Original Content
Julia Carrie Wong explored the intersection of apps that hire domestic workers, and domestic workers who are self-organizing into co-ops and other kinds of employee-empowering structures in this new post.
Kenzo Shibata wrote about the need to take seriously the labor of digital organizing here. Well, that is, if you want to win…
Sharing, Solidarity & Sustainability
“We are a culture that buys a lot of junk.” In this case, fast fashion—but it’s about to get more expensive. Thank an organizer in Bangladesh or China! No, really, thank them—I’m not being sarcastic.
The world’s about to get its first 3-D printed house. The construction industry—and the waste it generates—may never be the same. In the US, Reaction Housing is planning to build a shelter system that’s light enough to be moved by hand—but can stop a bullet. There’s nothing on their website to explain why someone might be shooting at you.
Should the super-rich all quit their jobs, so someone else can have them?
Can unions and other workplace-oriented groups help their members save money on their energy bills? These UK groups think so.
Reputation, Reputation, Reputation
Are you ready for a social network that’s made up only of people who live in your neighborhood? I’m not sure I want a round-up of bikes stolen & who needs to cut their lawn…but this does seem to have more uses.
Google Glass, or similar technology, seems to have a lot of upside when you think about it in the context of a hospital—instant access to medical records; the health care provider looking at the patient, instead of down at a screen; the ability to hold a consult with someone in a different place. But hospitals are wrestling with some serious concerns about uploading so much personal information to the cloud.
Do you ever get annoyed when people you don’t know well reference something you’ve shared on Facebook? This game will teach you about what level your privacy settings really are .
Mega-corporations are spending mega-money to monitor their presence online. Here’s a story about Wells Fargo’s social media command center. Wonder what hashtags they’re tracking…
Organizing Theory
Why do people engage in protest or direct action? If you’re designing a campaign that requires mass mobilization, read this.
Curious about how to use open data to organize? TechPresident has a good primer, with lots of examples of how to engage communities. And while we’re on the topic of data — here’s how some organizers have been thinking about using data to promote resilience in fragile communities.
In the for-profit sector, the best-performing companies turn over their entire board once every nine or ten years. I’m wondering if anyone has done a similar study on non-profit boards?
Geeking Out
Can tech-infused sponges make surgery safer for patients? This company is betting on it.
Google Glass has some cool factor…but Orcam? Will change the life of a visually impaired person.
What’s Going on in the Workforce?
Contributoria continues to be the most interesting experiment in funding journalism, at least to my mind. Here’s Brett Scott, writing about the ways that funding investigative journalism continues to evolve.
Is there a case to be made that part of what’s driving unemployment in Italy is automation of jobs? This professor thinks there is.
Here’s a pretty incredible, data-driven effort to figure out how musicians’ ability to make money has changed in the light of digital tech—and where the future of musical revenue streams will come from.
Toyota was one of the pioneers of having robots and humans work together on the line. Now, they’re thinking about adding back jobs for humans. Turns out, you can’t become a master car maker without first being an apprentice.
“I’m hard pressed to make a case for my edge over a robot…” Says a doctor.