At the Co-op, we’re having a fascinating debate on whether to use plastic for packaging dry goods we supply, such as rice and quinoa, or bioplastic. The bioplastic is controversial, as there are no bioplastic sources that we know of that are guaranteed to be free of GMO’s. I’m glad we’re discussing it, trying to… Continue reading Plastic vs Bioplastic

The iCommons offices today played host to an Afrikaans Wikipedia meetup, as part of Wikipedia Week. Attending were international guests Jimmy Wales, Ndesanjo Macha and Frank Schulenburg, as well as a number of Afrikaans Wikipedians and Afrikaans press. Laurens, one of the prime contributers to the Afrikaans Wikipedia, gave a short presentation, followed by an… Continue reading Afrikaans Wikipedia meetup

Today we held the first Wikipedia Academy in Africa. Held at the CIDA Campus, it was a great event, with inspirational talks by Jimmy Wales and Ndesanjo Macha. Ndesanjo’s talk on his path to Wikipedia through African spirituality, after being asked the question where is it written in response to his shared oral tradition, I… Continue reading First Wikipedia Academy in Africa

I’m in Johannesburg right now for Wikipedia Week, which is aimed at developing Wikipedia Academies into a regular community-building activity in South Africa, and then further beyond into sub-Saharan Africa. It’s organised by iCommons, the Wikimedia Foundation, and Wikipedia Germany. I’ve kindly been invited to assist with the process. The first event, and the first… Continue reading Wikipedia Week

The renewable energy world is incredibly dynamic right now. Almost every day I read of new innovations (today it was inflatable solar arrays), plummeting costs (solar is dropping 3-5% a year), and increasing rollouts. But still more nuclear power stations are being conceptualised, and even attracting some support. Why is nuclear still attracting support? Nuclear… Continue reading Why is anybody still considering nuclear?

The latest Reporters Without Borders World Press Freedom Index has been released, and it makes for grimmer reading than usual. As blogs increase in importance, bloggers are increasingly being targeted, with 26 imprisoned from September 2006 to September 2007. South Africa continues to slip, reaching its lowest ever rating. From it’s high of 3.33 in… Continue reading Press Freedom under attack

The jury for the Wikimania 2008 has awarded the 2008 conference to Alexandria. Here’s the text of the email, which includes the scoring. The Jury for Wikimania 2008 bids have met and are pleased to announce that Wikimania 2008 will be held in Alexandria, Egypt. The Bids were assessed by a Jury[0] which included community… Continue reading Wikimania 2008 goes to Alexandria

With one week to go before all the bid information has to be ready, it’s the final stretch for Cape Town’s bid to host Wikimania 2008. I went to the 50 Party last night, and finally got to meet Jimmy Wales. He told me that he’ll do everything he can to ensure Cape Town wins… Continue reading 50 Party and a Wikimania 2008 Cape Town update