Topics (All Other) – Page 258 – Public Intelligence Blog

2009/11/302009/11/30

Worth a Look: Ushandi Open Source Crowd-Sourcing

Collaboration Zones, Communities of Practice, Ethics, Geospatial, InfoOps (IO), Key Players, Methods & Process, Mobile, Policies, Real Time, Technologies, Threats, Worth A Look

The Ushahidi Engine is a platform that allows anyone to gather distributed data via SMS, email or web and visualize it on a map or timeline. Our goal is to create the simplest way of aggregating information from the public for use in crisis response.

This is a huge development, one that could lead to a more rapid creation of the World Brain with embedded EarthGame as a means of connecting all human minds with all information in all languages all the time.

See our briefing given in Denmark to think about how this might apply to the global harmonization of gifts from the one billion rich to needs of the five billion poor at the household and item level.

2009/11/30

Reference: Open Innovation vs. Dinosaur Defenses

Articles & Chapters, Collective Intelligence, Commercial Intelligence, Communities of Practice, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, Methods & Process

Abstract & Download

The Imperfect is the Enemy of the Good: Anticircumvention Versus Open Innovation

Wendy Seltzer, Berkeley Technology Law Journal, Vol. 25, 2010

Digital Rights Management, law-backed technological control of usage of copyrighted works, is clearly imperfect: It often fails to stop piracy and frequently blocks non-infringing uses. Yet the drive to correct these imperfections masks a deeper conflict, between the DRM system of anticircumvention and open development in the entire surrounding media environment. This conflict, at the heart of the DRM schema, will only deepen, even if other aspects of DRM can be improved. This paper takes a systemic look at the legal, technical, and business environment of DRM to highlight this openness conflict
and its effects.

. . . . . . .

In the full cost-benefit analysis of anticircumvention, the loss to open innovation would outweigh the gains from this imperfect mechanism of copyright enforcement. Treating code literally as law leaves the law with too many harmful side effects.

Continue reading “Reference: Open Innovation vs. Dinosaur Defenses”

2009/11/292009/12/03

Search: Strategic Analytic Model

Analysis, Searches

A Strategic Analytic Model is the non-negotiable first step in creating Strategic Intelligence, and cascades downto also enable Operational, Tactical, and Technical Intelligence.

The most relevant strategic analytic model to our purposes is the one inspired by the United Nations High Level Panel on Threats, Challenges, and Change. Their report, A More Secure World–Our Shared Responsibility–Report of the Secretary-General’s High-level Panel on Threats, Challenges and Change provides for the first time ever a prioritized list of the top ten high-level threats to humanity.

That list, in that priority, comprises the vertical aspect of the Strategic Analytic Model.

The following quote from Senator Sam Nunn (D-GA), now retired but then the Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee (SASC), is instructive:

I am constantly being asked for a bottom-line defense number. I don't know of any logical way to arrive at such a figure without analyzing the threat; without determining what changes in our strategy should be made in light of the changes in the threat; and then determining what force structure and weapons program we need to carry out this revised strategy.

Continue reading “Search: Strategic Analytic Model”

2009/11/292009/11/29

Journal: ClimateGate Meets Yamal Divergence

03 Environmental Degradation, Academia, Analysis, Commerce, Earth Intelligence, Ethics, Government, Key Players, Media, Methods & Process, Policies, Reform, Strategy

Phi Beta Iota: ClimateGate has outraged us for two reasons–first, the lack of integrity among the scientists and the selected United Nations officials concerned; and second, the naivete, ignorance, or corruption of government officials all too eager to create a new Global Warming Complex that profits from carbon trades (another form of phantom wealth) while imposing severe social costs on the five billion poor. ENOUGH. Below the fold are the original comments of Contributing Editor Chuck Spinney, relating past Pentagon data manipulation with the data manipulation that charactizes the Climate Change movement. It is our view that the UN International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) should be disbanded, while the UN High Level Panel and the UN Environmental Program, both of which kept their integrity intact, are asked to create a World Brain with embedded EarthGame that can address all ten high level threats (environmental degradation is third, after poverty and infectious disease) by providing the world with information that allows the harmonization of spending across all twelve core policy areas in a manner attractive to the eight demographic challengers (Brazil, China, India, Indonesia, Iran, Russia, Venezuela, and Wild Cards such as the Congo, Malaysia, and Turkey).

Yamal: A “Divergence” Problem by Steve McIntyre, Climate Audit, September 27th, 2009
Continue reading “Journal: ClimateGate Meets Yamal Divergence”

2009/11/282009/11/28

Journal: Afghanistan & Iraq–Opportunity Knocks for an Afghan Airlift and a Six-Month Muslim-Centered Multinational Multiagency “Advise & Assist” Transition Toward Departure from Both Countries

Collaboration Zones, Communities of Practice, Ethics, InfoOps (IO), Key Players, Methods & Process, Mobile, Policies, Policy, Real Time, Reform, Strategy, Threats

NIGHTWATCH Special Report: October in Afghanistan 27 November 2009

Taliban and other anti-government fighters have begun to go to winter quarters, in Pakistan or in Afghanistan. The fighting will drop somewhat during the winter, but in the core provinces of the Pashtun south, weather is not a factor.

Based on Taliban public statements, their attacks will remain focused on disruption of the overland truck lifeline for Afghan and NATO forces, mainly by using improvised bombs. In the face of renewed NATO resolve, the Taliban also will wait for the next opportunity to attempt to take power.

Taliban cannot defeat NATO forces, but NATO forces cannot defeat Taliban, especially without combat air support. The government in Kabul cannot survive without NATO forces, but by this time next year the Afghan forces will need more logistics and air support rather than combat soldiers, if the US and European NATO trainers are competent.

Continue reading “Journal: Afghanistan & Iraq–Opportunity Knocks for an Afghan Airlift and a Six-Month Muslim-Centered Multinational Multiagency “Advise & Assist” Transition Toward Departure from Both Countries”

2009/11/282009/11/28

Journal: Right on the Left and Left on the Right

09 Justice, Civil Society, Cultural Intelligence, Ethics, InfoOps (IO), Methods & Process

Incoherence Left and Right — Obama, Palin, and Paul

Phi Beta Iota: The incoherent insanity of BOTH the left and the right, of both those in power and those without power, is cresting. While the Obama Administration does everything it can to emulate and extend the Constitutional violations of the Cheney-Bush regime, the far right is losing its mind completely. Below are two items, just a taste of what happens when gerbils learn to read and write.

What Is Sarah Palin?

It seems that Palin– the attractive, outdoors-loving “hockey mom”-is popular solely because of her personality, not any specific policy positions. Notes columnist Steve Chapman “Who needs policy? In her world – and the world of legions of conservatives who revere her – the persona is the policy. Palin is beloved because she’s (supposedly) just like ordinary people, which (supposedly) gives her a profound understanding of their needs.” When dissecting political cults of personality, it would seem that Palin has become the Republicans’ Obama–handsome, charming and a human comfort blanket for partisans.

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2009/11/252009/11/25

Reference: Department of State Language Gaps

02 Diplomacy, General Accountability Office, Key Players, Methods & Process, Peace Intelligence, Tools

Phi Beta Iota: The Department of State (State), which should be the primary interface between the Republic, it's policy, acquisition, and operations communities, and the rest of the world, has fewer diplomats than the Department of Defense (DoD) has military musicians; and continues to suffer persistent staffing and foreign language gaps that “compromise diplomatic readiness” according to the General Accountability Office (GAO).

Continue reading “Reference: Department of State Language Gaps”