Open Source Techs for Disaster Response Demo Oct 4-7, 2011

For the fourth year in a row, public, private and military sector groups will gather on a field at the National Defence University in Washington D.C. to show off the latest in sustainable technologies that can be deployed during post-war or post-disaster humanitarian relief projects.  Solutions which address a variety of problems -- from energy and communications to shelter, potable water and sanitation -- will be on display from Tuesday, October 4 at 9am through Friday, October 7 at 2pm. 

Organized by Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support (TIDES), this conference isnt only focused on the latest and greatest in sustainable disaster relief but also on communication and partnership between disaster relief groups, whether they are in the public, private, or military sector. The focus is on improving civ-mil cooperation, information sharing, and thinking about transformative ideas to encourage unity of action among diverse organizations where there is no unity of command.

Check out the video from last year's demo below and read more at http://star-tides.net/.  More information about the demo event and to register to attend or present here: http://tidesdemo2011.eventbrite.com/.

If you are planning on attending the demo, or are in the DC area and would like to chat with Willow while she's there, we'd love to hear from you.  Please leave a comment or send us an email.  We're also monitoring tweets mentioning @gwoborg if you'd like to contact us that way.  While you're at it, be sure to follow us on Twitter.

TIDES stands for Transformative Innovation for Development and Emergency Support. This research project is coordinated at the Center for Technology and National Security Policy (CTNSP) at the National Defense University (NDU), which is part of the Department of Defense. http://star-tides.net/

 

 

Posted via email from summation's Thing-A-Day 2010

Building the New "Social Norms"

Our schools and workplaces routinely forbid us to have open honest communication with our peers.  Whether it's passing notes in class or using social media sites such as Twitter and Facebook, the basic rules have stayed the same, "Dont do it."  But a revolution is growing.   In the face of such communication restrictions, makerspaces are coming into their own as the backdrop for people to create new communities -- built on learning, teaching and open communication.

In James Carlson’s TEDxMadtown talk from April 27, 2011, he describes the cyclical mentoring relationships going on right now between three generations of makers, and why makerspaces are succeeding in building new communication practices where traditional schools and work enviroments are failing. 

"This is all being broadcast online.  If you want to see a healthy use of social media...just go on Flickr, Deviant Art, Facebook, Twitter. You'll find those stories all over the place," says James. "What I ask you to do is, go to [a local makerspace], spend a day there, and see this stuff in action."  

In the meantime, take a few minutes to enoy his TEDx talk, linked below.  In about 10 minutes, he gives the best overview I've seen of what makerspaces, hackerspaces and co-working spaces have to offer, for individual participants and the community at large.  

James Carlson is the founder of the School Factory, the makerspace Bucketworks and BarCamp Milwaukee, among many other things.  When he's not traveling across the globe, spreading his vision of the new school and open learning methods, he can likely be found at Bucketworks in Milwaukee, WI.  Follow him on Twitter @hypnagogic.

Leave a comment: Tell us about an experience at a hacker-, maker- or co-working space that has changed how you communicate with those around you.

Posted via email from summation's Thing-A-Day 2010

Friday's the day!

I'm so excited about TaD this year!  I'm prepping for it the same as i did last year, by writing down all my project ideas and going through all my supply bins (which have multiplied in just a year!). Dont forget to actually sign up, Friday is the first day to do so. 

<3

-summation 

Posted via email from thing-a-day

So Excited

This is motivation I've needed to reawaken my creativity.

Posted via email from thing-a-day