Open Source Ecology

This website by Dr. Damon M. Centola with the Annenberg School for Communication has a lot of interesting information and scientific research on topics related to spreading information and creating change.

I found this somewhat recent report from RAND that highlights Costa Rican leadership in mitigating CO2 emissions. The notable thing is the artist who interpreted the data was explicitly inspired by solarpunk ideas and art.

I post this in OSE because policy is insanely important for realizing the grand vision of OSE. Even though OSE focuses on tools to empower individual or at least small-scale enterprises, many of the more compelling aspects of the OSE and solarpunk visions will be helped by the kind of long-term policies championed by Costa Rica.

Happy to link swap.

The technology is here now. This house is a boring square cracker box, which you would expect from Habitat for Humanity and a proof of concept. However, the freedom of 3-D printing allows you to make almost any shape that you can imagine that is physically possible.

Modern houses are shaped the way they are because of ease of construction and cost effectiveness, mostly.

How can we use the new freedom offered by the technology to make entirely new structures that take advantage of the freedom of form and reduced waste in construction?

I’m thinking of things like amazing windows and passive climate control structures inspired by how termites manage the climate in their mounds. Does anyone have any interesting forms or shapes they’d make?

Really it’s an amazing project and the linked resources are great at explaining what Open Source Ecology is. Thank you for introducing it.

What, specifically, is this community for? What are the parameters of the conversations you want to encourage? I suppose I’m looking for some idea of community mission statement. Is that something we can have a conversation about?

The D3D Giga is a 6x6x6 ft 3D Printer based on the D3D Universal 3D Printer.

There are a lot of videos covering the progress of this project on the YouTube Channel, including a 7 day timelapse of a build.There are also videos on creating a shredder and filament maker.

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6Jpysxw3Ty-wq6VEqmqCQ9s4JgBN6W15 (All 3D Printer Playlist)

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6Jpysxw3Ty-5a8InkvPIbbKDx-INHo06 (Shredder Playlist)

https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PL6Jpysxw3Ty84rZumrfRvwRXFKq5uwbGq (Filament Playlist)

Photos and video are available at https://photos.app.goo.gl/bJtNmwN8T6WA5SW7

To help with this project, get started at https://wiki.opensourceecology.org/wiki/Get_Involved

I noticed some updates to the open source ecology wiki for a book called The Effective Executive.

The above link takes you to a digest of 10 ideas from the book. The value of these ideas is to encourage organizations of smart people to be more effective.

As the current steward of this space, I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself.

I am Goldfishlaser. I volunteered as a developer during 2020 for OSE, but outside that, I am more of a fan of the project than anyone official.

As mod, I will work to ensure that every member, regardless of their background, feels comfortable and respected here. Please refrain from harassment, discrimination, or any form of toxicity.

I'll make it a priority to keep you informed about any decisions affecting the community. Your input will always be valued, and I encourage you to reach out to me with any concerns.

If you have any questions or suggestions, please feel free to drop a comment below.

If it's your first time hearing about this project, watching this TEDx talk by founder Marcin Jakubowski can help you get started: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S63Cy64p2lQ

Last week, Minnesota governor Tim Walz signed an omnibus bill that includes a comprehensive right to repair law requiring manufacturers to make spare parts, repair information, and tools available to consumers and repair shops. This law builds on smaller, but still significant, wins in Colorado, Massachusetts, and New York. California could be next. "The Right to Repair" Act (S.B. 244), just passed the California Senate and is on its way to the State Assembly.

The right to repair movement has a lot of momentum. In 2022, Colorado passed a law that gave wheelchair users access to the resources they need to repair their own chairs, and the state followed that up with another targeted bill giving farmers and ranchers the right to repair agricultural equipment. Massachusetts has passed several measures around car repairs. Last year we also got the first broad consumer right to repair legislation in New York, though that bill took a big step backward at the last moment.

After a disappointing loss in California last year, we are happy to see California’s legislators revisit the issues with the new "Right to Repair" Act. The bill requires manufacturers of electronic and appliance products to provide repair manuals, replacement parts, and tools. It includes all of the same types of products covered by Minnesota’s legislation, and explicitly adds products sold to schools, businesses, and local governments outside of retail sale. This is especially important in schools, where Chromebooks have short lifespans. Combined with the Song-Beverly Act, S.B. 244 sets a specific timeline on how long manufacturers must provide access to parts, tools and documentation for repair: at least three years for products wholesale priced between $50 and $99.99, and at least seven years for products over $100. In contrast, Minnesota's bill specifies that manufacturer's don't have to sell parts after the product is off the market.

S.B. 244 is not perfect. Like Minnesota's new law, it doesn’t cover cars, farm equipment, medical devices, industrial equipment, or video game consoles. But thankfully S.B. 244 doesn't include the confusing language around cybersecurity that the Minnesota law has. Overall, it raises the bar.

Minnesota's right to repair law is the broadest yet, and will likely benefit people around the nation, especially when it comes to repair manual availability. If California passes S.B. 244 those benefits will broaden, while still leaving room for improvements in the future.

The "Right to Repair" Act is a great step forward, but we must keep fighting for the right to repair ALL of your devices, including cars, medical devices, farm equipment, and everything in between.

If you're a Californian, you can help! Please take action to support the "Right to Repair" Act today.