Peer2Politics

Patterns of Commoning is arguably the most accessible and broad-ranging survey of contemporary commons in print.

Few commentators have mentioned that the Volkswagen scandal would not have happened if the software for the pollution-control equipment had been open source

Here’s Michel Bauwens’ contribution to this years, Ouishare Fest: The Age of Communities Michel earnestly talks about the opportunities and challenges of the FLOK Society — Free, libre, open-knowledge society — a project founded by three government institutions in Ecuador, aiming to make a transition to an open-knowledge common society. To find out more, please read FLOK’s Transition Plan.

“Bittunes is about empowering the end-user. It is about monetization of digital exchange between peers. As this is something which is impossible with traditional currencies, bitcoin was the perfect solution. I had the pleasure of meeting Simon Edhouse, Bittunes’ CEO, in Bitcoin Singapore 2013, and I fell in-love with his project. To use his words, ‘one thing is certain, everything has changed’. Simon has developed a fantastic platform that will allow independent artists to self publish their music, and by empowering their fans, empower themselves. I see great future to Bittunes, and I wish Simon and his family all the best for 2014 and beyond. I had the pleasure of recording an extremely insightful interview with Simon, I hope you enjoy. Follow @SimonEdhouse”

Patents give patent-holders the power to deny access to others, thereby limiting or denying the public’s right of participation to science and culture.

Bruce Sterling said back in 2002 that the new political movements that would reflect the social changes that were taking shape with the start of the century would have “passion for the vote.” In the English-speaking world, we had an advance this year with Loomio, and in our cultural surroundings, with the release of the code of Democracia OS. But things are already moving politically and socially with the founding of Podemos and the debates on how to create mass online participation.Bet 1 2015 will be the year hundreds of municipalities start up the first systems of citizen co-government using the Internet.