Our HyperFunction Consortium is working on key and pivotal digital data structures ( F-rep) , but we are very aware that such complex digital technologies are providing increasingly powerful (Moore's law) computations and knowledge that can be used for destruction ( Bill Joy Spiritual Robot TechNetCast ) by small groups (Sept 11) or large organizations. The World Trade Organization (WTO), global corporations, that are For Profit Organizations (FPO) in general have little social or environmental dictates other than profit for their major players, and these organizations are being vastly enabled by high-tech to be destructive to the environment for profit with little or no public accountability.We are very concerned about the ethical "end use" and social impact of the powerful digital technologies we develop, so that we were prompted to develop the following:
The Greater Good Public License agreement which is about not only digital freedom, but also ethics and social responsibility. The hope is to promote free and open digital societies based on sharing knowledge, universal human rights and a sustainable future. We now have a small global group of "digital knowledge workers" doing development under GGPL. That "Free and Open Source" organisms can work has been demonstrated by the development of Linux . It and other projects like it are done by individuals not for direct personal financial benefit, but for intellectual stimulation, acquiring skill, digital freedom and other social reasons. However young professional programers, professors, students and individuals working on these projects do it mostly on a part time basis 14.4 hrs/week. There is a need to create social structures to support people working for digital freedom, human rights and environmental rights. We have been asked to develop a GGPL business plan and most recently we have received a Request For Proposal (RFP) from granting organizations here in Japan. The RFP was unexpected, and we did not have enough time to create a proposal for funding as good has we would like, but we will continue to work on it. Here are some of the main points: Digital and Academic Liberty of Information (DALI) Project .
Well, that's the high points of what we are about. Please read the proposal to change the current social structures, that kill digital social structures and digital cultures. We are having a free workshop the 27, 28 of March. The workshop is called Digital and Academic Liberity of Information ( DALI ).
Sincerely,
Carl Vilbrandt
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Carl Vilbrandt, Associate Professor, University of Aizu Computer Arts Lab
-- (February 12, 2002) on Diary of a Startup