Kickstarter

In 1987, Apple created a program called HyperCard. If you haven’t heard of it, all you need to know is that tens of millions of end user programmers adopted it. HyperCard was the easiest and most popular end user programming environment ever created.

LiveCode is like a next generation version of HyperCard. It is used to create simple one-off apps and utilities to solve day-to-day problems. As a production-quality, natural language hypermedia environment, LiveCode runs on all major operating systems (Linux, Mac, and Windows) and can generate code for all major desktop platforms, as well as all major mobile platforms (Android, iOS). They even got it up and running on the Raspberry Pi recently. 

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Are you an academic, scientist, health policy junkie... or just a person who goes to see your doctor every now and then? Well, listen up: a new project by Fred Trotter and Not Only Development was recently granted protection under the Freedom of Information Act and met it's crowdfunding effort on MedStartr to move ahead with plans to generate an open data set that promises to alter the healthcare landscape and have drastic implications on how we navigate it.

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Remember when we told you about MediaGoblin, the open source media publishing system? Now they're building higher and higher, and they're looking for help.

As they write on the campaign page: » Read more

MedStartr is a new way to fund healthcare initiatives—think Kickstarter for doctors, patients, and what ails them. It's headed up by Mike Pence and Alex Fair, two guys of different backgrounds and expertise who've come together to share the same dream and passion for helping those in physical need.

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The Kickstarter funded collaboration between Kimiko Ishizaka and MuseScore has released their new recording and score of Bach's Goldberg Variations into the public domain using the Creative Commons Zero (CC0) licensing tool. This is just one of the ways in which Kickstarter, which has pumped over $36,000,000 USD into the music industry since its inception, is revolutionizing the business of music. OpenSource.com first reported on the project in April, 2011, during the fundraising phase. » Read more

Charles Mangin, a web developer and consultant based in Raleigh, NC, hoped to recreate the drawing-tablet experience (such as that with a Wacom device) on what we today think of as tablets (like iPads and Android tablets)--and to do it as open hardware. The result is now on Kickstarter: the PressurePen. » Read more

It's a two-second trip to visit walkyourcity.org. But before you head over there, you'll want to hear from Matt Tomasulo, founder of CityFabric and chief instigator of Walk Raleigh and Walk [Your City]. Urban Times called Walk [Your City] "Open Source Guerrilla Wayfinding." It's a simple idea of helping pedestrians overcome the hurdle of distance perception, and by doing so, promoting a healthier lifestyle.

A few weeks ago at Triangle Wiki Day, Tomasulo mentioned he wanted to take his Walk Raleigh idea global, and using the principles of open source were the perfect way to do so. The open source walking adventure is starting. Tomasulo has started a successful Kickstarter campaign and is gathering support for the Walk Your City platform.

See how open source has influenced the Walk [Your City] project in our interview with Matt Tomasulo. » Read more

Sunday is Father's Day in many parts of the world, and while it's never too late to pick up another tie for good ol' dad (the 8-bit version is always a good choice), I've got a few more open source suggestions for you.

iCufflinks » Read more

If 2011 becomes known as the year that our governments lost interest in space, could 2012 be the year that collaboration picks up the pieces?

As of this week, the Allen Telescope Array used by the SETI Institute has gone into "hibernation mode" after losing a significant portion of its funding. "Hibernation means that, starting this week, the equipment is unavailable for normal observations and is being maintained in a safe state by a significantly reduced staff," said SETI Institute CEO Tom Pierson. » Read more

Open source programmers understand the value of freedom; the idea of "freedom of speech" and supporting licenses such as the GPL are the basis of thousands of successful software projects. Can these ideas be applied to other areas, such as the ages old discipline of classical music? The Open Goldberg Variations Project thinks so. » Read more