Rationalising the irrational and the return to Open Source

The session noted in my last post is still continuing, the problem for me now is that it has opened the floodgates and I am overwhelmed with all the ideas and arguments that come out of it. I will spend some time taking notes and mindmaps to pull it all together again. I would love to note everything as I follow it online but blogs are serial things and would make it difficult to pull things together - a wiki would be more useful, but still cumbersome to move things around.

One result coming out of all this is that I am going to pull away from Google's shared hosting and bring it all together in one place at my host, Dreamhost, using the best fitting open source. One advantage is that the whole setup can then be shared and there will be no proprietary systems to deal with later. Ideally, everything that belongs in the system should belong equally to everyone who collaborates on it and if changes are needed they can be handled.

I don't have the answer yet!!

At a point where dealing with all the things that daily life throws at you and tackling an idea which you are trying to solidify I think I am finally suffering from sleep deprivation. It really does you no good to work through the night and then function as normally as possible throughout the day. Sleep is such an annoyance, let alone the fact that I have always tried to tackle the reason why I do not exactly exist while I sleep I find it leaves you physically feeling more tired AFTER you sleep than before you do, plus any continuity and memory are lost of all the things in your mind before you do.

Anyhow -

Worst still I really do know I do not have the answer yet! I know it is there and what I am proposing is perfectly correct but it is not the answer - just the result of it.

I am taken back to one of my many embarassing incidents that I had during my school days. It was during a visit that my mother had with a Solicitor(lawyer) in Cinderford, my home town then. I think that I was fully supportive by sitting there silently as the conversation discussed the legal issue at hand but that wasn't enough. My mother gleefully told the solicitor that I was working on a new language that I was writing by myself that brought the spotlight firmly on me. The enquiries that followed put me in the uncomfortable situation that I had to explain an idea that I was working on for months, possibly a year prior to this of trying to create a new language that wouldn't allow any fallacies or illogical constructions to exist, that in fact you would not be able to tell lies using it - Well I was a child then. The idea ended that day with the joyful retort that the Solicitor hoped I didn't succeed as it would certainly put him out of a job. I have but one remnant of it still, a copy of some of the symbols I was trying to use to construct the concepts that I was creating based on the nearest phonetic sound I could attach it to that - then - would have made sense to me. I miss my conceptual landscapes and the seemingly impossible challenges I played with then.

The reason it haunts me now is that this again, almost forty years later, is a similar situation where I know what it is I am trying to achieve, I can almost see, conceive or touch it but like the creation of this language I know it lies in a level above me somewhere, just above my current level of understanding of what it is I am trying to achieve. Similarly, it is exposed, again looking I'm sure a very naive version of what it should be before those with better knowledge or intellect than I. However, I'm a much stronger character now than I was then and I am going to keep going until I reach it - definitely within this lifetime or I will be very annoyed. In fact I need some good arguments and discussions to find the weaknesses and replace them with solid framework. Together with some good idealists who can use their own knowledge to make this successful.

How this relates to Beyond One World and the fundamental idea? If I were to sum it up simply within a sentence I would say something like,

'A centralised, open and transparent system of collaboration for defining how we all as a group of individuals want to help each other and govern ourselves'

Without going into ideas of how it relates to wonderful achievements like open source, social networking and collaboration it is by itself perfectly true and is partly the core of what Beyond One World is all about. However, I realise that I am choosing certain elements like 'open' and 'transparent' and asking myself why the concepts are there. What are they by themselves meant to achieve? What if they weren't there?, what differences it makes to the ideal. I realise also that they are communication concepts, they are what makes communication possible. Also without the communication elements there could not possibly be any dynamism or collaboration. Then I would argue with myself asking why that last sentence was true, what concepts are involved, why and where is this heading. The fact these are ideals and aspirations are relevant to - I am remembering some of the concept landscapes I travelled through years ago - and years since now I recall - in trying to understand that level above me. There is a relationship to with the essential desire I mentioned in Who Am I? - why the connections? I watch myself thinking this through and try to understand the processes I go through in trying to understand them, so I can learn what is successful and what is not and possibly why - they all lead back to some core ideal. Also trying to stand outside of it all again and see if I am watching the right things - also why the desire to reach ideals and aspirations in the first place.

Another amusing stand I take is trying to second guess what anyone would think had they stumbled on this post, I would guess that it would be either some sad kind of madness, some stumbling kind of naivety and silliness or possibly even some genius, well allow me a little vanity, I'm tired...

Back to the plot - it appears I am trying to use my highest ideals and aspirations to create the most ideal system of governance possible, to benefit everyone and everything in the most positive way. For everyone a chance to be all that they can be without removing that chance from everyone else. At its lowest level to remove conflict, oppression, waste and replace it with purpose. Obviously any closed system can give some power over others and if used selfishly then war and suffering result, amongst many other things, so the system must be open. There must be ideal communication of all things within the system - 'open' is one of the ideals for at least one of the reasons stated above.

Stepping outside of this again - ask the question 'Why is there the desire to reach the highest most positive ideals' - Could they possibly change from individual to individual or are these things stuck solid in this conceptual landscape and inherent in the spirit of us all. Are there absolute ideals that exist that everyone can actually agree on - what a wonderful place to build a foundation, or have I missed something.

I remember now the problems I used to have with concepts and ideas that I tried to change them from fluffy ideas to absolute constructs. I was envious of the subject of mathematics where absolute truth and proof appeared to be exclusively exist and hoped I could put them all into formula to stop me meandering blindly through the fog of fuzzy logic and fluffy ideas to get to the bottom of things quickly. Oh and how the idea of conceptual landscape was really just a loose term, in that concepts always appeared to have multiple dimensions and couldn't be visualised in a nice familiar landscape. Attempts at trying to see a world in more than 3 dimensions proved to be impossibly difficult regretfully. Reminds me of a later project I dropped - a visual programming language where logic could be constructed absolutely visually, possibly virtually written my placing them in the right position and seeing the range of results possible from a program as if they were physical objects - I never left the landscape actually did I - how strange. Again, I am losing the plot, back to Beyond One World... It is wonderful though how this all exists way beyond any languages that have ever been spoken.

Can I make the assumption that really 'reaching the highest ideal' is an important principle in all this. Does everyone inherently agree on the same ideals? For example, love, peace, friendship, collaboration, efficiency are all eternally good - that hate, war, suffering and waste etc are eternally bad, so love is somewhere in the direction of an ideal. Could any creature here or alien have any system of thought that would break this assumption? Should I care?
If the assumption is true then the ideals are part of the core and I should expand on what Beyond One World is about. That openness and transparency are just part of a set of ideals that we should collectively agree on and use them as the basis of governance. Then the ideals could be translated down through whatever level exists into actual action and positive direction. The methods of transposing ideals to apply to real life could then be found and used as part of the processes within the system...

Indeed, right now I feel I have only scratched at the surface, there is so much more and change is about to take place in how I present this idea.

But for now, I must sleep, it is beginning to get painful and I must wake soon...

And so to bed.

Please I Need Help!

I realise that this is a daunting and seemingly impossible task and my first steps in putting up the site has not been successful, the traffic is almost nothing and when I look at it from the few unsuspecting browsers eyes and see how they got to any of the pages I guess they are met with something that is either irrelevant or incoherent to them. So if I am to take this seriously I have got to change the whole presentation, to show what the message is clearly and quickly and put up a platform that will promote collaboration and discussion. Again, right now, I feel this is an impossible task.

Is it worth it? Spending this time on an idea that appears all over the world fragmented and discussed by many who are clearly more knowledgeable and skilled than I. Should I spend this time on more profitable or productive activities with clear objectives and achievable results? This idea that burns in my mind on occasions that I personally think will be the most beneficial activity that we could undertake in our whole history. Is this a sensible and well grounded person stating this? Am I just dreaming this? Is this just a naive idea that bears no relationship with reality? Who am I to say what is this is? I am fighting with my own common sense but still losing the battle, this has been an idea that has been forming one way or another in every aspect of my life and growing in size to way beyond my world and what I am capable of.

I really do need help!

There are no real arguments I can fight this idea with. Will someone come along with more clarity and convincingly say, 'Yes, well, this idea is all well and good but ...!!!' and blow it away. Those close to me use the argument of noone being interested, or focus on the impossibility of what it entails to succeed and I find this really disturbing but they are not arguments against the idea itself, just a sad reflection on being human, mortal, fallible and unconcerned. I believe, without proof, that everyone of us is capable of great things, of great change, of ultimate good within the heart, needing a tool by which these changes can be started and improved, no matter what evil or negativity that life, experience or others have done to them.
That, dare I say it, we can all work together to create the greatest expression of our combined efforts to help each other and much, so much more.

That we have now, for the first time in known history, the ability, the technology and communication to create this tool and evolve it to whatever we dream of.

We now have the ability to centralise our global efforts completely, to remove wasted effort, to begin and improve all we have learned of information management and technology in putting all our knowledge and processes in one virtual place. Ultimately structured so that everything can be found exactly where it is expected to be without searching for it.

We now have the ability to expose all our knowledge to everyone, open and free to all those who wish to use it. No more harm and wasted effort hiding information, technology, assets that belong to no 'one' person or company but to everybody. We now have the ability to share these things wherever we are and accelerate our progress significantly.

The technology exists for the first time in known history to collaborate and work on ideas with people from all backgrounds and experiences. To finally work on ways that agreements can be made, openly and transparently, that govern all that is important to us. To form a structured system of government of absolute equality for all individuals that exist, that is owned, coordinated and participated in by anyone and everyone. For each of us, no more leaders, no more centralisation of power, of individuals or companies uncontrollably profiting from others, just a system of government that serves us and our collective agreement upon how it works.

Finally, the ability to efficiently coordinate and tackle global, or universal issues that effect us all. We will have the tools to remove inefficiency, wasted, duplicated or conflicting effort to give all individuals the time and the ability to follow their highest ideals. To finally help ourselves and others achieve all that we possibly can in the time we have here.

Well, from the highest ideals to the first steps...

How to deliver the message? How to communicate it? How to promote the collaboration and ideas that could possibly make it work? Or even to get opinions and feedback whether positive or negative.

I need help.

My ideas at the moment focus on making something like a social site allowing each decision and idea to be developed and voted on, to work more on making it a more coherent message and something that individuals will enjoy working on. To find groups of individuals that form the fragments of these ideas and make an effort to initiate some interest.


It all starts now, this eternal moment of time that all ideas begin in ...

Whatever happened to Google Project 10 to the 100?

Google announced in September 2008, as part of their tenth year birthday celebrations that they would give $10 million towards 5 of the best ideas that would help the most people in the world. Many 30-second videos were created to express many hopefuls ideas and uploaded to YouTube in the run up to the deadline for entries on the 20th October 2008, including one from myself which looking back is quite dire - never mind. Google were then to review all the entries, select a hundred of the best and publish this list on their site on January 27th.

A process of having the public vote from these and shorten the list to 20 of the very best ideas from then the semi-finalists. An advisory panel would then meet with a set of criteria to choose the final 5.

In my opinion a fantastic and heartwarming idea that really showed that maybe Google was one of the most positive, open minded, generous and forward thinking companies in the world.

Imagine that, calling upon the whole world and selecting the best ideas that we could think of to help each other and then acting on them, actually providing resources for them to be carried out and helping the most people in the world.

The problem was, the world responded...

On 26th January 2009, Andy Berndt, the Managing Director of Google Creative Lab posted up an apology on Googles Blog - there was going to be a delay.

Apparently Googlers all around the world had been overwhelmed by the sheer number of entrants - in 25 languages there had been over 150,000 proposals put forward. March 17th had been given as the date which all of this would be sorted out and announced on their Project 10 to the 100 site.

On the 17th March appeared an update on the blog, it has overwhelmed them and it will take a while longer...

Three months later, now 10th June, there has been no announcement and no news posted upon the site. So whatever happened to the Google Project 10 to the 100?...

Why didn't they just open the doors and published the whole lot? 149,900 ideas would never be seen except for Google themselves, surely that isn't of much use - is it?

Thinking back on my own reaction to Google doing this in September, I thought it was in itself one of the most refreshing ideas that I have heard from a company in many years. But now I remember, well, it is a company - there are managers, shareholders, directors who have a cut in the operation and assets of Google. It is not completely open and for its own existence to continue it cannot be and any effort by its staff has to be aligned to meet its corporate needs.

I must remember now that it was not Google that produced this idea...
It was one or more individuals within it that created it, unnamed persons, who should have the praise and not the company. It is them who have this idea inside them and the desire to help as many people as possible. It is also most of the submitters of these ideas that have this within them.

This kind of idea has to be completely open, transparent and collaborated upon by anyone who has the desire to. In fact this idea should continue, even without the possibility of corporate funding to be developed, thought about, discussed and worked on to make the core ideas within them shine. I'll bet easily that most of the ideas are similar in concept, that they show the same desire, the same principles just in slighly different application and using the increasing possibilities and technologies to enable them.

But these ideas are something more again...

They are the best that can be produced within the moment, the timescale and the visibility of those that responded. Imagine if that possibility always exists. Not belonging to a small group of people but to everyone - accessible by all virtually in one place so that they can always be found.

These ideas should be opened for all, always...

For now, I do hope those who have put the effort in to create Project 10 to the 100 succeed and fulfil their mission.

But the core ideas behind this need to take place, thought through and acted on. Imagine how different the world would be if it were possible.