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Author Archive for alan
Just stumbled on this via http://www.wethechange.com/ while reading my daily feeds. Now… That really speaks to me: a film made by collective forces for the collectivity to make things actually change.
The idea is just so inspiring… It makes me feel everything is possible.
Please go and see the trailer and do what ever you can to support the project:
The film’s website: http://www.theshiftmovie.com/ (you can skip the e-mail bit if you wish)
Hi,
I just signed an urgent petition calling on the Chinese government to respect human rights in Tibet and dialogue with the Dalai Lama. This is really important, and I thought you might want to take action:
http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/98.php/?CLICK_TF_TRACK
After nearly 50 years of Chinese rule, the Tibetans are sending out a global cry for change. Violence is spreading across Tibet and neighbouring regions, and the Chinese regime is right now making a crucial choice between tougher crackdown or dialogue.
President Hu Jintao needs to hear that “Made in China” exports and the upcoming Olympics in Beijing will have the support of the world’s people only if he chooses dialogue. But it will take an avalanche of global people power to get his attention. Click below to sign the petition–in just 7 days, the campaign is over half way to the goal of 2 million signatures!
http://www.avaaz.org/en/tibet_end_the_violence/98.php/?CLICK_TF_TRACK
Thank you so much for your help - forward this message to friends!
Hey blog,
I did say I would try and post something at least once in a week… Well that’s not it, is it?
I’ve just finished listening to the Daniel N Robinson’s brilliant lectures on “The Great Ideas of Philosophy” and I needed something entertaining for changers. Hence Bill Bryson. Again. This time, I’m listening to “I’m a Stranger Here Myself“, and it is just as funny and instructive as my previous hearings by the same author.
I stumbled upon a couple of thoughts about the notion of GDP, definitely worth meditating upon:
“We are treating the planet as a business in liquidation”, by the ecological economist Herman Daly.
“By the curious standard of the GDP, the Nation’s economic hero is a terminal cancer patient who is going through a costly divorce”, by 3 anonymous economists. Detailed analysis available here.
Remember my very first post on this blog? I was looking for fairtrade shoes in Lausanne… I’ve found them at last! (Though not in Lausanne… I’ve heard that the “Soeurs Boa” in Lausanne sell the whole range of BlackSpot models every spring, but it’s not spring yet).
Instead, Anto brought them back from her trip to Paris: The Ethletic Sneakers. These shoes don’t just look cool, they are great in several aspects:
Environmental
The natural rubber sole of our ETHLETIC sneakers is sourced from a plantation in Sri Lanka, where rubber is produced in a sustainable and responsible manner.
Environmental protection and social requirements for the workers are equal concerns of the management, in both the harvesting and the manufacturing process.
For this reason ETHLETIC sneakers carry the logo of the Forest Stewardship Council (FSC © 1996, Cert.-Nr. IMO-COC 25582) on the sole.
Social
World Premiere in Fair Trade
For the first time anywhere in the world rubber has been sourced in line with Fair Trade criteria. A Fair Trade premium is paid for the soles of the ETHLETIC sneakers, which is used to finance measures on the plantation, which in turn help improve the living and working conditions of the workers and their families.
Fair Trade in Production, too
Fair Trade criteria are also applied in the production unit in Sialkot/Pakistan, where the sneakers are manufactured. They contribute to the workers receiving a better pay deal.
(Quotes from http://www.ethletic.com)
So… Finally, I’m very happy that I did eventually get shoes corresponding to criteria I consider important, even though I seem to be the only one around for the time being.
Unexisting notes, sorry… From Mieke Gerritzen’s keynote .
Actually, I just posted this so that Anto can watch the video.
Pups, au fait 
Notes on the run of the talk by the cybernetician Kevin Warwick.
Just 2 words to say that this is the probably the craziest thing I have ever seen!
During the talk, I had the feeling I was witnessing the birth of Daleks…
Weird…
Won’t be attending this afternoon. Too much work waiting for me at the office. I’ll try and make it to the fondue though.
Paul Dourish (UC Irvine)
On interaction between ethnography and design.
(really experiencing trouble with wi-fi, firefox and wordpress 
)
In short: ethnography IS relevant for design.
Aboriginal navigation vs cartographic navigation relevant for our understanding of mobility.
The wi-fi here is definitely dead