Ed Dowding

Category: Systems thinking

Top Ten Constituents of New Commons Economy

I’ve just come across a fantastic list at the Steady State Revolution blog. I’ve reproduced it in its entirety here since I know lots of people get this feed in RSS readers and email and don’t click links, and because it’s useful for my reference. This would break most copyright laws, were it not very ...

Turn over a New Leaf

Stuxnet

A great story, but more importantly a really interesting one.. Stuxnet is a worm (computer virus) which has been designed – by a very good team for about 6 months – to do a very specific job. But what is that job?

Open-Access Public Workshops

OH. MY. WORD! THIS IS BRILLANT! TechShop San Francisco is 15,500 square feet and includes a private parking lot. It will feature all the tools and equipment that members enjoy at other TechShop locations, including: Epilog Helix 60-Watt Laser Cutters Tormach CNC Milling Machines 3D Printer NextEngine 3D Scanner Formech 600 24″ x 24″ Vacuum Forming System ...

Supporting the vitality of the Commons

I mentioned I’m doing a course on the Commons who yesterday asked the question: How can we live and work in a way that supports the vitality of the commons? (It’s only week one, give us a break!) Here’s my reply: I couldn’t agree more with Mary Beth that “as long as we all live under ...

Help fund the Do Lectures by designing a poster

The Do Lectures is here to give talks away *Free to the world. To inspire. To share ideas. To see if there’s a better way of doing stuff. But *Free costs. That’s why we sell tickets to the event, Do an auction and yes, sell posters. The feel for the poster should be: Positive, Inspiring, Uplifting. Message: ...

Change the System, Not the Climate

I came across a marvellous speech as part of a course I’m doing on the Commons. Every now and then in history, the human race takes a collective step forward in its evolution. Such a time is upon us now. […] From the perspective of the environmental movement, I see two problems that hinder us in ...

Invest in green energy

Key facts: 1) You’re doing something brilliant, 2) It’s 7.5% return, 3) You’re locked in for 4 years. EcoBonds from Ecotricity.

Make money from your car when you're not using it

Hire Cars on WhipCar – Local Car Rental, Put Your Car to Work | WhipCar.

I Love Charts

Two excellent charts, one hilarious, the other depressingly obvious: I Love Charts – Bohemian Rhapsody. Also from I Love Charts via Mr Robert Loch.

Change your search engine, save the world

You’re still using Google, but results are piped via Ecosia, who use the money from the adverts (same amount as Google) to fund rainforest protection. Brilliant, easy, simple. Takes about 2 minutes to make it your default search engine. “Each web search saves about 2 m² of rainforest for free. We already protected 186,443,380 m².” Take ...

9 things I'd do if I were in government right now

Remember that reducing use is easier and more effective than increasing supply to meet ‘demand’. Invest in research (especially algae and solar). Invest in infrastructure, especially electricity grid, rail, and electric car stations. Do not build more roads. We have plenty, and cars are getting smaller anyway. Remove VAT from renovation works. Add VAT to ...

Google Transparency Report

Like other technology and communications companies, we regularly receive requests from government agencies around the world to remove content from our services, or provide information about users of our services and products. This map shows the number of requests that we received in six-month blocks Google Transparency Report: Government Requests.

Money says 'no'. Money is broken. Keeps saying 'no' to everything sensible, and 'yes' to lots of stupid things.

There are 2,470,000 people unemployed in the UK. There is an energy supply crisis. We know how to insulate houses, make solar panels, wind farms, community heating systems, and so on. So on the one hand we have a major problem, and on the other we have a major solution. And yet we have an ...

4 steps to handling emotional or conflict conversations

The four steps, when used in “self-expression” mode, work like this: To observe without evaluation, judgment, or analysis, To express feelings which these observations evoke, To express needs connected with these feelings, (optional) To make a specific request of another person to help meet an unmet need, and to enrich life of everyone involved. Essential ...

The TED Commandments – rules every speaker needs to know

Thou Shalt Not Simply Trot Out thy Usual Shtick Thou Shalt Dream a Great Dream, or Show Forth a Wondrous New Thing, Or Share Something Thou Hast Never Shared Before Thou Shalt Reveal thy Curiosity and Thy Passion Thou Shalt Tell a Story Thou Shalt Freely Comment on the Utterances of Other Speakers for the ...

Problems with paradigm change

If changes tend to happen as large paradigm shifts, then does trying to transition simply slow things down? When jumping to a new paradigm, does the new model have to be widely known before the jump, or simply known by enough people? If the existence of the old model – one which has proven to ...

Mottainai

Mottainai  is a Japanese term meaning “a sense of regret concerning waste when the intrinsic value of an object or resource is not properly utilized.” The expression “Mottainai!” can be uttered alone as an exclamation when something useful, such as food or time, is wasted. In addition to its primary sense of “wasteful,” the word ...

Bottled water is the answer to global warming

The world is melting. Guess what you need: httpv://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2Z2z2k4LoYQ The only words I can think of which would fully express my disappointment would be a hex to melt all consumers of bottled water within 2 miles of a tap. Alas, I don’t know any. Maybe the benzene will get them.

Don't do anything that isn't play

“For instance, on the planet Earth, man had always assumed that he was more intelligent than dolphins because he had achieved so much – the wheel, New York, wars and so on – whilst all the dolphins had ever done was muck about in the water having a good time. But conversely, the dolphins had ...