Vision

Well, there's Free Software Foundation and Open Source Initiative for software.

Creative Commons, Archive.org and other groups for Content.

What we're seeing is another phase, which is, broadly speaking, machines and architecture.

Open Architecture Network is one umbrella. But it's not terribly open - how many building plans, ready to build, can you download there? Last time I checked, not many - architects don't really encourage plan reuse and they don't think in modules.

Electrical engineers are a little better, but OLPC is first for a reason...

My take: open engineering (especially in grassroots groups) for appropriate technologies (which are produced independently but can work as a great ecosystem in the same village). As a concrete realization of this: a live demonstration of how all these things could work that's an actual village that people live in (even for just a short time).

Planning

Naming

Come up with a better name, because "Burning Man Cabal" isn't terribly descriptive. Space below for brainstorming.

  • Camp Appropedia
  • Village of the Future (or some other play on the often high-tech "Tomorrowlands" Disney & etc. crank out)
  • Village of Foundations - see the last line of this quote

Branding

Use Appropedia as the organizational umbrella to "brand" it under - partnering with projects like Fablab, Hexayurt, etc.

  • This means we can practically make it a requirement to document - openly - the things that go on around the Cabal and, more importantly, the technologies that go into it. (Not all the technologies in the Cabal will need to be 100% open, but they need to contribute open-licence content to the effort - for instance, educational materials, setup & usage directions for their technology, etc.)
  • "Yay open content!" plus appropriate technologies will make it that much easier to get press attention, sponsorship, etc. (as we're producing a concrete product to "give back" - documentation, at the very least.)


Prepping

Take a week to...

  • Clean up the wikipage & build an online presence - make it bigger, better, fancier-looking, add tutorials for newbies who want to sign up, start a mailing list, yada. Mel can probably do most of this.
  • See if we can get organizational buy-in (from olpc, fablab, d-lab, etc. etc.) - if it's not the right time now, we can always do this after the publicity rush, but the more buy-in we get, the easier it is to get buy-in.
  • Have people to respond to emails and stuff
  • Mel's willing to help with the email flood, but is a burning man noob and can't answer questions about that as much.
  • Make quick and rough plans, budgets, figure out size we can accomodate, general idea of supplies needed - post on wiki so people know what prerequisites (for lack of better word) they need to come, especially if they're burning man noobs. Think of it this way: many folks who see the webpage are going to think in terms of officialness, applying, nice, neat, set orderly things - we need just enough "officialness" to be able to tell people "dude, it's Burning Man and this is a wiki, the official way to do things it not to have an official way to do things; come play."
  • This needs to be taken on by someone who's been to burning man before and knows both the logistical side of getting ready for the playa and the kind of culture people need to be able to roll with.
  • Ditto making plans for Appropedia: The Bike Tour which will start in Boston (likely @ D-lab) in June and end at Burning Man in August. This can be plugged along with the camp itself (and the bike tour itself will be a good way to raise awareness of & publicity for, possibly even funds for, the cabal). Current riders are Chris Carrick and Mel Chua. More info coming shortly.

Recruiting

Unleash the flood. Send out a Treehugger announcement or other similar press (Vinay, how long would it take you to get something on Treehugger?) saying...

  • We're doing this, join us, sign up, contact us, yay
  • We'll have planning and brainstorm chats on these two dates, at these two times (4 chats total, to accommodate different schedules & timezones) Join us.
  • ideas for good dates & times?

Fundraising

Take the flood and turn it into commitments, plans, funding.

  • Excellent excuse to ask for support and funding for all our projects anyway.
  • Corporate and non-corporate sponsors, go! Letters, phone calls, etc.
  • Where by "letter" I mean print it on a small fold-up paper hexayurt with pictures of the other projects printed on its walls, with the url on the inside
  • where by "phone call" i mean the hexayurt has a message with a "we're going to call you at this time - email or call us if there's a better time" statement on the inside.
  • Mel willing to spearhead this effort ;)
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