Icommons.org

We hear of the thousands of people from around the world who contribute to Wikipedia on a regular basis ‘ the number is so huge that it is easy to think of ‘them’ as a mass of faceless knowledge bearers who so meticulously edit on topics such as ‘enzyme kinetics’ and ‘convex regular polytopes.’

Well, this month we singled out one of ‘them’ ‘ Ian Gilfillan, a Cape Town local who, amongst many other things, developed the first South African online grocery store, runs an organic product delivery business called ‘Ethical Co-op’, and practices transcendental meditation. Not only is he a keen contributor to Wikipedia, he also has a very clever translation tool up his sleeve, which he has used with great success for the development of Afrikaans Wikipedia. (more…)

You’ve seen the cover illustrations of the iCommons Lab Report over the last three months, which reflect the hot topics, issues and events that are the talk-of-the-commons, in an exciting, colourful and varied way.

These illustrations are made possible thanks to an incredibly supportive company based in Japan, called Loftwork. Every month we work closely with a Loftwork illustrator, to conceptualise and create a cover that is eye-catching, yet thought provoking and relevant. These images are donated to the commons by Loftwork, under a CC Attribution licence, so please feel free to reuse and remix them.

So, while the name ‘Loftwork’ does ring a bell, we know they’re from Japan, and we know they provide iCommons with a fascinating front cover every month - but what is Loftwork actually about, and who drives this organisation? Well, this month we found out more about Chiaki Hayashi, a visionary businesswoman, commons supporter, and co-founder of Loftwork. (more…)

Dr Rayan Helou is a Syrian academic, writer and poet who lives and works in Essen, Germany. He is also a pioneer of the Arab Digital Commons.
Dr. Rayan’s journey with poetry started when he was 15 years old. Raised in a Syrian village well known for it’s natural beauty and the innovation of its poets, he decided to develop his gift and embarked on a long and fulfilling trip into the world of artistic expression. Many of his poems were published and broadcast in Damascus. He continued to write poetry after he moved to Germany, focusing mainly on nationalism, society and romance.
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Anna Badimo, chairperson of LinuxChix Africa, spoke to Daniela Faris about using ICT and FOSS to empower Africa’s women.

1. You co-founded LinuxChix Africa with Dorcas Muthoni in 2004. What motivated you to take on this mammoth task?
Dorcas and I founded LinuxChix Africa after we realised that very few women were involved in FOSS, especially at a technical level. Our concern was that most often women get involved in technical projects as support personnel and their technical skills are often overlooked.

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I’m very interested in the whole notion of open content and Creative Commons licensing in the nonprofit space. Recently, I discovered Sarah Davies of FreedomforIP and after listening to her elevator pitch online from the Ignite Seattle event, I asked her for an interview. She told me, “I probably don’t have to mention this to you, but you are of course free to put this under a public domain, BY or BY-SA license.” Of course, I couldn’t imagine doing otherwise!

What is your background? Are you trained as lawyer?
I’m mostly a geek. I like to build things and take things apart to see how they work. My undergraduate degree is in physics. I’ve found that my generation has a habit of teaching ourselves new technologies, and I am no exception. That’s how I found my way into advocating for nonprofit technology and encouraging others to activism (more…)

News just in! We’ve confirmed that Lawrence Liang, iCommons’ newest board member will be attending the iSummit 07 in Dubrovnik. Liang is a legal researcher with the Alternative Law Forum in Bangalore. His key areas of interest are in law, technology and culture, and he has written extensively on the topic of piracy, especially within the framework of the developing world. In light of the discussions on piracy on the iCommons mailing list (sign up here), we thought we’d find out what Lawrence had to say on the topic. (more…)

This month we speak to Jimmy Wales, founder of Wikipedia, president of the Wikimedia Foundation, and member of the iCommons board. We chat about the ins and outs of Wikipedia, and find out about his favourite toothpaste. Is his dental hygiene the same as yours? Keep reading…

1. What inspired the idea to start Wikipedia using a ‘read/write’ web, especially when at the time, the web was typically ‘read-only’?
I was primarily inspired by the free software movement and the writings of Richard Stallman about software freedom. I believed and still believe that those core ideas of freedom apply beyond just software and into many areas of culture.

2. When Wikipedia first started, what incentives did you offer people to get involved in adding content to Wikipedia?
Fun! Even today (more…)

In the second part of the Digital Hero Book Project series, Steve explores the use of digital storytelling for advocacy and as a democratising agent in a world where dominant media giants often portray only half the story. He speaks to Amy Hill, Director of Community Projects at the Center for Digital Storytelling, the birthplace of this modern twist on the age-old art of telling stories.

icommons.org: What do you do at the Center?
Amy: I oversee our various initiatives done in partnership with grassroots groups, nonprofit organizations, health and social services agencies ‘ all for purposes of integrating digital storytelling practices into efforts to promote individual and community health and well-being, and support campaigns for social, environmental, and economic justice. This involves developing collaborative relationships, (more…)

This month our 10 questions go to Judge Jongsoo Yoon, Judge for the Seoul Northern District Court of Korea and coordinator at the Korean Association For Infomedia Law (KAFIL). Judge Yoon played a central role in the porting of CC licences to South Korea. And who would have known that this CC enthusiast has a penchant for Linkin Park? Read on…

1. How did you get involved in Creative Commons Korea?
In 2003, Glenn Otis Brown who was Executive Director of Creative Commons at that time, was invited to the Symposium held by (more…)