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    No Straight Lines: participatory reading

    We now have an open access participatory reading platform for No Straight Lines So here is an open invitation to swing by and have a look at No Straight Lines:  It looks at how we can build better more sustainable societies, organisations and vibrant economies through innovative practice. It argues we ... read on »

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    The challenge of living in a non-linear world [2]

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A Website and Weblog about Topics and Issues discussed in the book
Smart Mobs: The Next Social Revolution by Howard Rheingold

Spotted on #CES via Twitter
January 12th, 2012

via: Stefan @Svartling

#CES 2012: Lenovo K800 - The First Phone With An Intel Processor: http://youtu.be/JpaXc9JywWo via @youtube

more info by Stefan Svartling … and Intel goes mobile (report and live blog of the Intel press conference)

1:42 am “Today, your smartphone has more computing power than existed in all of NASA in 1969.” Wow.

1:43 am Intel thinks of mobile phones as more than just calls, messaging and light gaming.

1:43 am It’s just another computing platform.

1:44 am “The best of Intel computing is now coming to smartphones.” Crowd hollers and cheers.

1:44 am “And it’s coming first to China.

1:45 am Jun, a senior VP at Lenovo, says his company expects all devices will be connected. “We’re transforming Lenovo from a leading personal computer company to a leading internet-connected device company.”

1:45 am “Here in my hand..” He’s got the new phone.

1:46 am Lenovo smartphone K800.

Obsessive smart phone users hear ‘phantom vibrations’
January 12th, 2012

Smartphones are so addictive many users now hear “phantom vibrations” because they are desperate to receive new messages, a study has found. The findings will be presented to the British Psychological Society’s Division of Occupational Psychology Conference in Chester.

By Nick Collins http://www.telegraph.co.uk/science/science-news/

Blackberries and iPhones are meant to help workers manage their workload by giving them access to messages and alerts while away from the office. But people become so obsessive about checking their email accounts and social networking sites that they actually become more stressed as a result, researchers said.
Some are so hooked to their devices that they even begin to experience “phantom” vibrations where they mistakenly believe their phone is buzzing in their pocket, it was claimed.

Sweden’s Church of File Sharing Resets the Conversation of What Defines A Community
January 6th, 2012

Throughout the history of communities, religion has always been seen as a knitting or fracturing factor for communities. In Sweden, a recent acceptance of the establishment of The Church of Kopimism (a term meaning “file sharing”), takes that definition of religious activity, and stretches it to a technological domain that in some respects has been inevitible. 
Read the rest of this entry »

Are Text Messages Declining Worldwide?
January 3rd, 2012

by Samantha Murphy on Mashable Tech

It may seem like everyone, everywhere is sending text messages these days. But according to a Forbes report, texting may be on the decline across various countries.

Tero Kuittinen, a senior analyst at M.G.I. Research, wrote via a blog post for Forbes that certain times during the holidays that usually bring in a lot of texts, such as Christmas Eve and Christmas, were significantly lower in 2011 compared to the year before. The decline may hint at signs that consumers are finding new ways to send messages to friends and family.

The decline of texts during the holidays occurred in various global markets. In Finland, prominent mobile carrier Sonera reported that 8.5 million text messages were sent on Christmas Eve of 2011, down 22% from 10.9 million sent on the same day in 2010. Australia also reported a 9% decrease, as did Hong Kong with a 14% drop in Christmas Day texts.

Industry experts expect that cellphone users are sending messages in different ways, from social networking sites to iMessage, the free iOS service that uses a phone’s Internet connection to send messages“.

more statistics on global cellphone usage and mobile patterns

Jon Leibowitz (FTC) on Privacy by Design
December 24th, 2011

Jon Leibowitz (FTC) : “Last December, FTC staff issued a draft privacy report reimagining how we can protect consumers in an increasingly digital and mobile age; we expect to put out a final version of that report in the next month or so. The preliminary report recommended that companies build privacy into their systems at the design phase – what we call “privacy by design”; simplify the ability of consumers to exercise choices; and improve transparency of information practices. As one example of simplifying choice, the report recommended implementation of Do Not Track, a system we envision empowering consumers (and not the government) to take control of the data companies collect about us online”.

read the full text here

also see the agenda of the Face Facts Forum (Dec. 8, 2011)

FTC Will Propose Broader Children’s Online Privacy Safeguards
December 24th, 2011

Speaking at a Dec. 15 Capitol Hill forum on children’s and teens’ online privacy, Federal Trade Commission Chairman Jon Leibowitz said that the agency is recommending that the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA) expand the definition of personally identifiable information.

Leibowitz explained that he supports expanding the definition of “personally identifiable information” to include geolocation information, photos, videos, IP addresses, and
similar items found on computers or mobile devices.

by Ifrah Law Firm

see full article for more information

A Crescendo of Copyright
December 11th, 2011

Posted on March 28 2011 by Crosbie Fitch on The Cultural Liberty Blog this article concerning individual liberty, especially concerning its restoration from archaic privileges such as copyright and patent.

Abstract : •A prologue – mankind’s culture and copyright in perspective.
read the full article at The Cultural Liberty Blog

1709
Queen Anne Establishes the Privilege of Copyright
1787
US Constitution
1790
Madison re-enacts Statute of Anne (tweaked for the US)
1791
Thomas Paine deprecates privileges
1814
Steam powered printing press
1837
Babbage designs Analytical Engine
1937
Relay computers
1943
Valve/Tube computers
1953
Transistor computers
1969
Internet begins with two nodes
1971
Microprocessor computers
1991
World Wide Web begins
2000
The people obtain the means of mass reproduction and communication
2010
The successors to the Stationers’ Guild seek possession of the Internet via ACTA
2011
Copyright recognised to be ineffective vs the people’s cultural liberty/piracy
2015??
Copyright is reformed to exempt individuals in the digital domain
2020??
Copyright is reformed to exempt individuals
2025??
Copyright is reformed to exempt the digital domain
2030??
Copyright is repealed
2031??
The author’s exclusive right to their writings is properly secured at last – ethically

Seen in a proper perspective, copyright is a legislative misadventure borne of political expediency and commercial self-interest. It is a hiccup in mankind’s history and, in the face of the diffusive nature of information, is coming to an abrupt and natural end.

The future of our culture is one without copyright. It is already dissolved in effect. In terms of law, the precise dates of its repeal are a minor detail. Cultural liberty is in the power and the hands of the people and if not also legislatively restored to them they will throw off Queen Anne’s manacles and revolt against persecution by her now immortal publishing corporations”.

Twitter and Characteristics of the Educator’s Sunday Conversation
December 10th, 2011

[screenshot] Dr. Steve Perry's Question of the Week - Share on OviJust about every week, specifically Sundays, Dr. Steve Perry, a contributor to CNN’s Education coverage and founder/principal of Capital Prep school, puts into the Twitter-sphere a question of the week. Most of the time, these questions talk about the challenges of education and race in the US. I’ve been following these conversations for a few months, and there’s something interesting that tends to happen during them - Twitter starts to almost look organized around different branches to the answers of this conversation. Thorugh my involvement in these and similar conversations, I”ve noticed a few traits which happen which might shed some light as to how we can come to conclusions towards the effectiveness of social networks to instigate change on larger scales.

Read the rest of this entry »

Somalia Speaks: How Al Jazeera Reports Via Text Message
December 9th, 2011

Al Jazeera’s ambitious new project Somailia Speaks uses SMS text messages to gauge how ordinary Somalis are coping with the ongoing conflict in their country. It’s the first time they’ve been polled in years, and things in Somalia may be worse than anyone knew.

the full article is on: FastCompany

Al Jazeera English is betting that mobile phones are the best bet to help understand events on the ground. The Qatar-based network just launched Somalia Speaks yesterday. It’s the first-ever large-scale survey of Somali citizen sentiment“.

Introductions: Antoine RJ Wright
December 4th, 2011

Author Headshot - Share on OviGreetings to the Smart Mobs community. My name is Antoine RJ Wright and I’ve been invited by Howard to be a new contributor to this community. I’ve been a long time follower of Howard’s work (in fact, I cited him quite often during my undergraduate work at Millersville University), and much of what I’ve learned from the Smart Mobs community has been featured within the veins of the work that I do at Mobile Ministry Magazine (mobileministrymagazine.com). Mobile Ministry Magazine looks at the implications of mobile when it intersects with various activities within the realm of religious activities. I hope to bring some insights from that sphere and many others, in addition to learning more from this community as we all better understand the influence connected spaces play within and around our communities.

With that said, let’s get smart mobby :)




Previous features

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