Human Tectonics
Apr. 25th, 2010 12:42 pm![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
jrisingI tend to not write unless I have something to say, but what does that even mean anyway?
I recently finished Heinrich Zimmer's Philosophies of India, which was a wild trip, and has informed every theosophical thought I've had in the past several months. Each new branch of the Aryan-Indigenous project of understanding the human condition seemed deeper, better, wiser than the last.
And made me realize a way that I've been horribly fooled by modern society. I imagined that the body and mind are distinct, and the mind better, and to be a young man meant to have skills, and to be a good man meant to act like an old man. But this body-- this life-- yearns to leap and thump and strain and exert its prowess upon the world. When Siva dances the world into being, it's not the waltz. It's a break-dance, or a jello-wrestle, and she's inviting us to join her. What is an outside for, if not to get dirty?
Speaking of which, Earth Day sprouted an impressive number of mini-festivals down here. Johanna and I went to the EPA's Sustainable Design fair and talked to several of the folk. It seemed a lot like a science fair, each project studying a grain of sand in our ever-declining Eaarth, and almost no policy work.
But Flame and I have made some progress on that front for Wired for Change/Democracy in Action/Salsa Labs. Starting this month, the company is going Carbon Negative. CarbonFund.org figured out for us that a 35-person, 75-server company can offset its carbon for about $2000 a year, or $170 a month. So, we can be Carbon Negative ("reduce what you can, offset and 10% more the rest") for less than $200 a month.
I have two other big updates from work. First, I am now the technology lead of our Advocacy Tools-- so, if you find a petition, a letter to the editor, or a "tell your congressperson" online-- there's a decent chance (a plurality?) that it's my software you're using (not much written by me, but my responsibility). And, a couple weeks ago, I was sent to a tiny conference of developers in the political engagement area, and we decided to redesign politics. And then, last weekend, we presented our work at a larger conference (ParticipationCamp), and got an impressive amount of support and buy-in. We're growing our group and going to put together a wikibook and want input from all angles, so tell me if you want to be involved!
I recently finished Heinrich Zimmer's Philosophies of India, which was a wild trip, and has informed every theosophical thought I've had in the past several months. Each new branch of the Aryan-Indigenous project of understanding the human condition seemed deeper, better, wiser than the last.
And made me realize a way that I've been horribly fooled by modern society. I imagined that the body and mind are distinct, and the mind better, and to be a young man meant to have skills, and to be a good man meant to act like an old man. But this body-- this life-- yearns to leap and thump and strain and exert its prowess upon the world. When Siva dances the world into being, it's not the waltz. It's a break-dance, or a jello-wrestle, and she's inviting us to join her. What is an outside for, if not to get dirty?
Speaking of which, Earth Day sprouted an impressive number of mini-festivals down here. Johanna and I went to the EPA's Sustainable Design fair and talked to several of the folk. It seemed a lot like a science fair, each project studying a grain of sand in our ever-declining Eaarth, and almost no policy work.
But Flame and I have made some progress on that front for Wired for Change/Democracy in Action/Salsa Labs. Starting this month, the company is going Carbon Negative. CarbonFund.org figured out for us that a 35-person, 75-server company can offset its carbon for about $2000 a year, or $170 a month. So, we can be Carbon Negative ("reduce what you can, offset and 10% more the rest") for less than $200 a month.
I have two other big updates from work. First, I am now the technology lead of our Advocacy Tools-- so, if you find a petition, a letter to the editor, or a "tell your congressperson" online-- there's a decent chance (a plurality?) that it's my software you're using (not much written by me, but my responsibility). And, a couple weeks ago, I was sent to a tiny conference of developers in the political engagement area, and we decided to redesign politics. And then, last weekend, we presented our work at a larger conference (ParticipationCamp), and got an impressive amount of support and buy-in. We're growing our group and going to put together a wikibook and want input from all angles, so tell me if you want to be involved!
no subject
Date: 2010-04-26 06:23 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2010-09-06 10:38 pm (UTC)