Life

Washing machines done the open source way

Where does open design and sustainability meet Tide? The open washing machine project. » Read more

0 CommentsPosted 24 Mar 2010 by Jason Hibbets (Red Hat)

Introduction to Document Freedom Day

This year on March 31, along with more than 200 groups in 60 countries, we will observe the third Document Freedom Day. This grassroots effort aims to educate the public about the importance of open formats and open standards.

We've entered a time in which we store far more digitally than we do on paper. Our descendants will have to seek their history--government records, birth and death certificates, financial and property transactions--through the previous generation's digital formats. » Read more

3 CommentsPosted 23 Mar 2010 by Ruth Suehle (Red Hat)

The open stories from OSBC

Greetings from the Open Source Business Conference (OSBC), held in San Francisco, CA this week. There's a lot of talk about open source, but not a lot of talk about the open source way. So it's time to tell you about the stories you haven't heard from the conference yet. The stories about the people I met and how they are using open source principles. » Read more

1 CommentPosted 19 Mar 2010 by Jason Hibbets (Red Hat)

Ten ways our world is becoming more Shareable

Our world is inherently Shareable, though it's easy to take that for granted. We are already connected by climate, roads, fisheries, language, forests, culture, and social networks, all of which are part of the commons. But how is our world becoming even more Shareable? What are the quantifiable trends that are making sharing convenient, necessary, fulfilling, even profitable? The scale of the change surprised me, once I started looking. You might be surprised, too. » Read more

3 CommentsPosted 16 Mar 2010 by Neal Gorenflo

Open thread: What's the coolest project you've heard about lately?

One of the best things about putting together opensource.com is finding out about all the interesting ways open source methods and technology are being applied to solving what have been intractable problems. 

From IntraHealth International we hear about a public health project with Hope Phones and FrontlineSMS:Medic to provide mobile phones to African health workers who offer important services to mothers and children. Equipped with FrontlineSMS, a free, open source large-scale text messaging platform, a ten-dollar mobile phone can make a big difference in the life of a healthcare worker and the people they care for. » Read more

7 CommentsPosted 12 Mar 2010 by Colin Dodd (Red Hat)

Crowdsourcing the Grammys--Media, awards, and crowd culture

More and more frequently, familiar "work" terms (like open source, collaboration, or crowdsourcing) jump out at me from television, movies, books, or the radio. Few corners of the world are unaffected by the culture shift towards collaboration. But sometimes, the subject matter makes you stop a second. How about this one: the Grammys and American Idol.   » Read more

0 CommentsPosted 9 Mar 2010 by bascha (Red Hat)

Acceleration for open source cars?

We could be closer to consumer options for open source cars than ever before. Which begs the question, could the recent floor mat entrapment and pedal recalls from Toyota be solved in a more open way? Or better yet, could they have been prevented if they were designed and built the open source way?
» Read more

10 CommentsPosted 1 Mar 2010 by Jason Hibbets (Red Hat)

Open Thread Thursday: Will Netflix kill cable?

Netflix shook up the video rental industry. Now your movies can be delivered to your mailbox or streamed instantly online. The company has used elements of the open source way--a subscription-based model, support, and a thriving community that rates movies and make recommendations. Does your cable company do that? Probably not.

Is it these elements of the open source way that keeps you hooked? Will it lead you to cut off the cable for Netflix and similar on-demand options backed by communities?

4 CommentsPosted 25 Feb 2010 by adrienne (Red Hat)

What does information really want?

Cory Doctorow says "information wants to be free" slogan is "lazy, stupid shorthand."

(See discussions at Shareable.net and Utne Reader)

When celebrated science fiction writer, blogger, and copyright activist Cory Doctorow tweets, 40,000 followers glance at their phones. » Read more

2 CommentsPosted 24 Feb 2010 by Colin Dodd (Red Hat)

Interview: Greg Stolze on Kickstarter, ransoming, and writing

We've posted here before about the Kickstarter process. So we thought we'd talk with one of its artists about going from traditional publishing to ransoming. » Read more

2 CommentsPosted 22 Feb 2010 by Ruth Suehle (Red Hat)