"I love that you've brought this to attention. An extensive database of uncommon but resistant and hardy plants/foods could be developed and organized by climate. Ease of growth and processing should also be taken in to account. I will try to…"
A crash course in changing the world.
in Copenhagen
I am in Copenhagen, arrived this morning by bus from Oslo. i sort of make it a principle to avoid the use of planes when its possible. even though my friends sometimes jokingly ask me "what, is the plane too expensive?". to tell them that i do this for green reasons, and surely not for comfort (they stopped running the night train from Oslo to Copenhagen a few years ago, bummer!), works on some, while others will just counter "the plane would go anyway."
I am going to Paris this afternoon with the gf, I have been in Paris several times before while this is her first time. I need the vacation away from Oslo.
So, I am reading the book "Petromania" by Norwegian author Simen Sætre now, and it is an interesting look at oil countries, particularly small oil countries, like Kuwait, Qatar, UAE, Gabon - - or Norway. The book made me think more about Norway, my country, and how all this oil money has affected our economy. Luckily, our politicians have a long-term vision, and instead of just spending all that money on prestige projects (white elephants), we have for the last years invested most of the oil money the government gets in a pensions fund. The state fund is currently the 2nd biggest in the world with a value of over US$ 450 billion. We invest in thousands of companies around the world.
This oil fund do have some "ethical guidelines". Sometimes, the press reports that X company is producing for instance land mines, and there is a public outcry, and most often, the Norwegian Bank that controls this fund removes our investment in that company.
The book also made me think how all this money (we are 4.7 million Norwegians) is affecting us. Our view at the world. Our view of ourselves. Peace brokers. The little company that, per capita, contributes the most to the U.N. We even decide who gets the Nobel peace prize.
And then there are all those foreigners who when they hear you are from Norway immediately respond "Norway? You are stinking rich!". The author of the book writes how he always meets this stereotype, but he also admits, as does I: we are stinking rich. We are rich because we sell oil and gas that is used around EU and the world.
What is my point with this post? I don't know. I just want to look at some of the issues here on this site with a different perspective. Not only in terms of individual super heroes. Someone that builds a windmill from scrap metal, or who has a little garden on his own roof.
Actually that reminds me of a joke that Norwegian political Lars Sponheim once made in the Parliament. The issue discussed was how the egg distribution was under threat - - i dont remember the full context. His quick reply was "Well, if every man had his hen...". He is a farmer himself, btw.
I wonder why aesthetics is seen as so irrelevant by most of these eco-saved people. Yes, build a windmill from scrap metal. But damn, thats going to be one ugly windmill! It sure isn't going to be a winner on the exports market.
But I guess the WBI doesnt believe in exports? International trade? /sarcasm
I looked at the TED Talk that McGonigal did - its online now, dont remember the link. And she compared wow playing with things like evoke.
There are a few differences. With wow, you can jump in the game (yes, to some that IS truly an escape from their irl reality), but you can also jump out of it. Its a different reality. Your in-game problems with the guild you have (guild drama last week over some gear upgrade after you downed the Lich King), they fade away when you log off.
But with evoke - most of us use our irl identity. I actually wanted to use my "DLTQ" online name on this site, but the site somehow fooled me with their UI, and where I thought I gave them my real name only for internal uses, my nickname here ended up being Raymond M. Kristiansen. Linked to my google profile, and whatnot.
So, I am in Denmark, and I will go out soon. Get a haircut, do some shopping. Meet up with the gf after her work, then go to the airport, fly to Paris, and spend the weekend there.
For some reason, I find systemic change in society through public discussion, politics, much more interesting than quasi-grassroot movements such as what EVOKE tries to start here. Sure, there will be 20 grants (with $1000 each), at the end of it, and I guess Reid and a few others will go to Washington D.C. for further missions. I actually hope Reid gets something more out of this than his personal eureka, and the ePeen of being on top of the leaderboard.
The last week or so I have been drafting on this blog post/article about "innovating the innovators". I hope to get it done next week.
But now: Vacation mood!
Have a good weekend!
Views: 32
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Comment by Agent H on March 20, 2010 at 7:25pm
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Did you know that you are the top Collaborator on all of evoke? I gave you an extra +1 just for that!
Also, I am with you, as far as ground transport is concerned. I teach a unit on climate change in high school and we are currently working on a huge initiative to make our biggest-carbon-footprint event carbon neutral. Not easy, because it involves air travel. Bon weekend!
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Comment by Raymond M. Kristiansen on March 21, 2010 at 8:00am
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hey, yeah a carbon neutral lifestyle sure is a challenge.
we of the west have a challenge when we have had our industrial revolution, and now we seem, to other countries like China, to not allow them to really have theirs. to me, that is a bigger challenge (the political climate surrounding for instance the COP15 failure) than whether or not I as a priviliged Norwegian am trying to become carbon neutral.
im not saying there isnt a personal responsability. there sure is. but what i dont like so much here on evoke is that it seems that political processes are out of the picture altogether. the message is "politicians cant do anything, they need a rogue organization like EVOKE to do things for them". it is a huge lack of faith in the political system or democracy (japan is a democracy).
yes, thanks, i am aware that I am high on collaboration skill. i guess that is partly because i early on in evoke launched the idea of an evoke 'guild', a group of players who play more closely together. now, unfortunately i havent followed that idea up so well, but we are a circle of people who do communicate more closely on google chat etc.
collaboration is where it's at. collaboration and seeing where someone has done something already, something that we are trying to do ourselves (design a windmill out of scrap metal), and they might have Another challenge now. be that to spread the word about this design, or so on. and instead of helping them with their current challenge, we want to re-invent the wheel. we want OUR solution.
its the 'not invented here' mentality that is so destructive, and also so active/ubiquitous, also in NGOs and aid agencies.
i have heard some reports about Haiti and how alot of the aid from government just drowns in bureaucracy. of course, many Are being helped - - but are we being the most effective possible? does the public in the donating country know about this issue? do they even care? "we have donated the money, our conscience is clean!".
I will go to a market here in Montreuil with the gf now. see what kind of market it is. try to look for organic products.
oh, speaking of organic.
there was a concept in Norway that i found interesting. as we know, it takes time for farmers to become organic. i mean, to fulfill the process from traditional farming methods to organic methods. to get the certifications needed. so, meanwhile, his products are sold with the label "test-juice". and the story of this farm is on the label. how they are trying to become organic.
i hope it works. i hope this half-organic juice can be sold. i hope the concept spreads.
because if farmers need to have 2 years with limited sales of juice before they can become certified - it really is a huge investment for them, and they might not afford it.
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Comment by Karamveer Lalh on March 23, 2010 at 4:09am
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very insightful
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