bootstrapping.net

The impact of the Pro-Am revolution on the design industry: a panel discussion. Helsinki, at 5:00 pm on September 22nd, 2005.
Passionate amateurs are reshaping the field of design and innovation. Music, technology, movies, websites, and also fashion is increasingly produced by an emerging class of so-called ‘professional amateurs.’ Will the pro-am revolution disrupt the design industry? What should professional designers do in the future?

Interesting event.

We live in interesting times
“We live in interesting times” is a very easy statement these days. The “Either you are with us, or you are with the terrorists” rhetorics from the President of the SuperPower of the world creates a culture where the Worlds Richest Man can say the equivalent of “Either you’re for Digital Rights Management or you’re a Communist”.
But topping it today is the The Danish Confederation of Trade Unions pulling 10,000 dollars in support of the Danish Music Critics Prize where they had nominated a civil rights organization in Denmark working to defend our constitutional rights against the media conglomerates (background on the pretty absurd danish situation in this post).
Who’s gonna stand for all us citizens (mind you, not even “the little guys” - all of us - you and me) if even the trade unions are prohibiting a real fair and balanced discussion around the issues to happen, breaking down the chinese wall in a democratic editorial decision of a nomination for a prize.
Is this where we’re at?

Brockman: THE NEW HUMANISTS

“Evolution is cleverer than you are”
Leslie Orgel

Leonardo’s Laptop - Human Needs and the New Computing Technologies
New book by Ben Schneidermann.

Paul Saffo: It’s the Context, Stupid

Public Knowledge - The Public’s Voice in the Digital Age

“Machines compute. Humans think.”

development by design : Conference, Bangalore, Dec 1-2, 2002 - 2nd International Conference on Open Collaborative Design for Sustainable Innovation

Amazon.com: Digital Biology - “an entertaining look at the ways in which systems of nature are influencing advances in computer research”