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"The impact of technological change on culture, learning, and morality has long been the subject of intense debate, and every technological revolution brings out a fresh crop of both pessimists and pollyannas. Indeed, a familiar cycle has repeat itself throughout history whenever new modes of production (from mechanized agriculture to assembly-line production), means of transportation (water, rail, road, or air), energy production processes (steam, electric, nuclear), medical breakthroughs (vaccination, surgery, cloning), or communications techniques (telegraph, telephone, radio, television) have appeared on the scene. The cycle goes something like this. A new technology appears. Those who fear the sweeping changes brought about by this technology see a sky that is about to fall. These "techno-pessimists" predict the death of the old order (which, ironically, is often a previous generation's hotly-debated technology that others wanted slowed or stopped). Embracing this new technology, they fear, will result in the overthrow of traditions, beliefs, values, institutions, business models, and much else they hold sacred. The pollyannas, by contrast, look out at the unfolding landscape and see mostly rainbows in the air. Theirs is a rose-colored world in which the technological revolution du jour is seen as improving the general lot of mankind and bringing about a better order. If something has to give, then the old ways be damned! For such "techno-optimists," progress means some norms and institutions must adapt-perhaps even disappear-for society to continue its march forward. Our current Information Revolution is no different. It too has its share of techno-pessimists and techno-optimists. Indeed, before most of us had even heard of the Internet, people were already fighting about it-or at least debating what the rise of the Information Age meant for our culture, society, and economy."

does Kurtopia need someone to mow the lawn?

no, but we do need someone to take our throm-dib-u-lator apart though

"Fri, 09/12/2014 - 02:51 -- Umar Farooq There two different types of values Define Cultural Values Cultural values are hereditary and form core of the culture. List of cultural values include customs, rituals conventions, styles and fashions which are remain in the core culture. The values hold supreme position among them. These values give a shape to the culture and the society. These are very difficult to change because they remain in embedded of social institutions and the social norms. These are the ideals of society. These are remain in the memory of our elders, in old books, in religious and ethical literature. These are sometimes, referred as the values of the old people or the values of the past. They can -be said as the traditions of our life. The deviation from cultural values creates serious social problems. If these are ignored in social life there will be a gap between 'two generations and the son will be separated from his father. But it happens seldom in rapidly changing societies. The neurotic conditions develop due to dissatisfaction in social conditions which lead to frustration."

"Technology is advancing so rapidly that we will experience radical changes in society not only in our lifetimes but in the coming years. We have already begun to see ways in which computing, sensors, artificial intelligence and genomics are reshaping entire industries and our daily lives."

""This is a deeply thought-provoking book about the dramatic changes we must make to save the planet from financial madness" - Naomi Klein. Opening with Oscar Wilde's observation that "nowadays people know the price of everything and the value of nothing," Patel shows how our faith in prices as a way of valuing the world is misplaced. He reveals the hidden ecological and social costs of a hamburger (as much as $200), and asks how we came to have markets in the first place. Both the corporate capture of government and our current financial crisis, Patel argues, are a result of our democratically bankrupt political system. If part one asks how we can rebalance society and limit markets, part two answers by showing how social organizations, in America and around the globe, are finding new ways to describe the world's worth. If we don't want the market to price every aspect of our lives, we need to learn how such organizations have discovered democratic ways in which people, and not simply governments, can play a crucial role in deciding how we might share our world and its resources in common. This short, timely and inspiring book reveals that our current crisis is not simply the result of too much of the wrong kind of economics. While we need to rethink our economic model, Patel argues that the larger failure beneath the food, climate and economic crises is a political one. If economics is about choices, Patel writes, it isn't often said who gets to make them. The Value of Nothing offers a fresh and accessible way to think about economics and the choices we will all need to make in order to create a sustainable economy and society."

[Here's a quit extensive synthesis of "The Penguin and the Leviathan," in my opinion a wonderful book for anyone who is interested in improving and transforming our economic and political institutions. Human motivation is a subject that 'makes me tick'. I really enjoyed reading "The Penguin and the Leviathan", not only because it paints a much nicer picture of "human nature" than the one used by the free marketeers, but also because it gives a glimpse of a future, higher form of society that will be much more based on human cooperation. I think it is important to see that the seeds of this future society are very much present today. ...]

agreed! thanks for this share... the book's on my wishlist.

[# Via FB Tia Carr via Olivier Schulbaum] By Michel Bauwens Sunday Michel Bauwens is the founder of the P2P Foundation and former advisor to the goverment of Ecuador for a project to "remake the roots of Ecuador's economy, setting off a transition into a society of free and open knowledge."

"In our society, the rule of law sets limits on what government can and cannot do, no matter how important its goals. "

"In our society, the rule of law sets limits on what government can and cannot do, no matter how important its goals. "

# ! The #sooner the #better # ! … #society #learns #Openness. # ! #Get #IT, #Share it, #Enjoy it. [Lobbying for open source and Linux in schools Posted 15 Sep 2014 by EmielBrok school supplies for back to school ] "About eight years ago, I started lobbying to bring more Linux and open source software to high schools and higher IT vocational institutions in the Netherlands and Belgium. Here's how I did it and what you can learn from it to do the same where you live."

[Lobbying for open source and Linux in schools Posted 15 Sep 2014 by EmielBrok school supplies for back to school ] "About eight years ago, I started lobbying to bring more Linux and open source software to high schools and higher IT vocational institutions in the Netherlands and Belgium. Here's how I did it and what you can learn from it to do the same where you live."

"from the time-for-a-change dept Here on Techdirt we've written many times about the problematic nature of drug patents. They are harmful both directly, in terms of the price distortions they cause and seek to spread to new markets, and indirectly, through the lobbying that the pharma industry deploys to strengthen and extend them, notably in trade agreements such as TPP and TAFTA/TTIP. "

"from the time-for-a-change dept Here on Techdirt we've written many times about the problematic nature of drug patents. They are harmful both directly, in terms of the price distortions they cause and seek to spread to new markets, and indirectly, through the lobbying that the pharma industry deploys to strengthen and extend them, notably in trade agreements such as TPP and TAFTA/TTIP. "

We all have a certain degree of admiration for those forward-thinkers who were ahead of their time or for those free-spirited individuals who had the courage, the will and the foresight to speak out their minds despite risking being labelled as non-conformists and cast to the outer fringes of society.

We all have a certain degree of admiration for those forward-thinkers who were ahead of their time or for those free-spirited individuals who had the courage, the will and the foresight to speak out their minds despite risking being labelled as non-conformists and cast to the outer fringes of society.

"When you take a moment and look around at the world, things can appear pretty messed up. Take 5 or 10 minutes and watch the 6 o'clock news. Chances are, the entire time, all you are going to see is war, conflict, death, illness, etc. Sure, ..."

"Part IV in a series on technological evolution. Part I was "If a Time Traveller Saw a Smartphone." Part II was "As Technology Gets Better, Will Society Get Worse?" Part III was "The Problem With Easy Technology.""

"Part IV in a series on technological evolution. Part I was "If a Time Traveller Saw a Smartphone." Part II was "As Technology Gets Better, Will Society Get Worse?" Part III was "The Problem With Easy Technology.""

"The popularity and worldwide scope of rock music resulted in a powerful impact on society. Rock and roll influenced daily life, fashion, attitudes and language in a way few other social developments have equalled. As the original generations of rock and roll fans matured, the music became an accepted and deeply interwoven thread in popular culture. Beginning in the early 1970s, rock songs and acts began to be used in a few television commercials; within a decade this practice became widespread, and rock music also featured in film and television program soundtracks"

"Our modern society runs on software. But the tools we use to build software are buckling under increased demand."

[Areas of inquiry once reserved for historians and social scientists are now studied by neuroscientists, and among the most fascinating is cultural conflict. Science alone won't provide the answers, but it can offer new insights into how social behavior reflects -- and perhaps even shapes -- basic human biology. An upcoming issue of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B features a collection of new studies on the biology of conflict. On the following pages, Wired looks at the findings. ...]

"[En castellano más abajo] Manifesto in support of MediaLab Prado Medialabs are a crucial element in societies, they foster innovation, participation and knowledge disemination. MedialabPrado (Madrid) has proved to be a sucessful model and has been consequently recognized. A fundamental aspect of its sucess is its growing comunity of deeply engaged users both in the local and global arena."

" la Royal Society define como "la manipulación intencional a gran escala del medio ambiente planetario para contrarrestar el cambio climático antropogénico" está empezando a asustar."

"This site is about using the principles of Open Source software development to shape the world and the society we live in. I propose that wherever possible work is organized using these ideas and mechanisms. Whenever something is needed by an individual or a group, they will start a project and make it happen, no matter whether it is a children's playground in their neighbourhood or a law affecting the region they live in. This way, work is done by those who need the results and they are motivated as in open source projects."

""Innovation" has become a buzzword in government, industry, and society. Yet, scaling innovation for public policy is rarely discussed."