a list of questions to ask of each editor. Here is what we have devised. Feedback always welcome. Evaluating the... Read more – ‘Evaluation Criteria for Choosing an Editor to Customize’.
Call Out for Inverter Project
Hey all, Vann here. If you have a background in Power Electronics, and are interested in acting as a consultant, mentor, or remote developer of our Power Inverter project, please contact me at... Read more – ‘Call Out for Inverter Project’.
Africa BCP Initiative Review in Wa, Ghana
Shea producers from Dafiama meeting with ABCPI participantsThe Natural Justice team was in Wa, Ghana for a review of the first phase of the Africa Biocultural Community Protocols Initiative (ABCPI)... Read more – ‘Africa BCP Initiative Review in Wa, Ghana’.
Can your editor do this? Take the challenge!
We are spending the weekend in San Francisco investigating open source web authoring tools. Our goal is to specialize one of them for creating OER that has rich structure (exercises, glossaries,... Read more – ‘Can your editor do this? Take the challenge!’.
Siyavula textbooks available for a variety of devices
The wide range of learning environments that exist in South Africa requires that Siyavula’s textbooks are available for variety of devices and in a range of different formats. Whether your... Read more – ‘Siyavula textbooks available for a variety of devices’.
MSP Review in Wa, Ghana
Shea butter productionThe Natural Justice team was hosted by the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) for a gathering in Wa, Ghana from 18-20 June for a review of... Read more – ‘MSP Review in Wa, Ghana’.
We are recruiting 6 documenters: Videographer, Communications Director, Documentation Director, CAD Director, Documentation Community Manager, and Director of Learning. See the Role Descriptions, and... Read more – ‘Recruiting Documentation Team’.
Thiel Fellow
Yoonseo Kang, one of our core crew of 8 at Factor e Farm – recently received $100k to keep out of school. He won the prestigious Thiel Fellowship. This fellowship is also known as the 20 Under... Read more – ‘Thiel Fellow’.
Major New Publication on Community Protocols, Rights and FPIC
Volume 65 of Participatory Learning and Action (PLA), published by the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), has just been released. Entitled "Biodiversity and Culture:... Read more – ‘Major New Publication on Community Protocols, Rights and FPIC’.
Filmmaker Ian Midgley visits Factor E Farm
I recently caught a ride with James Slade from Texas while filming the conclusion to my documentary on Open Source Ecology. We tied the LifeTrac prototype 4 onto a trailer and trucked it from... Read more – ‘Filmmaker Ian Midgley visits Factor E Farm’.
June 14 Update
Here is a quick summary of the state of affairs: This does not include the flurry of recruiting that we are working on – 6 documenters for the second half of 2012, as introduced in the last... Read more – ‘June 14 Update’.
Public Debt, Public Finances and OpenSpending
Excerpts and commentary on Niall Ferguson’s first Reith Lecture. All emphasis added. In reading this piece I thought constantly of the Open Spending project where we are endeavouring to... Read more – ‘Public Debt, Public Finances and OpenSpending’.
Preparatory Meeting for CBD COP11 in Burundi
From 9-14 June, the African regional preparatory meeting for indigenous peoples and local communities for the 11th Conference of the Parties (COP11) to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)... Read more – ‘Preparatory Meeting for CBD COP11 in Burundi’.
"Seeds of Freedom"
A new film, "Seeds of Freedom", has been released by the Gaia Foundation and the African Biodiversity Network (ABN) along with GRAIN, Navdanya International and MELCA International. It is... Read more – ‘"Seeds of Freedom"’.
Ashoka Globalizer
Harry Jonas attended the Ashoka Foundation's 6th Globalizer Summit in Geneva. The event focused on rural innovation and farming, and brought together a range of Ashoka Fellows and international... Read more – ‘Ashoka Globalizer’.
Africa Workshop for ILCs in Preparation for CBD COP 11
The first of three regional workshops in preparation for the 11th Conference of the Parties to the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) is taking place from 9-14 June in Bujumbura, Burundi. This... Read more – ‘Africa Workshop for ILCs in Preparation for CBD COP 11’.
Borana BCP Training
From 5-7 July, Natural Justice and Kivulini Trust facilitated a biocultural community protocol (BCP) training workshop for the Borana pastoralist community of the Waso Rangelands, Kenya. The... Read more – ‘Borana BCP Training’.
Final FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure
Farmer in Uganda. Photo via fao.orgThe Committee on World Food Security (CFS) endorsed the ‘Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the... Read more – ‘Final FAO Voluntary Guidelines on Tenure’.
New RRI Report on Forest Tenure Rights
With over 50 new laws passed to protect forest tenure rights and an increase from 10-15% to 21-31% of forest owned or controlled by Indigenous Peoples and forest communities from 1992 to today, there... Read more – ‘New RRI Report on Forest Tenure Rights’.
The Complexity of the White Industrial Saviour Complex or The Rules of White Liberal Do-Gooder Club
Allow me this moment of white liberal angst. I’ll try not to let it happen again. This post is inspired by the whole KONY2012 debacle and in particular by Teju Cole‘s piece “The White... Read more – ‘The Complexity of the White Industrial Saviour Complex or The Rules of White Liberal Do-Gooder Club’.
Special Rapporteurs Warn on Large-Scale Land Acquisitions
In Meruake, Indonesia, 1-2 million hectares of rainforest and small-scale farming plots are being converted into export-led crop and agrofuel plantations, potentially impacting the food security of... Read more – ‘Special Rapporteurs Warn on Large-Scale Land Acquisitions’.
No Such Thing As Free Lunch, Unless You Are A Social Entrepreneur
Social entrepreneurship has many definitions. My working definition is:"A Social Entrepreneur is someone who wants to make a positive change in the world, and realises that they still need to... Read more – ‘No Such Thing As Free Lunch, Unless You Are A Social Entrepreneur’.
No Such Thing As Free Lunch, Unless You Are A Social Entrepreneur
Social entrepreneurship has many definitions. My working definition is:"A Social Entrepreneur is someone who wants to make a positive change in the world, and realises that they still need to... Read more – ‘No Such Thing As Free Lunch, Unless You Are A Social Entrepreneur’.
The Universal Bug Tracker For Society
I have a problem. I have too many ideas for things that should be made or fixed to make the world a better place. Let me explain a little. I run the Serval Project, making mobile... Read more – ‘The Universal Bug Tracker For Society’.
Roundtable on the Green Economy in Africa
On 1 June, Natural Justice participated in a roundtable discussion on the prospects and challenges around an inclusive and pro-poor, natural resource-driven green economy in Africa in Johannesburg,... Read more – ‘Roundtable on the Green Economy in Africa’.
I don’t think many people have heard of the Shuttleworth Foundation. Yet the Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship is perhhaps the most prestigious social enterprise fellowship in the world, if... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Foundation Fellows Gathering Report’.
Photo via the Indian Law CentreThe Indian Law Centre has released new principles focused on the intersection of international law, indigenous rights and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and... Read more – ‘Indian Law Centre Principles on REDD+’.
RRI Review of Forest Tenure Legislation
With increased attention to forest conservation, especially in the context of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Degradation (REDD+), issues of tenure insecurity of Indigenous Peoples in... Read more – ‘RRI Review of Forest Tenure Legislation’.
Kukula Healers on German Prime Time News
Natural Justice partners and members of the African Biocultural Community Protocol Initiative Kukula Traditional Health Practitioners Association of Bushbuckridge, South Africa, were recently... Read more – ‘Kukula Healers on German Prime Time News’.
UNESCO Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning released
UNESCO has released the first set of papers in its Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning, for which I was a co-ordinating editor. The 12 papers of the initial launch make up almost 500 pages of... Read more – ‘UNESCO Working Paper Series on Mobile Learning released’.
FPIC and REDD in the DRC
Gino Cocchiaro of Natural Justice took part in meetings on free, prior and informed consent (FPIC) and Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) in the Democratic Republic... Read more – ‘FPIC and REDD in the DRC’.
We are in growing pains indeed. We have now recruited a Farm Director, Production Director, Executive Assistant, such that our population at Factor e Farm will grow to 17 people by July. We are... Read more – ‘May 28 Update’.
Workshop on BCPs, UNDRIP and MEAs
On 24 May during the 13th Congress of the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE), Holly Shrumm and Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) contributed to a full-day workshop on biocultural community... Read more – ‘Workshop on BCPs, UNDRIP and MEAs’.
Workshop on BCPs, UNDRIP and MEAs
On 24 May during the 13th Congress of the International Society of Ethnobiology (ISE), Holly Shrumm and Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) contributed to a full-day workshop on biocultural community... Read more – ‘Workshop on BCPs, UNDRIP and MEAs’.
Remembering Darrell Posey: Traditional Resource Rights Today
Darrell Posey with Kayapo children in the late 1970s(Courtesy: University of Oxford)On 21 May in Montpellier, France, Holly Shrumm and Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) hosted a session at the 13th... Read more – ‘Remembering Darrell Posey: Traditional Resource Rights Today’.
UEBT Publication on Biocultural Dialogues
The Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) has released a new publication documenting UEBT’s experience with biocultural dialogues in access and benefit sharing. The publication is based on experiences... Read more – ‘UEBT Publication on Biocultural Dialogues’.
Workshop for Emerging Ethnobiologists
From 17-20 May, Holly Shrumm and Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) attended the 2nd Workshop for Emerging Ethnobiologists in Gites-de-Briandes, France, which took place ahead of the 13th... Read more – ‘Workshop for Emerging Ethnobiologists’.
REDD+ Side Event at Bonn Climate Talks
Natural Justice partner the Global Forest Coalition participated in a side event to the Bonn Climate Change Conference in Bonn, Germany, on 17 May, focused on Reducing Emissions from... Read more – ‘REDD+ Side Event at Bonn Climate Talks’.
Someone Has Made My Shoe Phone Idea For Tracking Alzheimer’s Sufferers A Reality
Some time ago, I made the world's first working and wearable shoe phone, and then suggested how such technology might be used to support remote medical monitoring, falls detection and wanderer... Read more – ‘Someone Has Made My Shoe Phone Idea For Tracking Alzheimer’s Sufferers A Reality’.
Build a Mesh Potato Antenna Reflector
Click for printable PDFThis is a howto from Elektra on building an antenna reflector for your Mesh Potato. Properly attached and deployed it should more or less double the existing range of the... Read more – ‘Build a Mesh Potato Antenna Reflector’.
African Indigenous Peoples Declaration on Rio +20
Via www.mpido.orgA gathering of indigenous African communities adopted the Declaration of Indigenous Peoples of Africa on Sustainable Development and Rio +20 in Arusha, Tanzania on 19 April 2012.... Read more – ‘African Indigenous Peoples Declaration on Rio +20’.
Communications During Bushfires/Wild Fires
Today I had a look through a report into the 2009 Black Saturday Bushfires here in Australia. Bushfires (as we call wild fires in Australia) are not uncommon. What was uncommon about... Read more – ‘Communications During Bushfires/Wild Fires’.
Seeking ICT Support: May-July, 2012
Natural Justice is seeking a Cape Town-based service provider to support our organisation in maintaining, updating and occasionally developing further Natural Justice’s internet presence.... Read more – ‘Seeking ICT Support: May-July, 2012’.
New IUCN-CEESP Newsletter
The International Union for the Conservation of Nature’s Commission on Environmental, Economic and Social Policy’s (IUCN-CEESP) latest newsletter was released in May. The newsletter reports on... Read more – ‘New IUCN-CEESP Newsletter’.
Open Source Ecology Documentary Fundraiser
We’re launching an online crowd-funding campaign today to complete our feature documentary film that delves deep into the revolutionary action of Open Source Ecology! The goal is to raise... Read more – ‘Open Source Ecology Documentary Fundraiser’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 14th May 2012
Availability All week In Manchester for Future Everything Thursday and Friday Last Week In San Francisco for ONEF meeting Previous weeks: travelling in Brazil This Week Future... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 14th May 2012’.
Community Meeting in Bwabata Park, Namibia
Through its African Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP) Initiative, Natural Justice travelled to the Bwabwata National Park in West Kaprivi, Namibia during the week of 7th May to meet with... Read more – ‘Community Meeting in Bwabata Park, Namibia’.
Another really productive student intern!
Gbenga Badipe, a junior at Rice University, has also worked with my project as a student programmer since January. He will be continuing with the project in his senior year, lucky for us.Like Max, he... Read more – ‘Another really productive student intern!’.
Wax on, wax off: lessons The Karate Kid can teach us about tackling youth unemployment
Miyagi: Now, ready? Daniel: Yeah, I guess so. Miyagi: Daniel-san, must talk. Miyagi: Walk on road, hm? Walk left side, safe. Walk right side, safe. Walk middle, sooner or later Miyagi: get... Read more – ‘Wax on, wax off: lessons The Karate Kid can teach us about tackling youth unemployment’.
Wapichan Map 1.4 Million Hectares
Photo from www.forestpeoples.orgIn a bid to protect over 1.4 million hectares of community land, the Wapichan community of Guyana have produced a digital map of their territories. The mapping... Read more – ‘Wapichan Map 1.4 Million Hectares’.
As part of the Ashoka Globalizer, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) met with Rizwan Tayabali (pictured) for two days to further develop Natural Justice's scaling strategy. The Ashoka Globalizer is... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Prepares for the Ashoka Globalizer’.
As part of the Ashoka Globalizer, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) met with Rizwan Tayabali (pictured) for two days to further develop Natural Justice's scaling strategy. The Ashoka Globalizer is... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Prepares for the Ashoka Globalizer’.
I apologize for the lack of frequent reporting as we are going through ‘growing pains.’ We are busy recruiting for this whole ecology of positions. We had a large number of interviews... Read more – ‘Dear True Fans: May 7, 2012’.
As Vietnam prepares for the implementation of Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD), a challenge has been the limited information on how customary land rights and... Read more – ‘Case Study on Forest Use and Management in Vietnam’.
New Report on Large-Scale Land Acquisitions
Image via www.globalwitness.orgAs the scale of large-scale land acquisitions in developing nations continues to grow, Global Witness, the International Land Coalition and the Oakland Institute have... Read more – ‘New Report on Large-Scale Land Acquisitions’.
New CBD Newsletter
The May newsletter of the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) has been released. The newsletter includes a number of fascinating articles. Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice)... Read more – ‘New CBD Newsletter’.
On 28 and 29 May, Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) participated in the first meeting of the Diversity Liaison Group (DLG) of the joint programme on biological and cultural diversity... Read more – ‘First Meeting of the Diversity Liaison Group’.
AfTerFibre – GitHub, KML, and finally a plan
The idea for AfTerFibre is simple enough. Distribute the load of gathering information on terrestrial fibre optic cable projects in Africa by creating an online resource that anyone can contribute... Read more – ‘AfTerFibre – GitHub, KML, and finally a plan’.
Scaling the OSE organization has left me in some of the most grueling time over the last 2 months. This is because we’re innovating on about 20 points at a time – a critical formative... Read more – ‘May 1 Update’.
New JUST Conservation Website
Image via www.justconservation.orgThe JUST Conservation network, which seeks to link organisations and individuals seeking conservation achieved with justice, has launched a new website at... Read more – ‘New JUST Conservation Website’.
A really productive student developer.
Max Grossman has worked with my project as a student programmer since January and accomplished a great deal! He starts graduate school next year and hopes to continue working with the... Read more – ‘A really productive student developer.’.
Save Lamu Holds Stakeholder Meetings
On 25 and 27 April 2012, Natural Justice partner Save Lamu held two stakeholder meetings for Lamu County’s two districts: Lamu West and Lamu East. The meetings were designed to facilitate dialogue... Read more – ‘Save Lamu Holds Stakeholder Meetings’.
Import your slides into a lesson on Connexions (at the end of the summer)
Google Summer of Code is almost underway and our project is lucky enough to have snagged a student as part of Connexions' GSoC projects this summer. My earlier blog post describes the goals of the... Read more – ‘Import your slides into a lesson on Connexions (at the end of the summer)’.
Ulu Papar Community Congress
Harry Jonas attended a Community Congress focusing on biocultural diversity from the 18-22 of April. The Congress was hosted by the communities of Ulu Papar, held in Buayan and organized by the... Read more – ‘Ulu Papar Community Congress’.
Should Mozilla teach HTML5? YES!!!
Audrey Watters is conducting research on the question "Should Mozilla develop a tool to help the world learn HTML5?". You can join her fireside chat on Thursday and see the interviews that she has... Read more – ‘Should Mozilla teach HTML5? YES!!!’.
Resource Kit on PA Governance Update
From IUCN.orgAfter an in-depth review of the Convention on Biological Diversity's (CBD) Programme of Work on Protected Areas, the CBD and the International Union for the Conservation of... Read more – ‘Resource Kit on PA Governance Update’.
Documentary Trailer
Ian Midgley’s trailer is out on his documentary, You Are God. Check it out – it’s moving. No related posts.... Read more – ‘Documentary Trailer’.
Live Mag SA: Issue 3 sneak peek
Issue 3 will see a slight update in the design of Live Magazine SA, to bring it into line with the UK edition. Our four design musketeers, Sivu, Ryan, Clint and Thabo are hard at work, and... Read more – ‘Live Mag SA: Issue 3 sneak peek’.
New IUCN Academy e-Journal
From IUCN.orgThe third issue of the IUCN Academy e-Journal, which focuses on innovations in social justice and environmental governance and was edited by Elizabeth Kirk and Alexander Paterson, is now... Read more – ‘New IUCN Academy e-Journal’.
South Africa Consultation on BABS Regulation
On 18 April 2012, Johanna von Braun and Laureen Manuel of Natural Justice participated in a half day workshop organised by the Department of Environmental Affairs (DEA) of South Africa on the... Read more – ‘South Africa Consultation on BABS Regulation’.
One of the major features we are working on for the Serval Project right now is security. We want secure phone calls, secure MeshMS/SMS and secure data transfer. But the reality is that we have... Read more – ‘Making Security Simple’.
Making Security Simple
One of the major features we are working on for the Serval Project right now is security. We want secure phone calls, secure MeshMS/SMS and secure data transfer. But the reality is that we have... Read more – ‘Making Security Simple’.
I try not to be shocked any more at new announcements of undersea cable projects that are destined for African shores. But it’s no good. I am gobstopped again with the announcement of the... Read more – ‘African Undersea Cable Map Goes Non-Linear’.
Sharpening Serval’s Mission
We have been doing a bit of reflecting lately about what it is that we are trying to accomplish with the Serval Project, not because we wonder what we are trying to do or why we are trying to do it.... Read more – ‘Sharpening Serval’s Mission’.
The typography of the sign at the entrance looks better suited to a theme park than a notorious maximum security jail. Pollsmoor’s prison gates appear innocuously opposite open green space along a... Read more – ‘Welcome to Pollsmoor’.
Andrew Bateman will be joining us Monday, April 16 – as the Factor e Farm Documenter. This will help us provide more regular reporting on Open Source Ecology work happening worldwide and at... Read more – ‘Andrew Bateman: Factor e Farm Documenter’.
Via fra.org.in/The Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act, 2006, is a vital tool for communities in India to claim restitution for the deprivation... Read more – ‘New Website on India’s Forest Rights Act’.
Signing of the Manila Declaration via iccaforum.orgThe “Nature in the Footsteps of Our Ancestors” Conference in the Phillipines, attended by leaders of indigenous communities, government... Read more – ‘Manila Declaration on ICCAs’.
Supporting Bhutan’s ABS Policy Drafting Process
Kabir Bavikatte from Natural Justice and Morten Tvedt from the Fridjof Nansen Institute were in Bhutan from the 28th of March to the 7th of April to provide legal assistance to the Bhutan's National... Read more – ‘Supporting Bhutan’s ABS Policy Drafting Process’.
Supporting Bhutan’s ABS Policy Drafting Process
Kabir Bavikatte from Natural Justice and Morten Tvedt from the Fridjof Nansen Institute were in Bhutan from the 28th of March to the 7th of April to provide legal assistance to the Bhutan's National... Read more – ‘Supporting Bhutan’s ABS Policy Drafting Process’.
Extreme Manufacturing
We are proud to announce the beta release of an the Extreme Manufacturing platform for Open Source Ecology. We are now testing the platform. Extreme Manufacturing (XM) is an open source hardware... Read more – ‘Extreme Manufacturing’.
New Book on Extractive Industries, Indigenous Peoples, MNCs and States
The United Nations Research Institute for Social Development has released a new book titled "The Politics of Resources Extraction: Indigenous Peoples, Multinational Corporations, and the State" by... Read more – ‘New Book on Extractive Industries, Indigenous Peoples, MNCs and States’.
Live Mag SA on Bizcommunity
This week we were front page news on South Africa’s Bizcommunity platform, with a very detailed overview of what we’re doing down here. Read it now at... Read more – ‘Live Mag SA on Bizcommunity’.
Meshed Potatoes
The following is a guest post from Carlo Nizeti and Glen Steedman. They’ve been doing some performance testing with the Mesh Potatoes. This is a re-post from their Nerd Polytechnic site which... Read more – ‘Meshed Potatoes’.
NGT Cancels Clearance for Orisha Steel Plant
Photo credit: green.in.msn.comIndia’s National Green Tribunal cancelled clearance for a major South Korean steel plant in Orisha on Friday. The steel plant was being constructed despite a committee... Read more – ‘NGT Cancels Clearance for Orisha Steel Plant’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 2nd April 2012
Availability All week Last Week Strategy meeting School of Data DataHub, CKAN and Recline Data Explorer Proposals including TA Bridge Open Data Handbook – put up translations, plan next... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 2nd April 2012’.
Gaharu for Social and Ecological Justice
Harry Jonas of Natural Justice spent the day with Dr. Anthony Tibok (pictured) in Kuala Penyu, Sabah. Dr Tibok demonstrated how growing Agarwood (a type of tree) in community forests promotes the... Read more – ‘Gaharu for Social and Ecological Justice’.
Serval Overlay Mesh Can Now Ping
Okay, so it is one small step, but for us it is a significant one: the Serval Overlay Mesh can now ping nodes, simply using the Serval network identifiers (that are really stand-alone public keys in... Read more – ‘Serval Overlay Mesh Can Now Ping’.
Meeting on Community Protocols Held in Sabah, Malaysia
On 28 March, an informal meeting on biocultural community protocols was organized by Natural Justice and hosted by PACOS in Sabah, Malaysia. Anne Lasimbang (PACOS) provided background on the first... Read more – ‘Meeting on Community Protocols Held in Sabah, Malaysia’.
African BCP Initiative Meeting – Nairobi
Building on its earlier meeting held in December 2011, African BCP Initiative Kenyan partners met in Nairobi to discuss the experiences of members in developing and implementing BCPs. Member... Read more – ‘African BCP Initiative Meeting – Nairobi’.
Save Lamu Hosts Community Meeting to Discuss BCP
For three days beginning 20 March 2012, at a meeting facilitated by Save Lamu, community members representing stakeholders from around the Lamu region gathered in Lamu Town on Kenya’s coast to... Read more – ‘Save Lamu Hosts Community Meeting to Discuss BCP’.
Final Guidelines for Land Tenure Submitted
Photo credit: Roberto Faidutti - FAOThe draft text for the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security was... Read more – ‘Final Guidelines for Land Tenure Submitted’.
Final Guidelines for Land Tenure Submitted
Photo credit: Roberto Faidutti - FAOThe draft text for the Voluntary Guidelines on the Responsible Governance of Tenure of Land, Fisheries and Forests in the Context of National Food Security was... Read more – ‘Final Guidelines for Land Tenure Submitted’.
Forever Sabah Stakeholder Meeting
Last week Harry Jonas attended an NGO stakeholder meeting for a bold new project being developed in Malaysia: Forever Sabah. The meeting was convened by LEAP and attended by a range of NGOs including... Read more – ‘Forever Sabah Stakeholder Meeting’.
Google Summer of Code — Students get your applications in!
Attention students! We have a project to build a web application that imports slide presentations into Connexions accepted as part of the Connexions Google Summer of Code. The tool will help unlock... Read more – ‘Google Summer of Code — Students get your applications in!’.
Protest for Community Inclusion in Banni
The Banni Pashu Uchherak Maldhari Sangathan and Maldharis of Banni have organized a public gathering to protest the lack of involvement in the Indian Forest Department's working plan for the Banni... Read more – ‘Protest for Community Inclusion in Banni’.
Opening Up Science, One Lab at a Time
The notion that ordinary citizens with a strong interest in science – call them amateurs, enthusiasts, aficionados or even cheerleaders – can participate actively in cutting-edge science... Read more – ‘Opening Up Science, One Lab at a Time’.
Update, March 19. . We’re beginning Scrum for hardware development – back to our workshop this week. We are developing a novel, open source, rapid development method – to be... Read more – ‘Spring 2012’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 19th March 2012
Availability All week except Thursday (in London Tues + Fri) Last Week Monday: CKAN DataStore and Data API v2 live on the DataHub Wed-Fri: EPSI Platform Conference in Rotterdam including a... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 19th March 2012’.
Biocultural Community Protocols Toolkit for Community Facilitators
Natural Justice has just released the first version of "Biocultural Community Protocols: A Toolkit for Community Facilitators". Developed through the Regional Initiatives on Biocultural... Read more – ‘Biocultural Community Protocols Toolkit for Community Facilitators’.
Biocultural Community Protocols Toolkit for Community Facilitators
Natural Justice has just released the first version of "Biocultural Community Protocols: A Toolkit for Community Facilitators". Developed through the Regional Initiatives on Biocultural... Read more – ‘Biocultural Community Protocols Toolkit for Community Facilitators’.
As attempts to ban the Maldhari community from grazing their livestock the grasslands they have occupied sustainably for hundreds of years continue, a photostory presentation of the communities... Read more – ‘Maldhari BCP Photostory’.
New firmware release – Version 1.1 RC2
Thanks to the amazing work of Terry Gillett, Keith Williamson, and Elektra, I am happy to announce version 1.1 (RC2) of the SECN firmware. SECN is the firmware developed by Terry Gillett which... Read more – ‘New firmware release – Version 1.1 RC2’.
Putting the log back in blog
How did ancient mariners judge the speed of their sailing ships? They would throw a log of wood overboard attached to a piece of rope, and measure how much rope was pulled along with the log in a... Read more – ‘Putting the log back in blog’.
Highlights: December to February
Here’s a round-up of all the main events of the last 3 months. ISSUE 1 DISTRIBUTION COMPLETED The Live Magazine team completed the distribution of issue 1 of Live Magazine SA, with 50,000... Read more – ‘Highlights: December to February’.
Press Release: OSE-Wikispeed Collaboration
Enabling Emerging Markets to Manufacture Their Own Ultra-efficient Transportation, WIKISPEED and Open Source Ecology Announce Partnership in Open-Hardware Movement Seattle, WA, and Maysville, MO, USA... Read more – ‘Press Release: OSE-Wikispeed Collaboration’.
There is a lot of noise about badges at the moment with opinions ranging from “we don’t need no stinkin’ badges” to “badges will lead to global peace.” I have been... Read more – ‘Let’s make badges not stink’.
Introducing Biocultural Dialogues
On the 1st and 2nd of March, Natural Justice, the Union on Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) and GIZ hosted a meeting in Cape Town, South Africa to review a joint project on Biocultural Dialogues in Ethical... Read more – ‘Introducing Biocultural Dialogues’.
For those who’ve been here before you know that I have been fortunate to hold a Shuttleworth Fellowship. One of the (very reasonable) expectations to fellows is to share progress on a quarterly... Read more – ‘Some going-ons at P2PU during the last few months’.
Shuttleworth Fellowship Quarterly Review – Feb 2012
As part of my Shuttleworth Fellowship I’m preparing quarterly reviews of what I and the Open Knowledge Foundation have been up to. So, herewith are some some highlights from the last 3... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Fellowship Quarterly Review – Feb 2012’.
New Report on the Impact of Land Grabbing by Extractive Industries
The Gaia Foundation launched a new report on the impact on the earth of land grabbing by extractive industries on the 29th February. The report, titled 'Opening Pandora's Box: The New Wave of Land... Read more – ‘New Report on the Impact of Land Grabbing by Extractive Industries’.
At KiwiEx 2012 (part 1)
This week I have been participating as an Observer at KiwiEx 2012 with the New Zealand Red Cross as part of a process for evaluating a combination of our Serval Mesh and Serval Rhizome software with... Read more – ‘At KiwiEx 2012 (part 1)’.
The Indigenous Peoples' and Community Conserved Areas (ICCA) Consortium just released its first ever newsletter. The newsletter includes a brief description of the ICCA Consortium and then details... Read more – ‘ICCA Consortium’s First Ever Newsletter’.
OUT NOW: Live Magazine worldwide – new issues on two continents
Live Magazine South Africa: Issue 2 Live Magazine UK: Volume 2, Issue 6... Read more – ‘OUT NOW: Live Magazine worldwide – new issues on two continents’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 27th February 2012
Availability All week (in London Tues + Fri) Last Week Talked at LIFT 2012 on Open Data Work on Webstore in CKAN With Laura Newman Open Data Handbook v1.0 Released With Velickha Dimitrova... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 27th February 2012’.
On the 21st of February, Johanna von Braun from Natural Justice participated in an introduction workshop on biocultural community protocols in Puerto Lempiras, capital of the Mosquitia region in... Read more – ‘Introduction to BCPs in la Mosquitia, Honduras’.
This week I’m at LIFT 2012 to give a talk on Open Data — and also to meet with the great bunch of Swisss Open Data folks! Update 2012-02-24: Slides up Open Data: How We Got Here and... Read more – ‘Talk at LIFT 2012’.
How to know you’re doing something right
Worth checking out Matthew Ladner’s guest post on Jay Greene’s blog in which he argues that we need to create more space within the education system for market forces to bring down cost... Read more – ‘How to know you’re doing something right’.
Availability All week though in Geneva Wed-Fri for LIFT Conference Last Week Dev8D – talk on CKAN and its use in academia and research (plus Data Repositories panel) Citizen Cyberscience... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 20th February 2012’.
My name is Aaron Makaruk, and I am working full time as an on-contingency Resource Developer for Open Source Ecology. We are busy raising money, building technology across the country, and laying the... Read more – ‘Community Needs Survey’.
We had a fantastic first sprint day after the Connexions Conference. Over 50 people, from all over the world were here. We had user interface designers working on Connexions, OERPub, and Siyavula,... Read more – ‘Connexions Conference Sprint Day 1!’.
Connexions Conference Sprint Day 1!
We had a fantastic first sprint day after the Connexions Conference. Over 40 people, from all over the world were here. We had user interface designers working on Connexions, OERPub, and Siyavula,... Read more – ‘Connexions Conference Sprint Day 1!’.
Medicinal Plants Conservation Areas (MPCAs) in India are bioculturally rich areas of land with a high prevalence of endemic medicinal plants. MPCAs are usually demarcated by communities or by the... Read more – ‘MPCA Workshop in Uttarakkand’.
Meeting on Increasing Number of BCR Lawyers
On the 13th of February, Kabir Bavikatte and Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) met with Antara Lahiri (Ashoka Law for All) and Vivek Maru (Namati) to discuss how best to increase the numbers of lawyers... Read more – ‘Meeting on Increasing Number of BCR Lawyers’.
Software Developer Contracts Available!
Do you thrive on contributing to something that has the potential to positively impact millions, if not billions of people the world over?Do you slay pointers in your sleep, dream about data-flow... Read more – ‘Software Developer Contracts Available!’.
Maldhari Community Claims Traditional Lands
In the face of government attempts to ban livestock in their traditional grasslands, the Maldhari community of the Banni grasslands of Kutch, Gujarat, India sent notices to their state government... Read more – ‘Maldhari Community Claims Traditional Lands’.
Introducing the FitVT – Part 1
After a few months working in our labs we want to introduce you to the FitVT, our low cost/low power server for the Village Telco based on FitPC2i low power computer.After testing different low power... Read more – ‘Introducing the FitVT – Part 1’.
Spring Recruiting
Help us go the next step in organizational development. My name is Tom Bamford, and I just joined the OSE core team to help with recruiting. We are now developing a recruiting strategy. At this... Read more – ‘Spring Recruiting’.
2 mLearning articles worth reading (including an interview in Education Week)
I was recently interviewed by Education Week, the leading education newspaper in the USA. The article, Mobile Devices Address Technology Equity in Africa, is well written and provides an overview of... Read more – ‘2 mLearning articles worth reading (including an interview in Education Week)’.
Natural Justice’s own Kabir Bavikatte recently authored “Stewarding the Commons: Rethinking Property and the Emergence of Biocultural Rights” for the Common Voices newsletter of the Dakshin... Read more – ‘New Article on Stewarding the Commons’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 13th February 2012
Availability All week (in London Wed-Fri) Last Week Variety of meetings including an OGP one with the TB Lots of CKAN Especially work on Recline Data Explorer. Support for sorting and better... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 13th February 2012’.
The OSE CNC Circuit Mill Prototype I is now complete. While there are many CNC circuit mill designs available on the internet, ours aims to maximize modularity, scalability, and simplicity, and ease... Read more – ‘CNC Circuit Mill Prototype 1 Complete’.
Project Progress and Scaling
. Global Village Construction Set development is scaling. There are currently 9 projects under active development and 3 full time developers besides me – Aaron Makaruk, Brianna Kufa, and... Read more – ‘Project Progress and Scaling’.
Faced with discrimination, the unauthorised use of their traditional knowledge and genetic resources, and the overharvesting of the plants with which they sustain the health of their communities, the... Read more – ‘Bushbuckridge BCP Review and Code of Ethics Drafting’.
Credit: T. GriffithsAs plans for mega roads and dams and forestry projects continue to threaten the forests of southwest Guyana, the Wapichan people of the region have prepared a ground breaking... Read more – ‘Wapichan Launch Conservation Plan’.
Indigenous Knowledge Spotlighted in National Geographic
Photo of Posakei Pongap of Manus Island, Papua New Guinea, taken by Nicolas Villaume/CWENational Geographic’s News Watch has highlighted the vital role that Indigenous peoples play in conservation.... Read more – ‘Indigenous Knowledge Spotlighted in National Geographic’.
Camel Charisma Store Launch
Congratulations to Camel Charisma on the successful launch of their first store. A social enterprise jointly founded and run by the Raika community of Rajasthan and Lokhit Pashu Palak Sansthan... Read more – ‘Camel Charisma Store Launch’.
Serval has made the Netexplo 2012 Top-100 Most Promising Projects
We seemed to have reached the point with the Serval Project were we no longer have to enter competitions to start getting short-listed for things. This is almost as amusing as it is humbling.So... Read more – ‘Serval has made the Netexplo 2012 Top-100 Most Promising Projects’.
A question of core values (comment in Times Higher Ed)
A couple of weeks ago I wrote a post on Apple’s move into the textbook world. It got quite a lot of attention and I wrote a slightly longer version for publication in the Times Higher Ed. I... Read more – ‘A question of core values (comment in Times Higher Ed)’.
Developing Challenges of Multi-Hop Mesh Telephony on Android
If you are reading this blog, you probably know that the Serval Project is all about making mesh telephony practical, so that people can communicate anywhere, any time.For regular Android software... Read more – ‘Developing Challenges of Multi-Hop Mesh Telephony on Android’.
Film: The Artist
8.5/10. A wonderful, moving and surprising piece of film-making. Intriguingingly conceived and beautifully... Read more – ‘Film: The Artist’.
6th Pan-African ABS Workshop in Cameroon
Between the 30th of January and 3rd of February the 6th Pan-AfricanABS Workshop brought together 110 participants in Limbe, Cameroon. Theworkshop is put together every year by the ABS Capacity... Read more – ‘6th Pan-African ABS Workshop in Cameroon’.
Briefing Paper from Amazon Watch on FPIC
With the rights of many Indigenous peoples and local communities neglected by companies they interact with, Amazon Watch has prepared an important briefing paper to ensure that companies and other... Read more – ‘Briefing Paper from Amazon Watch on FPIC’.
Ironworker Update- Ready to build!
Last week I said I’d have the complete OSE proposal and Sketchup done for the ironworker by Friday. I didn’t get it done by then, but I am prepared to start building next week. I finished the... Read more – ‘Ironworker Update- Ready to build!’.
Backhoe Design Challenge: Live at GrabCAD
The backhoe design challenge is now live at GrabCAD. This is a unique challenge because it is the first in which we are offering a cash prize to the winner: $750 goes to the winner, plus an... Read more – ‘Backhoe Design Challenge: Live at GrabCAD’.
On the 31st January representatives from the Bushbuckridge Traditional Healers’ Association, lawyers working on issues around traditional knowledge (TK) from Kenya and Ghana, and Natural Justice... Read more – ‘TK Commons Meeting in Cape Town’.
Over the last few months, Yoza editor-in-chief, Louise McCann has been leading a collaborative story writing workshop with four teenagers from Khayelitsha. Anthony Baatjies, Zandile Ntlatli,... Read more – ‘Teenage collaborative writing workshop’.
A new publication entitled "Diverse Paths to Justice: Legal Pluralism and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples in Southeast Asia" has been released by Asia Indigenous Peoples Pact (AIPP), Forest Peoples... Read more – ‘New Publication: Legal Pluralism in Southeast Asia’.
I am thrilled to report (a bit belatedly) that my fellowship with the Shuttleworth Foundation has been renewed for another year and I have big plans for the next year (along with the team of... Read more – ‘Project plans for 2012’.
Exploring Native Land Rights in Sabah
Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended a symposium entitled "Sabah Native Land Rights: Issues, Challenges and the Way Forward". Chaired by Dr. Jacqueline Pugh-Kitingan (UMS... Read more – ‘Exploring Native Land Rights in Sabah’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 30th January 2012
2012-01-30 Availability All week (in London Wednesday) Last Week Lots of CKAN Especially work on Recline Data Explorer. This is now fully functional and integrated into the DataHub, see e.g.... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock – 30th January 2012’.
Kalpavriksh Newsletter on Biodiversity and Livelihoods
The latest edition of People in Conservation, the newsletter of the Kalpavriksh Environment Action Group, focuses on biodiversity conservation and livelihood security. The introductory editorial... Read more – ‘Kalpavriksh Newsletter on Biodiversity and Livelihoods’.
Organizational Development 2012
I would like to announce that I am now officially a Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow. This is a major development for Open Source Ecology, as the Fellowship provides a total of $360k of direct funding... Read more – ‘Organizational Development 2012’.
Ironworker Prototype II Design Update
Hello world, This is an update for the Ironworker prototype 2. By next Friday, Feb. 3, I will have completed the remainder of the sketchup design, and the official OSE Proposal, and will be posting... Read more – ‘Ironworker Prototype II Design Update’.
Lamu Communities File Petition on Port
Lamu community members yesterday filed a legal petition at the Milimani Courts in Nairobi arguing that the Government of Kenya has violated several sections of the new constitution with its... Read more – ‘Lamu Communities File Petition on Port’.
Understanding Community-Based REDD+
As REDD+ programmes begin to be implemented at the community level by UNREDD and the World Bank, it is critical that communities are fully informed about the projects and the rights and protections... Read more – ‘Understanding Community-Based REDD+’.
Wanted: Sales and marketing manager for Live Mag SA
An exciting new marketing and advertising sales role working on a new magazine title that is taking South Africa by storm. Originally from the UK, Live Magazine is a new SA-wide youth magazine title... Read more – ‘Wanted: Sales and marketing manager for Live Mag SA’.
Communities Legal Petition and Mass Action Against Port
On the 24th of January the communities of Lamu held a demonstration and press conference in protest against the Government of Kenya's plans to develop a major port in their territories without... Read more – ‘Communities Legal Petition and Mass Action Against Port’.
Nicola Daniels: Live SA’s editor in CitiPress
From yesterday’s Citypress newspaper, Live Magazine South Africa’s editor Nicola Daniels is called ‘the future of media’.... Read more – ‘Nicola Daniels: Live SA’s editor in CitiPress’.
A Gentle Plea to Telkom’s CEO
We recently sent a request to Telkom to send us a map of their terrestrial fibre network in South Africa. This request was in the context of the AfTerFibre Project, which is attempting to... Read more – ‘A Gentle Plea to Telkom’s CEO’.
Natural Justice in 2011
From supporting the development and use of biocultural community protocols in three continents to engaging in law and policy across numerous national and international fora, 2011 was a very busy year... Read more – ‘Natural Justice in 2011’.
Film: Haywire
7.5 (8.5 for genre). Stylish with an excellent lead performance (its pared down presentation and plot had echoes of the classic Point Blank). Though lacking in any great substance (cf, to say, The... Read more – ‘Film: Haywire’.
Apple Edu = It’s a revolution, just not ours.
What a week. On Wednesday the Interwebs shut down. On Thursday Apple revolutionized textbooks. What will Friday bring? But after the hype has settled down (and yes, it was hard not to get a little... Read more – ‘Apple Edu = It’s a revolution, just not ours.’.
Apple Edu = It’s a revolution, but not ours.
What a week. On Wednesday the Interwebs shut down. On Thursday Apple revolutionized textbooks. What will Friday bring? But after the hype has settled down (and yes, it was hard not to get a little... Read more – ‘Apple Edu = It’s a revolution, but not ours.’.
At LCA 2012 (Linux Conf AU)
This year I was not expecting to be heading to Linux Conference Australia (LCA), as two of the Serval Project team were expecting to be there, and I am already looking at the likelihood of somewhere... Read more – ‘At LCA 2012 (Linux Conf AU)’.
Oro Verde Fairtrade and Fairmined Certification
Congratulations to Oro Verde on becoming only the second organisation to receive both Fairtrade and Fairmined Ecological certification for gold and platinum mining through FLO CERT, a leading fair... Read more – ‘Oro Verde Fairtrade and Fairmined Certification’.
Quick Connect Wheels Update
We have just installed the quick connect wheels on the tractor and have been testing them with success for the past week. These can be attached/released from the tractor in under 5 minutes by... Read more – ‘Quick Connect Wheels Update’.
Save Lamu at the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission
Natural Justice partner, Save Lamu, successfully read and presented a memorandum on historical land injustices to the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission in Lamu, Kenya on the 9th January... Read more – ‘Save Lamu at the Truth, Justice and Reconciliation Commission’.
Weekly Update 16th January 2012: Rufus Pollock
Availability All week Last Week Away until Friday when did a lot of email catching up Quite a bit of coding on Recline Data Explorer while away. Check out the demo This Week CKAN –... Read more – ‘Weekly Update 16th January 2012: Rufus Pollock’.
Kinabalu Project Planning Meeting
On 13 January, Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) joined partners Borneo Conservancy Initiative (BC Initiative) and Sabah Biodiversity Centre (SaBC) for a full-day planning meeting about... Read more – ‘Kinabalu Project Planning Meeting’.
Flash Grant for Hackerschool
One of the many cool things about being a Shuttleworth Foundation fellow is that I get to give away a “Flash” grant each year to people who are doing cool stuff. It’s a no strings... Read more – ‘Flash Grant for Hackerschool’.
New Book: Agrobiodiversity and the Law
As agricultural biodiversity deteriorates with increased reliance on fewer and fewer crop varieties, it is vital that policies to encourage the protection of crop genetic resources are considered and... Read more – ‘New Book: Agrobiodiversity and the Law’.
Nokia Symbian/Belle Here To Stay
This is a post I should have made months ago when it would have been a prediction, rather than a commentary. Oh well.Nokia is in a most fascinating position. Much has been said about the... Read more – ‘Nokia Symbian/Belle Here To Stay’.
LifeTrac Quick Connect Wheel Challenge Results
We put up a crowd design challenge at GrabCAD a few weeks ago – for LifeTrac IV - Quick Connect Wheels. The basic problem was: how do you design wheel assemblies for a tractor that can be... Read more – ‘LifeTrac Quick Connect Wheel Challenge Results’.
Calling All Disruptive, Boundary-Smashing, Distributive Enterprise Heavyweights
We are recruiting a Co-Founder to join the team at Factor e Farm. This blog post describes this offer. (we are also looking for project Advisors and Mentors, see last paragraph of this post) Open... Read more – ‘Calling All Disruptive, Boundary-Smashing, Distributive Enterprise Heavyweights’.
Dear True Fans and Supporters - We are proud to release version 0.01 of the Civilization Starter Kit DVD – our OSE Christmas Gift to the World for 2011. While we could go on for weeks with... Read more – ‘Civilization Starter Kit DVD v0.01’.
Misleading "Out of Memory" Error in SQLite3
The following is recorded in the hope that it may save someone else the hassle of tracking down this kind of error.While working on Serval 0.08 I have been working with SQLite3 for the first time.I... Read more – ‘Misleading "Out of Memory" Error in SQLite3’.
Kinabalu Biocultural Law Project
On the 20th of December, Natural Justice and Borneo Conservancy entered into a Memorandum of Understanding relating to the Kinabalu Biocultural Law Project. The project will be undertaken... Read more – ‘Kinabalu Biocultural Law Project’.
Shopping Serval Style
We are currently preparing to provide the latest Serval mesh telephony technology for use in a disaster response training exercise with a major relief agency in late February 2012 -- about two months... Read more – ‘Shopping Serval Style’.
New Report: Land Rights and the Rush for Land
The International Land Coalition (ILC), International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), and Agricultural Research Centre for International Development (CIRAD) have released a new... Read more – ‘New Report: Land Rights and the Rush for Land’.
Serval Developer Release 0.07, and our Roadmap for 2012
It has been some time since our last developer release, and so it is with great pleasure that I am able to announce that Serval BatPhone Developer Release 0.07 is now available for download from the... Read more – ‘Serval Developer Release 0.07, and our Roadmap for 2012’.
UPDATED, 15 Dec 2012: Today I received a considered response from David O'Brien, GM of Customer Engagement at Old Mutual. I've added it below. Thanks, too, to Ursula van der Westhuizen at Old Mutual... Read more – ‘Old Mutual wastes millions insulting us’.
UPDATED, 15 Dec 2012: Today I received a considered response from David O'Brien, GM of Customer Engagement at Old Mutual. I've added it below. Thanks, too, to Ursula van der Westhuizen at Old Mutual... Read more – ‘Old Mutual wastes millions insulting us’.
The Cryptographic Doom Principle
When it comes to designing secure protocols, I have a principle that goes like this: if you have to perform any cryptographic operation before verifying the MAC on a message you’ve... Read more – ‘The Cryptographic Doom Principle’.
Save Lamu Nominated for Human Rights Award
Save Lamu, a coalition of Indigenous communities of Lamu, Kenya, has been working with Natural Justice to develop a biocultural community protocol (BCP) to call for transparency and participation in... Read more – ‘Save Lamu Nominated for Human Rights Award’.
On 8 December, Natural Justice and the Centre for Indigenous Knowledge and Organisational Development (CIKOD) made a joint submission on ‘Large-Scale, Industrial Methods of Extraction,... Read more – ‘Submission to UN WG on Human Rights and TNCs’.
Ebook reading goes mainstream when a country has its first Ereader Christmas: that day when half the folk at your family gathering got ereaders for presents. The evidence will be loose and... Read more – ‘Ereaders for Christmas? My recommendations’.
Ebook reading goes mainstream when a country has its first Ereader Christmas: that day when half the folk at your family gathering got ereaders for presents. The evidence will be loose and... Read more – ‘Ereaders for Christmas? My recommendations’.
2011 review
As well as the continuing business of running the Foundation, this year we have welcomed 5 new fellows to the programme, created a sleeker look and feel our brand/website and created a new... Read more – ‘2011 review’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock
This covers the last 2 weeks as I did not manage an update last week. Availability Mon-Thurs: but in Boston Mon-Tues and travelling back to UK Wednesday Week of 21st November In South Africa... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock’.
What happened to the last 5 months!
Wow, it has been way too long. I hope those of you worried about whether or not any progress has been made have been following me (marknewlyn) and/or Siyavula on Twitter. Highlight We’ve been... Read more – ‘What happened to the last 5 months!’.
Your app shouldn’t suffer SSL’s problems
From Swindle To Hazard In recent months, Comodo has been hacked repeatedly, DigiNotar was compromised, and the security of CAs as a whole has been found to be not altogether inspiring. The... Read more – ‘Your app shouldn’t suffer SSL’s problems’.
Conference on the Nagoya Protocol
Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) attended a conference at the University of Edinburgh from 2-3 of December focusing on the Nagoya Protocol. Many of the attendees were integral to the negotiation of the... Read more – ‘Conference on the Nagoya Protocol’.
Presenting BCPs in the Mau Forest
With a long history of exclusion from their traditional homes and increasing pressures on land tenure from politically connected outsiders, the Ogiek community is engaging in domestic and... Read more – ‘Presenting BCPs in the Mau Forest’.
International Law Discussion Group
On 1 December, Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) met with Edinburgh University’s International Law Discussion Group to present on Natural Justice’s work. PhD and Masters students engaged with the... Read more – ‘International Law Discussion Group’.
BCPs, REDD+ and CBD Safeguards at COP17
On 1 December at the 17th Conference of the Parties (COP17) to the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) in Durban, South Africa, Natural Justice co-hosted a panel entitled... Read more – ‘BCPs, REDD+ and CBD Safeguards at COP17’.
Shuttleworth Foundation Intro Video
As many readers will know, my work on the Serval Project is substantially funded by the Shuttleworth Foundation. They provide my income, thus freeing my time, co-investment in the project,... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Foundation Intro Video’.
BCP Initiative Meeting in Nairobi
On 30th November, Natural Justice hosted participants and partners of the African BCP Initiative in Nairobi. Members of the Initiative presented on their Biocultural Community Protocol (BCP)... Read more – ‘BCP Initiative Meeting in Nairobi’.
Meanwhile, while most of the team were beavering away producing issue one, seven intrepid recruits, mainly from Khayelitsha, were busy working on shooting, editing and filming video content for the... Read more – ‘Behind the scenes at Live Mag SA’.
BCPs and Livestock Keepers’ Rights in Nairobi
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As part of my Shuttleworth Fellowship I’m preparing bi-annual reviews of what I — and projects I’m involved in — have been up to. So, herewith are some some highlights from... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Fellowship Bi-Annual Review’.
As I mentioned in a previous post, I recently presented at TEDx Adelaide, which had the theme "On The Edge". They have now put the videos up on YouTube, so here it is: The bottom... Read more – ‘TEDx Adelaide Talk Is Now On Youtube’.
So, I'm three months in to my Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship, which is three months into building Paperight full-time. If you don't know, Paperight is a website that turns any business with any... Read more – ‘My Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship: 3 months in’.
So, I'm three months in to my Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship, which is three months into building Paperight full-time. If you don't know, Paperight is a website that turns any business with any... Read more – ‘My Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship: 3 months in’.
Demonstrating the Serval Rhizome Store-and-Forward MeshMS SMS Service
Update: We trialled Rhizome on a training exercise in New Zealand recently. Follow the link to read the blog post about it.SMS messages on a cellular network get delivered via the... Read more – ‘Demonstrating the Serval Rhizome Store-and-Forward MeshMS SMS Service’.
Building The Serval BatPhone Software
We have been putting some significant effort into making the Serval BatPhone software easier to build from scratch, especially first time around.The procedure for Mac/Linux has now been reduced to... Read more – ‘Building The Serval BatPhone Software’.
Wanted: magazine journalism mentor to help change the world Part-time role for someone who is passionate about magazines, able to relate to young people, and encourage, support and help nurture young... Read more – ‘Live Mag SA is recruiting!’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock
Availability All week In South Africa Mon-Thurs (return to UK Friday) Activity All last week in South Africa for Shuttleworth Fellows meetup Post about meetups and hackdays in South... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock’.
Learning with a little help from your friends
Two weeks ago P2PU held its third workshop. This year’s focus was on “getting stuff done” and bringing together people who are working on concrete projects. And we did get a lot... Read more – ‘Learning with a little help from your friends’.
A Serval Project Progress Report
It is time to reflect on the past six months of Serval, and where we intend to head in the next six months.Six months ago we did not have a developer software offering, or even a single Android... Read more – ‘A Serval Project Progress Report’.
16 Nov 2011
... Read more – ‘16 Nov 2011’.
Third Biotrade Pilot in Vohimana, Madagascar
From 9-10 November, the last of three pilots linking the use of elements of biocultural community protocols (BCPs) in a Ethical BioTrade context took place in Vohimana, Madagascar. The series of... Read more – ‘Third Biotrade Pilot in Vohimana, Madagascar’.
Natural Justice Seeking Francophone Lawyer for Africa
Natural Justice: Lawyers for Communities and the Environment is seeking a Francophone lawyer or legal practitioner for its African projects. The lawyer/legal practitioner would primarily be working... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Seeking Francophone Lawyer for Africa’.
Serval is in finals for the Ashoka Foundation Change Makers Citizen Media Competition!
It seems that this last month has been one of the Serval Project gaining international recognition as leading the mesh communications space. First some thoughts on that, and then some of the... Read more – ‘Serval is in finals for the Ashoka Foundation Change Makers Citizen Media Competition!’.
Institute of Chartered Accountants’ Annual Lecture
Tomorrow evening (Thursday) I will be giving the ICAEW’s (Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales) IT faculty annual lecture. I will be talking on the topic of “Open Data:... Read more – ‘Institute of Chartered Accountants’ Annual Lecture’.
A Simple Illustration of A Multi-Hop Telephone Call
From time to time I get asked to provide a simple explanation of what the Serval Project actually does.It allows you to make multi-hop phone calls using only phones, with the signal bouncing from... Read more – ‘A Simple Illustration of A Multi-Hop Telephone Call’.
The glue of it all is cheap, reliable internet access
I was interviewed for the November edition of City Views – ”your free Cape Town central city newspaper” — about the importance of affordable connectivity for ideas to spread... Read more – ‘The glue of it all is cheap, reliable internet access’.
Working Group on Article 8(j) Concludes in Montreal
The 7th Meeting of the Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions (WG8(j)-7) concluded in the evening of 4 November in Montreal. Throughout the week, delegates considered a range of issues,... Read more – ‘Working Group on Article 8(j) Concludes in Montreal’.
Side Events on BCPs, REDD, ABS, and Protected Areas
At the 7th meeting of the Working Group on Article 8(j) (WG8(j)) held in Montreal from 31 October to 4 November, Natural Justice participated in four side events hosted by other organizations. The... Read more – ‘Side Events on BCPs, REDD, ABS, and Protected Areas’.
Side Event on Recognizing and Supporting ICCAs
Women in Pa' Upan, Krayan Selatan, Indonesia.Credit: Cristina EghenterOn Wednesday, 2 November at the 7th Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions (WG8(j)), Natural Justice co-hosted a... Read more – ‘Side Event on Recognizing and Supporting ICCAs’.
Fair warning, this post is a slightly intemperate and possibly ill-advised rant but sometimes you just have to get something off your chest if only to enable someone else to tell you how wrong you... Read more – ‘Three reasons why M4D may be bad for Development’.
Roundtable on Indigenous Peoples’ Territories at WG8(j)
On Tuesday, 1 November at the 7th Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions (WG8(j)), Natural Justice hosted a roundtable on Indigenous peoples’ territories and community conserved... Read more – ‘Roundtable on Indigenous Peoples’ Territories at WG8(j)’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock
Availability All week (though may be at Moz Festival at end of the week) Activity Back last week from Open Government Data Camp Mini-hackday with Pedro Markun and others on OKFN Community... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock’.
Forest Peoples’ Experiences with Implementation of Article 10(c)
On the opening day of the 7th Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions (WG8(j)), the Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) and the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (SCBD)... Read more – ‘Forest Peoples’ Experiences with Implementation of Article 10(c)’.
I don’t know what to make of issue 1 yet. Seeing the spreads go up on the wall of our office over the last seven days has been exhilarating, painful, stressful, long. The finish doesn’t... Read more – ‘Issue one: The Finish Line’.
Although I live in the world of bite-size, modular education that can be remixed and adapted, I also have a very healthy respect for the power of narrative and a good storyteller to enhance learning.... Read more – ‘Overconfident or Visionary?’.
NJ in Montreal for Working Group on Article 8(j)
Kabir Bavikatte and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) are in Montreal, Canada, for the 7th Meeting of the Ad Hoc Open-ended Working Group on Article 8(j) and Related Provisions (WG8(j)). The meeting... Read more – ‘NJ in Montreal for Working Group on Article 8(j)’.
Below is a fairly long quote from Gardner Campbell's Educause 2012 presentation, A Personal Cyberinfrastructure. Jim Groom introduced it at Open Ed 2011. Campbell advocates giving every student... Read more – ‘One webserver per child’.
Shuttleworth Fellowship Renewed
Last year I had the great fortune to be supported, in the role of a Fellow, by the Shuttleworth Foundation in my work to help Bootstrap the Open Data Ecosystem. Not only was it great to have the... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Fellowship Renewed’.
Exploring Access and Benefit Sharing in the ASEAN Region
Harry Jonas (Natural Justice) attended an ASEAN regional capacity development workshop on access and benefit sharing (ABS) in Manila, Philippines, from 25-26 October. The workshop was organized by... Read more – ‘Exploring Access and Benefit Sharing in the ASEAN Region’.
Building Capacity of Conservation Groups on ABS
On 26 October, the ABS Capacity Development Initiative and Conservation International hosted a one-day capacity building event for conservation organisations in the Washington, D.C., area on access... Read more – ‘Building Capacity of Conservation Groups on ABS’.
New Publication on Community Protocols in Peru
Asociacion ANDES, the Quechua communities of the Potato Park, and the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) have released a new publication entitled, "Community... Read more – ‘New Publication on Community Protocols in Peru’.
Early Prototype of the Serval Mesh File Distribution System, the Rhizome Retriever
Romain one of our team has been working hard to get the Rhizome Retriever together as part of our work in supporting citizen journalism in a community in Nigeria, that I have blogged about... Read more – ‘Early Prototype of the Serval Mesh File Distribution System, the Rhizome Retriever’.
The importance of communications during emergencies
Early 2011 saw the worst floods in Queensland, Australia in 40 years. Not surprisingly, this placed significant stresses on response efforts, and for a variety of reasons, the Queensland Government... Read more – ‘The importance of communications during emergencies’.
Amidst the frenzied final stages of Live Magazine issue one’s final production stages, I snuck away for a week in London to be part of Livity’s 10th birthday away days, which happened only a few... Read more – ‘Livity at 10’.
ABS Initiative Workshop in Malawi
Kabir Bavikatte and Sabine Zajderman (Natural Justice) attended the Fourth Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Workshop for Eastern and Southern Africa in Malawi from 17-22 October. The workshop,... Read more – ‘ABS Initiative Workshop in Malawi’.
Serval is going to Atlanta
Well, Romana (co-founder of Serval Project) is. And that is because she will be representing the Serval Project's interests at the IEEE 802 plenary meeting there in just a couple of weeks... Read more – ‘Serval is going to Atlanta’.
AfTerFibre UpdateOctober 2011
This is a short summary of progress and learning from the first couple of months since launching AfTerFibre, a project to map terrestrial fibre projects in Africa. From the beginning AfTerFibre has... Read more – ‘AfTerFibre UpdateOctober 2011’.
The life sciences textbook weekend
This past weekend was incredibly exciting for Siyavula and South African education! With a group of 23 volunteer educators and post-grad students, we produced the first draft of a free and open Grade... Read more – ‘The life sciences textbook weekend’.
Eureka. It’s a lab – not (just) a platform.
This announcement about Harvard receiving a US$ 40M gift to support teaching and learning innovation made me think more about the platform conversation we’ve been having (here and on the... Read more – ‘Eureka. It’s a lab – not (just) a platform.’.
Please build this – Simple task and time tracking
I’ve been looking for solutions to two problems that must be quite common for people working in virtual teams Managing sprawling lists of todos across many projects Keeping track of where all... Read more – ‘Please build this – Simple task and time tracking’.
Oh the fun of the Android linker
So this week I decided that I would finally do the initial integration of the excellent NaCl crypto library into DNA, but with the view of making it available from Android so that it can be used... Read more – ‘Oh the fun of the Android linker’.
The process of developing Village Telco and in particular the Mesh Potato has been a huge learning curve and indeed this is what makes it so worthwhile (dare I say fun) is the variety of skills and... Read more – ‘Mesh Potatoes now FCC and CE Approved’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock
Availability Very limited due to Open Government Data Camp Activity In San Francisco last week Tuesday – Saturday. Attended Code for America Summit and had a variety of useful meetings... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock’.
ABS Training Course in Nairobi
Sabine Zajderman and Laureen Manuel (Natural Justice) attended a 5-day training course on access and benefit sharing (ABS) in Nairobi, Kenya, from 10-14 October. The course was aimed at addressing... Read more – ‘ABS Training Course in Nairobi’.
First Symposium on ICCAs in Indonesia
Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended the first-ever national symposium on the status, prospects, options, and opportunities for Indigenous peoples' conserved territories and areas... Read more – ‘First Symposium on ICCAs in Indonesia’.
Deploying a Phone Tower, Serval Style (The Day In Pictures)
So yesterday we went to beautiful Normanville with the goal of testing the maximum range between phones running our mesh telephony software. We didn't get particularly far on that front, but we did... Read more – ‘Deploying a Phone Tower, Serval Style (The Day In Pictures)’.
Why P2PU should be a platform and not a product
I’ve had a lot on my mind with regards to P2PU recently. Bear with me for a bit of a meander … As Executive Director, one of my responsibilities is to figure out a way to make this... Read more – ‘Why P2PU should be a platform and not a product’.
ICCA Consortium General Assembly in Bogor
Natural Justice participated in the 4th General Assembly of the ICCA Consortium on 12 October in Bogor, Indonesia, at the CIFOR campus. It was attended by 31 people, including representatives of... Read more – ‘ICCA Consortium General Assembly in Bogor’.
Kicking The Infrastructure Habit
Last weekend I delivered the inaugural Jim Bettison Memorial Oration at the biannual Adelaide Festival of Ideas. This was a great honour, and my presentation was well received by the audience, as was... Read more – ‘Kicking The Infrastructure Habit’.
ICCA Consortium Retreat in Indonesia
Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) participated in a retreat of the ICCA Consortium from 6-11 October in Prana Dewi, Bali, Indonesia. The 6-day agenda brought together the new... Read more – ‘ICCA Consortium Retreat in Indonesia’.
Tabular Data Formats
As part of recent work on the DataExplorer I’ve been looking into formats / schemas for tabular data and have just posted this info on the... Read more – ‘Tabular Data Formats’.
Countdown to life sciences textbook weekend!
With our life sciences weekend just around the corner (14 – 16 October!), the Siyavula team is full of excitement and anticipation for what the weekend will hold! Much planning and activity is... Read more – ‘Countdown to life sciences textbook weekend!’.
Photos and Update from Nigeria – and introduction to Rhizome
We have a partner organisation working in Nigeria looking at citizen-sourced journalism and using our mesh network as the connectivity among a number of camera-equipped cell phones, so that citizen... Read more – ‘Photos and Update from Nigeria – and introduction to Rhizome’.
Photos and Update from Nigeria – and introduction to Rhizome
We have a partner organisation working in Nigeria looking at citizen-sourced journalism and using our mesh network as the connectivity among a number of camera-equipped cell phones, so that citizen... Read more – ‘Photos and Update from Nigeria – and introduction to Rhizome’.
Upcoming ICCA Consortium Events in Indonesia
Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) will be joining other members of the ICCA Consortium from 5-15 October in Indonesia for a series of events. At a retreat from 6-11 October, the... Read more – ‘Upcoming ICCA Consortium Events in Indonesia’.
September
Kalahari pitstop Hotdesking (social networking) in Windhoek Kite-flying in... Read more – ‘September’.
Indigenous Declaration on Climate Change and Traditional Knowledge
As the next round of negotiations under the auspices of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) opened in Panama, a gathering in Finland of Indigenous leaders from around the world has... Read more – ‘Indigenous Declaration on Climate Change and Traditional Knowledge’.
Sharing clearly: When creating and sharing educational content, one of the first things that author's (and their sponsors and funders) must think about are the circumstances under which others can... Read more – ‘Why Not NC (Non Commercial)’.
How I learned to make ebooks
Today I was asked how I learned to make ebooks. The question came from a client contact who I assume was interested in learning more, rather than leaving all the work and decisions to suppliers.... Read more – ‘How I learned to make ebooks’.
How I learned to make ebooks
Today I was asked how I learned to make ebooks. The question came from a client contact who I assume was interested in learning more, rather than leaving all the work and decisions to suppliers.... Read more – ‘How I learned to make ebooks’.
This week I spent a day in Atlanta 'sprinting' to create practice problems with the Signal Processing Education Network (SPEN). SPEN is an NSF funded project bringing together five universities to... Read more – ‘Sprinting with SPEN’.
African Regional CBD Consultations on REDD+
Kabir Bavikatte and Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) participated in the African regional consultation and capacity building workshop on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest... Read more – ‘African Regional CBD Consultations on REDD+’.
Sign up now for the Siyavula Life Sciences textbook collaboration weekend!
Siyavula is very excited to have the sign up page for the Life Sciences textbook creation weekend open! Please visit http://siyavula-lifesci14-16october.eventbrite.com/ which provides further... Read more – ‘Sign up now for the Siyavula Life Sciences textbook collaboration weekend!’.
FullMarks upload sprint with St John’s College, Johannesburg
Siyavula, in collaboration with St John’s College in Johannesburg, will be hosting a FullMarks uploading sprint on Wednesday 19 and Thursday 20 October 2011. This sprint is intended... Read more – ‘FullMarks upload sprint with St John’s College, Johannesburg’.
More than we expected at the IEEE
If you have been reading this blog you will know that we sent Romana over to Okinawa to present our desire to see ad-hoc mode wifi improved, and also to consider how to use the baseband radio in... Read more – ‘More than we expected at the IEEE’.
Siyavula is hiring – again!
Background Siyavula is a Shuttleworth Foundation seeded project that supports and encourages communities of teachers to work together, openly share their teaching resources and benefit from the use... Read more – ‘Siyavula is hiring – again!’.
Live SA: view from the inside
Nkuli Mlangeni: at the beating heart of the... Read more – ‘Live SA: view from the inside’.
Radio Show on Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples
Conversations with the Earth has released an installment of a weekly radio show on climate change and Indigenous peoples. The description reads: "Global climate change is here. And only now, as our... Read more – ‘Radio Show on Climate Change and Indigenous Peoples’.
SWORD V2 Project Funds our Proposal!
A few weeks ago I wrote a proposal in response to a call for proposals from the JISC funded SWORD V2 project to help build SWORD clients. The proposal requested funds to accelerate development of... Read more – ‘SWORD V2 Project Funds our Proposal!’.
Siyavula collaborates with SAICE on hackathon
This past weekend saw Siyavula’s most effective hackathon yet! We were recently approached by the South African Institute of Civil Engineering’s (SAICE) UCT chapter to partner with them... Read more – ‘Siyavula collaborates with SAICE on hackathon’.
A diagrammatic representation of how the free and open Life Sciences textbook will be created!
In preparation for our forthcoming Life Sciences collaboration weekend in Cape Town, we have created a diagrammatic representation of how we plan to create a free and open Life Sciences textbook! The... Read more – ‘A diagrammatic representation of how the free and open Life Sciences textbook will be created!’.
A diagrammatic representation of how the free and open Life Sciences textbook will be created!
In preparation for our forthcoming Life Sciences collaboration weekend in Cape Town, we have created a diagrammatic representation of how we plan to create a free and open Life Sciences textbook! The... Read more – ‘A diagrammatic representation of how the free and open Life Sciences textbook will be created!’.
Protests in Lamu Over Proposed Port
The communities of Lamu, Kenya, who are currently developing a biocultural community protocol in relation to a mega port to be built in their District, recently held a protest to demand information... Read more – ‘Protests in Lamu Over Proposed Port’.
NJ Attends Wild Law Conference in Brisbane
Participants Alessandro Pelizzon (left) and Maria Zotti.From 16-18 September, Griffith University (Brisbane, Australia) hosted Australia’s 3rd Wild Law Conference, entitled “Earth... Read more – ‘NJ Attends Wild Law Conference in Brisbane’.
NJ Article on BCPs and Biocultural Rights
Mikey Salter and Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) recently wrote an article entitled "Biocultural Community Protocols: Bridging the Gap Between Customary, National and International Law" for the... Read more – ‘NJ Article on BCPs and Biocultural Rights’.
International Workshop on Common Pools
On the 15th and 16th of September, Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) attended the "International Workshop on Common Pools of Genetic Resources: improving effectiveness, justice and public research in... Read more – ‘International Workshop on Common Pools’.
Q and A with Siyavula for the Life Sciences textbook collaboration!
Why are we creating this book? This book is Siyavula’s response to a call for help from Life Sciences educators for a comprehensive teaching resource for 2012. Despite textbooks being... Read more – ‘Q and A with Siyavula for the Life Sciences textbook collaboration!’.
Special Rapporteur Report: Effects of Extractive Industries
UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, James Anaya, recently presented his annual report to the UN General Assembly. The report provides a summary of activities carried out... Read more – ‘Special Rapporteur Report: Effects of Extractive Industries’.
New Issue of Global Environmental Politics
The latest issue of the journal Global Environmental Politics focuses on "Climate Bandwagoning: The Impacts of Strategic Linkages for Regime Design, Maintenance and Death". The special issue is... Read more – ‘New Issue of Global Environmental Politics’.
Shuttleworth Foundation Trustee meeting minutes – Half year 2011
Eating my own dogfood – and publishing the notes from our Trustee meeting in July 2011: THE SHUTTLEWORTH FOUNDATION TRUST (the “Trust”) MINUTES OF A MEETING OF THE DIRECTORS OF ORBITAL... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Foundation Trustee meeting minutes – Half year 2011’.
Why Serval is getting involved in the 802.11ah standards process
Serval is getting involved in the IEEE 802.11ah (WiFi on ISM bands below 1GHz) to try to make sure that it is well suited to infrastructure-independent ad-hoc and mesh networking at the IEEE meeting... Read more – ‘Why Serval is getting involved in the 802.11ah standards process’.
My Guardian column from today’s paper
... Read more – ‘My Guardian column from today’s paper’.
More progress on the overlay mesh network
It is 5:58am and dawn is just beginning.I have been up all night making the best of the need of an overnight sleep study for our son, which requires an adult to perform a specific function every 15... Read more – ‘More progress on the overlay mesh network’.
Live Mag SA: End of week one
The last day of our first week hit fever pitch when the team brainstormed the ideas for issue one, led by the energetic Cathy Lund from Cosmo, one of our heroes of the week. Predictably, the team... Read more – ‘Live Mag SA: End of week one’.
Why User-Land Mesh Networks Are Necessary For Heterogeneous WiFi Mesh Networks
The normal approach to creating a mesh network is to write a program that does some tricky stuff to work out how to get from node A to node Z via whatever nodes might be in the middle, and then tell... Read more – ‘Why User-Land Mesh Networks Are Necessary For Heterogeneous WiFi Mesh Networks’.
Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock
Availability Monday-Tuesday Tuesday-Friday at PICNIC in Amsterdam – please get in touch if you’re in the area and would like to chat! Activity Lots of work on CKAN to massively... Read more – ‘Weekly Update: Rufus Pollock’.
Expert Meeting on ABS and IPRs
Johanna von Braun and Sabine Zajderman (Natural Justice) attended the Expert Meeting on Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) and Intellectual Property Rights (IPRs) from 5-9 September in Addis... Read more – ‘Expert Meeting on ABS and IPRs’.
A Thermo-Electric Saucepan?
Today we received our thermo-electric saucepan from TES New Energy. You can see some pictures of it below.This amazing device provides a full-powered USB port when placed on a fire by using... Read more – ‘A Thermo-Electric Saucepan?’.
Live Magazine SA: Day 3
Day three saw the group stepping up a gear when Cosmopolitan maagazine’s Deputy Editor led a superb masterclass on how to put together a magazine: from the tone of voice and front cover, to the... Read more – ‘Live Magazine SA: Day 3’.
Calling all Life Sciences educators! Join our collaboration to compile a free and open Life Sciences textbook!
Join Siyavula in our new quest! A quest to compile a free Life Sciences textbook from educators’ teaching resources, to be used in 2012 and beyond! As you are aware, the Life Sciences... Read more – ‘Calling all Life Sciences educators! Join our collaboration to compile a free and open Life Sciences textbook!’.
Peru Approves New Law on Prior Consultation
On August 23, the Peruvian Congress approved a new law that guarantees Indigenous peoples' right to prior consultation around legislative and administrative measures as well as plans, programs, and... Read more – ‘Peru Approves New Law on Prior Consultation’.
Live Magazine South Africa: Day One
140BBDO’s office in Bo-Kaap was filled with an extra level of noise and buzz today when 20 young people and a bunch of media mentors piled in for the first day of Live Mag SA’s induction... Read more – ‘Live Magazine South Africa: Day One’.
Week Ahead: Rufus Pollock
Availability All week Activity Lots of work on CKAN, working to integrate new theme and ckanjs Lots of work on BibServer – see BibServer repo Meetings e.g. #teamcamp, Science... Read more – ‘Week Ahead: Rufus Pollock’.
Paperight really gets going
Yesterday, Paperight got its first full-time team member: me. I started a year as a Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow. The Foundation's support transforms Paperight from a side-project at Electric Book... Read more – ‘Paperight really gets going’.
Paperight really gets going
Yesterday, Paperight got its first full-time team member: me. I started a year as a Shuttleworth Foundation Fellow. The Foundation's support transforms Paperight from a side-project at Electric Book... Read more – ‘Paperight really gets going’.
Day 1 of Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship
So today I have commenced a telecommunications fellowship with the Shuttleworth Foundation, which will be undertaken here at Flinders University where with the University's generous support we have... Read more – ‘Day 1 of Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship’.
We are looking for an individual with FET teaching experience in mathematics to work on FHSST / FullMarks content authoring and editing, for FET maths. Please see below for the job spec and to find... Read more – ‘FHSST in collaboration with Siyavula is hiring!’.
Live Magazine South Africa: the new recruits
The Live Magazine SA team: (from l to r) Nana, Xolani, Cristal, Nicola and Lauren Twenty one young people will be walking in to our office in Bo-Kaap, Cape Town, next Monday to start a journey that I... Read more – ‘Live Magazine South Africa: the new recruits’.
Making Mesh Networks Scale
Mesh networks have great potential to create sustainable, resilient and low-cost communications capabilities. This is why we are passionate about mesh networking at Serval Project.However, the... Read more – ‘Making Mesh Networks Scale’.
New Article on Effectiveness of Community Managed Forests
A new article published in the forthcoming issue of Forestry Ecology & Management assesses the role and conservation effectiveness of protected and community managed forests in the long-term... Read more – ‘New Article on Effectiveness of Community Managed Forests’.
UCT Seminar on Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights
Pelargonium. Copyright: African Centrefor BiosafetyOn the 26th of August, the Law, Race and Gender Research Unit of the University of Cape Town (UCT) held a seminar on “Traditional knowledge,... Read more – ‘UCT Seminar on Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property Rights’.
Randomness vs LeadershipThe inevitable meets the ineffable
A book that has been on my mind a lot recently is Tim Harford’s Adapt: Why Success Always Starts With Failure. Tim Harford is a great story-teller and he makes his case Gladwell-style by mixing... Read more – ‘Randomness vs LeadershipThe inevitable meets the ineffable’.
New Article on the Convention on Biological Diversity
A new article by Elisa Morgera (University of Edinburgh) and Elsa Tsioumani (International Institute for Sustainable Development) explores the evolution of the Convention on Biological Diversity... Read more – ‘New Article on the Convention on Biological Diversity’.
New Briefing on Pastoralism and Climate Change
The latest issue of Joto Afrika, a series of printed briefings and online resources about adapting to climate change in sub- Saharan Africa, focuses on "The Future of Pastoralism in a Changing... Read more – ‘New Briefing on Pastoralism and Climate Change’.
Opening Mobile Hardware
Over the last few years we have seen the impact and innovation that opening the software on smart phones has enabled. The key is that the barrier to entry is now so low, that innovation can prosper... Read more – ‘Opening Mobile Hardware’.
Week Ahead: Rufus Pollock
Availability All week Activity Meeting with Friecdrich and other OKFNers in Berlin More work on ckanjs – e.g. edit in place, polishing Lots of work on BibServer – see BibServer... Read more – ‘Week Ahead: Rufus Pollock’.
Horses for courses
The testimony of many has little more value than that of few, since the number of people who reason well in complicated matters is much smaller than that of those who reason badly. If reasoning were... Read more – ‘Horses for courses’.
Recap: Workshop on Biocultural Rights and Community Protocols
A workshop on Biocultural Rights and Biocultural Community protocols was held in Namibia from 18-19 August. The workshop was organized by the San Support Organizations (a forum for all... Read more – ‘Recap: Workshop on Biocultural Rights and Community Protocols’.
The City and the City by China Miéville
... Read more – ‘The City and the City by China Miéville’.
Shuttleworth Highlights for July 2011
As part of my Shuttleworth Fellowship I’m preparing monthly updates on what I’ve been up to. So, herewith are some some highlights from July. Talks, Events and Posts OKCon –... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Highlights for July 2011’.
Workshop on Biocultural Rights and Community Protocols
From 18-19 August, Natural Justice will be facilitating a workshop on biocultural rights and biocultural community protocols for Namibian San organizations in Windhoek. The workshop is being... Read more – ‘Workshop on Biocultural Rights and Community Protocols’.
Recap: Meeting on Green Governance and the Green Economy
From 15-16 August, Natural Justice and the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) co-hosted a meeting of Indigenous African leaders on the United Nations Environmental Programme... Read more – ‘Recap: Meeting on Green Governance and the Green Economy’.
Week Ahead: Rufus Pollock
Availability Most of the week In Berlin at least until Wednesday and possibly later Activity Lots of improvements to ckanjs including file upload working Improvements to ckanext-storage for... Read more – ‘Week Ahead: Rufus Pollock’.
Meeting on Green Governance and the Green Economy
From 15-16 August in Cape Town, Natural Justice, in partnership with the Indigenous Peoples of Africa Coordinating Committee (IPACC) will be organizing a meeting of representatives of African... Read more – ‘Meeting on Green Governance and the Green Economy’.
Far from the madding crowd…
Live Magazine UK: Autumn edition It’s been surreal and upsetting watching London devour itself over the last three days – but emerging from the rubble of this howl of anguish from a... Read more – ‘Far from the madding crowd…’.
Regional Dialogue on BCPs in Lima, Peru
On 8-9 August, an informal dialogue was held in Lima, Peru, bringing together a number of Latin American and other organizations to share their respective experiences or thoughts on working with... Read more – ‘Regional Dialogue on BCPs in Lima, Peru’.
On the ground at Chaos Communication Camp 2011
As in 2007, CCC is being held at Luftfarht Museum Finowfurt, Germany. So, I am writing this from in my tent next to a soviet-era air field in former East Germany, surrounded by old MiG fighter... Read more – ‘On the ground at Chaos Communication Camp 2011’.
International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples
The 9th of August marks the 17th International Day of the World's Indigenous Peoples. An event was held in New York City at the United Nations Headquarters, organized by the Secretariat of the... Read more – ‘International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples’.
Week Ahead: Rufus Pollock
Availability Most of the week. Will be travelling to Berlin for Chaos Computer Camp from Wed onwards — if you’re there and interested in having a chat do get in... Read more – ‘Week Ahead: Rufus Pollock’.
Week 12: Live Magazine SA is all systems go
Almost three months since landing on these shores, and now the decision is made. The first issue of Live Magazine South Africa will appear in early November. It is decided, so it has to happen.... Read more – ‘Week 12: Live Magazine SA is all systems go’.
Solar Flare Triggers Geomagnetic Storm
Earlier today (Australian time) two coronal mass ejections from the sun travelling at different speeds towards hit our planet at around the same time, triggering a very strong geomagnetic storm. For... Read more – ‘Solar Flare Triggers Geomagnetic Storm’.
New UN Journal Issue on Green Economy
The August 2011 issue of Natural Resources Forum, the United Nations Sustainable Development Journal, was recently released. Focusing on green economy and sustainable development, the special... Read more – ‘New UN Journal Issue on Green Economy’.
Australian Humanitarian Engineering Summit
Last week I attended the Humanitarian Engineering Summit in Brisbane, Australia.You can read about it and watch a TV news report here at the Engineers Australia web site.This was an... Read more – ‘Australian Humanitarian Engineering Summit’.
Another semester begins …
It is the beginning of the second semester here in Australia, and we have five new students starting with the project. We had seven last semester, and two have finished. That means that... Read more – ‘Another semester begins …’.
Second translation Hackathon at Stellenbosch University
Saturday 30 July was our second Afrikaans translation Hackathon at Stellenbosch University. We had 19 Afrikaans volunteers arrive for the day, and they translated a huge amount of content and did a... Read more – ‘Second translation Hackathon at Stellenbosch University’.
TEDx Stellenbosch presentation: People, Connectedness and Mobiles
People, Connectedness and Mobiles: How the streets of the mega city will innovate is a presentation I gave at TEDx Stellenbosch on 29 July. The theme of the day was imagining Africa as a vast mega... Read more – ‘TEDx Stellenbosch presentation: People, Connectedness and Mobiles’.
Wanted: Editorial/ journalism mentor to work on Live Mag SA launch issue
Part-time & freelance media mentors/ tutors for innovative publishing social enterprise Could you make a top-quality youth magazine, in two months flat, with a team of young people as your... Read more – ‘Wanted: Editorial/ journalism mentor to work on Live Mag SA launch issue’.
The Tree of Life
8.5. Beautiful, allusive and moving. As with Malick’s other work, sparing use of dialogue, fragmented scenes, and powerful images combine to a whole that is both complete and skeletal,... Read more – ‘The Tree of Life’.
Second Pilot Study on Enhancing Community Dialogue with UEBT
On 26 July, a second pilot testing the use of certain elements of the biocultural community protocol (BCP) process in the context of Ethical BioTrade was implemented in Nazarezinho do Meruú, a... Read more – ‘Second Pilot Study on Enhancing Community Dialogue with UEBT’.
First BCP in the Context of Ethical BioTrade
During the course of the last week, Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) participated in the first of three pilot studies as part of a joint GIZ-funded project between the Union for Ethical BioTrade... Read more – ‘First BCP in the Context of Ethical BioTrade’.
Ancient Greek Epitaph re Non-Existence of Afterlife
Do not pass by my epitaph wayfarer, But stand, listen, and when you have heard, go on your way. There is no boat in Hades, no ferryman Charon … All of us who have died and gone below... Read more – ‘Ancient Greek Epitaph re Non-Existence of Afterlife’.
sslsniff: Anniversary Edition
BasicConstraints Back Then In one week it will have been 9 years since I first published sslsniff — way back in 2002! While sslsniff has evolved to be a general-purpose MITM tool for... Read more – ‘sslsniff: Anniversary Edition’.
Seeking Harmony Leadership
Harmony 2.0 Leadership As part of the Shuttleworth Foundation focus on open content, collaboration and copyright law, we are seeking a steward for the Harmony agreements and leader for the process of... Read more – ‘Seeking Harmony Leadership’.
Ikamva Live: read it online in full
Open publication – Free publishing – More co-creation... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live: read it online in full’.
A drive home from work…
Driving home from a meeting in Masiphumelele, I took a bit of a wrong turn and ended up going the scenic route. Along the way, I pulled over to take a couple of pictures… ... Read more – ‘A drive home from work…’.
Connexions uploading sprint at St John’s College, Johannesburg
After our previous visit to Johannesburg in May, St John’s College expressed interest in joining the open education movement, and making their science content available online under an open... Read more – ‘Connexions uploading sprint at St John’s College, Johannesburg’.
BCPs, Livestock Keepers and Animal Genetic Resources
On 20 July, at the 13th Session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA13), the LIFE Network and the League for... Read more – ‘BCPs, Livestock Keepers and Animal Genetic Resources’.
“We are all broken”: Jonathon Jansen on leadership
Jonathon Jansen gets animated... “We are in trouble” is Jonathon Jansen‘s opening salvo… after a few well-aimed jokes about the weather being cold enough for people in... Read more – ‘“We are all broken”: Jonathon Jansen on leadership’.
Agrobiodiversity, Climate Change, and Food Security
On 19 July, at the 13th Session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA13), the Consultative Group on International... Read more – ‘Agrobiodiversity, Climate Change, and Food Security’.
Agrobiodiversity, Climate Change, and Food Security
On 19 July, at the 13th Session of the UN Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Commission on Genetic Resources for Food and Agriculture (CGRFA13), the Consultative Group on International... Read more – ‘Agrobiodiversity, Climate Change, and Food Security’.
Week 9: Ikamva Live is let loose
On Saturday morning I drove out to the bustling centre of Nyanga with Joy Olivier (IkamvaYouth founder) and Claire Conroy (Ikamva Live mentor) for the annual IkamvaYouth talent show, with 1500... Read more – ‘Week 9: Ikamva Live is let loose’.
ICCAs and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples
On 15 July, the final day of the 4th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), Natural Justice and the ICCA Consortium co-hosted a side event entitled,... Read more – ‘ICCAs and the Rights of Indigenous Peoples’.
FPIC and Transnational Corporations
Zurich-based NGO Incomindios hosted a lunch-time event on 14 July entitled "Free, Prior and Informed Consent: Difficulties and Successes with Transnational Corporations". Held in conjunction with the... Read more – ‘FPIC and Transnational Corporations’.
Advancing Dialogue on Treaties between States and Indigenous Peoples
The International Indian Treaty Council (IITC) hosted a lunch-time event on 13 July during the 4th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP). The event... Read more – ‘Advancing Dialogue on Treaties between States and Indigenous Peoples’.
Ikamva Live featured on Supernews SA
... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live featured on Supernews SA’.
Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property
On 12 July, during the 4th Session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), the World Intellectual Property Organization (WIPO) hosted a lunch-time event entitled... Read more – ‘Indigenous Peoples’ Traditional Knowledge and Intellectual Property’.
Week 8: some things I learnt from Ikamva Live
Sneak peek: Ikamva Live front cover This morning I sent our one-off Ikamva Live mini-mag to the printers, less than seven days after the first word of the content was written. The magazine was all... Read more – ‘Week 8: some things I learnt from Ikamva Live’.
June – summer reporting
This month ended with our biannual ‘Gathering’. As we are based around the world, we all (active and non active Fellows) get together every 6 months to: To share and to learn To... Read more – ‘June – summer reporting’.
Afrikaans translation day of FHSST at Stellenbosch University
Two months ago we held our first ever Hackathon at Stellenbosch University where, with the help of first language Afrikaans volunteers we started the process of translating FHSST into Afrikaans. We... Read more – ‘Afrikaans translation day of FHSST at Stellenbosch University’.
EMRIP Session on the Right to Participate in Decision-making
Natural Justice is attending the fourth session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), which will take place in Geneva from 11-15 July. This session will focus... Read more – ‘EMRIP Session on the Right to Participate in Decision-making’.
EMRIP Session on the Right to Participate in Decision-making
Natural Justice is attending the fourth session of the Expert Mechanism on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples (EMRIP), which will take place in Geneva from 11-15 July. This session will focus... Read more – ‘EMRIP Session on the Right to Participate in Decision-making’.
Save Lamu Alliance Formed
The communities of Lamu, Kenya, have recently formed a new alliance to preserve the natural biodiversity and cultural heritage of their lands and seas. The alliance, which is known as Save Lamu,... Read more – ‘Save Lamu Alliance Formed’.
Save Lamu Alliance Formed
The communities of Lamu, Kenya, have recently formed a new alliance to preserve the natural biodiversity and cultural heritage of their lands and seas. The alliance, which is known as Save Lamu,... Read more – ‘Save Lamu Alliance Formed’.
Have SWORD will travel (Sprinting at the Open Innovation Studio in Cape Town)
Wednesday before last, June 29th, the Cape Town Plone users' group and several other developers met at the Open Innovation Studios to sprint on creating a SWORD service for Plone and a couple of... Read more – ‘Have SWORD will travel (Sprinting at the Open Innovation Studio in Cape Town)’.
Ikamva Live magazine content blitz: it’s magageddon
The final day of our one-week magazine sprint saw us (me and our wonderful design mentor, Lynne Stuart) trekking out beyond the airport to the sprawling University of the Western Cape complex: an... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live magazine content blitz: it’s magageddon’.
Ikamva Live magazine content blitz: it’s magageddon
The final day of our one-week magazine sprint saw us (me and our wonderful design mentor, Lynne Stuart) trekking out beyond the airport to the sprawling University of the Western Cape complex: an... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live magazine content blitz: it’s magageddon’.
Ikamva Live content blitz: crescendo time
Our week hit fever pitch today with much excitement around the fashion shoot and an interview with two footballers at the Umbro offices in Cape Town. The Ikamva Live upstarts never fail to impress:... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live content blitz: crescendo time’.
Exploring Synergies between Protected Areas and ABS
From 6-8 July, Natural Justice, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are co-hosting an expert meeting to explore... Read more – ‘Exploring Synergies between Protected Areas and ABS’.
Exploring Synergies between Protected Areas and ABS
From 6-8 July, Natural Justice, the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP), and the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) are co-hosting an expert meeting to explore... Read more – ‘Exploring Synergies between Protected Areas and ABS’.
Deconstructing Protected Area Governance at IUCN
From 4-5 July, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended a meeting at the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) headquarters in Gland about a draft resource kit on protected... Read more – ‘Deconstructing Protected Area Governance at IUCN’.
Ikamva Live content blitz day 2: Lauren Beukes
Award-winning South African sci-fi novelist Lauren Beukes came to the Ikamva Live temporary editorial hub today for a quickfire interview with the Ikamva Live team from Masipumelele. With only one... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live content blitz day 2: Lauren Beukes’.
Ikamva Live: content blitz day one
Content creation week started for real this afternoon, with the squad splitting off from our group sessions and getting to work on their brief. We wre also joined by a new team of 7 reinforcements... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live: content blitz day one’.
Open Science and Citizen Cyberscience – a distinction
In the last two weeks, I’ve been at two events where the notion of Open Science featured prominently. One was the Open Access Initiative Workshop in Geneva 22-24 June, the other the Open... Read more – ‘Open Science and Citizen Cyberscience – a distinction’.
Ikamva Live: Day 3 in pictures
The last session of the preparatory week saw the Cape Town based Big Issue South Africa team of Melany Bendix (editor), Dirk Meerkotter (designer) and Michaela Verity (freelance photographer)... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live: Day 3 in pictures’.
Ikamva Live: Day Two in pictures
Presenting moodboards for the reviews section Mentor Claire Conroy discussing look and feel Flatplanning in action! Athi, left, self-appointed Chief Photographer (age 14), takes a break from camera... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live: Day Two in pictures’.
Ikamva Live mini-mag sprint – day one
I’m fresh from the Tsiba school in Pinelands, where we’ve just finished our first day of the Ikamva Live magazine sprint – making a magazine in one week with a group of high... Read more – ‘Ikamva Live mini-mag sprint – day one’.
Week 6: Super Collision – The Shuttleworth Gathering at CERN
Inside the LHC... well, above it Anti-matter, neutrons and protons, Higgs Bosons and lots and lots of physicists. This is the stuff CERN is made of. One grand assembly of brains and machinery,... Read more – ‘Week 6: Super Collision – The Shuttleworth Gathering at CERN’.
New TWN Book on Nagoya Protocol Negotiations
The Third World Network (TWN) has released the second edition of "The Road to an Anti-Biopiracy Agreement: The Negotiations Under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity". Comprised of... Read more – ‘New TWN Book on Nagoya Protocol Negotiations’.
New TWN Book on Nagoya Protocol Negotiations
The Third World Network (TWN) has released the second edition of "The Road to an Anti-Biopiracy Agreement: The Negotiations Under the United Nations Convention on Biological Diversity". Comprised of... Read more – ‘New TWN Book on Nagoya Protocol Negotiations’.
Vodacom Group CEO Pieter Uys seems like a nice guy. I’ve never met him but you look at his picture and you think, here is a decent fellow. Which makes it all the harder to credit his... Read more – ‘Vodacom – Oh Really?’.
Not convinced yet that SWORD is sharp?
My prior blog post discussed the benefits of choosing SWORD for depositing open education resources (OER) in repositories that make it easy to share and remix. It was very general, however, and here... Read more – ‘Not convinced yet that SWORD is sharp?’.
Not convinced yet that SWORD is sharp?
My prior blog post discussed the benefits of choosing SWORD for depositing open education resources (OER) in repositories that make it easy to share and remix. It was very general, however, and here... Read more – ‘Not convinced yet that SWORD is sharp?’.
Siyavula’s Progress to Sustainability
It has been quite a year so far for Siyavula. My rate of blogging is inversely correlated with real work (queue DDoS attack by blogging world) so the lack of activity should have told you that... Read more – ‘Siyavula’s Progress to Sustainability’.
OER Roadmap : The First Quarter in Review
Investigation:To start, it was important to look for an existing API to adapt for publishing OER that can support a learning ecosystem around open education repositories (especially delicious... Read more – ‘OER Roadmap : The First Quarter in Review’.
OER Roadmap : The First Quarter in Review
Investigation:To start, it was important to look for an existing API to adapt for publishing OER that can support a learning ecosystem around open education repositories (especially delicious... Read more – ‘OER Roadmap : The First Quarter in Review’.
UNFCCC Meetings & Event on REDD Safeguards
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recently held parallel meetings in Bonn, Germany. The 34th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the... Read more – ‘UNFCCC Meetings & Event on REDD Safeguards’.
UNFCCC Meetings & Event on REDD Safeguards
The United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) recently held parallel meetings in Bonn, Germany. The 34th sessions of the Subsidiary Body for Implementation (SBI) and the... Read more – ‘UNFCCC Meetings & Event on REDD Safeguards’.
Choosing a SWORD for publishing OER (a pen may be mightier but …)
Choosing or developing a standard way to publish open educational resources (OER) to libraries (repositories) that encourage remixability (sharing and adapting) was one of my main goals for the first... Read more – ‘Choosing a SWORD for publishing OER (a pen may be mightier but …)’.
Choosing a SWORD for publishing OER (a pen may be mightier but …)
Choosing or developing a standard way to publish open educational resources (OER) to libraries (repositories) that encourage remixability (sharing and adapting) was one of my main goals for the first... Read more – ‘Choosing a SWORD for publishing OER (a pen may be mightier but …)’.
Publishing API and a new service could make translating Connexions modules easy
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } Specialized tools for translating and publishing OER is one of the possible uses of an API for publishing to open education repositories. Repositories may... Read more – ‘Publishing API and a new service could make translating Connexions modules easy’.
Publishing API and a new service could make translating Connexions modules easy
p { margin-bottom: 0.08in; }a:link { } Specialized tools for translating and publishing OER is one of the possible uses of an API for publishing to open education repositories. Repositories may... Read more – ‘Publishing API and a new service could make translating Connexions modules easy’.
New Publication on Development & Customary Law
The International Work Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) recently released an issue of "Indigenous Affairs". Edited by Jens Dahl and Geneviève Rose, it includes a range of articles on different... Read more – ‘New Publication on Development & Customary Law’.
New Publication on Development & Customary Law
The International Work Group on Indigenous Affairs (IWGIA) recently released an issue of "Indigenous Affairs". Edited by Jens Dahl and Geneviève Rose, it includes a range of articles on different... Read more – ‘New Publication on Development & Customary Law’.
CBD Meeting on Sustainable Use Held in Montreal
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) hosted a meeting from 31 May to 3 June in Montreal on the sustainable use of biological diversity, with particular focus on customary... Read more – ‘CBD Meeting on Sustainable Use Held in Montreal’.
CBD Meeting on Sustainable Use Held in Montreal
The Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD) hosted a meeting from 31 May to 3 June in Montreal on the sustainable use of biological diversity, with particular focus on customary... Read more – ‘CBD Meeting on Sustainable Use Held in Montreal’.
Viewing People and Parks through a New Lens
From 18-19 June, Natural Justice attended a seminar on biocultural diversity and conservation in Sabah, Malaysia. It was the second of three seminars and part of an interactive course designed by... Read more – ‘Viewing People and Parks through a New Lens’.
Viewing People and Parks through a New Lens
From 18-19 June, Natural Justice attended a seminar on biocultural diversity and conservation in Sabah, Malaysia. It was the second of three seminars and part of an interactive course designed by... Read more – ‘Viewing People and Parks through a New Lens’.
Computering and computationalism
When my daughter was four, she coined a term for what she saw her father doing all too often: computering. She is now eight, and papa is still computering too much. So is everyone else. Computering... Read more – ‘Computering and computationalism’.
As part of my Shuttleworth Foundation fellowship, I am asked to reflect once a year on progress I have made, and think about challenges I may have encountered (and overcome hopefully.) It always... Read more – ‘The Fellowship Year in Review’.
Meshack Nchupetsang, in his Westlake workshop “I’ve always seen my problems as challenges,” explains Meshack Nchupetsang, entrepreneur and owner of Eyethu, who is holding court in his... Read more – ‘Week 5: “Poverty is an opportunity”’.
Disrupting Education at Harvard Business School
I’ll be speaking on a panel at the “Innovation in Higher Education” conference at Harvard Business School. I was asked to comment on the “disruptive innovation”... Read more – ‘Disrupting Education at Harvard Business School’.
Discussing Community Conserved Areas in Sabah
On 16 June, a back-to-back roundtable and panel session on community conservation initiatives was held at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM) in Kota Kinabalu,... Read more – ‘Discussing Community Conserved Areas in Sabah’.
Discussing Community Conserved Areas in Sabah
On 16 June, a back-to-back roundtable and panel session on community conservation initiatives was held at the International Symposium on Society and Resource Management (ISSRM) in Kota Kinabalu,... Read more – ‘Discussing Community Conserved Areas in Sabah’.
SPUD – Simple Unified Dashboard for mesh networks
IT46 have been hard at work and have just made the first public release of SPUD (Simple Unified Dashboard), a wireless mesh network visualisation tool for BATMAN mesh networks and its users.SPUD is a... Read more – ‘SPUD – Simple Unified Dashboard for mesh networks’.
New Publications from RRI and FPP
Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) and their partners recently released 6 case studies and a synthesis report on customary sustainable use of biodiversity by Indigenous peoples and local communities.... Read more – ‘New Publications from RRI and FPP’.
New Publications from RRI and FPP
Forest Peoples Programme (FPP) and their partners recently released 6 case studies and a synthesis report on customary sustainable use of biodiversity by Indigenous peoples and local communities.... Read more – ‘New Publications from RRI and FPP’.
Inside Tandym's print factory floor Today I missioned out to Epping (vast industrial zone resembling the Purley Way in south London) and visited Tandym printers. Interesting not only to see South... Read more – ‘View from the print factory floor’.
Substantive and Procedural Injustices of the Nagoya Protocol
A Joint Submission of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee), endorsed by 73 organizations globally (and counting), comprehensively details the substantive and procedural injustices of the... Read more – ‘Substantive and Procedural Injustices of the Nagoya Protocol’.
Substantive and Procedural Injustices of the Nagoya Protocol
A Joint Submission of the Grand Council of the Crees (Eeyou Istchee), endorsed by 73 organizations globally (and counting), comprehensively details the substantive and procedural injustices of the... Read more – ‘Substantive and Procedural Injustices of the Nagoya Protocol’.
Latest Edition of CBD Civil Society Newsletter
The fifth issue of , the newsletter for civil society involved in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), was recently released. This issue focuses on implementation of the 2011-2020 Strategic... Read more – ‘Latest Edition of CBD Civil Society Newsletter’.
Latest Edition of CBD Civil Society Newsletter
The fifth issue of , the newsletter for civil society involved in the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD), was recently released. This issue focuses on implementation of the 2011-2020 Strategic... Read more – ‘Latest Edition of CBD Civil Society Newsletter’.
New Publication: Agricultural Biodiversity in Europe
Michel Pimbert (International Institute for Environment and Development) has written a new publication entitled, "Participatory Research and On-farm Management of Agricultural Biodiversity in... Read more – ‘New Publication: Agricultural Biodiversity in Europe’.
New Publication: Agricultural Biodiversity in Europe
Michel Pimbert (International Institute for Environment and Development) has written a new publication entitled, "Participatory Research and On-farm Management of Agricultural Biodiversity in... Read more – ‘New Publication: Agricultural Biodiversity in Europe’.
Legislative Review of South Africa’s IP Amendment Bill
On 8 and 10 June, Johanna von Braun and Laureen Manuel (Natural Justice) participated as experts at the Portfolio Committee for Trade and Industry in South Africa's Parliament to give input into... Read more – ‘Legislative Review of South Africa’s IP Amendment Bill’.
Legislative Review of South Africa’s IP Amendment Bill
On 8 and 10 June, Johanna von Braun and Laureen Manuel (Natural Justice) participated as experts at the Portfolio Committee for Trade and Industry in South Africa's Parliament to give input into... Read more – ‘Legislative Review of South Africa’s IP Amendment Bill’.
May I?
Open & Collaborative Resources Kathi has started her phased implementation strategy for the OER roadmap. In May, she attended the IMS Learning Impact conference to get advice from leaders in... Read more – ‘May I?’.
First Meeting of the IGC on the Nagoya Protocol
From 6-10 June in Montreal, Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) participated in the First Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ICNP-1) under... Read more – ‘First Meeting of the IGC on the Nagoya Protocol’.
First Meeting of the IGC on the Nagoya Protocol
From 6-10 June in Montreal, Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) participated in the First Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ICNP-1) under... Read more – ‘First Meeting of the IGC on the Nagoya Protocol’.
Call for media-production mentors in Cape Town
Friend and acclaimed entrepreneur Gavin Weale is working with IkamvaYouth to produce a youth-created magazine in Cape Town. They need mentors, so if you're a media pro looking to contribute to... Read more – ‘Call for media-production mentors in Cape Town’.
Call for media-production mentors in Cape Town
Friend and acclaimed entrepreneur Gavin Weale is working with IkamvaYouth to produce a youth-created magazine in Cape Town. They need mentors, so if you're a media pro looking to contribute to... Read more – ‘Call for media-production mentors in Cape Town’.
Side Event on Community Protocols at ICNP-1
At the First Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ICNP-1) in Montreal, a side event was hosted on 6 June on biocultural community... Read more – ‘Side Event on Community Protocols at ICNP-1’.
Side Event on Community Protocols at ICNP-1
At the First Meeting of the Intergovernmental Committee on the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing (ICNP-1) in Montreal, a side event was hosted on 6 June on biocultural community... Read more – ‘Side Event on Community Protocols at ICNP-1’.
Why should the best schools share?
We recently did a little travelling around South Africa (Durban/Pietermaritzburg and Johannesburg) running events where we raise awareness of the Open Educational Resources (OER) movement, the shared... Read more – ‘Why should the best schools share?’.
Paperight, the 60-second intro
To help explain Paperight, I've created a few rough videos. Here's the shortest: my sixty-second intro to Paperight. On the Paperight YouTube channel, there are currently two others: a four-minute... Read more – ‘Paperight, the 60-second intro’.
Paperight, the 60-second intro
To help explain Paperight, I've created a few rough videos. Here's the shortest: my sixty-second intro to Paperight. On the Paperight YouTube channel, there are currently two others: a four-minute... Read more – ‘Paperight, the 60-second intro’.
OSISA Meeting on Economic Justice
Kabir Bavikatte and Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) attended the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) Economic Justice Partners Meeting from 30-31 May. The meeting was attended by... Read more – ‘OSISA Meeting on Economic Justice’.
OSISA Meeting on Economic Justice
Kabir Bavikatte and Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) attended the Open Society Initiative for Southern Africa (OSISA) Economic Justice Partners Meeting from 30-31 May. The meeting was attended by... Read more – ‘OSISA Meeting on Economic Justice’.
Siyavula trip to Johannesburg
Our month of May(hem) has almost drawn to a close, but it does mean that Junacy (June + lunacy) is not far off. This last week saw part of the team in Johannesburg, where we met with schools and... Read more – ‘Siyavula trip to Johannesburg’.
Supporting Livestock Keeper’s Rights in Rajasthan
Natural Justice is in Rajasthan, India, working with Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, Kalpavriksh, and others to focus on the Raika's continuing exclusion from the Kumbalgarh Sanctuary. Read other blog... Read more – ‘Supporting Livestock Keeper’s Rights in Rajasthan’.
Supporting Livestock Keeper’s Rights in Rajasthan
Natural Justice is in Rajasthan, India, working with Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, Kalpavriksh, and others to focus on the Raika's continuing exclusion from the Kumbalgarh Sanctuary. Read other blog... Read more – ‘Supporting Livestock Keeper’s Rights in Rajasthan’.
Supporting Livestock Keeper’s Rights in Rajasthan
Natural Justice is in Rajasthan, India, working with Lokhit Pashu-Palak Sansthan, Kalpavriksh, and others to focus on the Raika's continuing exclusion from the Kumbalgarh Sanctuary. Read other blog... Read more – ‘Supporting Livestock Keeper’s Rights in Rajasthan’.
Kalpavriksh Newsletter: Focus on Pastoral Communities
The latest issue of Kalpavriksh's newsletter, "People in Conservation: Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Security", is a special issue on pastoral communities. It includes news about a... Read more – ‘Kalpavriksh Newsletter: Focus on Pastoral Communities’.
Kalpavriksh Newsletter: Focus on Pastoral Communities
The latest issue of Kalpavriksh's newsletter, "People in Conservation: Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Security", is a special issue on pastoral communities. It includes news about a... Read more – ‘Kalpavriksh Newsletter: Focus on Pastoral Communities’.
Kalpavriksh Newsletter: Focus on Pastoral Communities
The latest issue of Kalpavriksh's newsletter, "People in Conservation: Biodiversity Conservation and Livelihood Security", is a special issue on pastoral communities. It includes news about a... Read more – ‘Kalpavriksh Newsletter: Focus on Pastoral Communities’.
Source Code
6/10. One of those films that I would probably rate more highly if the reviews hadn’t been so positive. This isn’t bad, and it does a lot with its premise — in no small part due to... Read more – ‘Source Code’.
Sympathy for the Tinkerer
Tinkering gets a bad rap and I am making it my personal mission to rehabilitate the term. I keep an eye out for articles about tinkering and it is dismaying to see tinkerers getting the same raw deal... Read more – ‘Sympathy for the Tinkerer’.
Sprinting with Connexions
First progress implementing a bit of a publishing API for OER, based on SWORD and AtomPub. Last week at the Plone East Symposium in State College PA, plone developers across the US gathered... Read more – ‘Sprinting with Connexions’.
Sprinting with Connexions
First progress implementing a bit of a publishing API for OER, based on SWORD and AtomPub. Last week at the Plone East Symposium in State College PA, plone developers across the US gathered... Read more – ‘Sprinting with Connexions’.
Sprinting with Connexions
First progress implementing a bit of a publishing API for OER, based on SWORD and AtomPub. Last week at the Plone East Symposium in State College PA, plone developers across the US gathered... Read more – ‘Sprinting with Connexions’.
Democracy (and logos) with Chinese characteristics
In the Beijing Mozilla Hackfest, which I reported on a while ago, one of the highlights was having the talented designer André-Pierre Olivier in our midst. APO, as he is known by many, is the... Read more – ‘Democracy (and logos) with Chinese characteristics’.
Special Rapporteur on the Collective Rights of Indigenous Peoples
James Anaya, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, gave the keynote speech at the opening of the 18th session of the World Intellectual Property Organization's... Read more – ‘Special Rapporteur on the Collective Rights of Indigenous Peoples’.
Special Rapporteur on the Collective Rights of Indigenous Peoples
James Anaya, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, gave the keynote speech at the opening of the 18th session of the World Intellectual Property Organization's... Read more – ‘Special Rapporteur on the Collective Rights of Indigenous Peoples’.
Special Rapporteur on the Collective Rights of Indigenous Peoples
James Anaya, the UN Special Rapporteur on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples, gave the keynote speech at the opening of the 18th session of the World Intellectual Property Organization's... Read more – ‘Special Rapporteur on the Collective Rights of Indigenous Peoples’.
Analyzing the Nagoya Protocol in New York
Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) is currently in New York to take part in the information and preparatory meeting for Indigenous peoples and local communities on access and benefit sharing (ABS) and... Read more – ‘Analyzing the Nagoya Protocol in New York’.
Analyzing the Nagoya Protocol in New York
Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) is currently in New York to take part in the information and preparatory meeting for Indigenous peoples and local communities on access and benefit sharing (ABS) and... Read more – ‘Analyzing the Nagoya Protocol in New York’.
Analyzing the Nagoya Protocol in New York
Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) is currently in New York to take part in the information and preparatory meeting for Indigenous peoples and local communities on access and benefit sharing (ABS) and... Read more – ‘Analyzing the Nagoya Protocol in New York’.
New Website on Biocultural Heritage Launched
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has launched a new website on biocultural heritage. Krystyna Swiderska (senior researcher, IIED) describes biocultural heritage as... Read more – ‘New Website on Biocultural Heritage Launched’.
New Website on Biocultural Heritage Launched
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has launched a new website on biocultural heritage. Krystyna Swiderska (senior researcher, IIED) describes biocultural heritage as... Read more – ‘New Website on Biocultural Heritage Launched’.
New Website on Biocultural Heritage Launched
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has launched a new website on biocultural heritage. Krystyna Swiderska (senior researcher, IIED) describes biocultural heritage as... Read more – ‘New Website on Biocultural Heritage Launched’.
IDRC and GIZ Project Launches in South Africa
Kabir Bavikatte, Gino Cocchiaro and Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) participated in the launching workshop of the Open AIR (African Innovation Research and Training: Exploring the Role of... Read more – ‘IDRC and GIZ Project Launches in South Africa’.
IDRC and GIZ Project Launches in South Africa
Kabir Bavikatte, Gino Cocchiaro and Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) participated in the launching workshop of the Open AIR (African Innovation Research and Training: Exploring the Role of... Read more – ‘IDRC and GIZ Project Launches in South Africa’.
IDRC and GIZ Project Launches in South Africa
Kabir Bavikatte, Gino Cocchiaro and Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) participated in the launching workshop of the Open AIR (African Innovation Research and Training: Exploring the Role of... Read more – ‘IDRC and GIZ Project Launches in South Africa’.
Trip to Pietermaritzburg and Durban
For weeks the Siyavula team was organising the trip to visit schools in Pietermaritzburg and Durban, which took place last week from Tuesday 10 – Friday 13 May. We eagerly watched the registrations... Read more – ‘Trip to Pietermaritzburg and Durban’.
AfrikaBurns Again for a Village Telco
The following is a guest post from Scarborough Mesh pioneer David Carman who set up a Mesh Potato telephone network for the second year at AfrikaBurn. We headed for Tankwa Town with a full load and... Read more – ‘AfrikaBurns Again for a Village Telco’.
AfrikaBurns Again for a Village Telco
The following is a guest post from Scarborough Mesh pioneer David Carman who set up a Mesh Potato telephone network for the second year at AfrikaBurn. We headed for Tankwa Town with a full load and... Read more – ‘AfrikaBurns Again for a Village Telco’.
AfrikaBurns Again for a Village Telco
The following is a guest post from Scarborough Mesh pioneer David Carman who set up a Mesh Potato telephone network for the second year at AfrikaBurn. We headed for Tankwa Town with a full load and... Read more – ‘AfrikaBurns Again for a Village Telco’.
Fair Mobile – Two Years On
In which I re-assert my self-appointed role of digitally holding African mobile operators’ feet to the fire for their rent-seeking behaviour. In today’s spotlight is Vodacom South... Read more – ‘Fair Mobile – Two Years On’.
UEBT Meetings on ABS and Biodiversity
From May 4-5 in Paris, the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) hosted a back-to-back experts meeting on access and benefit sharing (ABS) and biotrade and a conference on "The Strategic Importance of... Read more – ‘UEBT Meetings on ABS and Biodiversity’.
UEBT Meetings on ABS and Biodiversity
From May 4-5 in Paris, the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) hosted a back-to-back experts meeting on access and benefit sharing (ABS) and biotrade and a conference on "The Strategic Importance of... Read more – ‘UEBT Meetings on ABS and Biodiversity’.
UEBT Meetings on ABS and Biodiversity
From May 4-5 in Paris, the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) hosted a back-to-back experts meeting on access and benefit sharing (ABS) and biotrade and a conference on "The Strategic Importance of... Read more – ‘UEBT Meetings on ABS and Biodiversity’.
I don’t need a certificate to beat you in chess
Just submitted my “Testing Our Assumptions” proposal for the upcoming Open Ed Conference (Oct 25-27 2011). I am interested in hacking certification – and was happy to accept... Read more – ‘I don’t need a certificate to beat you in chess’.
Nice = good business sense?
I have been feeling extremely virtuous over the last few days… My office had become rather cluttered with no longer required items that have little or no monetary value so over the w/e I popped... Read more – ‘Nice = good business sense?’.
Chiclete Com Banana
On Wednesday this week I was fortunate enough to spend a couple of hours chatting with Gilberto Gil. I am still pinching myself. When I was 17, I was an exchange student for a year in Brazil. It... Read more – ‘Chiclete Com Banana’.
Digital textbooks: Where are the cost savings?
I have a lot of conversations about digital textbooks, and see others doing the same under every stone I turn. No doubt, educational institutions are keen to turn to digital content entirely, and... Read more – ‘Digital textbooks: Where are the cost savings?’.
Digital textbooks: Where are the cost savings?
I have a lot of conversations about digital textbooks, and see others doing the same under every stone I turn. No doubt, educational institutions are keen to turn to digital content entirely, and... Read more – ‘Digital textbooks: Where are the cost savings?’.
UEBT Meetings on ABS and Biodiversity
From May 4-5 in Paris, the Union for Ethical BioTrade (UEBT) hosted a back-to-back experts meeting on access and benefit sharing (ABS) and biotrade and a conference on "The Strategic Importance of... Read more – ‘UEBT Meetings on ABS and Biodiversity’.
A passage to India, via Brazil and China.
Last week I was in Brazil, lecturing about citizen cyberscience (Brasilia, Rio, Sao Paulo – see my comments in the Citizen Cyberscience Centre blog). Last month I did the same in India (Mumbai,... Read more – ‘A passage to India, via Brazil and China.’.
Travelling: Brasilia, Amsterdam, Budapest then London
I’m travelling quite a bit over these next few weeks: This week, from Tuesday 10th through Saturday 14th I’m in Brasilia to participate in CONSEGI and talk about open data. I’m... Read more – ‘Travelling: Brasilia, Amsterdam, Budapest then London’.
ABS Capacity Development with Lusophone Countries
From 3-6 May, Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) co-facilitated the first Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Capacity Development Workshop for African lusophone countries in Maputo, Mozambique. The... Read more – ‘ABS Capacity Development with Lusophone Countries’.
ABS Capacity Development with Lusophone Countries
From 3-6 May, Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) co-facilitated the first Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Capacity Development Workshop for African lusophone countries in Maputo, Mozambique. The... Read more – ‘ABS Capacity Development with Lusophone Countries’.
ABS Capacity Development with Lusophone Countries
From 3-6 May, Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) co-facilitated the first Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Capacity Development Workshop for African lusophone countries in Maputo, Mozambique. The... Read more – ‘ABS Capacity Development with Lusophone Countries’.
No longer active
Please note that this site is no longer active. While no new content will be added, it remains a resource of mlearning papers, presentations, projects and... Read more – ‘No longer active’.
April showers…
… and storms – but also the sun has been shining on us. Highlights for this month are: Open data Rufus has started to talk about a data ecosystem where there are data cycles –... Read more – ‘April showers…’.
Javascript Libraries for Working with Data
Any pointers to existing js utility libraries for working with data (e.g. convert to/from standard services, parse dates... Read more – ‘Javascript Libraries for Working with Data’.
Afrikaans Translation Hackathon
I just wanted to quickly dump a few thoughts about a big event we’re about to run. I’ve been slipping behind in my blogging and thought I’d inflict a quick core dump on... Read more – ‘Afrikaans Translation Hackathon’.
Shuttleworth Highlights for April 2011
As part of my Shuttleworth Fellowship I’m preparing monthly highlights of Fellowship-related activity. Talks, Events and Posts Building the (Open) Data Ecosystem Data Hubs, Data Management... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Highlights for April 2011’.
Presentation given at Girl Geek Dinner Cape Town
Below is the presentation that I gave at the Girl Geek Dinner in Cape Town, 4 May, about women, mobiles (mwomen) and exciting possibilities. In 2004 I attended a screening of Shake Hands with the... Read more – ‘Presentation given at Girl Geek Dinner Cape Town’.
Joint CBD Submission on REDD+ Safeguards
Together with the Centre for International Environmental Law, the International Alliance of Indigenous and Tribal Peoples of the Tropical Forests, Kenya Young Greens, the Rainforest Foundation... Read more – ‘Joint CBD Submission on REDD+ Safeguards’.
Talking at Legal Aspects of Public Sector Information (LAPSI) Conference in Milan
This week on Thursday and Friday I’ll be in Milan to speak at the 1st LAPSI (Legal Aspects of Public Sector Information) Primer & Public Conference. I’m contributing to a... Read more – ‘Talking at Legal Aspects of Public Sector Information (LAPSI) Conference in Milan’.
An overview of FHSST Hackathons of 2011 on UCT campus
Tuesday 19 April was our ninth Hackathon of the year, and our final one for a little while as we are putting our Hackathons on hold temporarily due to our Siyavula work commitments. We had a strong... Read more – ‘An overview of FHSST Hackathons of 2011 on UCT campus’.
Bhutan: The Policy and Practice of Happiness
The National Biodiversity Center of Bhutan recently hosted a multistakeholder workshop on access and benefit sharing (ABS), which was facilitated by Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) and Morten... Read more – ‘Bhutan: The Policy and Practice of Happiness’.
Bhutan: The Policy and Practice of Happiness
The National Biodiversity Center of Bhutan recently hosted a multistakeholder workshop on access and benefit sharing (ABS), which was facilitated by Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) and Morten... Read more – ‘Bhutan: The Policy and Practice of Happiness’.
Why a Publishing API? or What’s a Publishing API?
The fellowship that I have through the Shuttleworth Foundation is officially “to foster an ecosystem around open education resources”. The community creates great teaching and learning... Read more – ‘Why a Publishing API? or What’s a Publishing API?’.
Why a Publishing API? or What’s a Publishing API?
The fellowship that I have through the Shuttleworth Foundation is officially “to foster an ecosystem around open education resources”. The community creates great teaching and learning... Read more – ‘Why a Publishing API? or What’s a Publishing API?’.
Why a Publishing API? or What’s a Publishing API?
The fellowship that I have through the Shuttleworth Foundation is officially “to foster an ecosystem around open education resources”. The community creates great teaching and learning... Read more – ‘Why a Publishing API? or What’s a Publishing API?’.
Deconstructing Biocultural Diversity and Conservation
From April 25-26, Natural Justice attended a seminar on biocultural diversity and conservation in Sabah, Malaysia. It is the first of three seminars and part of an interactive course designed by the... Read more – ‘Deconstructing Biocultural Diversity and Conservation’.
Meet Terry Gillett. Terry joined the Village Telco community early this year and purchased a couple of Mesh Potatoes. He immediately saw the opportunity that Mesh Potatoes might have for smaller... Read more – ‘Small Enterprise – Campus Network (SECN)’.
Meet Terry Gillett. Terry joined the Village Telco community early this year and purchased a couple of Mesh Potatoes. He immediately saw the opportunity that Mesh Potatoes might have for smaller... Read more – ‘Small Enterprise – Campus Network (SECN)’.
I have been interested in certification (and assessment related to certification) for a while. I believe it will drive the next big step for P2PU.org as well as for the open education movement as a... Read more – ‘Hacking Certification’.
Bhutan: Will ABS Make Us Happier?
The National Biodiversity Center of Bhutan hosted a two-day multi-stakeholder capacity development workshop on Developing a National Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Policy for Bhutan. The workshop... Read more – ‘Bhutan: Will ABS Make Us Happier?’.
Bhutan: Will ABS Make Us Happier?
The National Biodiversity Center of Bhutan hosted a two-day multi-stakeholder capacity development workshop on Developing a National Access and Benefit Sharing (ABS) Policy for Bhutan. The workshop... Read more – ‘Bhutan: Will ABS Make Us Happier?’.
Attempts to Justify Land-grabbing Criticized by Global CSOs
From April 18-20, the World Bank will be leading discussions of how to operationalize "responsible" large-scale land acquisitions, centred largely around their "Principles for Responsible... Read more – ‘Attempts to Justify Land-grabbing Criticized by Global CSOs’.
Attempts to Justify Land-grabbing Criticized by Global CSOs
From April 18-20, the World Bank will be leading discussions of how to operationalize "responsible" large-scale land acquisitions, centred largely around their "Principles for Responsible... Read more – ‘Attempts to Justify Land-grabbing Criticized by Global CSOs’.
Combining the best of the studio model with personalized learning: Is it doable?
I was recently at the NITLE (National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education) Summit meeting in Arlington, Virginia and John Seely Brown (JSB) gave the keynote address on “A New Culture of... Read more – ‘Combining the best of the studio model with personalized learning: Is it doable?’.
Combining the best of the studio model with personalized learning: Is it doable?
I was recently at the NITLE (National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education) Summit meeting in Arlington, Virginia and John Seely Brown (JSB) gave the keynote address on “A New Culture of... Read more – ‘Combining the best of the studio model with personalized learning: Is it doable?’.
Combining the best of the studio model with personalized learning: Is it doable?
I was recently at the NITLE (National Institute for Technology in Liberal Education) Summit meeting in Arlington, Virginia and John Seely Brown (JSB) gave the keynote address on “A New Culture of... Read more – ‘Combining the best of the studio model with personalized learning: Is it doable?’.
New Article on Biodiversity and Climate Change Law
Elisa Morgera (University of Edinburgh) has written a working paper entitled, "Faraway, So Close: A Legal Analysis of the Increasing Interactions between the Convention on Biological Diversity and... Read more – ‘New Article on Biodiversity and Climate Change Law’.
Talk at RE:PUBLICA 2011
Yesterday I was at RE:PUBLICA XI to give a talk on Open Government Data in the opening session of the “open” stream. The crammed to over-capacity room was a nice indicator of the growing... Read more – ‘Talk at RE:PUBLICA 2011’.
European Biofuel Policies "Unethical"
Credit: Naomi Johnstone.A report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics blasts European Union (EU) biofuel targets as unethical. The EU Renewable Energy Directive, which calls for biofuels to comprise... Read more – ‘European Biofuel Policies "Unethical"’.
European Biofuel Policies "Unethical"
Credit: Naomi Johnstone. A report by the Nuffield Council on Bioethics blasts European Union (EU) biofuel targets as unethical. The EU Renewable Energy Directive, which calls for biofuels to... Read more – ‘European Biofuel Policies "Unethical"’.
Eighth FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus
Our turnout at last night’s Hackathon was smaller than usual, but nevertheless we had 21 enthusiastic volunteers! Mark went from table to table and gave everyone a status update on the project... Read more – ‘Eighth FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus’.
Bolivia About to Pass Law of Mother Earth
An April 10th article in The Guardian reveals that Bolivia is set to pass the world’s first laws granting all nature equal rights to humans. The Law of Mother Earth, now agreed by politicians and... Read more – ‘Bolivia About to Pass Law of Mother Earth’.
Background: I first got involved with Creative Commons (CC) in 2004 soon after its UK chapter started. Along with Damian Tambini, the then UK ‘project lead’ for CC, and the few other... Read more – ‘Creative Commons and the Commons’.
African BCP Initiative Inception Meeting in !Khwa-ttu
From April 11-12, the inception meeting of the African Bio-Cultural Community Protocol Initiative (BCP Initiative) is taking place in !Khwa-ttu, Western Cape. The meeting is hosted by Natural... Read more – ‘African BCP Initiative Inception Meeting in !Khwa-ttu’.
The pain of reporting vs the joy of sharing and learning
As a Foundation, we have a responsibility to our trustees and Founder to know where our money is spent and how it has changed the landscape. The problem with reporting is that is is arduous,... Read more – ‘The pain of reporting vs the joy of sharing and learning’.
SSL And The Future Of Authenticity
The Background In the early 90’s, at the dawn of the World Wide Web, some engineers at Netscape developed a protocol for making secure HTTP requests, and what they came up with was called... Read more – ‘SSL And The Future Of Authenticity’.
Bolivia in Bangkok: "You Can’t Cheat Nature"
In an impassioned and well-evidenced press conference, the Plurinational State of Bolivia called for more ambitious pledges from developed countries to reduce emissions at home. He noted that even... Read more – ‘Bolivia in Bangkok: "You Can’t Cheat Nature"’.
UNFCCC Executive Secretary’s Views of the Bangkok Process
Christiana Figueres, Executive Secretary of the UNFCCC, spoke to the press on the final day of Ad Hoc Working Group negotiations in Bangkok. According to Figueres, there is no country that is... Read more – ‘UNFCCC Executive Secretary’s Views of the Bangkok Process’.
Calling on ASEAN for a Fair, Ambitious, and Binding Climate Deal
A press conference held today called for the 10 governments of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) to work together more effectively as a bloc in the UNFCCC negotiations to push... Read more – ‘Calling on ASEAN for a Fair, Ambitious, and Binding Climate Deal’.
"Impasse" in Bangkok: Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance
Saying that we are currently at an impasse, a press conference today hosted by the Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance (PACJA) blasted developed countries for failing to take action and make... Read more – ‘"Impasse" in Bangkok: Pan-African Climate Justice Alliance’.
Seventh FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus
The second term for UCT students has begun, and this being their first week of term was no deterrent for Hackathon attendance. We had 23 sign ups on Eventbrite, but we have learned that this is no... Read more – ‘Seventh FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus’.
What I liked about the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship
Guilty admission. I am a fault finder. Show me a perfect rose and I will find the petal that is slightly wilted. Or at least that’s how I grew up. I’ve spent much of my adult life... Read more – ‘What I liked about the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship’.
Talk at UKSG 2011 Conference
Yesterday, I was up in Harrogate at the UKSG (UK Serials Group) annual conference to speak in a keynote session on Open Bibiliograpy and Open Bibliographic Data. I’ve posted the slides online... Read more – ‘Talk at UKSG 2011 Conference’.
Implications of Cancun Agreement for Indigenous Peoples
A press conference hosted today by TEBTEBBA focused on the implications of the Cancun Agreement, specifically the text on Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD) for... Read more – ‘Implications of Cancun Agreement for Indigenous Peoples’.
Jeremy Leggett - Chairman of SolarAidI had a chance to sit down and chat with Jeremy Leggett last week at the Skoll World Forum. Jeremy is the Chairman of SolarAid, a social enterprise that... Read more – ‘The Evolution of Solar Social Enterprise’.
UNFCCC Negotiations Resume in Bangkok
Natural Justice is in Bangkok, Thailand, this week to attend the first negotiations of 2011 under the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC). The meeting, held from April... Read more – ‘UNFCCC Negotiations Resume in Bangkok’.
The Machine that runs P2PU
I posted an update on the administrative underbelly of P2PU over at http://blogs.p2pu.org/blog/2011/04/04/p2pu-the-machine/. It covers a lot of the important (but slightly mundane) details of... Read more – ‘The Machine that runs P2PU’.
Inception Meeting of the Asia Regional Initiative Held in Sri Lanka
From April 2-4, Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) were in Digana, Sri Lanka, for the inception meeting of the Asia Regional Initiative on Biocultural Community Protocols. Other... Read more – ‘Inception Meeting of the Asia Regional Initiative Held in Sri Lanka’.
Javascript Templating and Frameworks
Ongoing and incomplete review of javascript templating systems and frameworks. Templating Unobtrusive (HTML + JSON) weld https://github.com/hij1nx/weld tags: unobtrusive... Read more – ‘Javascript Templating and Frameworks’.
Supporting the Youth Movement in Sri Lanka
From March 29-April 1, Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) visited the Centre for Eco-Cultural Studies (CES) in Sigiriya, Sri Lanka. They worked with a group of about 25 youth to explore... Read more – ‘Supporting the Youth Movement in Sri Lanka’.
Big Ideas Fest 2010 videos available
In December last year I was lucky enough to be invited to the Big Ideas Festival, hosted by the Institute for the Study of Knowledge Management in Education (ISKME), as a rapid-fire speaker. The... Read more – ‘Big Ideas Fest 2010 videos available’.
A hackfest by any other name
For the last couple of years, I’ve helped to run workshops in Taipei with Academia Sinica and in Beijing with the Chinese Academy of Sciences, on the topic of citizen cyberscience. These... Read more – ‘A hackfest by any other name’.
New Journal Issue on Environmental Laws and Sustainability
A special issue of the Open Access journal Sustainability, focusing on how law can and should be used to achieve sustainability, is available online. The guest editors introduce the issue by... Read more – ‘New Journal Issue on Environmental Laws and Sustainability’.
New Article on Effective Ecosystem Governance Strategies
An article entitled, "Identifying governance strategies that effectively support ecosystem services, resource sustainability, and biodiversity" was recently published in the Proceedings of the... Read more – ‘New Article on Effective Ecosystem Governance Strategies’.
What is Social Entrepreneurship – Part II
The opening plenary of the Skoll World Forum last night was fascinating. Brilliant because it opened with a set by Baaba Maal and insightful because of a debate among leading members of the... Read more – ‘What is Social Entrepreneurship – Part II’.
What is a Social Entrepreneur?
This week I’m attending the Skoll World Forum on Social Entrepreneurship. Thanks to their kind invitation, I’ll be blogging this week about my experiences here. Having recently left... Read more – ‘What is a Social Entrepreneur?’.
Sixth FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus
UCT students are currently on holiday, so it was great watching our Eventbrite attendance sign up page increase in numbers in the lead up to last night’s Hackathon, to the point where we were... Read more – ‘Sixth FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus’.
Where Does My Money Go …
Something I saw recently (and took a picture of) that made me think of Where Does My Money Go? and Open Spending... Read more – ‘Where Does My Money Go …’.
Kicking Off the Asia Regional Initiative on BCPs
Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) will be in Sri Lanka this week for a planning meeting for the Asia Regional Initiative on Biocultural Community Protocols. Natural Justice is working on... Read more – ‘Kicking Off the Asia Regional Initiative on BCPs’.
Palm Oil Plantation Hands Land Back to Community
A new palm oil plantation, run by a company that is a member of the Roundtable on Sustainable Palm Oil (RSPO), has agreed to relinquish more than 1,000 hectares of its 9,000 hectare concession back... Read more – ‘Palm Oil Plantation Hands Land Back to Community’.
Rio+20: New Green Economy or Green-washed Old Economy?
The UN Conference on Sustainable Development (commonly referred to as Rio+20) is set to take place in June 2012. The Second Session of the Preparatory Committee for the Conference (coverage available... Read more – ‘Rio+20: New Green Economy or Green-washed Old Economy?’.
Progress on the Lamu Community Protocol
Gino Cocchiaro and Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) were in Lamu, Kenya, last week to assist the communities there in their development of a biocultural community protocol (BCP). The Indigenous... Read more – ‘Progress on the Lamu Community Protocol’.
Fifth FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus
This is the last week of term for UCT students (can you believe it!), but despite this we had 21 signups on Eventbrite, and ended up with 26 volunteers at our Hackathon last night! Some volunteers... Read more – ‘Fifth FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus’.
Shuttleworth Fellowship – Activity in the Last 3 Months
As part of my Shuttleworth Fellowship I’m preparing quarterly reports on what I’ve been up to. So, herewith are some some highlights from the last 3 months. (Previous update –... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Fellowship – Activity in the Last 3 Months’.
It’s a woman’s world (but it wouldn’t be nothing without man or a boy)
by Kate Brundle, Group Account Director at Livity Last week I was at the stunning Sheepdrove Organic Farm at Wavelength Connect event, which is dedicated to connecting visionary businesses. Whilst I... Read more – ‘It’s a woman’s world (but it wouldn’t be nothing without man or a boy)’.
Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources in Life Sciences
Our final evening event last night was for Life Sciences teachers, which was hosted by the Experilab in Bellville. The last six weeks have seen us cover a range of subjects and included an... Read more – ‘Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources in Life Sciences’.
Dust off that Arts degree, it’s worth more now
As every institution in the world continues to gear up its online capabilities, skilled software developers are in high demand, and are really well paid for their services. There are often days when... Read more – ‘Dust off that Arts degree, it’s worth more now’.
Dust off that Arts degree, it’s worth more now
As every institution in the world continues to gear up its online capabilities, skilled software developers are in high demand, and are really well paid for their services. There are often days when... Read more – ‘Dust off that Arts degree, it’s worth more now’.
Staff and partners needed for Livity’s Olympic Legacy project
Since last year, Livity and Channel 4 have been delivering somewhereto_, a key project of the Cultural Olympiad. somewhereto_ is all about enabling and empowering 16 to 25 year-olds across the UK to... Read more – ‘Staff and partners needed for Livity’s Olympic Legacy project’.
Fourth FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus
We have held four Hackathons this year so far, and it is hard to believe that the university term ends next week already. As per our usual Tuesday routine, we stocked up on snacks and cooldrinks... Read more – ‘Fourth FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus’.
It’s not all about the numbers
Written by Caroline Roake, Head of People at Livity There were lots of interesting and opposing views expressed in response to a recent Guardian article about the rising NEET (not in employment,... Read more – ‘It’s not all about the numbers’.
CBD and REDD+ in Singapore
Natural Justice is attending a meeting on reducing emissions from deforestation and forest degradation (REDD), which is being hosted by the Secretariat of the Convention on Biological Diversity (CBD)... Read more – ‘CBD and REDD+ in Singapore’.
Making Connections in KL
Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) met with three colleagues in Kuala Lumpur on the way to a CBD-REDD+ meeting in Singapore. Dr. Azmi Sharom is an associate professor at the Law Faculty... Read more – ‘Making Connections in KL’.
ITPGRFA, Farmers’ Rights, and Biocultural Heritage
Colleagues from the International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED), Asociacion ANDES, Centre for Chinese Agricultural Policy, and Ecoserve have submitted a paper to the 4th Session of... Read more – ‘ITPGRFA, Farmers’ Rights, and Biocultural Heritage’.
Last week, we had our Year End 2010 meeting with our Board of Trustees and whilst we have always shared the notes internally, we have not published the intricate details before. I do so now, not... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Foundation Trustee minutes’.
Livity loves….
Art print by Alison Gilchrist & Nigel Costley. Available from East End... Read more – ‘Livity loves….’.
Third FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus
Last night’s Hackathon was our best one yet! We implemented a new, more streamlined process, which meant the assignment allocation ran smoothly and easily, and when volunteers arrived they were... Read more – ‘Third FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus’.
UN-REDD Releases 5-year Strategy
The UN-REDD Programme has released its first five-year strategy for 2011-2015, which provides a road map for increased support to UN-REDD partner countries for activities related to reducing... Read more – ‘UN-REDD Releases 5-year Strategy’.
Myth #3: Nobody will be interested in my science
The third of the “urban myths of citizen cyberscience” that I want to debunk is one that I have a lot of sympathy with. “Nobody will be interested in my science” might seem... Read more – ‘Myth #3: Nobody will be interested in my science’.
Why global tolerance?
Written by Scott Forbes, 21 Founder of Global Forum 40 ‘Global Forum 40 – Sex Education for Young People Now!’ Scott Forbes is an amazing young man and an example of what you can do... Read more – ‘Why global tolerance?’.
Women, Climate Change, and REDD
On the occasion of International Women's Day, the World Rainforest Movement has issued a statement. According to their website, "Climate change, one of most serious problems facing the world today,... Read more – ‘Women, Climate Change, and REDD’.
Get Support
Get support from the Village Telco community... Read more – ‘Get Support’.
Knowledge Centre
This post is about the Knowledge Centre. No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts... Read more – ‘Knowledge Centre’.
Get Mesh Potatoes!
Rhoncus adipiscing mattis turpis odio scelerisque augue placerat a turpis lorem. Proin duis dapibus, dignissim dis, dis, in in nec magna augue porttitor purus elit. Elementum montes mid, enim sed nec... Read more – ‘Get Mesh Potatoes!’.
Video
An easy-to-use, scalable, standards-based, wireless local, DIY, telephone company toolkitGET STARTEDlearn more No related posts. Related posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts... Read more – ‘Video’.
Exploring Ethical BioTrade
On 5 March, an expert meeting took place in Geneva between Natural Justice and the Union for Ethical Biotrade (UEBT) to assess the potential role of biocultural community protocols as a tool to... Read more – ‘Exploring Ethical BioTrade’.
Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources in Physical Science
Siyavula has been running a repeat of our evening events that serve to introduce teachers to using open educational resources (OERs) and technology in the classroom. These have been taking place at... Read more – ‘Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources in Physical Science’.
Natural Justice Signs MoU in Sabah
Natural Justice has entered into a memorandum of understanding with the Sabah Biodiversity Centre (SaBC). The areas of cooperation relate to the conservation and sustainable use of biodiversity... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Signs MoU in Sabah’.
Second FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus
Last night our second Hackathon of 2011 took place on UCT campus. As we were expecting some brand new volunteers that had never attended a Hackathon before, and also because Mark was present this... Read more – ‘Second FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus’.
Open entrepreneurship principles…?
I have been talking with Roshan and Sushmita at Ashoka Globalizer about their upcoming summit in Stockholm. Below is an evolving draft and great first attempt at understanding the principles behind... Read more – ‘Open entrepreneurship principles…?’.
You say Goodbye, I say Hello. Hello, hello.
It is that time of year again… Whilst we live by the ‘once a Shuttleworth Fellow, always a Shuttleworth Fellow’ rule, it is sad to say goodbye to those not actively on the programme... Read more – ‘You say Goodbye, I say Hello. Hello, hello.’.
What do education, highways, and OER have in common?
Welcome to my blog. Although I have been blogging for the past couple of years as part of the Connexions team on the Connexions blogs (blog.cnx.org, devblog.cnx.org), this is the inaugural entry for... Read more – ‘What do education, highways, and OER have in common?’.
What do education, highways, and OER have in common?
Welcome to my blog. Although I have been blogging for the past couple of years as part of the Connexions team on the Connexions blogs (blog.cnx.org, devblog.cnx.org), this is the inaugural entry for... Read more – ‘What do education, highways, and OER have in common?’.
Welcome to my blog. Although I have been blogging for the past couple of years as part of the Connexions team on the Connexions blogs (blog.cnx.org, devblog.cnx.org), this is the inaugural entry for... Read more – ‘What do education, highways, and OER have in common?’.
Participatory 3-D Modelling in Sabah
From February 26-27, Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) joined community researchers from Ulu Papar (Sabah, Malaysia) as they further added to their participatory 3-D model. Participatory mapping and... Read more – ‘Participatory 3-D Modelling in Sabah’.
African Undersea Cables – A History
A number of people have asked for a chronological version of the African Undersea Cables map. Here’s one I made recently. Feel free to use, adapt, improve. You can download the full... Read more – ‘African Undersea Cables – A History’.
We’re hiring
Siyavula is a Shuttleworth Foundation seeded project that supports and encourages communities of teachers to work together, openly share their teaching resources and benefit from the use of... Read more – ‘We’re hiring’.
Expanding our team
Siyavula is a Shuttleworth Foundation seeded project that supports and encourages communities of teachers to work together, openly share their teaching resources and benefit from the use of... Read more – ‘Expanding our team’.
Speaking at Managing Public Sector Information and NCVO Conference
Today I’m speaking at two events in London: Managing Public Sector Information – update: slides The NCVO (National Council for Voluntary Organizations) Annual... Read more – ‘Speaking at Managing Public Sector Information and NCVO Conference’.
Workshops to Support Bushbuckridge Traditional Health Practitioners
From February 22-23, Kabir Bavikatte, Laureen Manuel, and Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) travelled to Bushbuckridge, South Africa, to hold workshops with members of the Bushbuckridge Traditional... Read more – ‘Workshops to Support Bushbuckridge Traditional Health Practitioners’.
Myth #2 and the Large Hadron Collider
In my last post, I argued that the range of problems which can be tackled with volunteer computing is expanding in lockstep with the exponential improvements of the Internet. This was in the context... Read more – ‘Myth #2 and the Large Hadron Collider’.
Myth #2 Citizen cyberscience won’t work for my science
While I am clearly a fan of citizen cyberscience, I would not for an instant pretend that it is some sort of scientific panacea. There are lots of problems where it is irrelevant or inapplicable. But... Read more – ‘Myth #2 Citizen cyberscience won’t work for my science’.
Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources in Mathematics
Last night was our third Northern Suburbs evening event where we covered the use of open educational resources (OERs) and technology when teaching maths. Once again we were hosted by the Experilab... Read more – ‘Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources in Mathematics’.
Myth #1: citizen cyberscience doesn’t produce real science
In my last post I listed “seven urban myths of citizen cyberscience” and promised to expand on these in the coming posts. Each myth has its origins in the surprisingly sceptical reactions... Read more – ‘Myth #1: citizen cyberscience doesn’t produce real science’.
1000th User :)
Today, I’m excited to say, we had our 1000th user sign up for FullMarks. There are still about 340 000 to go in South Africa but I’m still very excited about this milestone. We’re... Read more – ‘1000th User :)’.
Dear Helen Zille
Dear Helen With reference to your State of the Province speech in the Western Cape Provincial Legislature in Cape Town on 18 Feb 2011: “Our goal, in the coming years, is to ensure that every... Read more – ‘Dear Helen Zille’.
Every book within walking distance of every home within 5 years
Last night I attended Talking Heads at the Africa Centre, and it was fantastic. One participant described it like speed-dating for the mind: four twenty-minute conversations, each with three other... Read more – ‘Every book within walking distance of every home within 5 years’.
Every book within walking distance of every home within 5 years
Last night I attended Talking Heads at the Africa Centre, and it was fantastic. One participant described it like speed-dating for the mind: four twenty-minute conversations, each with three other... Read more – ‘Every book within walking distance of every home within 5 years’.
Journal Explores Agriculture and Community Conserved Areas
The latest issue of the International Journal on Management of Environmental Quality, guest edited by Natural Justice colleagues Ashish Kothari (Kalpavriksh) and Jessica Brown (New England... Read more – ‘Journal Explores Agriculture and Community Conserved Areas’.
Back in business
Having been back (and forth – twice!) from maternity leave in the last 2 years – I am back in business! I have opened up my blog again to start talking about what we are up to at the... Read more – ‘Back in business’.
First FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus
Last night was our first UCT Hackathon of 2011. Our team at Siyavula were eagerly anticipating the evening and turnout of volunteers, as after our successful few days at UCT’s O-Week where we... Read more – ‘First FHSST Hackathon of 2011 on UCT campus’.
The Story
‘The Story’, an event last Friday organised by Matt Locke from Channel4, really demonstrated the power of stories to engage and communicate. It was also a great reminder of the pleasure... Read more – ‘The Story’.
The seven urban myths of citizen cyberscience
If you give scientists a free lunch, they’ll eat it. So if you offer them free resources in abundance for their research, they ought to gobble up that opportunity, too. Or so you would... Read more – ‘The seven urban myths of citizen cyberscience’.
Talking at British Library about Open Shakespeare
This Thursday I and James Harriman-Smith will be heading over to the British Library to give a talk on Open Shakespeare and possibilities for “Open Literature”. Update: Slides from the... Read more – ‘Talking at British Library about Open Shakespeare’.
Safaricom – A Modest Proposal
In April of the last year, Indian telecoms giant Airtel bought Zain‘s mobile operations across 16 countries in Africa. But it was in Kenya that Airtel decided to launch its first competitive... Read more – ‘Safaricom – A Modest Proposal’.
School of Webcraft – Plans for 2011
This is a post about our plans for the Mozilla P2PU School of Webcraft – a joint effort to provide web developers training and certification that is free, open, and globally accessible. At the... Read more – ‘School of Webcraft – Plans for 2011’.
ABS Experts Meeting in Chennai, India
Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) participated in a consultation with negotiators and experts who were involved in the processes leading up to the Nagoya Protocol on Access and Benefit Sharing. The... Read more – ‘ABS Experts Meeting in Chennai, India’.
Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources and Technology in IT and CAT
Last night was our IT CAT evening for teachers in the Northern Suburbs, hosted by the Experilab in Bellville. It was a small affair, but as there are very few IT and CAT teachers in Cape Town and... Read more – ‘Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources and Technology in IT and CAT’.
In a Village Telco Minute
Over the last couple of years we have struggled to communicate the message of the Village Telco simply and succinctly. Thanks to the creative folk at BlinkTower, we think we’ve finally... Read more – ‘In a Village Telco Minute’.
In a Village Telco Minute
Over the last couple of years we have struggled to communicate the message of the Village Telco simply and succinctly. Thanks to the creative folk at BlinkTower, we think we’ve finally... Read more – ‘In a Village Telco Minute’.
FHSST at the University of Cape Town O-Week 2011
FHSST relies on volunteer contributions to constantly evolve, stay current and up to date. In the past we have run Hackathons at the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus, tapping into the science... Read more – ‘FHSST at the University of Cape Town O-Week 2011’.
World Social Forum Wraps Up in Dakar
The 2011 World Social Forum (WSF), took place in Dakar, Senegal, from February 6-11. The bi-annual forum, which was attended by approximately 75,000 people from social movements, networks, NGOs, and... Read more – ‘World Social Forum Wraps Up in Dakar’.
hg-git and pushing to git from mercurial
Documenting my experience pushing mercurial repos to git (and github specifically). Install hg-git Follow https://bitbucket.org/durin42/hg-git/src/tip/README.md Install dulwich >= 0.6. On... Read more – ‘hg-git and pushing to git from mercurial’.
Community Protocols Presentation Held at !Khwa ttu
On February 9, Kabir Bavikatte, Laureen Manuel, and Sylva Batshi (Natural Justice) participated in presentations on access and benefit sharing (ABS) agreements at !Khwa ttu, the San Cultural and... Read more – ‘Community Protocols Presentation Held at !Khwa ttu’.
Zeitgeist Young Minds the search is still on…
Earlier this month we announced Young Minds, a competition supported by Google and hosted on YouTube to find the pioneers, change-makers and leaders of tomorrow to take their place alongside the... Read more – ‘Zeitgeist Young Minds the search is still on…’.
Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources and Technology in the Classroom
Siyavula is running a repeat of the series of evening events that we held towards the end of 2010 at the Open Innovation Studio (OIS) in Cape Town. This series of events are taking place in... Read more – ‘Northern Suburbs Evening Event – Siyavula Introduction to Open Educational Resources and Technology in the Classroom’.
Fly like a T6
Livity has moved into the the future in 2011 by replacing our kettle with a pretty amazing machine called T6, which dispenses boiling hot and ice cold filtered water, by connecting straight to the... Read more – ‘Fly like a T6’.
First Fair Trade and Fairmined Gold from Oro Verde
Credit: Oro Verde.The community council of fellow Seed Gold Award winners Corporacion Oro Verde (Green Gold) has been awarded the first ever Fair Trade and Fairmined certificate for... Read more – ‘First Fair Trade and Fairmined Gold from Oro Verde’.
Talking at Cambridge Geek Night about Digging into Data with CKAN
I’m talking next week at the 8th Cambridge Geek Night about Digging into Data with CKAN and datapkg. Update:... Read more – ‘Talking at Cambridge Geek Night about Digging into Data with CKAN’.
New RRI Publication: "Pushback"
Credit: Ilse Köhler-Rollefson.The Rights and Resources Initiative (RRI) has just released an excellent new publication, entitled "Pushback: Local Power, Global Realignment". The online abstract... Read more – ‘New RRI Publication: "Pushback"’.
Datapkg 0.8 Released
A new release (v0.8) of datapkg, the tool for distributing, discovering and installing data is out! Release: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/datapkg Docs:... Read more – ‘Datapkg 0.8 Released’.
UNFF9 Closes with Relative Success
The 9th Session of the United Nations Forum on Forests (UNFF) took place in New York City from January 24 to February 4. The Forum theme was "Forests for People, Livelihoods and Poverty... Read more – ‘UNFF9 Closes with Relative Success’.
Natural Justice-Produced ICCA Workshop Report Available Online
From October 28-30, Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended this workshop on Indigenous peoples' and community conserved areas (ICCAs) at the Shirakawa-Go Eco Institute in... Read more – ‘Natural Justice-Produced ICCA Workshop Report Available Online’.
World Social Forum Kicks Off in Dakar
Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) is in Dakar, Senegal, this week to attend the World Social Forum (WSF). The WSF is described by its Secretariat as "an open meeting place where social movements,... Read more – ‘World Social Forum Kicks Off in Dakar’.
DML Ignite – Badges (Funny 4)
Erin and I are doing a whole range of things at the upcoming Digital Media and Learning conference. Including, maybe, what they call an ignite talk. Here is our proposal (which I can’t take... Read more – ‘DML Ignite – Badges (Funny 4)’.
Open Shakespeare Annotation Sprint
Cross-posted from Open Knowledge Foundation blog. Tomorrow we’re holding the first Open Shakespeare Annotation ‘Sprint’. We’ll be getting together online and in-person to... Read more – ‘Open Shakespeare Annotation Sprint’.
New Journal Article by Natural Justice Published
Natural Justice wrote an article entitled, "Community Protocols and Access and Benefit Sharing" for the latest issue of the Asian Biotechnology and Development Review. The article discusses the... Read more – ‘New Journal Article by Natural Justice Published’.
5th Pan-African Stakeholder ABS Workshop in Morocco
Credit: European Forest Institute.This week, Kabir Bavikatte, Sabine Zajderman, and Johanna von Braun (Natural Justice) have been attending the 5th Pan-African Stakeholder Access and Benefit Sharing... Read more – ‘5th Pan-African Stakeholder ABS Workshop in Morocco’.
UN Declares International Year of Forests
Following in the footsteps of 2010's International Year of Biodiversity, the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011 the International Year of Forests. The year of events, as well as... Read more – ‘UN Declares International Year of Forests’.
Bo-kaap Village Telco – Part 1
While David Rowe and Lemi Soares have been busy building a Village Telco in Dili, the capitol of East Timor, we’ve also been hard at work in Cape Town building a Village Telco within the... Read more – ‘Bo-kaap Village Telco – Part 1’.
Bo-kaap Village Telco – Part 1
While David Rowe and Lemi Soares have been busy building a Village Telco in Dili, the capitol of East Timor, we’ve also been hard at work in Cape Town building a Village Telco within the... Read more – ‘Bo-kaap Village Telco – Part 1’.
Social innovation, Nordic style
Last week I travelled to Denmark as a guest of the British Council to speak at two of their Young Creative Entrepreneurs club events, in Copenhagen and Aarhus (the second city). Standing in the... Read more – ‘Social innovation, Nordic style’.
New IIED Report on Land Deals in Africa
The International Institute for Environment and Development (IIED) has released a new report, authored by Lorenzo Cotula and entitled, "Land Deals in Africa: What is in the Contracts?". The... Read more – ‘New IIED Report on Land Deals in Africa’.
"Community Conservation in Practice" Workshop Report Available
The report from the Community Conservation in Practice workshop, held May 6-8, 2010, in Tofino, is now available online. The workshop, which Natural Justice attended, provided an opportunity for... Read more – ‘"Community Conservation in Practice" Workshop Report Available’.
Landmark Ruling for San in Botswana
In a landmark ruling delivered on January 27 by the Botswanan Court of Appeals, the Indigenous San were granted rights to drill for water in their ancestral lands. The San were evicted from the... Read more – ‘Landmark Ruling for San in Botswana’.
Copyright is a Monopoly! (And isn’t like normal property)
The equation of ‘intellectual property’ (IP) such as copyright with (traditional “real”) property is frequently made, especially by those advocating its extension. However,... Read more – ‘Copyright is a Monopoly! (And isn’t like normal property)’.
UN-REDD Consultation on FPIC in Tanzania
From January 24-27, the "African Regional Consultation between Indigenous Peoples, Forest-Dependent Communities, and the UN Reducing Emissions from Deforestation and Forest Degradation (REDD)... Read more – ‘UN-REDD Consultation on FPIC in Tanzania’.
Natural Justice Holds AGM
Natural Justice held its Annual General Meeting on January 25 in Cape Town, with the Sabah team phoning in via Skype. We discussed changes to the board, the annual report from 2009-2010, and... Read more – ‘Natural Justice Holds AGM’.
Speaking at CCSR in Manchester about Open Data
This Tuesday (25th Jan) I’ll be giving a seminar at Manchester University’s Centre for Census and Survey Research on Open Data. The seminar is 4-5pm and there’ll be an open-data... Read more – ‘Speaking at CCSR in Manchester about Open Data’.
FPIC and REDD Consultation in Arusha
Gino Cocchiaro (Natural Justice) will take part in the Regional Consultation between Indigenous Peoples and Forest-Dependent Communities from Africa and the UN-Reducing Emissions from Deforestation... Read more – ‘FPIC and REDD Consultation in Arusha’.
Sustainability Smarthistory Kickstarter
I am at the P2PU NY Camp organized by John Britton, and in one of today’s session Alan Webb led a brainstorm to identify additional ideas for long-term P2PU sustainability (see this page for... Read more – ‘Sustainability Smarthistory Kickstarter’.
IUCN-CEESP Sharing Power Conference
The first Sharing Power Conference was held in Whakatane, New Zealand, from January 11-15, hosted by the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN), the IUCN Commission on Environmental,... Read more – ‘IUCN-CEESP Sharing Power Conference’.
BCP Planning in Sabah
Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) joined the Global Diversity Foundation (GDF)-Sabah team in Tunku Abdul Rahman National Park from January 16-18. Among other things, they went... Read more – ‘BCP Planning in Sabah’.
If you don’t ask…
When I was eleven, I played Oliver in a production of the Lionel Bart musical. The line I struggled with most was 'Please, Sir, I want some more.' It's a ridiculous line. No one would say that.... Read more – ‘If you don’t ask…’.
ICCA Consortium holds EGA in New Zealand
On January 15, Harry Jonas and Holly Shrumm (Natural Justice) attended an Extraordinary General Assembly of the ICCA Consortium remotely via Skype. The EGA was held in conjunction with the IUCN-CEESP... Read more – ‘ICCA Consortium holds EGA in New Zealand’.
MIT and the future of open courseware
MIT OCW just launched its first five MIT OCW Scholar courses. These courses are not just openly licensed, but especially designed to support independent learners who want to make use of them. That... Read more – ‘MIT and the future of open courseware’.
Genes, Post-Apartheid Identity, and ICCAs – All at IASC 2011
Nobel laureate Elinor Ostrom at IASC 2011.On January 12 at the IASC 2011 Conference being held in Hyderabad, India, Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) chaired a panel titled "Storehouses of Genes... Read more – ‘Genes, Post-Apartheid Identity, and ICCAs – All at IASC 2011’.
What does “number of reads” mean?
To calculate how many times our m-novels are read we look at the number of page views of the last chapter (assumption: if a reader is on the last chapter of a story then he or she has read all... Read more – ‘What does “number of reads” mean?’.
Introducing YourTopia – Development beyond GDP
The following is cross-posted from the Open Knowledge Foundation blog post. It reports the results of the code-sprint reported in this previous blog post. Today we’re announcing a simple new... Read more – ‘Introducing YourTopia – Development beyond GDP’.
UN Decade of Biodiversity Announced
In its Resolution 65/161, the United Nations General Assembly has declared 2011-2020 the UN Decade of Biodiversity. The Decade builds on the 2010 International Year of Biodiversity and is intended to... Read more – ‘UN Decade of Biodiversity Announced’.
Pastoralism & the Commons at IASC 2011
On January 11 at the IASC 2011 Conference, Kabir Bavikatte (Natural Justice) spoke on the Policy Forum on Pastoralism and Commons: Beyond Sedentarisation and Sustainability. The Policy Forum had six... Read more – ‘Pastoralism & the Commons at IASC 2011’.
Traditional Knowledge & the Commons at IASC 2011
Natural Justice hosted a panel on Traditional Knowledge and the Commons on January 11 at the 2011 IASC Conference. Chaired by Gino Cocchiaro, the speakers included Kabir Bavikatte and Gino (Natural... Read more – ‘Traditional Knowledge & the Commons at IASC 2011’.
IASC Pre-Conference Workshop on BCPs
Natural Justice and the League for Pastoral Peoples and Endogenous Livestock Development (LPP) organized a day long pre-conference workshop on January 10 at the International Association for the... Read more – ‘IASC Pre-Conference Workshop on BCPs’.
A few members of the Open Knowledge Foundation’s nascent open economics working group are having a code-sprint this Friday and Saturday to work on an app for the world bank competition... Read more – ‘OpenHDI: Open Human Development Index’.
Guns4Development – A Parable of Technology and Development
In the far, far away land of Developmentia, the field of security in developing countries has a long and venerable history. Security for Development or S4D as the field has come to be known... Read more – ‘Guns4Development – A Parable of Technology and Development’.
PyWordPress – Python Library for WordPress
Announcing pywordpress, a python interface to Wordpress using the Wordpress XML-RPC API. Download: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/pywordpress/ Source code:... Read more – ‘PyWordPress – Python Library for WordPress’.
Will the Real Mobile Impact Please Stand Up
I’ve just finished reading Jenny Aker and Isaac Mbiti’s Mobile Phones and Economic Development in Africa. This is an excellent paper and well worth the read. The authors have done a... Read more – ‘Will the Real Mobile Impact Please Stand Up’.
Peer learner + Peer learner -> Mastery
Great quote / image about peer learning (thanks for forwarding, John... Read more – ‘Peer learner + Peer learner -> Mastery’.
2010 in review
The stats helper monkeys at WordPress.com mulled over how this blog did in 2010, and here’s a high level summary of its overall blog health: The Blog-Health-o-Meter™ reads Fresher than... Read more – ‘2010 in review’.
The Public Domain in 2011
According to http://publicdomainworks.net/ (which I helped build) there were 661 people whose works entered the public domain in 2011: http://publicdomainworks.net/stats/year/2011 Of course, I... Read more – ‘The Public Domain in 2011’.
Play with ‘The Snow Inside’ your Computer
For one week in December 2010 Livity and interaction designers Hellicar & Lewis created The Snow Inside, an interactive snowshaker pop-up shop in Brixton Village and invited friends, clients,... Read more – ‘Play with ‘The Snow Inside’ your Computer’.
Snowmanz of south London
A Snowmanz and his Staffies in Kennnington, more south London snowmanz at samconniff.wordpress.com... Read more – ‘Snowmanz of south London’.
Is Google the next Microsoft? Competition, Welfare and Regulation in Online Search Published
My paper Is Google the next Microsoft? Competition, Welfare and Regulation in Online Search has been published in the December issue of the Review of Network Economics. With recent antitrust and... Read more – ‘Is Google the next Microsoft? Competition, Welfare and Regulation in Online Search Published’.
Eurostat Hackday, 16th December 2010
As announced on the Open Knowledge Foundation’s blog at the start of December, this Thursday (the 16th) is an all day ‘hackday’ on Eurostat data; We’re currently organising a... Read more – ‘Eurostat Hackday, 16th December 2010’.
Is P2PU a bigger threat than bears?
Voila. Another insightful and funny artwork by P2PU’s illustrator-in-residence and grungefarmer Alison Jean Cole (and referencing John Britton‘s encyclopedic knowledge of Steve... Read more – ‘Is P2PU a bigger threat than bears?’.
CHANNEL 4 EDUCATION AND LIVITY ANNOUNCE OUTREACH ACTIVITY FOR CULTURAL OLYMPIAD PROJECT
PRESS RELEASE Date: 10th December 2010 Six regional partners appointed around the UK to open up spaces to young people The first wave of regional partners to deliver outreach for somewhereto... Read more – ‘CHANNEL 4 EDUCATION AND LIVITY ANNOUNCE OUTREACH ACTIVITY FOR CULTURAL OLYMPIAD PROJECT’.
What we shouldn’t have to learn from Worldreader
There is something about Worldreader, a project putting ereaders into classrooms outside Accra, Ghana, that bothers me. Every time I see a Worldreader tweet, I get a little sick feeling... Read more – ‘What we shouldn’t have to learn from Worldreader’.
Second Hackathon at the OIS
Our Hackathons are still continuing at the OIS, and we held our second one there last night. As this is a very busy time of year for many people, and most students have now gone home for the holiday,... Read more – ‘Second Hackathon at the OIS’.
Why Kindle should not support epub
I have an increasingly busy Google Alert for the word "epub". Mostly, it's full of PDF-to-epub conversion snake oil. Another popular theme is the gripe that Amazon's Kindle does not support the epub... Read more – ‘Why Kindle should not support epub’.
Reflections on 2010
My blog has been very quiet for the last couple of months. It is not that I’ve not had anything to blog about but rather the contrary, I’ve just been too busy. I have spent some time... Read more – ‘Reflections on 2010’.
Philippi Schools: FullMarks Session 2
The training went off very well with about 20 teachers attending. There were five (5) teachers who did not attend the first session; hence we lost some time by allowing them to catch up and... Read more – ‘Philippi Schools: FullMarks Session 2’.
Slouching Towards Bethelehem by Joan Didion
Read some time ago Joan Didion’s extraordinary set of essays Slouching Towards Bethlemem1, a book filled with the sense of dislocation and anomie that seems so essential to the experience, at... Read more – ‘Slouching Towards Bethelehem by Joan Didion’.
The first 100 days
I am now almost exactly 100 days into my Shuttleworth Fellowship. The day after I started the fellowship, on 2 September, a team of us organized a first London Citizen Cyberscience Summit. Talk about... Read more – ‘The first 100 days’.
The first 100 days
I am now almost exactly 100 days into my Shuttleworth Fellowship. The day after I started the fellowship, on 2 September, a team of us organized a first London Citizen Cyberscience Summit. Talk about... Read more – ‘The first 100 days’.
Bridge meeting in JHB
On Tuesday the 30 November I attended a conference hosted by Bridge. The aim of the seminar was to create a stronger community for learner support programmes for Maths and Science. The meeting took... Read more – ‘Bridge meeting in JHB’.
2010: A year in review
This is my “brag pack” for 2010. Read the one for 2009. What I did As fellow for 21st century learning at the Shuttleworth Foundation I spent the year focusing on my m4Lit, or mobiles for... Read more – ‘2010: A year in review’.
What Do You Want from Yoza? The Yoza Community Responds
Launched 22 August 2010, Yoza Cellphone Stories is now more than 100 days old! From 2009, when the pilot phase of the m4Lit project was kicked off, our m-novels have collectively been read more than... Read more – ‘What Do You Want from Yoza? The Yoza Community Responds’.
Fellowship 2010
As 2010 draws to a close, the end of my fellowship at the Shuttleworth Foundation also draws closer. It officially winds up at the end of February next year. From then on most of my waking hours... Read more – ‘Fellowship 2010’.
It’s Christmas and time for Livity’s pop-up digital snow shaker experience!
To celebrate the festive season this year Livity teamed up with interactive light art pioneers Hellicar & Lewis and young people from Live Magazine to inspire festive wonder and goodwill in... Read more – ‘It’s Christmas and time for Livity’s pop-up digital snow shaker experience!’.
Education for All in Africa
On Monday I gave a keynote presentation at the Nokia Open Innovation Africa Summit in the Great Rift Valley, Kenya. The presentation looks at the Education for All goals and how mobile phones can... Read more – ‘Education for All in Africa’.
m4Lit gets Honourable Mention in the Stockholm Challenge
Since 1994, the Stockholm Challenge has rewarded social entrepreneurs in the field of ICT. This year, more than 290 projects from 90 countries joined the Challenge. We entered m4Lit into this years... Read more – ‘m4Lit gets Honourable Mention in the Stockholm Challenge’.
Start of the Hackathons at the OIS
Our office at the OIS became the new venue for hosting our FHSST Hackathons. Although we have finished with our Hackathons at UCT, we still have work to do on our textbooks. We called on volunteers... Read more – ‘Start of the Hackathons at the OIS’.
Talks this Week: Open Data at ESTC in Vienna and TOP-IX Annual Conference in Turin
This Thursday I’m in Vienna to participate in the Linked Open Data workshop at ESTC 2010 talking about open data on the semantic web (putting the ‘open’ in linked open data!).... Read more – ‘Talks this Week: Open Data at ESTC in Vienna and TOP-IX Annual Conference in Turin’.
Progress in the last 3 months
As part of my Shuttleworth Fellowship I’m preparing quarterly reports on what I’ve been up to. So, herewith are some some highlights from the last 3 months. Talks and Events Open... Read more – ‘Progress in the last 3 months’.
CKAN v1.2 Released together with Datapkg v0.7
This is a cross-post of the release announcement originally put up on the OKFN Blog. We’re delighted to announce CKAN v1.2, a new major release of the CKAN software. This is the largest... Read more – ‘CKAN v1.2 Released together with Datapkg v0.7’.
Datapkg 0.7 Released
A major new release (v0.7) of datapkg is out! Release: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/datapkg Docs: http://packages.python.org/datapkg/ There’s a quick getting started section below (also see... Read more – ‘Datapkg 0.7 Released’.
Closing Evening for Series of Open Education Resources Functions
The last six weeks have seen around ninety teachers and representatives from the DoE pass through our office at the Open Innovation Studio (OIS), where we hosted our series of evening events on Open... Read more – ‘Closing Evening for Series of Open Education Resources Functions’.
Could you inspire young entrepreneurs?
Do you run your own business? Could you inspire and teach young entrepreneurs about business? We have an exciting opportunity for a brilliant, experienced and inspiring business owner who would like... Read more – ‘Could you inspire young entrepreneurs?’.
Open Government Data Goes Global – OGDCamp Keynote
This is the keynote I gave as the opening to Open Government Data Camp 2010. Accompanying slides. Keynote Hello and Welcome! I’m Rufus Pollock from the Open Knowledge Foundation. We’re... Read more – ‘Open Government Data Goes Global – OGDCamp Keynote’.
Introduction to Open Education Resources in Mathematics
One of the important aims of our evening functions that we hold at the Open Innovation Studio (OIS) is to inspire teachers and open their eyes to new resources and ideas that can be brought into the... Read more – ‘Introduction to Open Education Resources in Mathematics’.
Experiences of Uploading Latex to Connexions
Some time ago I started on the process of uploading all the updated versions of the Free High School Science Texts (FHSST) to Connexions. The books cover grades 10 – 12 maths and physical science... Read more – ‘Experiences of Uploading Latex to Connexions’.
Giving social enterprise a bigger voice
It’s confirmed; the biggest social enterprise conference in the world is to be held at the biggest entertainment venue in the world. Voice11 will take place on 29th and 30th March at The O2. It’s... Read more – ‘Giving social enterprise a bigger voice’.
The Big Bang Theory – Hackathon Seven
Go out with a bang! Go out on a high! And so we did! Due to the volunteer presence at our previous Hackathons decreasing somewhat over the last few weeks, we decided that last night would be our last... Read more – ‘The Big Bang Theory – Hackathon Seven’.
Open Government Data Camp 2010
This Thursday and Friday marks the start of the Open Government Data Camp an Open Knowledge Foundation event I’ve been helping to organize. It’s the first of it’s kind, and what we hope... Read more – ‘Open Government Data Camp 2010’.
Introduction to Open Education Resources in Life Sciences
We thoroughly enjoyed the atmosphere at last night’s evening event for Life Sciences. Many of the teachers that came already knew each other either from previous work experience or from... Read more – ‘Introduction to Open Education Resources in Life Sciences’.
Open-Source Annotation Toolkit for Inline, Online Web Annotation
I’ve been working on web-annotation — inline, online annotation of web texts — for several years. My original motivation was to support annotation of texts in... Read more – ‘Open-Source Annotation Toolkit for Inline, Online Web Annotation’.
Dynamite Comes in Small Packages! Hackathon Six
Last night’s Hackathon was a somewhat small and intimate affair, with eight of us arriving for an evening of writing solutions to our free maths and science textbooks. Exams are well under way... Read more – ‘Dynamite Comes in Small Packages! Hackathon Six’.
Epub and XML: how not to waste an opportunity
Gilbane and Aptara have a new report out this week called "Blueprint for Book Publishing Transformation". It's big and thorough (and free), and covers lots of important ground. The focus, naturally,... Read more – ‘Epub and XML: how not to waste an opportunity’.
Fighting Strong – Hackathon 5
We have a new venue for our Hackathons, and despite concerns that people wouldn’t find the venue, and the fact that it is now exam time, we had a pretty good turnout – 16 of us in fact! One... Read more – ‘Fighting Strong – Hackathon 5’.
Data is a Platform not a Commodity
A phrase I’ve been using in talks recently: Data is a platform not a commodity: you build on it rather than sell it. And that’s why it should be... Read more – ‘Data is a Platform not a Commodity’.
The Social Network
6.5. Fincher does a great job to weave the variegated strands into a film that is engaging throughout. However, as with his previous Zodiac, one wondered what the point was – a problem made... Read more – ‘The Social Network’.
Speaking at 2010 Online News Association Conference
This Friday and Saturday I’m in Washington DC at the 2010 Online News Association Conference where I’ll be speaking about Where Does My Money Go? in the Saturday session on Making Killer... Read more – ‘Speaking at 2010 Online News Association Conference’.
FullMarks: First Milestone
Today the FullMarks website achieved a significant milestone. The numbers may appear modest in the context of huge sites like Facebook and Flickr but in the South African context I think they are... Read more – ‘FullMarks: First Milestone’.
Hackathon success continues
The Siyavula team are continually impressed with the student support at our Hackathons. And last night was no exception. Even with exams looming less than a week away, we still had a solid turnout... Read more – ‘Hackathon success continues’.
Where Does My Money Go? Spending Explorer using Protovis and jQuery
Over the last couple of months I’ve been playing around with Protovis in my spare time to create an interactive pure javascript Government Spending Explorer for Where Does My Money Go?... Read more – ‘Where Does My Money Go? Spending Explorer using Protovis and jQuery’.
LEAP : FullMarks
On Friday 22 October, about 20 tutors from LEAP avoided the temptation to start the weekend early by getting their teeth stuck into an exciting tool: FullMarks! With this, the first of two... Read more – ‘LEAP : FullMarks’.
Philippi Schools : FullMarks
On Saturday 23 October 2010, about 30 teachers from schools in the Philippi area gave up some of the precious weekend, and attended a workshop at Cape Academy. With this being the first of two... Read more – ‘Philippi Schools : FullMarks’.
AMESA KZN workshop
This past weekend the Siyavula team went up to Durban to host a workshop for the AMESA educators. The aim was to show the ease with which educators could upload their content onto Connexions, for... Read more – ‘AMESA KZN workshop’.
Introduction to Open Education Resources in English – Evening Event
Last night was our second evening event which we hosted at our office – the Open Innovation Studio in Cape Town. There were a couple of familiar faces from our opening event that joined us, as well... Read more – ‘Introduction to Open Education Resources in English – Evening Event’.
Speaking Today at media140 Dataconomy Event
This evening I’ll be at media140 dataconomy event in London to give a talk on open data. Update: slides from dataconomy talk are now... Read more – ‘Speaking Today at media140 Dataconomy Event’.
10 Reader comments that make it all worthwhile
Below are a few comments posted by readers over the last few days that make Yoza worthwhile. We are clearly doing something right — not only entertaining but teaching. The participative nature... Read more – ‘10 Reader comments that make it all worthwhile’.
Networks, groups, communities? Moving past definitions
This is my second post as part of the Open Governance course at P2PU. Leigh Blackall generously agreed to facilitate the week – by posting a set of background resources, and asking questions... Read more – ‘Networks, groups, communities? Moving past definitions’.
>1 Chinese/second
The number of Chinese connecting to the Internet over the last few years has been phenomenal. According to official statistics published by the China Internet Network Information Centre, the number... Read more – ‘>1 Chinese/second’.
Datapkg v0.7 Beta Released
I’ve just put out a beta of a major new version of datapkg (see changelog below): Release: http://pypi.python.org/pypi/datapkg Docs: http://packages.python.org/datapkg/ There’s a... Read more – ‘Datapkg v0.7 Beta Released’.
Hackathon Two – Another Success Story!
For the first time in recorded history, a FHSST Hackathon was run by an all women team without the supervision of a founding FHSST member. Heather, Carine, Natalia and I took charge as Mark was... Read more – ‘Hackathon Two – Another Success Story!’.
The short answer to this question is that I promised Helen, Karen, Karien and Wendy that I would. The longer answer is that since September 1st, I am a Fellow of the Shuttleworth Foundation, which is... Read more – ‘Why do I blog?’.
LEAP : FullMarks (2)
The second of two sessions will take place at LEAP on Friday 12 November 2010 for a number of teachers from... Read more – ‘LEAP : FullMarks (2)’.
LEAP : FullMarks
The first of two sessions will take place at LEAP on Friday 22 October 2010 for a number of teachers from... Read more – ‘LEAP : FullMarks’.
Philippi Schools : FullMarks (Session 2)
The second of two sessions will take place at Cape Academy on Saturday 6 November 2010 for a number of teachers from the Philippi... Read more – ‘Philippi Schools : FullMarks (Session 2)’.
Philippi Schools : FullMarks
The first of two sessions will take place at Cape Academy on Saturday 23 October 2010 for a number of teachers from the Philippi... Read more – ‘Philippi Schools : FullMarks’.
FHSST v0.5 Books on a.nnotate.com
Just a quick post to let people know that the FHSST v0.5 books are up on a.nnotate.com – this is primarily to support hackathons but will also be used to capture errata and suggestions. The... Read more – ‘FHSST v0.5 Books on a.nnotate.com’.
Papers on the Size and Value of EU Public Domain
I’ve just posted two new papers on the size of and ‘value’ the EU Public Domain. These papers are based on the research done as part of the Public Domain in Europe (EUPD) Research... Read more – ‘Papers on the Size and Value of EU Public Domain’.
m4Lit: Statistics and lessons from the first year
Since September 2009, m4Lit’s m-novels have been published online under the name of Kontax and, more recently, under the name of Yoza. The stats and lessons learned over the last year are... Read more – ‘m4Lit: Statistics and lessons from the first year’.
First FHSST Hackathon of 2010
It was awesome! Great turnout + great food + great people + great atmosphere = excellent work done! We arrived at our venue on the University of Cape Town (UCT) campus armed with laptops, snacks,... Read more – ‘First FHSST Hackathon of 2010’.
Government 2.0 Camp Berlin
Tomorrow I’ll be in Berlin at the Government 2.0 Camp running a workshop on Open Government Data and will then be staying on to participate in a book sprint to create an Open Data... Read more – ‘Government 2.0 Camp Berlin’.
Open Governance Course – Community Norms
This is my first posting for the Open Governance course, which I am both facilitating and participating in (yes, peer learning at its best). The assignment, readings and links to other... Read more – ‘Open Governance Course – Community Norms’.
If you google “televisions white spaces”, you’ll see a small storm of news generated last week by the FCC’s finalising the rules for the use of television white spaces... Read more – ‘Africa and Television White Spaces’.
Parklands Apple One2One Programme Obscures Real Technology Message
Today I attended the opening day of the Innovate 2010 Schools ICT Conference held at The Cape Academy for Mathematics, Science and Technology in Cape Town. I saw a talk that made me rejoice and... Read more – ‘Parklands Apple One2One Programme Obscures Real Technology Message’.
This week I’m going to be in Amsterdam at PICNIC ‘10 speaking about open data — what it is, why it’s good and how we can go about growing the open data ecosystem. If... Read more – ‘Speaking at PICNIC 10 in Amsterdam’.
This month, I’m starting a year long Shuttleworth Foundation Fellowship. Thanks to Shuttleworth Foundation’s support I’ll be able to dedicate myself full-time to open knowledge and... Read more – ‘Shuttleworth Fellowship’.
We are very happy to announce that Yoza Cellphone Stories has launched. Yoza is the new space for short cellphone stories also known as m-novels. They are hip, interactive and free. User can read... Read more – ‘Yoza Cellphone Stories has launched!’.
In May, Mozilla and the Shuttleworth Foundation announced a new Education for the Open Web Fellowship. The aim is to support practical ideas that help people learn about, improve and promote the open... Read more – ‘Education for the open web fellowship: New deadline’.
Benefits of mlearning
MoLeNET, a multi-year project in the UK to explore the role of mobile technologies on learners, teachers and institutions, has found the following benefits of mlearning: increased creativity and... Read more – ‘Benefits of mlearning’.
FHSST Celebratory Party
The Open Innovation Studio (OIS) was transformed on Tuesday evening. Our caterer Carise arrived with the most amazing spread of snacks, dinner and dessert, which was set up on tables in the lounge... Read more – ‘FHSST Celebratory Party’.
In an admission that will do nothing to increase my non-existent tough-guy street cred, I have to say that I thoroughly enjoy watching the television series So You Think You Can Dance. My wife and... Read more – ‘So You Think You Can Innovate’.
This is my first post on the Billion Brain Blog, so a few words of explanation about the name of the blog are in order. This blog is about my views on citizen cyberscience, that is to say all sorts... Read more – ‘Why a billion brains?’.
This entry is part of a series, What Google Should Do In Africa» This is yet another post in a series in which I have the temerity to offer Google my unsought armchair strategic advice on what... Read more – ‘WGSDIA – Launch Gmail Zero’.
Digital reading resources for literacy month
Beyond the printed word is an article written by Steve Vosloo for the M&G’s The Teacher about digital reading resources … especially relevant during the month of September, which is... Read more – ‘Digital reading resources for literacy month’.
The week of the FHSST proof-reading was the most unbelievable whirlwind of top science minds coming together with amazing generosity. This all began at lunchtime on Wednesday 25 August, when Mark... Read more – ‘FHSST books proof-reading marathon / hackathon’.
FullMarks Launch
Much excitement surrounded the launch of the FullMarks website which took place on the morning of Friday 27 August, at the Mount Nelson Hotel in Cape Town. The Siyavula team has spent weeks... Read more – ‘FullMarks Launch’.
Digital reading resources for literacy month
Beyond the printed word is an article I wrote for the M&G’s The Teacher about digital reading resources … especially relevant during the month of September, which is literacy month... Read more – ‘Digital reading resources for literacy month’.
Versioning / Revisioning for Data, Databases and Domain Models: Copy-on-Write and Diffs
There are several ways to implement revisioning (versioning) of domain model and Databases and data generally): Copy on write – so one has a ‘full’ copy of the model/DB at each... Read more – ‘Versioning / Revisioning for Data, Databases and Domain Models: Copy-on-Write and Diffs’.
CAPS Commentary (Another use of a.nnotate.com)
Update 3 (21:15 – 22/09/2010): Maggie Verster asked me to pop the other mathematics documents up so here you go: Mathematics ( SP / 7-9) Mathematics ( IP / 4-6) Mathematics ( FP / 1-3) Update... Read more – ‘CAPS Commentary (Another use of a.nnotate.com)’.
I’m a big fan of Huawei‘s website. Like any good company they publish information intended for their clients, mobile operators. Reading their publications from the perspective of a... Read more – ‘The Importance of Being Local’.
Mesh Potatoes Go On Sale
This is a big moment for the Village Telco. We have finally arrived at the of the journey that began in June 2008 when I sat down with some very, very bright and innovative people and together we... Read more – ‘Mesh Potatoes Go On Sale’.
Mesh Potatoes Go On Sale
This is a big moment for the Village Telco. We have finally arrived at the of the journey that began in June 2008 when I sat down with some very, very bright and innovative people and together we... Read more – ‘Mesh Potatoes Go On Sale’.
Proposal in Brazil to Legalize Non-Commercial File-Sharing and Monetize P2P
Pedro Paranaguá points me to a proposal for monetizing P2P file-sharing in Brazil. The proposal has been submitted as part of Brazil’s open public consultation to review its copyright law. As... Read more – ‘Proposal in Brazil to Legalize Non-Commercial File-Sharing and Monetize P2P’.
Dili Village Telco Rolls Out
I’ve just blogged on the latest stage of the Dili Village Telco roll out in Timor Leste. Fascinating what can be learnt from a real world deployment. I find the social and business issues... Read more – ‘Dili Village Telco Rolls Out’.
Dili Village Telco Rolls Out
I’ve just blogged on the latest stage of the Dili Village Telco roll out in Timor Leste. Fascinating what can be learnt from a real world deployment. I find the social and business issues... Read more – ‘Dili Village Telco Rolls Out’.
On the 22nd of August Yoza Cellphone Stories launched. Yoza is the flagship project of m4Lit, which I lead. Here is the press release, the short description of the project, and some very last-minute... Read more – ‘Yoza: Launch and one week’.
Book-Poor, but Mobile Phone-Rich? Look to M-Novels is a guest blog post that I wrote for the World Bank’s Educational Technology Debate. It is part of a broader debate around The Shallows: What... Read more – ‘Book-Poor, but Mobile Phone-Rich? Look to M-Novels’.
Book-Poor, but Mobile Phone-Rich? Look to M-Novels
Book-Poor, but Mobile Phone-Rich? Look to M-Novels is a guest blog post by Steve Vosloo for the World Bank’s Educational Technology Debate. It is part of a broader debate around The Shallows:... Read more – ‘Book-Poor, but Mobile Phone-Rich? Look to M-Novels’.
We’re on a mission to get the FHSST books completely proof-read by next week. We were doing a lot manually which required people be in Cape Town if they wanted to help out but we’ve since... Read more – ‘Help FHSST from anywhere in the world’.
The Cape Town Siyavula team was met with wintry weather in Durban as we touched down early on Friday morning. This did not dampen our spirits as we made our way to the Southern Sun North Beach Hotel... Read more – ‘AMESA KZN Workshop: 20 – 21 August 2010’.
Press release: Launch of Yoza m-Novel Library
Download press release (pdf) On 22 August a new library of cellphone stories – also known as mobile novels or m-novels – was launched by the Shuttleworth Foundation as part of its m4Lit (mobiles... Read more – ‘Press release: Launch of Yoza m-Novel Library’.
Guerilla user testing of Yoza
On Saturday afternoon I headed into Khayelitsha to get a group of high schoolers who have Saturday school to user test Yoza. It was very late in the development cycle — Yoza officially launched... Read more – ‘Guerilla user testing of Yoza’.
Yoza Cellphone Stories has launched!
We are very happy to announce that Yoza Cellphone Stories has launched. Yoza is the new space for short cellphone stories aka m-novels. They are hip, interactive and free. User can read them, leave... Read more – ‘Yoza Cellphone Stories has launched!’.
John put together a proposal (see below) to talk about Mozilla/P2PU School of Webcraft at SXSW Interactive (an amazing geek fest in case you haven’t heard of it). We need your help to get to... Read more – ‘P2PU at SXSW. Acronyms galore!’.
V1.3 Antenna Testing
The V1.3 (production) Mesh Potatoes has an etched (PCB) antennas. This post talks about how we tested this antenna and verified the V1.3 design. Testing at Atcom in JuneIn June I was visiting Atcom... Read more – ‘V1.3 Antenna Testing’.
V1.3 Antenna Testing
The V1.3 (production) Mesh Potatoes has an etched (PCB) antennas. This post talks about how we tested this antenna and verified the V1.3 design.Testing at Atcom in JuneIn June I was visiting Atcom... Read more – ‘V1.3 Antenna Testing’.
Invitation to prospective Siyavula OER content facilitators
Background Siyavula is a non-profit education initiative which originated within the Shuttleworth Foundation. It grew out of an earlier project by Mark Horner, the Shuttleworth Foundation fellow for... Read more – ‘Invitation to prospective Siyavula OER content facilitators’.
Film: Inception
5/10. Beautiful but completely empty, without significant emotional or intellectual substance and very little of the crucial ingredient for any thriller: suspense. The conception was neat, and... Read more – ‘Film: Inception’.
Design ideas for Yoza
Here is a selection of the first logo ideas and colour schemes for the Yoza mobisite, the forthcoming m-novel library. Comments welcome! Samsung E250 (128px wide) Nokia 6680 (176px... Read more – ‘Design ideas for Yoza’.
Design ideas for Yoza
Here is a selection of the first logo ideas and colour schemes for the Yoza mobisite, the forthcoming m-novel library. Comments welcome! Samsung E250 (128px wide) Nokia 6680 (176px... Read more – ‘Design ideas for Yoza’.
P2PU Call for Courses
Smack into the middle of summer break in the global North (and beautiful sunny winter days in Cape Town) comes the P2PU Call for Courses. We already asked for your ideas on Webdeveloper courses for... Read more – ‘P2PU Call for Courses’.
m4Lit on the BBC (again!) and at the World Bank
June was a good month for m4Lit. It were featured on the BBC for the second time: I was interviewed on the World Service radio programme Digital Planet (listen live). The episode featured other... Read more – ‘m4Lit on the BBC (again!) and at the World Bank’.
m4Lit on the BBC (again!) and at the World Bank
June was a good month for m4Lit. We were featured on the BBC for the second time: Steve Vosloo was interviewed on the World Service radio programme Digital Planet (listen live). The episode featured... Read more – ‘m4Lit on the BBC (again!) and at the World Bank’.
Design brief for Yoza logo
The m4Lit project is expanding: our goal is to build a mobile library of stories of multiple genres — called Yoza — that is available to teens not only in South Africa, but ultimately... Read more – ‘Design brief for Yoza logo’.
Crowdsourcing vs. Traditional Design: The Results
The idea of testing crowdsourcing against a more traditional design process came up last year (you can read about it here) and we decided to do an experiment as we needed new covers for the two sets... Read more – ‘Crowdsourcing vs. Traditional Design: The Results’.
Serval Arkaroola Demo
Yesterday I was a guest of the Serval team on an exciting field deployment in the Northern Flinders Ranges. It was a very busy day, starting at 4:30am and flying out at first light from Adelaide... Read more – ‘Serval Arkaroola Demo’.
Yesterday I was a guest of the Serval team on an exciting field deployment in the Northern Flinders Ranges. It was a very busy day, starting at 4:30am and flying out at first light from Adelaide... Read more – ‘Serval Arkaroola Demo’.
Set Trackpad Sensitivity for Thinkpad on Ubuntu
On a Lenovo Thinkpad the trackpad is the red button that acts as a mouse. To set the sensistivity and speed of your trackpad on for ubuntu/debian linux do (as root): echo -n 180 >... Read more – ‘Set Trackpad Sensitivity for Thinkpad on Ubuntu’.
Mobile books the South African way is a piece written by Mandy de Waal in The Daily Maverick about m4Lit. It includes some quotes from me about the project and our plans for the future. I’m... Read more – ‘m4Lit in The Daily Maverick’.
For the P2PU School of Webcraft we are working on a map of competencies that web developers need. Besides the soft skills we refer to as hacker’s habits, there is a whole range of technologies... Read more – ‘How To – Make a nice map of the open web’.
As the evaluation partner for the Siyavula initiative, ISKME has been conducting research on Siyavula’s activities and those of its teacher users to increase understanding of factors that... Read more – ‘ISKME Research Update on Siyavula’.
The m-novel Kontax 2: The Big Win was published on MXit and on a mobisite on 17 March 2010. This mini report presents statistics and findings for: Kontax 2, for the period from launch to 31 May 2010... Read more – ‘Statistics and findings for Kontax 2: The Big Win’.
Public Sector Transparency Board
As announced on Friday on the UK Government’s data.gov.uk, I am one of the members of the UK Government’s newly formed Public Sector Transparency Board. From the announcement: The... Read more – ‘Public Sector Transparency Board’.
No, I am not speaking of the P2PU management and advisory boards, although some of us have taken rather unconventional academic trajectories including dropping out altogether. But I am writing about... Read more – ‘The darn drop outs and lurkers’.
Why this nothingness where once a city
Why once this nothingness where once a city Who will answer? Only the... Read more – ‘Why this nothingness where once a city’.
Using the Voice Interface to Tune MP WiFi Connection
One of the challenges in making the Mesh Potato as dead simple to use as possible is the fact that, unlike many modern Internet devices, it has no GUI. Sure, you can plug a laptop into the ethernet... Read more – ‘Using the Voice Interface to Tune MP WiFi Connection’.
One of the challenges in making the Mesh Potato as dead simple to use as possible is the fact that, unlike many modern Internet devices, it has no GUI. Sure, you can plug a laptop into the ethernet... Read more – ‘Using the Voice Interface to Tune MP WiFi Connection’.
I’ve just completed an updated, and hopefully, improved presentation on the functionality of the FullMarks website. It takes the form of a walk-through tutorial demonstrating how simple the... Read more – ‘FullMarks Walk-through Tutorial’.
Neels van der Westhuizen and I met with Mothusi Sebogwa and Jors de Ridder from the North West Education Department On Wednesday and Thursday last week (9th and 10th June) to discuss what the next... Read more – ‘North West Province – A pilot to test the workbooks’.
Our second session with the mathematics educators of AMESA on Comrades Marathon day, Saturday 29 May, commenced with the screening of three talks by international ICT innovators. These clips did well... Read more – ‘Full marks for AMESA uploading session’.
I’m really happy to report that we’re moving on OpenPress again. The design competition for the information site was held on 99designs recently and we’ve selected the winner. The... Read more – ‘OpenPress Info Site’.
Since the announcement of the EASSy undersea cable in 2005, Open Access has been a term of significant debate in the development of undersea cable initiatives and in the general strategic development... Read more – ‘Open Access, Africa, and Yochai Benkler’.
Mesh Potato Firmware Recovery
Paul Gardner-Stephen had one of his MP01s “brick up” when attempting a GUI-based reflash and was having problems recovering. So I offered to take a look at it for him.Reflashing and... Read more – ‘Mesh Potato Firmware Recovery’.
Mesh Potato Firmware Recovery
Paul Gardner-Stephen had one of his MP01s “brick up” when attempting a GUI-based reflash and was having problems recovering. So I offered to take a look at it for him.Reflashing and... Read more – ‘Mesh Potato Firmware Recovery’.
We’re getting closer and closer to full production of the Mesh Potato. Below you see the 1.3 version of the Mesh Potato motherboard that integrates the FXS module onto the PCB and also... Read more – ‘Mesh Potato Production Update’.
Paying for infrastructure – Creative Commons Catalyst
Today Creative Commons launches their catalyst campaign - brother to the recently announced catalyst grant programme. I like how they connect the two - funding their work AND raising money at the... Read more – ‘Paying for infrastructure – Creative Commons Catalyst’.
It’s about reading, not paper vs pixels
In Nadine Gordimer advocates book over screen, the Mail & Guardian reports on a defense of the printed book against the onslaught of technology by Nadine Gordimer, Nobel laureate and one of... Read more – ‘It’s about reading, not paper vs pixels’.
In Nadine Gordimer advocates book over screen, the Mail & Guardian reports on a defense of the printed book against the onslaught of technology by the Nobel laureate and one of South... Read more – ‘It’s about reading, not paper vs pixels’.
Reading list – "OER beyond content" in the development context
Dick Ngambi invited me to speak with Masters students at University of Cape Town as part of his course on “Educational ICTs for Developing Contexts”. I am chuffed to be invited back... Read more – ‘Reading list – "OER beyond content" in the development context’.
Siyavula workshop for AMESA in Durban
Siyavula Presentation and Uploading session on the 29th of May We are excited to announce that we are presenting another Siyavula session for the AMESA educators in KZN. At the previous Siyavula... Read more – ‘Siyavula workshop for AMESA in Durban’.
Money for love – Eeeeeethaan, you don’t have to put on the red light
Ethan Zuckerman recently wondered if it was “love or money” that drives amazing volunteer communities like the one over at global voices. Now, we are small fry compared to GV at the... Read more – ‘Money for love – Eeeeeethaan, you don’t have to put on the red light’.
As part of my new do-it-right-away-if-it-takes-only-a-minute-or-five strategy, here is a short quote from Glyn Moody’s article on how to become Linus Torvalds. It’s a concise description... Read more – ‘Leading like Linus’.
We are pleased to announce that the Kontax series is now also available on the MYMsta mobisite. MYMsta, short for Make Your Move, is the world’s first HIV/AIDS related mobile social network.... Read more – ‘Kontax now on MYMsta.mobi’.
We are pleased to announce that the Kontax series is now also available on the MYMsta mobisite. MYMsta, short for Make Your Move, is the world’s first HIV/AIDS related mobile social network.... Read more – ‘Kontax now on MYMsta.mobi’.
I was happy to see Brandon Muramatsu at the OCWC Vietnam meeting and get some time to hang out, check out the latest gadges (geek!) and go to his presentation. He asked the audience –... Read more – ‘The green fields that lie beyond content’.
“Africa Burns for a Village Telco” is the subject line of an email sent to me from Bruce Strover. And really who could resist a subject line like that especially if the Village Telco... Read more – ‘Africa Burns for a Village Telco’.
Lenovo X61s Battery Life
I have a 2y old Lenovo X61s running ubuntu jaunty. Ever since I acquired I’ve been rather unimpressed by battery life-time which seems to be max 1.25-1.5h (2h if I’ve just got it on but... Read more – ‘Lenovo X61s Battery Life’.
TEDx Soweto – A great day out!
The first TEDx Soweto happened on Freedom Day — 27 April in South Africa — appropriately held at the Apartheid Museum. The theme was “The Age of Participation”. It was a fun... Read more – ‘TEDx Soweto – A great day out!’.
This is the first of a monthly series of short video blog (vlog) updates on some of the things I’m working on. This one is about where we are with the Mesh Potato. Steve Song – First... Read more – ‘First vlog’.
Thoughts on “Disrupting Class” and “Leadership Without Easy Answers”
I recorded a short video with a few excerpts from “Disrupting Class” and “Leadership without easy answers” and my thoughts how these excellent books relate to our work at the... Read more – ‘Thoughts on “Disrupting Class” and “Leadership Without Easy Answers”’.
On the 24th of March we held the very first FullMarks event, an uploading sprint. The site was, and still is, in beta and the event was the first opportunity to let a random selection of... Read more – ‘FullMarks Uploading Sprint’.
Melissa Hagemann of the Open Society Institute introduced me to some representatives from UNESCO who wanted to discuss Open Educational Resources and specifically some the issues relating to the... Read more – ‘UNESCO Contextualisation Stories’.
More Siyavula Excitement at Christel House SA
We were met by a lively, jocular and excited group of 45 educators, including the primary school principal, Mr Milton-Greene, at Christel House for their third training session on Monday 29 March.... Read more – ‘More Siyavula Excitement at Christel House SA’.
Open Accreditation – Next steps
At this point, I find the work on open accreditation to be the most innovative part of the open education space. It’s not just exiting because it cuts at the heart of how the education system... Read more – ‘Open Accreditation – Next steps’.
“wt due respect check da script b4 sndn it”
Last week Kontax 2: The Big Win was published on a mobisite and on MXit, unfortunately with spelling and grammatical errors in the text. This was embarrassing for the author, proofreader and myself,... Read more – ‘“wt due respect check da script b4 sndn it”’.
Third support session for Philippi/Nyanga Primary Schools
With the focus on the uploading of content to CNX, our workshop venue was abuzz with excitement yesterday. Our delegates were delighted at their new learning in using MS Word correctly and most... Read more – ‘Third support session for Philippi/Nyanga Primary Schools’.
Yesterday, in a speech on “Building Britain’s Digital Future”, UK Prime Minister Gordon Brown announced wide-ranging plans to open up UK government data. In addition to a general... Read more – ‘UK Government Plans to Open Up Data’.
Below are some of the comments left by readers of Kontax 2: The Big Win on MXit on the first day that the story launched. Most comments were complimentary, but there were also a few criticisms of the... Read more – ‘Reader comments from MXit’.
On Saturday 15th March the Reading Association of South Africa held a conference called “Literacy Works: Best practices in literacy teaching and a focus on mew media: their place in literacy... Read more – ‘RASA conference highlights’.
Talk at Forum Virium’s Open Up the City Event in Helsinki
This Thursday (11th March) I’m speaking at the Forum Virium’s Open Up the City event in Helsinki. This year their focus is on “open data, design, interfaces and innovation”... Read more – ‘Talk at Forum Virium’s Open Up the City Event in Helsinki’.
Policy Recommendations in the Area of Innovation, Creativity and IP
I was recently asked to put together a short document outlining my main policy recommendations in the area of “innovation, creativity and IP”. Below is what I prepared. General IP... Read more – ‘Policy Recommendations in the Area of Innovation, Creativity and IP’.
Join the Community
Join the Village Telco community.... Read more – ‘Join the Community’.
A Conversation with Ray Kurzweil and Tim O’Reilly (TOCCON)
The last session last night at O’Reilly Publishing Tools of Change (TOC) conference in New York was A Conversation with Ray Kurzweil and Tim O’Reilly — an extremely interesting... Read more – ‘A Conversation with Ray Kurzweil and Tim O’Reilly (TOCCON)’.
I have made a quick slideshow tour of some of the functionality of the alpha version of the FullMarks site. The site is extremely simple yet offers powerful reports to help support learners... Read more – ‘FullMarks Demo’.
We have now a new over-voltage protection circuit design for the mass production Mesh-Potatos. We were not satisfied with the previous version. Ideally the over-voltage protection circuit has a... Read more – ‘Smoke testing the Mesh-Potato video – Part II’.
The Icey Grip of Reality
Our workshop for high school educators at Vuyiseka Secondary proved somewhat of a sobering experience! Firstly, only fifty percent of the delegates were present as others were forced to re-prioritize... Read more – ‘The Icey Grip of Reality’.
Second Support Workshop for Edunova Primary Educators.
Makhanyiseli Primary School hosted our second support workshop for primary school educators yesterday 16 February. Present were ten educators of whom six previously received Siyavula training. The... Read more – ‘Second Support Workshop for Edunova Primary Educators.’.
Siyavula Foundation layed at CHSA
Nine foundation phase educators from Christel House were added to the Siyavula family as a result of a training workshop conducted at the school computer lab. Although only fifty percent of the... Read more – ‘Siyavula Foundation layed at CHSA’.
I have just returned from LCA 2010 where I presented on the Village Telco and manned a Village Telco booth on the Open Day. Very good response and lots of people would like Mesh Potatoes! Check out... Read more – ‘Village Telco at linux.conf.au (LCA) 2010’.
Potato on the Jetty – Range testing PCB Antennas
Today we made some phone calls over a 400m link using PCB antennas. We want to use etched PCB Wifi antennas for the Mesh Potato. However we have heard that some companies have had problems with PCB... Read more – ‘Potato on the Jetty – Range testing PCB Antennas’.
First Beta Mesh Potato
Joel is helping my Village Telco presentation at the upcoming LCA 2010 conference so I took a couple of the first Beta MP01s down to his place for a test drive. They are fresh off the production... Read more – ‘First Beta Mesh Potato’.
Simplified Billing Management
Following the release of A2Billing 1.4.4 stable the 14th of December, we have released the Simplified Management Interface for the release. The Installation Wizard and the Simplified Management... Read more – ‘Simplified Billing Management’.
Jeff and I have just had an enjoyable day outside testing candidate antennas for the Mesh Potato. Our goal was to evaluate candidates for the internal antenna of the production Mesh Potato. Jeff... Read more – ‘Antenna Testing’.
Since March of this year, ISKME has been studying Siyavula’s workshops, documenting the project’s model for teacher professional development and community building as a way to shed light on the... Read more – ‘Siyavula Workshops: Growing Active, Teacher-Led Communities’.
KZN Year-end Conference
Thirty-odd spirited educators gathered at Sibaya for the year-end conference on Friday 4 December 2009. The format of the gathering mimicked that of the Cape Town one. Educators were happy to engage... Read more – ‘KZN Year-end Conference’.
Prizes for excellence in children’s media, especially mobile learning
The Joan Ganz Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop is offering prizes for excellence in children’s media — challenging innovators to push the current boundaries of mobile learning. Five... Read more – ‘Prizes for excellence in children’s media, especially mobile learning’.
This is a draft paper to be presented at mLearn 2009, Florida, USA, about the m4Lit project. Abstract: The m4Lit (mobile phones for literacy) pilot project will create a mobile novel (m-novel),... Read more – ‘m4Lit: a teen m-novel project in South Africa’.
Over the last few months I’ve interviewed a few South African and Zambian high schoolers about their cellphones, mobile IM and school. Download the video: WMV (37MB) or Flash... Read more – ‘Teens and their cellphones’.
Too often the media coverage and public discourse around teens’ use of mobile phones is distorted and negative. A recent article in New Era newspaper titled Namibia: Substance Abuse a Growing... Read more – ‘Call to adults: Please be responsible’.
Txt savvy 4 2morrow is a piece that I wrote for the Mail & Guardian’s The Teacher (print edition, 1 July 2009). The article considers how mobile phone texting might not be so detrimental... Read more – ‘Txt savvy 4 2morrow’.
My new friend Aslam Rafee (CTO of the DST) has been hanging out in our office this morning before Open Everything this afternoon. He has pointed out one of the most incredible pieces of democracy... Read more – ‘Independence within the Electoral Commision’.
