Tomorrows World (2013, A BBC Horizon Special)

[idanwin]

I just saw this documentary.

It was A-MAZE-ING!!!

I would really suggest you watch it if you're interested in science. And even if you aren't! aamof

There was a really nice part about open source / open hardware solving a lot of problems in the world.

"Progress is no longer in the hands of governments and large corporations, it is now driven more and more by groups of passionate people who have the support of large internet communities."

"The process of invention is becoming a global conversation with many minds interacting, sharing ideas, making the seemingly impossible possible and the speed at which this is all happening means that these inventions are changing our world more quickly than ever before. It's an exciting time to be alive!"

(I couldn't agree more :-) )

I hope this trend continues and that one day all (or almost all) people will work for the common good rather than for themselves (or for corrupted politicians). Of course this requires major redesigns of the current economic model, but with the growing number of open source projects and the popularity of systems like Kickstarter, I believe the system is moving towards the public.

I think the biggest example of the effectiveness of this new trend that I've seen is in movies. Some of the crowdfunded movies I've seen were better than any hollywood produced movie I've seen (with, off course a difference in graphical quality, certainly when it comes to CGI)

As an actor and someone who has to watch at least one movie each day, or else I become unbearable, I think my opinion on this in grounded on some solid foundations.

[Loki1950]

Hope we get to see it on this side of the pond idanwin maybe the Nat'l Geo channel will pick it up for state side viewing.

Enjoy the Choice

[Jeru]

I would recommend Yochai Benkler's lectures/book for some discussion of people's motivations in contributing to free, open source software projects, and related projects such as wikipedia. Definitely the traditional models only partially explain why people do what they do, but at the same time it's probably not reasonable to expect self interest to disappear entirely.

[Ludo38]

Thank you idanwin for sharing this !

Open-source is the way, definitely! It's so Nature-like anyway!

About this all, I highly recommend listening and reading Jeremy Rifkin, who talk about the Third Industrial Revolution, and the emerging Distributed Capitalism. He's fond of Linux and all the open-source way of thinking and working, and he is spreading this in a clever way all around the world. In France (my country), he is now busy as an adviser for the north region of the country to set the tools for the new industrial revolution. As you say idanwin, it's a re-thinking of so much, but we can make it. Actually, we are already making it !

darn, I love this world, full of challenges and awesome people!

[Mythos_Ruler]

I suspect an equilibrium will more or less be reached, with things swinging back and forth of course (no system is completely static). But the the future has room far all kinds of software and technological development, from top-down to bottom-up. That's exciting to me, as opposed to one model "triumphing" over another model.

[idanwin]

Thank you for the tips, I'll certainly check them out (I love reading and hearing about this kind of stuff)

The important thing is that people can choose, you can't force everyone to go open source, but I want to have people get to know open source more (even though everyone uses it, few know what it is) and have a system that is more friendly towards it (I remember certain pc companies once had the idea of making linux live cd's unable to boot, don't know if they did it, but just the fact that they considered it made me really angry). I've seen the number of schools and public libraries using linux based operating systems on their computers grow in Belgium over the past years, and I really think it's the way to go (less virusses, better customizability for the administrator over the public users, and last but not least, a lot cheaper).

With linux also becoming the best gaming platform (if it keeps following the path it does now) (let me explain: 1) the framerates of OpenGL are better than those of DirectX^[1], and the framerates of OpenGL on linux are better than those of OpenGL on windows, so there's little reason, except for windows being the most common operating system - but they're getting into trouble^[2], to make games for windows instead of for linux 2) steam has come to linux, I don't like steam, but it's like "Big Brother" on mars^[3], I'm happy about what the consequences are going to be - or at least what I hope the consequences will be 3) the ripples ubuntu is spreading will spread the fame of linux and more people will start using it, which will draw more developpers)

Unfortunately Linux is becoming less and less open source (IMHO) or rather the programs available for it are. Take a look at OpenOffice, for example. I've also got the impression that the app store (in ubuntu) is becoming too much like the android app store: filled with trash. The selection process for programs to end up in the repository should require a slightly higher quality IMHO.

I talk mainly about linux here, because I've little knowledge about open source programs for windows, so I don't mention them.

I would prefer the world becoming entirely open source, but that is plain unrealistic and even dangerous in some aspects (military) (although the military could do with some more transparency, that way Wikileaks would have less work)

I'm not really sure where I'm heading.

On one hand I want to get a good job and make lots of money, donate lots of money to all the cool projects out there to which I can't donate because: 1) I can't pay over the internet, except with direct transactions and 2) I don't really have any money to donate anyway.

On the other hand I want to work for the OS community, build for a better world and the only thing I want in return is appreciation and the chance to live in that better world when I grow old, rather than in this one that has been polluted, destroyed, ripped of it's riches and infected with corrupt people by previous generations.

My opinion currently is that I will be in a better state to help the world if I get a good education, a good work experience and a respected place as a computer scientist some day (who promotes OS xD), but I'll see what the future brings. All I can do now is do my best. Which I don't. Unfortunately. I don't study enough. Because even now, barely studying I get 80% average and got a place at my Unif. But I need to work harder if I want to keep that place. And I've never had to work for school until now, so I don't know how to do it and this frustrates me and I have to stop talking now because I'm getting no where. I'm just rambling.

One day I want to live in an OS country. Technotopia or something. A country in which science is not held back by conservative religious people, where everyone gets a decent education and where the newspapers are filled with scientific breakthroughs instead of murders, accidents, politics and sports (and possibly the latest war the US has gotten itself into) (oh and I forgot obesity) (and those stupid ads for diet pills) (I could do with anti-anorexia pills though).

I'll leave it at that, I've been awake for much too long, and that's like being drunk and on energy drinks at the same time^[4].

[Ludo38]

I fully agree with your statement idanwin, thanks for sharing it that way.

We are moving toward an open-source economy, event though there will always still be some closed areas too.

I am very positive about where we're heading. The news on radio, TV and papers, on my opinion, don't reflect how much we are evolving toward cooperation and collaborative networking in all areas of society. Linux is just one part of this all. There's much more. I suggest you watch the work of Open Source Ecology, an awesome DIY and OS farming community in Missouri.

About your homework :

I know, it's tough. I kind of hated school and homework. But I've learned that if you want to achieve something you don't want to do, you need to find a way to love it. I mean, change your point of view on the work you don't want to do. See what kind of unexpected connection this work or matter can have with what you love. When you make that connection, you start to find a meaning in this work / matter. If you're passionate by open source, see how the work you've got to do can contribute somehow to make you a better open-source hero ! Maybe it's simply going to make you a harder worker able to greatly pass the difficulties.

I also learned that we often spend more time thinking and worrying about a task than the time we will actually need to do it! So, sometimes it's good to shut the mind up and do the darn work, and discover that it doesn't take long to complete, and it leaves you satisfied, free and available again, now the job is done.

Anyway, bonne chance !

[Jeru]

I recommend "The Pathfinder" by Nicholas Lore for big life and career decisions. Very very helpful.

[wraitii]

About work: a method I've found fairly efficient to start working efficiently is doing 30 minutes of something, 5 minute break, rinse, repeat until it's over. Working for school takes willpower, it's boring, no-one really wants to do it. And willpower is fairly limited, particularly if you don't have the habit of working. Don't start too big. Learn to only work efficiently, by focusing 100% on what you do. Then you'll slowly be able to do more and more.

But I stress this, taking breaks are very important. Not too long, but often enough so that you don't fall into a spiral of inefficient "lemme check Facebook every second" work phase.

Find at what time you find working easiest, and then begin planning your work for the day. It sorts itself out.

What Ludo say is very true. But I find you don't even really have to like what you work on. The simple satisfaction of having worked "right" and knowing the material can compensate a little for doing things you dislike.

[FeXoR]

I mainly agree that open source/open hardware/creative commons/... is just one part of a more community oriented society some of us are going to. I don't think however it will (and even should) replace market economy totally because it has it's benefits: Derivation and assignment of price of "physical"/material goods (maybe excluding resources especially if they need an "hard installed" infrastructure to be distributed - and for sure land). So for me it's more important to decide which part of the society should be organized in which manner.

As society works now OS and stuff does indeed need market economy: PPL could not invent stuff in their free time if they had nothing to live from.

A problem the OS/open hardware/creative commons community will be facing is that if it gets to strong some PPL loosing power by this trend might sometime use their monopoly, especially that on violence (mainly governments have that) to enforce their "oppositions" breakup. This seams extreme but keep in mind that those PPL have different personal values and might see them violated by OS and stuff. So for them we are the bad guys and their interest is granted by law with the human right of possession (if interpreted this way).

Another problem it that it's not clear if general purpose computation will be supported much longer by the economic computer providers. This is not really fitting the demand of the market. Most PPL don't need a computer capable of general purpose computing. My hope is that it's cheaper still to provide them because the number of needed components is less than those of more specialized computation devices.

OS/... violates some very general trade agreements as well such as the "General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade" (GATT) today represented by the World Trade Organization (WTO):

link: http://www.wto.org/e..._e/gatt47_e.pdf

"Article VI

Anti-dumping and Countervailing Duties

1. The contracting parties recognize that dumping, by which

products of one country are introduced into the commerce of another

country at less than the normal value of the products, is to be condemned

if it causes or threatens material injury to an established industry in the

territory of a contracting party or materially retards the establishment of a

domestic industry."

Citation from "THE TEXT OF THE GENERAL AGREEMENT ON TARIFFS AND TRADE" from july 1986

Edited April 15, 2013 by FeXoR

[Loki1950]

pc companies once had the idea of making linux live cd's unable to boot, don't know if they did it, but just the fact that they considered it made me really angry)

Secure boot does that already you have to turn it off in the BIOS the ability to turn it off is because the EU objected to it.

Enjoy the Choice

[idanwin]

Thank you guys :-)

I'm going to go for it!

Hopefully, you'll see a little less of me here on the forums ;-) that means I'm studying.