Humanize the Earth!

misbehaving.net: women in free software
Did you know that while 28% of proprietary software developers are female, only about 1.5% of free software developers are?

Ugh

I’ve written before about the Humanist Movement, but not lately, and not from the perspective of where I am today, internally. So, thanks to HeatherPoet’s nudgings, here goes.

The Humanist Movement started in 1969 in Argentina and Chile with some simple ideas: the human being as the central value, active non-violence as a point of view and strategy, the connection between the personal and the social, etc.

It was the connection between the personal and the social that really got me in 1996 (I didn’t actually join until 1997). Before that I’d always been interested in both overcoming my own suffering (therapy, group processes, etc, etc) and changing the world (volunteering, helping others, etc, etc) and those two parts seems completely disconnected. Changing myself seemed empty without connection to something larger and helping others felt like fixing a broken cog to put back in the machine that never changed.

There were about 25,000 volunteers involved worldwide when I joined in 1997. By the way, we’re all volunteers. There’s no paid staff, no board of directors, no headquarters and no bank account. We’re organized into teams (similar to a pyramid in many ways) and each person makes all decisions about her or his involvement, without being told what to do by the orientor (the person that forms the team and acts as a guide from her or his experience). Now there are more than one million volunteers involved in over 100 countries.

Each team has a weekly meeting where they start with personal work, with each person looking inside and sharing experiences, as a way to help each other overcome suffering. The 2nd part of the meeting is about organizing social projects of education, healthcare or quality of life. In western countries this part tends to be about conversation clubs, immigration issues, parties and social events, and other ways to bring people together in a different way. In Africa, it tends to be about setting up adult education, especially literacy, or all-volunteer schools for kids that can’t afford government schools, or volunteer clinics, or malaria-prevention campaigns, etc, etc.

For the first few years I didn’t have a team of my own; I worked to support others. Then I decided to form my own team about 3 years ago. In Africa. So for the last 3 years I’ve been working to build a team in the Liberian refugee camp Budaburam in Ghana. At first it wasn’t organized around a particular social project and later it was specifically around a “Stop Malaria” campaign. Last December we were up to about 1000 people in my team and their teams and their teams, etc. And then the whole thing feel apart. I can’t tell exactly why, though my suspicion is because of the fundraising I did. You see, the Humanist Movement is not a funding agency and has no money to support projects. All of my travel was on my own expense. When I saw malaria prevention activities happening in a completely self-organized and self-financed way, I wanted to support that and so asked my family and friends for money to extend those projects. In two rounds, we raised $US350 and then $US1000. And that’s when things started falling apart. Coincidence? I don’t think so.

At the same time, since about July of 2004 I’ve been working on building my team in the US, both by having meetings at my house and also by having conference call meetings. I’d noticed for a long time that the word “humanist” and the idea of joining something was somewhat of a barrier here in the US, so I dispensed wtih both. I’m very upfront that I’m in the Humanist Movement, but the meetings have various other names, Inviting Friends and Partners, Breathing In & Breathing Out, etc. I tell people that we’re using the Humanist Movement personal work and the methods of running a meeting and a point of view from there, and I leave it at that, not asking anyone to join or form their own team. I do suggest that they can do these meetings themselves and form their own group (staying in my group for continued, on-going support). Perhaps someone will at some point.

So my point of view has been shifting. While it’s true that a strong filter (joining and paying a membership fee and agreeing to form your own team) produces strong members, it’s also true that many interesting people are thus excluded. And I’ve come to strongly believe that getting the ideas out and into use is more important than building the organization itself. Humanizing the earth is not the same as building the Humanist Movement.

So back in September some of my conference call attendees felt it was important to have a more consistent group, without new people coming all the time and making the group start over. So we asked for a committment of 6 months worth of bi-weekly meetings. We’re about half-way done and I’m starting to think about how to bring new people in again. Maybe a general conference call where all are invited once a month for the next 3 months, coinciding with the last 3 months of the other, committed group? And then a call for 6-month committments from anyone from either group? Perhaps? Please feel free to give feedback.

And also feel free to ask questions about what I’ve written above. I’ll either answer in comments, or write a follow-up post for a more extensive answer.

peace, force and joy,
ted

Looks very cool!
Free Geek Chicago
Check out the website: http://www.freegeekchicago.org/

Description from their website:

FREE GEEK Chicago is a not-for-profit community organization that recycles used technology to provide computers, education, internet access and job skills training to the underserved communities of Chicago in exchange for community service.

FREE GEEK Chicago was founded in August 2005 as a collaboration of NPOTechs and Logan Square CTC to recycle computer technology and provide low and no-cost computing to economically disadvantaged individuals and not-for-profit and social change organizations.

FREE GEEK Chicago does most of this work with volunteers. The volunteers disassemble the donated equipment and test the components, which are either recycled as electronic scrap or recycled into refurbished systems. These refurbished computers are then loaded with Open Source Software, such as GNU/Linux, Open Office, and other Free Software.

We are proud of being a democratically-run organization, and use consensus in our meetings. Our policy decisions are made by a group of volunteers and staff called the council, and those policies are executed by our staff collective.

Anyone can get involved! Donate used equipment… volunteer your time… support a grassroots community organization!

edited to include a hyperlink to the FGC website instead of just the text of the url

This is a response to test. Please ignore.

I’ve been saving this post in my newsreader for the last 11 months. Thought since I’m going to use it this week, it’d be good to share it as well. Turkey for the Holidays:

Making a turkey for the holidays? A few weeks ago Anne Holub shared her Turkey 101 in One Good Meal. But if you’re in need of extra help, check out the Turkey for the Holidays website from the University of Illinois Extension. You can find how to select a turkey, cooking techniques, carving tips and recipe suggestions for what to do with leftovers. And, if you want a really fresh bird for your holiday dinner, check out this list of local poultry farms in Illinois. Although most birds are sold-out for this year, farms are already taking reservations for 2005.

(Follow the link to get to the other links. I used this post last year to find an Illinois organic turkey for this year. It’s thawing in the fridge right now!)

Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders are editing an anthology of essays titled She’s Such a Geek; below is a copy of the call for subs. Spread the word!

Note that this anthology is open only to female writers.

She’s Such a Geek An Anthology by and for Women Obsessed with Computers, Science, Comic Books, Gaming, Spaceships, and Revolution

Slated for Fall 2006

Geeks are taking over the world. They make the most popular movies and games, pioneer new ways to communicate using technology, and create new ideas that will change the future. But the stereotype is that only men can be geeks. So when are we going to hear from the triumphant female nerds whose stories of outer space battles will inspire generations, and whose inventions will change the future? Right now.

Female geeks are busting out of the labs and into the spotlight. They have the skills and knowledge that can inspire social progress, scientific breakthroughs, and change the world for the better, and they’re making their
voices heard, some for the first time, in Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders’ book She’s Such a Geek. This anthology will celebrate women who have flourished in the male-dominated realms of technical and cultural arcana. We’re looking for a wide range of personal essays about the meaning of female nerdhood by women who are in love with genomics, obsessed with blogging, learned about sex from Dungeons and Dragons, and aren’t afraid to match wits with men or computers. The essays in She’s Such a Geek will explain what it means to be passionately engaged with technical or obscure topics-and how to deal with it when people tell you that your interests are weird, especially for a girl. This book aims to bust stereotypes of what it means to be a geek, as well as what it means to be female.

More than anything, She’s Such a Geek is a celebration and call to arms: it’s a hopeful book which looks forward to a day when women will pilot spaceships, invent molecular motors, design the next ultra-tiny supercomputer, write epics, and run the government.

We want introspective essays that explain what being a geek has meant to you. Describe how you’ve fought stereotypes to be accepted among nerds. Explore why you are obsessed with topics and ideas that are supposed to be “for boys only.” Tell us how you felt the day you realized that you would be devoting the rest of your life to discovering algorithms or collecting comic books. We want strong, personal writing that is also smart and critical. We don’t mind if you use the word “fuck,” and we don’t mind if you use the word “telomerase.” Be celebratory, polemical, wistful, angry, and just plain dorky.

Possible topics include:

• what turned you into a geek
• your career in science, technology, or engineering
• growing up geeky
• being a geek in high school today
• battling geek stereotypes (i.e racial stereotypes and geekdom, cultural analysis of geek chic and the truth about nerds, the idea that women have to choose between being sexually desirable and smart, stereotypes about geek professions such as computer programmers)
• sex and dating among geeks
• science fiction fandom
• role-playing game or comic-book subcultures
• the joys of math
• blogging or videogames
• female geek bonding
• geek role models for women
• feminist commentary on geek culture
• women’s involvement in DIY science and technology groups
• stories from women involved in geek pop and underground cultures. These might include comic book writers, science fiction writers, electronic music musicians, and women interested in the gaming world.
• women’s web networks and web zine grrrl culture
• issues of sexism in any or all of the above themes

Editors: Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders are geeky women writers. Annalee is a contributing editor at Wired magazine and writes the syndicated column Techsploitation. Charlie is the author of Choir Boy (Soft Skull Press) and publisher of other magazine.

Publisher: Seal Press, an imprint of Avalon Publishing Group, publishes groundbreaking books by and for women in a variety of topics.

Deadline: January 15, 2006

Length: 3,000-6,000 words

Format: Essays must be typed, double-spaced, and paginated. Please include your address, phone number, email address, and a short bio on the last page. Essays will not be returned.

Submitting: Send essay electronically as a [MS Word] Document or Rich Text Format file to Annalee Newitz and Charlie Anders at sheissuchageek@gmail.com

Payment: $100 plus two books

Reply: Please allow until February 15 for a response. If you haven’t received a response by then, please assume your essay has not been selected. It is not possible to reply to every submission personally.

I’m co-convening this event in Portland in February. Save the date and help us plan!

Please join us for RecentChangesCamp 2006 … “Building communities worth having!”

You are reading this Invitation because someone wanted to see you at RecentChangesCamp 2006. RecentChangesCamp is an un-conference hosted for people who want to “build communities worth having” both online and off. We are coming together to make connections, have fun, do as much good work as each and every one of us can … and then go home more connected, energized and capable of building stronger communities. Bring your friends and join a ever growing party!

What: RecentChangesCamp 2006 … Building communities worth having

When: February 3-5, 2006

Where: PortlandOregon

Format: OpenSpace

Five of us showed up in San Diego for WikiSym2005 after more than 20 hours of WikiVanning? down from Portland. During the drive down we convened and documented dozens of breakout sessions on all sorts of topics, from wiki features, to code we’re writing, to how our spirit is fed by wiki and self-organization, and on and on. It literally made meatspace feel as open and accessible as wiki! The WikiVanning? and discussions at WikiSym felt so right that we agreed to convene a wiki BarCamp in PortlandOregon? to provide yet another great space for the community to gather for work and play! We chose the first part of 2006 in order to complement Wikimania2006 and WikiSym2006.

What kinds of community do you dream of?

What do you need to build them?

What skills, resources, gifts and connections do you have to share with other community builders?

What would happen if you could get what you need and contribute what you have?

Come to PortlandOregon and find out!

Be Prepared: We are opening this space for meeting, for learning, for connecting, for writing code … We don’t know what is going to happen. We are imposing no limits, no agendas – only the charge to come and learn and contribute as much as you can. Be prepared to be surprised by the results!

Agenda:

You can add to the agenda any issue of importance to you. It will be discussed and addressed to the greatest extent possible. All of the key points and next steps will be captured, and offered online, so that more good people can be invited into building communities worth having.

Spirit

We invite your presence, onsite and/or online. Please pass this invitation on to others you see leading and doing good work building communities both online and off. We need you to add your spirit to the many many connections that are happening now. Please bring stories of your progress, your skills and insights, and your passion for what can happen next.

Format

This gathering is the product of many actions and connections. This space is an Invitation to make more of them, and more of us, flow more together, to the good. Participants will be smart, caring, creative and connected leaders, coders, organizers, activists and instigators. Beyond this, the space will be wide open for us to make good things happen.

Doug and I are practicing trackback from San Antonio OSonOS.

adding admin category

I’m in San Antonio for the Open Space on Opening More Space in the US. The event is at the Menger hotel, literally across the street from the Alamo. It’s really fun to walk around such great public space as the square where much of the Alamo used to stand. There are cars here, but I hardly noticed them. The riverwalk is also really awesome. The river might as well be a canal (as many urban rivers turn into, I suppose) at an fairly uniform 15 ft across, but that doesn’t matter as it’s the shimmer and sound of the water that matters. The sidewalks on both side are nearly at water level, and the whole thing is at least one story below street level. Both sides are lined with tons of restaurants, primarily, but there are also quieter spots with places to stop and just sit and enjoy. Fantastic!

Just a reminder about my friend Rose

I am one of the refugees this country does not want to call refugees. I evacuated before Katrina hit and I didn’t lose any family or friends. All I lost was my home, my possessions, my neighbours, my city, my community, and my proximity to friends and family.

Read her blog.