Author Archives: Brewster Kahle

Encourage Hitchhiking Again?

A form of sharing can be reignited if we want it to.     Although maligned, hitchhiking is a form of car-sharing, ride-sharing, and mass transit– things we think of as virtuous.   Hitchhiking is part of the gift economy: you give without … Continue reading

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Virtue in Failing the Credit Game?

I was turned down for an American Express card.   Repeatedly. I have plenty of money and, when I enquired about my “credit score” I found it in the 700’s which they say is quite good.   So why was I turned … Continue reading

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GlobalInet talk notes of Jimmy Wales talk: Predictions for the Future of the Internet

#1:  mass connectivity 2billion people access the internet easy parts are done $80 for smartphone in kenya: encouraging. developing countries are doing what we do on the internet: google/facebook/ etc #2: no one will notice when hollywood dies large scale … Continue reading

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Gave 2 Talks in 1 day: Russia and Massachusetts while being in San Francisco

I don’t know how the talks were to the participants, but I gave a talk at Wellesley College and then at an Internet Conference in Moscow, both via Skype.    It certainly worked for me even though the Russian one was … Continue reading

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Self-Sufficient County

How about a competition, or a goal to bring counties to be as self sufficient as they can be?    Local water, local power, local farmers, local schools, local furniture, local housewares, local building supplies.    Local and proud of it.     Local … Continue reading

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-1 = 1 fallacy

on trying to figure out i^i, I stumbled on the following fallacy that I can not peg: 1 = 1 (-1)(-1) = (1) (1) (-1)^2 = (1)^2 (-1)^2 = (1)^2 (-1)^(2 * 1/2) = (1) ^(2 * 1/2) (-1)^1 = … Continue reading

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My Firefox plug-ins to stop ads and tracking (all free add-ons)

In case you might care to try these, here is a list of the plug-ins I use on firefox: Adblock Plus (version 2.0.3) Does a great job DoNotTrackPlus  Super great,highly recommended. turns off tracking sites. FlashBlock 1.5.15.1   lots of ads … Continue reading

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Putting restrictions on a house title to keep it debt-free may not work well

In this exploration of debt-free housing, we had two scenarios:   buy a building and renting units, but bring the rents down because the units become debt free.   The other is to have people put a title restriction on their house … Continue reading

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Another class-size-of-1 school, but seemingly more expensive

A fellow custom-school parent, Karina, pointed out a class-size-of-1 school: Fusion Academy. It seems expensive compared to what we are spending (we are $35/hour, but we are doing the arranging and sometimes provide a room, and this school seems to … Continue reading

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Summary of the Debt-Free Housing for Public Benefit Workers Idea, and Responses to Critiques

Summary: (for full idea and footnotes, please see http://brewster.kahle.org/2012/01/19/debt-free-housing-for-public-benefit-workers-2/ ) With a long-term mindset, we can cost-effectively and permanently decrease the rent on apartments 75% for the people that work in public-benefit non-profit organizations.   This can improve social services by … Continue reading

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