Dear Andrius -- (01)
Don't know whether I can reply to this message from this address, or if I
should try to answer you here -- but I just wanted to offer a vote of
support and appreciation for what you are doing. And if there is some way
I can get more involved in your work, put me into your system some
place. I see you have Flemming Funch listed on your system -- I have known
Flemming for years.... (02)
I have built a ton of community systems -- starting with bulletin boards
about 1986, and then listserv stuff starting in 1993, and then web stuff
starting in 1994, and lots of database kinds of "Cold Fusion" projects
including United Communities of Spirit (http://origin.org/ucs.cfm) that
begin in January 1996, and a lot of other stuff along the way, and now a
pair of sister networks, http://interspirit.net and
http://sharedpurpose.net -- which run a lot like "yahoo groups" for folks
that want to pursue highly idealistic or socially transformative agendas.... (03)
These days, I am doing a lot of work in "interfaith" areas, and am loading
every group and individual and organization I can manage, into the
Interspirit framework. This includes a number of Parliament of World
Religions groups -- and that continues to grow. I just got back from
Spain, and the "Goldin Institute" conference, where we were developing the
CPWR "Partner Cities Network" (see
http://www.cpwr.org/what/programs/partnercities.htm) (04)
As regards technical visions and ideas -- I wrote a paper called "Common
Factor" in 1995 or so, that led to most of this, that I think is up your
"common channels" line. That paper is still online at
http://originresearch.com/or/cf.cfm. And there's a bunch of ambitious
technical/taxonomic/semantic theory on that site as well, at
http://originresearch.com/sd/home.cfm (05)
Sooooo -- just thought I would knock some of this into the keyboard and
click it on, and see what happens. Always glad to run into an idealistic
social visionary with the technical muscle to make something really happen
(and the analytic horsepower to make it interesting). Thanks. (06)
:) (07)
- Bruce (08)
Bruce Schuman
Origin Research, PO Box 23346, Santa Barbara CA 93121
http://originresearch.com (09)
At 01:03 PM 11/10/2003, you wrote:
>Hi Abdul!
>
>Great to learn of you. I share my letter with our laboratory's discussion
>group in Bosnian/Serbian/Croatian/English, also to invite their
>interest. And also with Augmented Social Networks,
>http://collaboratory.planetwork.net/linktank_whitepaper/, a group that is
>thinking through the infrastructure for such global networks.
>
>Ed Daniel in the United Kingdom has encouraged our laboratory to look for
>work in Iraq. He thinks that we have integrity, and there may be people
>who would value us for the workers we might organize.
>
>Our laboratory, Minciu Sodas, http://www.ms.lt, serves and organizes
>"independent thinkers" around the world. Consequently, we have a global
>pool of people who are thoughtful, self-directed, self-educating,
>self-managing, understanding-of-others.
>
>There is enormous potential for business between the Western and Islamic
>worlds. I think such business relationships might be much stronger if it
>might grow out of a social network of people with thoughtful values.
>
>This summer I spent a few months in the Balkans, especially Bosnia,
>reaching out to Islamic independent thinkers. Several of them know
>Arabic, and I have started up a discussion group in Arabic for our
>lab. So I invite all interested (including Abdul and Ed) to sign up for
>this discussion by sending a blank message to
>Minciu_Sodas_AR-subscribe@yahoogroups.com Ed and I don't speak Arabic, so
>we'll be writing in English, but I hope we might start up a discussion in
>Arabic.
>
>Our topic is "caring about thinking" and supporting independent thinkers
>around the world. My feeling is that this is useful of its own sake. And
>if we succeed in starting up a discussion, then these relationships will
>be there for each other's projects. Meanwhile, we can look for more
>people who might be interested to work in Iraq.
>
>I am also starting up a new service Common Channels
>http://www.commonchannels.com by which I hope to interconnect online
>groups, mailing lists, that care about the same endeavors. For example,
>there is a new, almost mysterious website http://www.imaginify.org/ that
>is starting up, perhaps related to ASN. I would like to help information
>flow amongst such groups.
>
>One of our first steps in the Arabic discussion group might be to identify
>online groups where people congregate, and help to connect them.
>
>Thank you to Sherry Reson of ASN for alerting me to a contact in Albania.
>
>Peace,
>
>Andrius
>
>Andrius Kulikauskas
>Minciu Sodas
>http://www.ms.lt
>ms@ms.lt
>+370 5245950
>Vilnius, Lithuania
>
>Ed Daniel wrote:
>
>>Hi Abdul,
>>thanks for quick response. The project is outlined in the email c&p'd
>>below, start from bottom please.
>>We wish to gather a team for the website, representatives native to Iraq and
>>preferably living there right now and start lobbying the various groups
>>involved with Iraq for funding from NGOs to corporates.
>>Revenue would come from a commission on any transactions once the project is
>>live, we can sit down and work out estimates but its rather obvious after
>>fixed costs for hosting, merchant accounts and variable costs of content
>>management being covered the rest is profit - that’s the business model.
>>Set up costs are obviously recuperated first and I suppose with your
>>background you can hint at what sort of time period would be acceptable for
>>this from a live date.
>>Regards,
>>Ed
>
>
>>[Ed Daniel]
>>Ed Daniel wrote to me about a business opportunity in Iraq that he sees for
>>Minciu Sodas because of our integrity through our dedication to "caring
>>about thinking". We would need to develop contacts in the Arab world (which
>>would be fantastic) and this might build on our work this summer in Bosnia
>>to organize Islamic independent thinkers.
>>So I fire this off to a variety of groups, to see where there might be
>>interest and response:
>> - the list for the SummerSource camp, www.tacticaltech.org, dedicated to
>>open source software for nongovernmental organizations, and with connections
>>around the world.
>>- Augmented Social Networks, which is thinking through the infrastructure to
>>make this kind of networking possible.
>>http://collaboratory.planetwork.net/linktank_whitepaper/
>>- MindEcos, a showcase "mind colony" catalyzed by Bala Pillai
>>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/mindecos/
>>- Our lab's Minciu Sodas open discussion in English,
>>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minciu_sodas_en/, in Bosnian
>>http://groups.yahoo.com/group/minciu_sodas_bos/, and our working group for
>>"thinking relevantly" http://www.ms.lt/openwork/ especially about working
>>openly.
>>Also, this is an example of what I call "social hacking", an effort (always
>>crude to some degree) to hack connections between different groups,
>>especially by way of information channels, so as to get things done, keeping
>>groups from suffocating in their own juices, allowing individual activity to
>>transcend groups. I will be working to find ways to do this well, I want to
>>set up "idea streams" that could be intertwined with sponsorship from
>>enterprises, in the form of open questions that they would keep on our
>>minds. I look to help to develop that, what might work best?
>>Thank you for your understanding! Please let us know if this project below
>>might be of interest, of if you know who might be. More importantly, please
>>help us figure out the best ways that we might open up connections across
>>our groups.
>>Andrius
>>Andrius Kulikauskas
>>Minciu Sodas
>>http://www.ms.lt
>>ms@ms.lt
>>Vilnius, Lithuania
>>+370 52645950
>>Ed Daniel (http://www.bluemedianet.co.uk/) wrote:
>>
>>>OK, here's my idea to date while I've had time to think on planes going
>>>and coming back from PDC in LA. (Please do fire this straight into
>>>the community)
>>>
>>>
>>>Business in the west is challenged by the risk of working in Iraq. So
>>>why not help Iraqis represent themselves and trade with the West through
>>>a digital support platform?
>>>
>>>
>>>The initial milestone of this project would be to get SPONSORED by a
>>>western organisation to build a platform in Arabic as the main language
>>>and supporting multi-lingual functionality (Rainbow
>>><http://www.rainbowportal.net/> comes to mind) running on the internet
>>>upon which Iraqi representatives that need to buy goods whether it be
>>>2nd hand televisions, tyres, car parts, bicycles... whatever it is
>>>they could see what the best price offered currently was from a list of
>>>suppliers that use the platform even if they don’t buy it helps them
>>>with price decisions locally. We could also develop a platform for
>>>shippers to trade delivery prices as well including gaining sponsorship
>>>from another sponsor.
>>>
>>>
>>>I think the platform would be a great opportunity to replicate the
>>>success of Amazon’s web services model (thus many micro-stores could
>>>emerge using this approach) and make our platform web services enabled
>>>as well the exciting aspect to this project is we need and should now
>>>look to recruit Arabic members who would like to participate as we will
>>>greatly benefit from their input on design, content, and other matters
>>>where our own expertise is lacking.
>>>
>>>
>>>Looking forward to your thoughts!
>>>
>>>
>>>Best,
>>>
>>>
>>>Ed
>>>
>>
>>>Andrius Kulikauskas has left you a private message at Ecademy.
>>>Ed, Thank you for thinking of me!
>>>
>>>
>>>Yes, I would be very interested to pursue work in Iraq.
>>>
>>>I'm curious how you imagine that, and how it might hook up with your
>>>business.
>>>
>>>I can write more about how we're able to work as a transistor to
>>>transform endeavors so they are morally ethical:
>>>
>>>- by relating them to our shared value of "caring about thinking"
>>>
>>>- by pursuing them through open investigation
>>>
>>>- by working openly so that all might join us
>>>
>>>- by giving our work to the public domain
>>>
>>>- by meeting our workers half-way, so they can leverage what they care
>>>about.
>>>
>>>In that much of the work in Iraq is a "gift", this is a special
>>>opportunity to work openly.
>>>
>>>
>>>I will update your info, it may take a while to propagate.
>>>
>>>Hi Kenneth! More about us at http://www.ms.lt
>>>
>>>cc: Kenneth Campbell
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>>
>
>
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>
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