Open Society

Owning Twitter means owning a host of impossible political problems. Is Elon ready?

Matt Mullenweg explains the myriad challenges now being faced by Elon Musk.

“The conflation between scientific and dehumanizing is once again, doing a lot of leg work here. Whenever autistic people are like "please don't dehumaize, objectify, or stigmatize me or us" there will always be a researcher ready to claim "but it's science".”

People who on the autism spectrum are frequently thought of as lacking the ability to accurately recognize the emotions of others, but is that true? A study published in Autism Research suggests that when certain differences are accounted for, individuals with autism can actually outperform neurotypicals. ...

Many school policies increase disadvantage for economically marginalized students. School leaders must recognize and change that pattern.

“Six years ago, I began investigating how genetics research gets appropriated and integrated into white supremacist ideologies. (1/n)”

Teacher-Author Kylie from Cottontail Creations shares several strategies and ideas teachers can use to reflect on how they teach the story of Thanksgiving.

1. On July 16, 2019, members of the Rochester (NY) and Atlantis (Denver, CO) chapters of the disability rights group ADAPT (note: at the time I was a member of the Chicago chapter) were on C…

This restorative practices toolkit focuses on strategies to build healthy relationships between students and adults in educational settings. This approach allows students and individuals to learn from their mistakes and make amends for wrongdoing. The “restorative practices” model includes addressing and discussing the needs of the school community, resolving conflict, holding individuals and groups accountable, […]

Written by Bill Boyle and Ethan Lowenstein. Chet Bowers asks a question that we should all be considering, especially those of us who serve as educators: “How do we live more interdependent lives based on practices that are less dependent on a monetized world, that are less environmentally destructive?” So what exactly does such a […]

Here’s what happens when a school rethinks punishment.

But forbidding someone to microwave a burrito could be. Hello readers, and happy April. I hope everyone had a blessed Passover and Easter season, and managed to recover sufficiently from all those …

If I’m using any words you do not know the meaning of that you would like to be added (related to these topics) to this glossary, send me a message! This is a work in progress! Abled – …

Summary and commentary on The Cult Of Smart by Fredrik DeBoer

Andrej Grubacic & David Graeber Introduction to Mutual Aid An Illuminated Factor of Evolution 2020 In Loving memory of David Graeber

From the PM Press Blog … In loving memory of our friend, comrade, and mentor…David Graeber Andrej Grubacic shares some thoughts on David’s sudden passing. David Graeber was my mentor and my c…

HOPE 2020 by Internet Society (Channel 3) on Livestream - Livestream.com

Glider Ink - a new narrative about hacker communities

Here’s a thing I’ve had around in my head for a while! Okay, so I’m pretty sure that by now everyone at least is aware of Steampunk, with it’s completely awesome Victorian sci-fi aesthetic. But what I want to see is Solarpunk – a plausible near-future sci-fi genre, which I like to imagine as based on updated Art Nouveau, Victorian, and Edwardian aesthetics, combined with a green and renewable energy movement to create a world in which children grow up being taught about building electronic tech as well as food gardening and other skills, and people have come back around to appreciating artisans and craftspeople, from stonemasons and smithies, to dress makers and jewelers, and everyone in between. A balance of sustainable energy-powered tech, environmental cities, and wicked cool aesthetics.  A lot of people seem to share a vision of futuristic tech and architecture that looks a lot like an ipod – smooth and geometrical and white. Which imo is a little boring and sterile, which is why I picked out an Art Nouveau aesthetic for this. With energy costs at a low, I like to imagine people being more inclined to focus their expendable income on the arts! Aesthetically my vision of solarpunk is very similar to steampunk, but with electronic technology, and an Art Nouveau veneer. So here are some buzz words~ Natural colors! Art Nouveau! Handcrafted wares! Tailors and dressmakers! Streetcars! Airships! Stained glass window solar panels!!! Education in tech and food growing! Less corporate capitalism, and more small businesses! Solar rooftops and roadways! Communal greenhouses on top of apartments! Electric cars with old-fashioned looks! No-cars-allowed walkways lined with independent shops! Renewable energy-powered Art Nouveau-styled tech life! Can you imagine how pretty it would be to have stained glass windows everywhere that are actually solar panels? The tech is already headed in that direction!  Or how about wide-brim hats, or parasols that are topped with discreet solar panel tech incorporated into the design, with ports you can stick your phone charger in to? (((Character art by me; click the cityscape pieces to see artist names)))