[iDC] iDC Digest, Vol 55, Issue 31

Thu Jul 16 14:50:13 UTC 2009

Thanks Douglas for explaining this, we are on a pretty similar wavelength,

We could argue that today, a very large part of surplus value extraction is not done directly at production, but indirectly through the financial system

Perhaps another way to argue the same point is that we have discovered that in distributed networks, power lie in invisible architectures that drive behaviour in one direction or another, and that the proper response against that protocollary power (alexander galloway) is value sensitive design (as recently argued here by Stephen Downes). Hence, the need to redesign open monies away from compound interest and stranglehold intermediation by banks."

I have collated quite a bit of documentation on the social production of open money here at http://p2pfoundation.net/Category:Money

(if the  underlying links don't work, the category link has access to them)

For example:

Introductory Articles 
	1. Read this excellent introduction to the negative role of interest-based money by Charles Eisenstein 
	2. Best current report on the topic: Creating New Money: A monetary reform for the information age. By Joseph Huber & James Robertson. New Economics Foundation 
	3. Arthur Brock: Differences between Open Source and Open Currencies 
	4. Kevin Carson introduces the Peer Money debates 

Hot Topics: 
	1. WIR Economic Circle Cooperative: this 70-old Swiss mutual credit clearing system is getting traction as a model for the rest of Europe 
	2. The creation of the Open Source Hardware Reserve Bank. Details here 
	3. The Metacurrency Project: the tci/ip platform for diverse currency creation 
	4. The Swedish interest-free Jak Bank [1] 

Goals: 
	1. Better redistribution of the existing money 
	2. Transformation of the monetary system through the social production of money 
	3. Alternatives to money: Peer Production ; Gift Economy ; Sharing; and other ways to assist in a transition to a more Resource Based Economy through Peer to Peer Exchanges and P2P Exchange Infrastructure Projects 

----- Original Message ----
> From: Douglas Rushkoff <rushkoff at rushkoff.com>
> To: idc at mailman.thing.net
> Sent: Tuesday, July 14, 2009 9:02:32 PM
> Subject: Re: [iDC] iDC Digest, Vol 55, Issue 31
> 
> On Jul 14, 2009, at 8:00 AM, idc-request at mailman.thing.net wrote:
> 
> >
> > Hi--
> >
> > When you say threaten central control are you allowing for forms of  
> > decentralized surveillance and control? And, with regard to banking,  
> > do you have in mind the
> > crazy disequilibrium of financial markets and the resulting  
> > uncertainties and extremes or something else?
> >
> > Jodi
> 
> 
> Well, it all folds in on itself.
> 
> My main focus is the *opportunity* for decentralized value creation.  
> This means financial activity and transactions that occur between  
> individuals and small groups, rather than through central bank-issued  
> currency, by borrowing from banks, or by working within large  
> corporate structures. These kinds of person-to-person, bottom-up,  
> decentralized activity was made illegal in the Renaissance, and it's  
> still pretty impractical today, given regulations written by the  
> lobbyists who mean to perpetuate centralized corporate control of  
> business.
> 
> I think "decentralized surveillance and control" is an interesting  
> construction, because it doesn't necessarily convey by whom. Real  
> decentralized surveillance, to me, would be surveillance being  
> conducted by small groups or individuals without traditional  
> surveillance powers. A kid monitoring his government, from the safety  
> of his bedroom and the anonymity of proxy.
> 
> But I have a feeling you were talking about the way that decentralized  
> technologies can also be used by central authorities. Which is  
> absolutely true. The question then becomes whether technology is  
> biased more towards their use, or ours (if we take ourselves to be the  
> decentralized actors).
> 
> As for banking, I am referring to a whole lot. Banking, for me, is the  
> industry currently in charge of distributing centrally issued currency  
> to all businesses and individuals. Banking is a strictly regulated  
> monopoly. I am interested in the way that technologies such as  
> computers and networking create opportunities for other groups and  
> individuals to develop currencies more biased towards their own needs  
> and transactions, and less biased to the need of bankers to extract  
> value from our exchanges.
> 
> It's definitely a big topic, though, and I don't know that I have time  
> to figure out the whole talk I plan to give in advance. The closest  
> would be my book, Life Inc.
> 
> If you want to read it but don't have the means to pay, go to  
> rushkoff.com/life and use the password life.
> 
> 
> 
> _______________________________________________
> iDC -- mailing list of the Institute for Distributed Creativity 
> (distributedcreativity.org)
> iDC at mailman.thing.net
> https://mailman.thing.net/mailman/listinfo/idc
> 
> List Archive:
> http://mailman.thing.net/pipermail/idc/
> 
> iDC Photo Stream:
> http://www.flickr.com/photos/tags/idcnetwork/
> 
> RSS feed:
> http://rss.gmane.org/gmane.culture.media.idc
> 
> iDC Chat on Facebook:
> http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=2457237647
> 
> Share relevant URLs on Del.icio.us by adding the tag iDCref