Icommons.org

This month we take a closer look at the host of communities using Mediawiki software to collaboratively document information and collect media, on a variety of different subjects, ranging from song lyrics to textbooks. The emphasis of this article is not necessarily on the amount of contributors or entries or the ‘openness’ of the content, but rather on communities who have collected useful reference material and resources, people who have used wiki software in an innovative way, and communities who have been motivated to contribute on niche topics and popular cultures. There’s the wiki weird and the wiki wonderful, something for everyone ‘ so keep reading!

Wikitravel
When I visit Wikitravel, the useful information snippet on the front page reads: ‘In Singapore, chewing gum is available only in pharmacies - (more…)

This month, 10 of the Best goes into hibernation ‘ autumn is well under way here in Johannesburg, so we’re cocooning, with a good book and a cup of tea.
Open books are about more than just finding some free literature and escaping library fees. They represent the enormous potential of the internet and open licensing to make knowledge, great words and beautiful stories available to everyone.

Most books that are available for download are in the public domain, because, well, not everyone has figured out the way to copy-righteousness and it’s probably going to take a while for them to come round. Those that are online are displayed in different ways. Some are scanned, others have been retyped.

Reading is a pleasure that should be enjoyed wherever you are, but reading while driving is just plain dangerous. So we’ve decided to include some audio-book sites here too, for people who like their books on the move.

So grab a cup of tea, find a comfortable couch with a spot of sun and enjoy’¦ (more…)

One of the most exciting developments in the Commons is that of open education. In a world where access to knowledge is unequally distributed, the potential for free repositories of knowledge and open education resources to redress the imbalance is enormous.

The phrase ‘open education resources’ was first coined in 2002 at UNESCO’s Forum on the Impact of Open Courseware for Higher Education in Developing Countries. It encompasses (more…)

One of the themes that is often raised in discussions within the iCommons community is this: open licensing is great for stimulating creativity for those who want to use it for their own works, but what effect can it have on civil society? How can using resources that are freely licensed make it simpler, better and faster for organisations, schools, NGOs and civil society groups to do their jobs?

In this month’s ‘10 of the best’ (this time, halved), we highlight the following five sites that are devoted to doing just that ‘ helping people get things done, better. And we think they’re doing a great job of it. (more…)

In this month’s (not quite) ‘10 of the Best’, we take a look at seven of-the-best, full-length open source films online. We didn’t quite make the quota as this is still a growing genre. The costs and production demands of making a full-length film, either animated or live action are prohibitive, but as the list below testaments, creative people have come up with some very innovative solutions, from creative fundraising, to shooting in bedroom-studios.

There is some debate around the definition of open source film. Does it have to be made/edited with open source tools, or is it enough to just licence the film with a Creative Commons licence? Does it have to be remixable? All of these are interesting questions, and (hopefully) as the genre grows, answers will emerge.

Till then, get the popcorn, and settle back’¦ (more…)

In this, the first posting in a series called 10 of the Best, iCommons is taking a look at creators who are using open licensing and content to spread and encourage creativity.

This week, we decided to look at netlabels all over the world. We specifically decided not to look at remixing sites, which we think, are different creatures, with different goals. Besides, we’re saving the remixing sites for another article.

Some stuff, of course, is freer than other stuff. Different labels use open content differently, so you may come across licences that allow free access and usage of content, other sites use slightly more restrictive Attribution-Non-Commercial-No-Derivatives licences, which prevent remixing.

Canada
Panospria
Originally a collective of experimental musicians, founded in 2004, Panospria now features (more…)