A crash course in changing the world.
Episode 1 STORY: Who is the Evoke network?
What do you think of the story so far? Discuss what happened in Episode 1 here.
Views: 24
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by Charlie on -
Just a note: Bo-kaap is not a township:
Unless the story is that it's a township in 2020? And Cape Town is two words. Pedantic I know, but that's my city!
-
Permalink Reply by silvia on -
This plot tells us about a serious problem. Tokyo needs an help to avoid the famine. There are few rice reserves and the situation is in the panic.
-
Permalink Reply by maluleke dangisani moirah on -
the story is about the famine that every one is afraid of and theres only rice reserved and the governer was not aware of it.
-
Permalink Reply by Siobhan O Grady on
-
The story gives Tokyo as an example but I think it's trying to tell us that this is a problem that could occur anywhere that is troubled by overpopulation, urban spread and bad planning for the future. I think it's important that countries like this should have people trained in planning for a sustainable future and that people in charge should be more actively involved so that they arenot like the govenor in this story, uninformed.
-
Permalink Reply by Jeremy Cohn on -
The reality is that it could be the result of explosive population growth or food shortages elsewhere limiting the amount of food that can be stockpiled. Just because the problem is far off doesn't mean that it will get addressed before the effects become tangible.
maluleke dangisani moirah said:the story is about the famine that every one is afraid of and theres only rice reserved and the governer was not aware of it.
-
Permalink Reply by Thomas Maillioux on -
The story also points to another few interesting elements of the world this takes place in, and how it works.
On page 3 panel 5, Alchemy and Ember mention "Citizen X", an organization that's been leaking governmental data across the Web - and their points of view diverge a lot about it. Could it be that Alchemy thinks that data should be shared on a "need to know" basis while Ember advocates for a completely open, transparent system ?
On page 4 panel 1, "We fix Tokyo. Tokyo fixes the rest" : The EVOKE network is obviously very aware that the world is a fragile, interconnected system. The sentence makes me think that when the Tokyo food situation gets better, either the other markets for food will improve through the economical consequences of trade picking up again, or the food experts trained in Tokyo by the EVOKE team will spread out to the world to help fix the other situations across the world.
Page 5 : Most of page 5 is about the economical consequences of EVOKE moving in to fix a situation and succeeding. Panel 5 is interesting, with Quinn concluding the call that someone's got to make a profit out of the situation. I think there's more to this line than making money to fund the EVOKE operations - it might also be that the network understands that economics and market equilibriums require transactions to happen and funds to move from one area to another ?
There is a LOT of details in the comic - do take a look at the background and details of images, you'll catch a lot of info about the story of the EVOKE world ;)
-
Permalink Reply by Kalynn Huffman Brower on
-
Thomas picked up on a couple of the details that also struck me as interesting.
"We fix Tokyo. Tokyo fixes the rest." I wonder why this assumption is made by the Evoke network. It reminds me of so-called "trickle-down economics"--make sure the richest have the means they need to generate a healthy economy and the wealth will spill out for everyone--but that philosophy didn't work for anyone but the rich. So how will fixing the largest, power center in Japan help anyone in out-lying areas? Won't starving people hang onto every scrap of food, hoarding rather than sharing resources. I'm curious as to how the story will unfold.
Also, Quinn's remark about profit to be had sounded cynical to me. My read is that at the same time the Evoke network needs to generate operating funds to do the right thing, others will jump on the new opportunities simply because there is money to be made. This paradox may make Quinn uncomfortable, but it feels real and for me makes the story world a richer place.
Thomas Maillioux said:The story also points to another few interesting elements of the world this takes place in, and how it works.
On page 3 panel 5, Alchemy and Ember mention "Citizen X", an organization that's been leaking governmental data across the Web - and their points of view diverge a lot about it. Could it be that Alchemy thinks that data should be shared on a "need to know" basis while Ember advocates for a completely open, transparent system ?
On page 4 panel 1, "We fix Tokyo. Tokyo fixes the rest" : The EVOKE network is obviously very aware that the world is a fragile, interconnected system. The sentence makes me think that when the Tokyo food situation gets better, either the other markets for food will improve through the economical consequences of trade picking up again, or the food experts trained in Tokyo by the EVOKE team will spread out to the world to help fix the other situations across the world.
Page 5 : Most of page 5 is about the economical consequences of EVOKE moving in to fix a situation and succeeding. Panel 5 is interesting, with Quinn concluding the call that someone's got to make a profit out of the situation. I think there's more to this line than making money to fund the EVOKE operations - it might also be that the network understands that economics and market equilibriums require transactions to happen and funds to move from one area to another ?
There is a LOT of details in the comic - do take a look at the background and details of images, you'll catch a lot of info about the story of the EVOKE world ;)
-
Permalink Reply by Jeremy Cohn on
-
I think the point of that comment is to say that once we develop the necessary technology and infrastructure to supply Tokyo then it will become easily applicable to the rest of Japan. I don't think it's a trickle-down theory idea. It's more that once you establish markets in one city that supply clean water, ecobuildings, passive cooling systems, urban agriculture, etc, it isn't difficult to expand to nearby markets when the rest of Japan becomes familiar and attracted to the tech used in Tokyo. It's about stimulating demand for products that will combat famine.
Kalynn Huffman Brower said:Thomas picked up on a couple of the details that also struck me as interesting.
"We fix Tokyo. Tokyo fixes the rest." I wonder why this assumption is made by the Evoke network. It reminds me of so-called "trickle-down economics"--make sure the richest have the means they need to generate a healthy economy and the wealth will spill out for everyone--but that philosophy didn't work for anyone but the rich. So how will fixing the largest, power center in Japan help anyone in out-lying areas? Won't starving people hang onto every scrap of food, hoarding rather than sharing resources. I'm curious as to how the story will unfold.
Also, Quinn's remark about profit to be had sounded cynical to me. My read is that at the same time the Evoke network needs to generate operating funds to do the right thing, others will jump on the new opportunities simply because there is money to be made. This paradox may make Quinn uncomfortable, but it feels real and for me makes the story world a richer place.
Thomas Maillioux said:The story also points to another few interesting elements of the world this takes place in, and how it works.
On page 3 panel 5, Alchemy and Ember mention "Citizen X", an organization that's been leaking governmental data across the Web - and their points of view diverge a lot about it. Could it be that Alchemy thinks that data should be shared on a "need to know" basis while Ember advocates for a completely open, transparent system ?
On page 4 panel 1, "We fix Tokyo. Tokyo fixes the rest" : The EVOKE network is obviously very aware that the world is a fragile, interconnected system. The sentence makes me think that when the Tokyo food situation gets better, either the other markets for food will improve through the economical consequences of trade picking up again, or the food experts trained in Tokyo by the EVOKE team will spread out to the world to help fix the other situations across the world.
Page 5 : Most of page 5 is about the economical consequences of EVOKE moving in to fix a situation and succeeding. Panel 5 is interesting, with Quinn concluding the call that someone's got to make a profit out of the situation. I think there's more to this line than making money to fund the EVOKE operations - it might also be that the network understands that economics and market equilibriums require transactions to happen and funds to move from one area to another ?
There is a LOT of details in the comic - do take a look at the background and details of images, you'll catch a lot of info about the story of the EVOKE world ;)
-
Permalink Reply by Laura Dawson on
-
http://www.fews.net/Pages/default.aspx?l=en (USDA Famine Emergency Warning Site)
http://www.fao.org/economic/en/ (Food and Agriculture Organization)
http://www.who.int/foodsafety/consumer/5keys/en/index1.html (World Health Organization-food safety)
http://www.thespiritoffood.com/ (The Spirit of Food - education site for Food Physics & Body Dynamics)
http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp?lang=en (Codex Alimentarius Global Food Standards)
In Episode 1, page 1, the matter of global famine is brought up, however an even greater concern has erupted. Who can be evoked? How do we evoke them? As with any problem, it must be defined first, then with a larger view the tools for solutions become visible.
During an application project, in which USAID had requested a doc**ent detailing how I would address their higher than average, Under 5 Mortality Rate (U5MR) and Maternal Mortality Rate (MMR). Keep in mind that I am trained in both traditional medicines and nutritional education. My own view of the problem and solution will have its own unique model.
The impact of food on health is profound. That is why the three websites above address this matter from the biggest picture, the USDA FEWS (Famine Emergency Warning Site Network) was my first choice. I wanted to know what foods were available and sustainable.
The next site you will see above is the FAO (Food and Agriculture Foundation) working on the economic and social aspect of food, this is called nutrition. Nutrition means what foods can be converted to usable energy in the human condition.
I then looked at the largest health organization's view on the matter, the World Health Organization's pages on food safety, where one of the primary factors in nutrition absorption is addressed; the handling and preparation of foods in all climates, households, and food packaging/production.
Noticing the impact of nutrition on both short term health and well being as well as over the longer term of human existance the is much cause to focus on food. That is why it is important to learn about our unique needs for energy in the form of calories (the scientific measure of energy produced in and through the consumption of foods). The Spirit of Food (.com) site has been an ongoing, evolving area to address the most pressing matters of nutrition education and awareness that I believe will make an enormous impact on reducing the chronic disease of not only Nigeria, but the rest of the African Continent and beyond.
I hope to continue to address these important matters further at the Codex Alimentarius Global Food Standards Committee - Food Additives (http://www.codexalimentarius.net/web/current.jsp?lang=en) in Beijing, China later this March with the help of an unknow benefactor or sponsor. May I EVOKE that sponsor/benefactor here? - Attachments:
-
-
LogoFP&BDtm.jpg, 12 KB
-
-
Permalink Reply by Ethan Brockman on -
This first episode I think shows that there are people from all walks of life in the EVOKE network. It also shows that EVOKE is a safety net, insurance. It shows us all that to obtain help, we must give up a little in return, a.k.a. nothing is free. Hence the 50% of the profits. It also tells us that to have true change people must be charitable in the shadows. Humility will bring us all closer together. I mean if everyone gloats about their charity, then how charitable can it really be?
On an unrelated note, did anyone else find it funny that everyone is using slate computers? I think the HP Slate, iPad, and such are just a fad, but it's just something that I noticed.
-
Permalink Reply by Janne Simonen on -
Another way of looking at the 50% profit requirement is that it avoids what the economists call "moral hazard." If everyone thought that they can get Evoke to solve their problems for free, then they wouldn't have to even try to solve them by themselves.
Look at the financial crisis. Why run a bank properly when you can get so much more profits by insane risk-taking knowing that the government will bail you out if needed? A bail-out (or evoke) might sometimes be necessary but there must be a cost.
An excellent start to the story by the way. Very nicely presented, with lots of useful facts hidden between the lines. Besides, having lived in Tokyo for a few years it feels quite personal.
-
-
Yes, Janne. It has been said that by 'having skin in the game' you are more likely to be proactive and grateful, too.
Janne Simonen said:Another way of looking at the 50% profit requirement is that it avoids what the economists call "moral hazard." If everyone thought that they can get Evoke to solve their problems for free, then they wouldn't have to even try to solve them by themselves.
Look at the financial crisis. Why run a bank properly when you can get so much more profits by insane risk-taking knowing that the government will bail you out if needed? A bail-out (or evoke) might sometimes be necessary but there must be a cost.
An excellent start to the story by the way. Very nicely presented, with lots of useful facts hidden between the lines. Besides, having lived in Tokyo for a few years it feels quite personal.
© 2013 Created by Alchemy.
