Marcus Cake

We need to build the Web 3.0 online social, industry and political networks on the critical path to Web 4.0 and pull in the next stage of financial markets, economic development, environmental sustainability, awareness, life, work and global governance. We need five online networks to solve the worlds problems by 2012 or we decline into conflict for generations. A global community could transform the world in 365 days by building the Web 3.0 online networks on the critical path to Web 4.0.

An online political network can replace expensive proprietary distribution channels and with a virtually costless channel that provides a superior means to deliver the primary objective of democracy to ensure “political sovereignty [is] retained by the people and exercised directly by citizens”. Democracy is entirely based upon information and could be facilitated by an online political network. Our politicians make choices about economic, social and industry policies and implement them with laws. Citizens choose politicians based on information. Online political networks provide internet applications to facilitate the exchange of information, collaboration and the political process between citizens, government executives, politicians and other stakeholders in the politcal process. This article offers a potential structure for this network. I have also developed an initial prototype of this web application that has the global scalability of the Amazon Web Services cloud. The web application may be available in six weeks, but the transition to this online network may take six months or 50 years In Politics 3.0, individual transparency through online networks and internet traffic to a politicians profile may be determine whether a politician gets elected or not.

The era of online networks which manage information of no value is ending. The era of online networks that manage valuable information and reshape industry is beginning. The foundation for online networks has been building for decades. The most recent milestone may have been 90% broadband penetration rates in the major economies. The next generation of online social, industry and political networks will deliver unprecedented transparency, liquidity and accessibility in all aspects of society.

The 2009 demographic depression will be exacerbated by a food and energy crisis, the decline of the USD dollar in value, the decline of the USD as the world’s reserve currency, a global credit crisis, the world’s central banks pursuing inconsistent policies, competing interests in the Middle East and other challenges now confront the world at a singular point.

I recently read A New Earth by Eckhart Tolle. “At the core of the teachings lies the transformation of consciousness, a spiritual awakening that he sees as the next step in human evolution. An essential aspect of this awakening consists in transcending our ego based state of consciousness. This is a prerequisite not only for personal happiness but also for the ending of violent conflict endemic on our planet” (Inside back cover, A New Earth ). This has prompted the following question? Could a open source style online network, like Linux, focus the global consciousness to accelerate the solutions to immediate global problems. How would the online network be structured? How many people would be needed? Can this right brain global consciousness be just another resource or function of a left brain information distribution and collaboration online network?

The primary ego on the world stage today is the US - its excessive consumption, insolvency, military aggression and use of 60% of the world’s savings make it the world’s most gluttonous consumer. Its military acquisition of the worlds resources may be the greatest strategic move in history. It provides resources to pay back unserviceable debts and leverage other countries on the global stage. However, the destruction of relationships in the process will crowd out an opportunity to deliver a sustainable future for the planet. Unrelenting ego by the US may win the resource wars, but the destruction of global relationships in the process sacrifice the opportunity for a sustainable future. An online network may not save the world, but could a collective conscious network.

Wikipedia offers a general introduction to perception of perspective. I am not an expert on these matters and they are beyond my core competence. However, given that I have develoepd a large number of blog articles on some important topics, it is important that I acknoledge the obvious. That an individuals perception and perspective is based upon their environmment and experience. Our perception and perspective is formed by whatever source we get our information from. It may be a ten second sound bite from the televsion. It may be internet research over a few hours. Some sources of information may not be true and some may promote another agenda by omitting or including certain information. These omissions are probably the result of commercial pressures or the need by the majority of consumers for convenient and quick analysis, rather than exhaustive analysis. It is my view that for those that wish greater understanding, online networks will rise to provide greater information beyond the sound bite.

My approach
It is the approach in my articles to avoid providing opinions. I prefer to extract comments of a credible author and summarise and provide an additional perspective. In short, I would prefer to be conduit for the “things you should know” and to identify shifts. I avoid, “the US is bankrupt” and instead quote the US Treasury Department and the Comptroller General of the United States. The credibility of the message is much higher as a result. My perception and perspective is significantly influenced by my education as an economist and experience as a businessman. A psychologist may see the underlying cause of an event as primal or the seven deadly sins. A historian may attribute the underlying cause to specific events in history which have a cascading effect. I perceive the world as competition between nation states, industries and companies. As a result my articles and sources, reflect the way that I view the world. It is just an additional perspective. I encourage you to read widely. There are always multiple ways to understand an issue. It is, however, important to understand that economic and financial issues are one of the most important issues. If you can’t afford to pay for something, it is irrelevant whether you should.

We need to deploy five online political, industrial and social networks to avert disaster by 2012. Existing structures that rely on proprietary ownership of information, distribution channels, institutions and regional approaches are unable to solve our most pressing problems. Even if they could solve the problems, they are simply unable to coordinate a global endeavour in a rapidly closing timeframe. I had previously written that online networks could be delayed for up to 50 years by three epic battles. In some aspects of our global community, we can wait 50 years (and there is only an opportunity cost). However, for some specific problems, online networks need to be built, acquire a significant audience, and achieve their objective by 2012.

The best places in the world to live are France, Australia, Netherlands, New Zealand, United States, Switzerland, Denmark, Italy, Luxembourg, Argentina.

Prosper means different things to different people. It may mean more income, peer recogntion, more time with family or a sense of satisfaction in making a contribution. The ability to prosper in an online network has one common attribute - the ability to generate traffic. Traffic will reflect your participation and contribution to online networks. It will, ofcourse, also reflect the value of your service offering and demand by customers.

What if we did have cars that cost $25 and got 1,000 miles to the gallon? What if the Moore law rates of innovation and improvement could be applied to the world’s problems. What if Moore’s law rates of improvement applied to aircraft engines, car engines, carbon dioxide emissions, industrial pollution, cures for disease, energy and minerals usage, education and leadership. Our world is evolving. Advances in technology present new ways to organise. Online networks are likely to be a step forwards. An expansion of intellectual property laws is likely to be a step backwards. If there was a new way to deliver greater rates of innovation, we have a compelling need to solve specific global problems. We need to question that our underlying assumptions of how to organise.

Dan Rather: Journalism has lost its guts, Cnet.com news, 12th March 2007
Extract:

• During his hour-long keynote address Monday at South by Southwest Interactive, Rather opined at length on the state of his profession, in which too many journalists have become lapdogs to power, rather than watchdogs.
• “I do not exclude myself from this criticism… By and large, so many journalists–there are notable exceptions–have adopted the go-along-to-get-along (attitude),” he said.
• Rather left CBS last year in the wake of a scandal surrounding questionable documentation for a story accusing President George Bush of being absent without leave during his military service. Today, Rather works as a journalist for entrepreneur Mark Cuban’s HDNet network.
• In his speech, he touched on the state of the Internet as a way to get information and news to people.
• “The Internet is a tremendous tool for not just news, (because) its potential is unlimited for that,” Rather said, but for “illumination and opening things up.”
• But he spent most of his time on stage talking about why he thinks many people have lost faith in journalists.One reason, Rather said, is that questioning power, especially at a time of war, can be perceived as unpatriotic or unsupportive of America’s fighting troops.That’s “a very serious charge in this country,” Rather said.”We’ve brought it on ourselves,” he added, “partly because we’ve lost the sense that (the) patriotic journalist will be on his or her feet asking the tough questions. My role as a member of the press is to be sometimes a check and balance on power.”
• Indeed, Rather’s ascent to the pinnacles of power in journalism came as a result of his reputation for asking very tough questions and–as Hampshire pointed out–not being afraid to ask follow-up questions, of powerful people like President Richard Nixon, the first President George Bush, current President Bush, Saddam Hussein, and many others.
• “In many ways,” said Rather to loud applause, “what we in journalism need is a spine transplant.”
• Rather reiterated the journalist’s role as a watchdog. “Not as an attack dog…But what does the lapdog do? He just crawls into someone’s lap,” he said. “A good watchdog barks at everything that’s suspicious. I submit to you, the American press’ role is to be a watchdog.”
• “The nexus between powerful journalists and people in government and corporate power,” he said, “has become far too close.”
• You can get so close to a source that you become part of the problem, he added. “Some people say that these powerful people use journalists, and they do. And they will use them to the fullest extent possible, right up until the point where the journalist says, ‘Whoa, that’s too far.’”
• It is incumbent on journalists to be willing to risk their access to power to seek out the truth behind a story, he said. And they shouldn’t be willing to water down the truth to protect their access to power.
• Rather also said that the consolidation of power in a small number of media companies has hurt the search for the truth in newsrooms across the country. As media conglomerates get bigger, the gap between newsrooms and boardrooms grows, and the goal becomes satisfying shareholders, not citizens, he said.

My definition of the word hacker has evolved. From programmers cracking computer security (called crackers) to my modest efforts to improve my golf and, now, to skilled people contributing to online networks that reflect their passions and interests. A hacker has the tenacity and persistence to solve problems, often for the sake of solving it. They have the vision of architects, the skills of engineers and empathy of a mother with her upset child. They make significant sacrifices in pursuit of their goal. They navigate around, or though, barriers in their path. They do not rest (if inspired) until the problem is solved, or the challenge is overcome. If only my golf, could be described in these terms.

Online networks will be an essential tool of hackers. The will capture and focus the unique contribution of other hackers. Collective talent, energy and innovation will reshape industrial, social and political frameworks over the next decade.

Wikipedia offers a general introduction to perception of perspective. I am not an expert on these matters and they are beyond my core competence. However, given that I have develoepd a large number of blog articles on some important topics, it is important that I acknoledge the obvious. That an individuals perception and perspective is based upon their environmment and experience. Our perception and perspective is formed by whatever source we get our information from. It may be a ten second sound bite from the televsion. It may be internet research over a few hours. Some sources of information may not be true and some may promote another agenda by omitting or including certain information. These omissions are probably the result of commercial pressures or the need by the majority of consumers for convenient and quick analysis, rather than exhaustive analysis. It is my view that for those that wish greater understanding, online networks will rise to provide greater information beyond the sound bite.

My approach
It is the approach in my articles to avoid providing opinions. I prefer to extract comments of a credible author and summarise and provide an additional perspective. In short, I would prefer to be conduit for the “things you should know” and to identify shifts. I avoid, “the US is bankrupt” and instead quote the US Treasury Department and the Comptroller General of the United States. The credibility of the message is much higher as a result. My perception and perspective is significantly influenced by my education as an economist and experience as a businessman. A psychologist may see the underlying cause of an event as primal or the seven deadly sins. A historian may attribute the underlying cause to specific events in history which have a cascading effect. I perceive the world as competition between nation states, industries and companies. As a result my articles and sources, reflect the way that I view the world. It is just an additional perspective. I encourage you to read widely. There are always multiple ways to understand an issue. It is, however, important to understand that economic and financial issues are one of the most important issues. If you can’t afford to pay for something, it is irrelevant whether you should.

The problem with the world today is that there is not an convenient and effective means to aggregate and distribute the unique contribution of each individual. This is particularly true where problems may rest with government and large corporations which are perceived to have unlimited resources for “public relations”. Without an effective and convenient means to contribute, each individual quite rightly assesses any contribution to be futile. It is highly unlikely their activity will result in the desired outcome.

The internet offers a new means to overcome the futility of contribution. The rise of online industry, social and political networks will provide all individuals with the opportunity to make a contribution. We will be surprised at the phenomenon that will reshape the world over the next twenty years. As the real underlying problems of the world are publicised, collective communities will assemble to solve them.

If Moore’s law continues, then the cost of hardware will continue to decline and the ability to run a bank from a desert island a reality. The ability of software to take advantage of these hardware advantages may be limited. The advances in hardware and emergence of Utility computing will overcome much of the limitation. The result will be unpredented opportunity for entrepreneurs to create applications to global audiences in an increasingly service oriented world. Linux is likely to be best placed to take advantage of advances in hardware.

Skype made internet telephony popular. It added video functionality to Skype last year. It has now added remote desktop or application sharing. As the worlds most popular internet telephone software, this will have a significant impact on the number of people that work together over the internet. Could Skype make application sharing popular just like it did for internet telephony?

Internet publishing and sharing knowledge in an open source way is just a different way of turning knowledge into money. It is an alternative to obtaining a conventional job and selling time by the hour. Income may be earned by using knowledge to attract traffic, and hoping that that users click on “contextual ads”, make donations or request services. We all need to earn an income so that we may live, work, play and have children. Marcuscake.com is an experiment to see how much revenue can be earned from sharing knowledge over the internet. Any proceeds will be put into my daughters bank account.

Online social networks will drive a significant lift in productivity over the next decade. The internet will be essential to coordinating these networks. Online social networks are likely to be more efficient at manufacturing and distributing information. Consumers may be offered more convenient means to purchase, at lower cost using open source philosophies that may deliver greater customer satisfaction. Government can allow people to benefit from economic development, although some industries may perish or need to evolve in the short term.

The primary function of our political leadership is to safeguard the essentials of our community - our global community. There is action that can be taken on key issues of oil, food, water, climate change, national insolvency and retirement of the baby boomers. There is just enough time for action. The resources are available for most of the pressing issues. However, precious public funds are spent on more interesting ambitions, rather than the fundamentals. If questioned, more complex issues are introduced to defer the need to make difficult, but simple, decisions. The world confronts key challenges. Action on fundamental issues seem to be perpetually deferred until after the next election. Ambitions receive priority. The demand for leadership is growing rapidly. The supply of leadership is in declining. Perhaps, the law of diminishing returns applies to our political leadership.