User:Neodynos
Team Culturing Information
Last updated 2012-12
WHO are you?
- Name/Nationality/Ethnicity - Matthias Ansorg, German national
- Location – what is your city and country? - near Frankfurt/Main, Germany
- Contact Information – E-Mail matthias@ansorgs.de, Skype matthew-nosorrow, everything else ma.juii.net/contact
- Introductory Video – see
- Resume/CV –
- Hobbies and Pastimes – building a truck to live in, mountain biking, outdoor activities, developing an "open everything system" called EarthOS, blogging, understanding economics, philosophy, theology and everything else ...
WHY are you motivated to support/develop this work?
- Do you endorse open source culture?
I do. After a multi-year journey of investigating models for economy and society, all the while suffering personally from capitalist economy, I settled for the "globalize information, localize everything else" approach as the most resilient, least exploitable proposal to structure a society. And globalizing information – spreading the instructions for local living far and wide – is the free & open approach. See my EarthOS project as a proof of being serious about open source: it's a large but unfinished open content document that collects and integrates "open" solutions for all of life.
- Why are you interested in this work?
I'm on a personal mission to find a free & open solution for everything in life, as explained above. OSE is the most advanced group with the same vision, so I'd love to join forces. No need for fragmentation, which only weakens the movement.
- Are you interested in teaching about the GVCS?
Yes, for example by creating educational materials.
- Are you interested in economic relocalization possibilities arising from the GVCS?
It nicely harmonizes with my "globalize information, localize everything else" approach to resilience and social systems engineering. So, yes.
- Do you want to use the GVCS technologies yourself? Do you want to build them yourself?
As these are industrial (not household) machines, it's a matter of finding the right community. Definitely interested in that, though I also like nomadic living (which needs some other open source products).
- Are you interested in starting up enterprise using the GVCS technologies?
I still have an "open design manufacturing" project in the drawer. So, I'd like to contribute to the open source economy of the GVCS. Depending on what fits into my life situation, I'm also happy with a small contribution in a networked open source economy. Like, having a CNC torch table and cutting parts for others' production runs of machines maybe.
- Are you interested in having the GVCS technologies fabricated by your local custom fabricator?
Mmmh. If this fab shop is also part of a non-capitalist, open source economy – yes, because that's synergy then.
- Are you interested in applying the GVCS to third world development? To redevelopment of crisis areas? To development of derelict areas in the developed world?
Abandoned villages in Spain and Italy can give me the thrill :) For now, I can well imagine to use the GVCS tech for building an attractive new way of rural living there, and living there myself.
- Are you interested in starting up Industry 2.0 flexible fabrication enterprises for your local community, by drawing from a global repository of freely down-loadable designs and fabricating using open source fabrication equipment?
Yep – even if that is just about producing one part of a machine in a desktop company. Would like to see an economically viable form of work in small, self-steered, worker-owned enterprises. It's hard for now, but as a mutually supportive network of open source industry companies that would be a rewarding and liberating experience ...
- Are you interested in the potential of the GVCS for developing local food systems?
In my view, food is one of the most important products for economic liberty.
- Are you interested in doing academic studies/papers, publishing books, or doing other analysis of our efforts?
I like writing a lot and am in the process of writing a 1000 pp. book "EarthOS" on "open everything", covering all areas in life. But while I like constructive writing (ideas, product documentation, solution documentation etc.), purely analytical writing for understanding is not my favorite ...
- Are you interested in financial investment opportunities arising from our work?
I have no finances to invest, and I guess an open source economy will be about ROI only in its transitional state ...
- Are you interested in the distributive economic aspects of our work, and if so, how do you see this playing out?
Sure. My approach to resilient, fair economy is creating autarkic "cells" ca. the size of Dunbar's number (100-250). This is distributive economy in the sense that these groups exchange the knowledge and designs for economic activity and products.
- Are you interested in building renewable energy production facilities based on open hardware (solar concentrator electric, wind, biomass power).
It belongs to an "open everything system for all of life", so yes. Esp. interested in biogas.
- Are you interested in building resilient communities based on access to the GVCS?
I'd love contributing to one of these, as an example to be copied, and as my "permanent home" while on Earth.
- Are you interested in creating a bug-out hut using GVCS technologies?
I'd rather make the GVCS based resilient community more resilient by making it completely relocateable ...
- How do you think that the GVCS can help alleviate the instabilities of global monetary systems?
Because it enables local autarky, partially or even fully, in village to city size groups and networks. The more autarky, the less is an economy affected by economic "crashes" and other big system havoc.
- How do you think that the GVCS can address issues related to resource conflicts?
By being a "fully cyle" economy, not needing any input of non-renewable materials like metals etc. after the first buildup.
- How do you think that the GVCS can address issues of overpopulatoin?
I don't think the GVCS does address that directly. In developed regions, it's a matter of education and values.
- How do you think that the GVCS can address issues of resource depletion and environmental degradation?
In the case of large-scale adoption, it would solve resource issues globally by implementing a sustainable full-circle economy. Before that, it solves resource problems at least for those who already adopted the technology, and for the area of the Earth they use.
WHAT- Here I am listing mostly the needs of the GVCS development, as I have limited expertise in most of the following items:
- What have you already contributed to the OSE project? (technical contributions, blogging about us, financial support, organizing events, translations, interviews, video editing, publications, publicity work, behind-the-scenes work, CAD work, wiki contributions, computer support, etc)
Some blogging and promotion in my network. Signed up as True Fan since 2010-08. Some tech comments / feedback via the OSE blog. So, not much so far.
Communications
- I am proficient in all kinds of electronic communications from blogging to collaborative authoring to photography, DTP and graphics processing (video: still learning). If necessary, I get down to the tech level (CSS, HTML etc.) to solve my own problems.
- Languages: German (native), English (high level), Spanish (beginner)
Organizational
- Experience with managing a larger online community incl. group decision making and some conference organization.
Computer Support
- Using Linux only since 1998, proficient in Linux shell.
- Experiece in Linux web server administration, incl. applications like Wordpress, Magento, Joomla, other CMS, wikis, forums etc..
- Can do programming in Java, Ruby, Actionscript / Flash, PHP, JavaScript, some C.
- Fast learner, capable to solve wicked computer problems (proof: these 1200 blog posts).
- Some initial experience with CAD/CAM under Linux.
Finances
- Nothing to offer. Ah well ... I can help with selecting and maintaining financial accounting software.
Sociology
- I'm interested in the topics of social cohesion and how societies work, but no track record yet.
Home Economics
- Can feed myself :D Plus experience-based proficiency in detecting which food is still edible and which is not.
- Good in improvising solutions and repurposing items around the home.
Design
- I like thinking of better and innovative product designs, esp. in the DIY / simple technology context. Since 1996, I accumulated around 3000 ideas in both the EarthOS document and my older invention list.
Building
- Good working knowledge of mostly hand tools for metal and woodworking.
- Basic practical knowledge on how to operate a CNC mill under Linux.
- Have not built much for lack of time, tools and resources; but I'm building my own furniture system, for example.
Electronics and Magnetics
- Can read and did develop wiring diagrams.
- Can do average electronics welding jobs.
- Basic conceptual knowledge of electronics: can select and combine electronic devices correctly, but cannot design them yet.
Automation
- As an experienced software developer, I can learn programming for microcontrollers pretty fast.
Metallurgy
- Basic working kowledge of metal alloys and their properties. Sufficient for some engineering and building, but not for operating a furnace ...
Engineering
- Expert knowledge in software engineering incl. patterns, complexity management, best practices, "beauty of code", development methods etc..
- Hands-on experience in mechanical engineering, esp. structural modifications to a truck.
- Broad interest in the other engineering disciplines, which helps to at least understand technical problems.
HOW can you help?
- How are you interested in contributing to the work of GVCS development?
As a remote collaborator, doing all kinds of computer support, software development, content authoring. I'd esp. love to contribute my EarthOS content to the OSE wiki.
- Can you volunteer to work with us, and if so, how many hours per week?
Up to 20-30 hours a week, if I can get some minimum compensation to cover my running costs (of a simple lifestyle).
- Are you interested in working with us for pay? If so, what services can you offer, and what is your hourly or per-project rate?
Yes. For services, see on how I want to contribute. For compensation, see on volunteering above.
- Are you interested in purchasing equipment from us to help bootstrap development?
If that means, for legal tender: no, I don't have the money for it now. If I had, sure why not.
- Are you interested in bidding for consulting/design/prototyping work?
Aww ... I have worked as IT freelancer for 5 years now and stopped doing fixed-price projects because they always went overtime and devastated me financially. So, no I don't do fixed-price bids.
- Are you a True Fan? If not, why not?
My True Fan subscription ended 2012-08 after two years. Will renew soon.
- Would you like to see yourself working with us on a full-time basis?
I can definitely imagine doing a job for OSE. (Spent today looking for IT jobs in the formal economy, and found just capitalist crap, from developing a webshop for "individualized pet food" to making financial exploitation software for banks. So, if I get the chance to work on open hardware things that improve this world's state, I take it.)
- Are you interested in using the technologies that we are developing directly?
Yes - as a long-term goal, I'm intending to use only open technologies for the material basis of my life.
- Are you interested in being part of the world's first, open source, resilient community? The GVCS is the preparatory step for the OSE Village Experiment – a 2 year, immersion experiment (2013-2014) for testing whether a real, thriving, modern-day prototype community of 200 people can be built on 200 acres using local resources and open access to information? We are looking for approximately 200 people to fill a diverse array of roles, according to the Social Contract that is being developed. This may be the boldest social experiment on earth - a pioneering community whose goal is to extend the index of possibilities regarding harmonious existence of humans, ecology, and technology – as a beacon of light to benefit of all people on Earth.
Not sure yet, as I don't know my options for the next years yet. But I like living in an intentional community and dealing with open source!!
