Prepare for Change

http://www.mcleodgroup.ca/2013/11/19/idealism-and-hubris/ "For villages unconnected to national networks of any kind—roads, education and health systems–the project had to create everything from scratch, building oases of technology and resources in the middle of nowhere. Costs rose. Clinics failed for want of supplies, generators failed for want of parts and fuel, new crops like cardamom could not be sold, and many villagers could not be socialized into new ways of thinking in a few short years. In fact the villagers who resisted are perhaps the smartest people in the story, knowing how risky it might be to abandon the tried and true in favour of fanciful promises from outsiders. For the outsiders it was an experiment; for the villagers it was about survival." http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2009/nov/24/africa-charity-water-pumps-roundabouts "In 2006 the US President's Emergency Plan for Aids Relief (Pepfar) announced a $60m public-private...

http://www.minds.com/blog/view/248215469679448064/german-town-abolishes-traffic-lights-and-codes-accidents-are-now-almost-non-existent "In this fascinating public experiment, a German town wanted to see what would happen to traffic flow if they got rid of street signs, lights and other restrictions.  The results are intuitive, but not what you would expect!  Everything got safer and faster.  Would this model hold true for other areas of infrastructure?  Drivers must give way to the left and not drive too fast.  That's the only rule.  Even the police love the new system, and best of all, people are safer on the road.  Drivers are much more aware and use eye contact and instincts.  People WANT to stop for other people and help things move more efficiently. " This seems ok for smaller towns, but I wouldn't want to try it in downtown Chicago.  Still, it's nice to see that people will actually watch out for each other, at least when th...

http://kk.org/cooltools/archives/13218 "Handheld & powerful, the Waypoint™ pistol-grip spotlight offers high and low intensity modes, emergency signal mode and the latest in power LED technology. The spotlight provides portability and long runtime using 4 "C" sized alkaline batteries or endless runtime with the 12VDC power cord; making the Waypoint the perfect choice for a variety of applications." http://www.etoncorp.com/en/productdisplay/scorpion "It’s a radio, flashlight, cell phone charger and bottle opener in one. Which means you’ll have everything you need for outdoor adventures and off-the-grid emergencies. Take it on a hike or store it in your emergency kit for anytime, anywhere preparedness. " http://www.harborfreight.com/magnesium-fire-starter-66560.html "In survival situations, you'll want this simple, compact magnesium fire starter with you at all times to get a fire going even in damp weather. The magnesium fir...

http://www.spiegel.de/international/world/paranoia-has-undermined-united-states-claim-to-liberal-democracy-a-932326.html "It is often assumed that intelligence agencies are worlds of their own, and that they sometimes act on their own authority. However, they are also an expression of the societies in which they exist, especially of their fears. In other words, it is quite possible that there are not just paranoid agents, but also paranoid democracies that act in hysterical ways out of fear. They are characterized by a strong freedom myth, which leads to paranoia. It, in turn, poses a threat to freedom. The United States is currently in a late phase of this cycle. Freedom means that there is an endless range of possibilities, and that anything can happen, including both good and bad things. That's why freedom engenders fear. The greater the freedom, the greater the fear. Where does America's fear come from?"  "Information is the most valuable thi...

http://oaklandwiki.org/Digital_Divide "As the Oakland technology community grows, issues of uneven access to hardware, internet, skills, social networks and literacy in our diverse communities must remain at the forefront. Please add any interesting and useful information here on topics such as: the scale of the problem, geography of access, organizations working in this area, news, reading materials on the digital divide in general, existing programs and projects, resources for tech/digital literacy educators, and more." This is a great resource page for anyone interested in making sure every person has access to the Internet.