[Foundation-l] Donations - Direction - Destiny

[Zack Clark]

I've been watching YOU - warriors of the Wiki wonder!
Such a precious phenomenon - because, when I want the
clean clear skinny on say "digital signature", I don't
go to pgp.mit.edu|www.pgpi.org, an U.S. Commerce site,
nor Google, and certainly NOT Britannica; as Wikipedia
has consistently proven to be where the real wealth is.

Needless preaching to the choir you say?? - maybe not.
Wiki, GNU and Linus’ Law are all spawned from the same
spirit - availing strategies which have achieved record
breaking results with heretofore inconceivable despatch.
Yet those gifted pioneers moving this new future forward
appear to be unaware of the full realm of freedom forces
being unleash and their world revolutionizing relevance.
Ya think I'm laying it on a bit thick? Well -if so- then
my goal over the next few short months is to demonstrate
that indeed this perspective is really an understatement.

To continue, the most personally inspiring aspect of this
whole marvel is the fact that it's unstoppablely unfolded
without massive mega-dollars of funding!  In fact, it can
even be argued that the monetary status quo -which wholly
engulfs us- constitutes a hostile proprietary environment
that’s largely counterproductive to the needs of today’s
avant-garde talent (requiring a new realm of recognition).
Hmmm - lets just leave that thought hang for the moment...

OK - the big question of the hour seems to be if this dear
movement must be wisely restrained to merely your precious
products or if it should foolishly be given an opportunity
to address an expanded range of challenges.  I'm concerned
the former 'wisdom' will reign. Before continuing however,
this phenomena I'm fawning over merits its own term. How's
"7F" (freedom fest fanatics forging fine faultless fruit)?

So if 7F can give us Wikipedia, GNU & Linux then why would
one ever shy from its application in the arena of practical
policy making unless it was fear of effectiveness?  To be a
bit fair, writing a quality encyclopedia IS hardly the same
as doing a business plan, but neither is coding an OS!  In
other words if 7F can successfully accommodate the extremes
we've already witnessed, then why can't we further tune it
for yet more terrific transformations? However, I see very
little about new 7F approaches.  Instead, there appears to
be this dangerous morbid attraction for delving into dirty
dollar dilemmas - a sadly unfortunate degrading indulgence.

The biggest bumbling bugaboo bobbing about is a bastardized
belief in the very nature of wealth. This ancient avaricious
animal (a scarcity paradigm) adverts attention from our true
assets and fixes the mind on conforming to hapless criteria.
Is that what we want to be about??  Or can someone sense the
power of a moral groundswell right under our proverbial feet?

All I'm trying to convey here is that in just 5 years you're
a blooming top 16 website propelled to prominence without any
big bucks.  Now that folks, is truly & profoundly beautiful!
Nevertheless there is this incredible spectacle of depending
on donations. Yea, I know, when under the status quo's spell
it all seem so natural.  But please consider that you're NOT
in some mere redistribution business like the UNITED WAY and
multitudes of want-to-be clones. Because (like the GNU/Linux
hackers) you are actually CREATING freed high quality wealth
in the most real ways. Moreover, each & every party involved
is enriched by the process (even the volunteers although not
nearly to the extent they should be). And yes, I know tragic
shortages of funds always occur when monetary elite channel
funds in preferential ways. But this hardly means that some
scarcity mentality is necessary nor that subjugation to any
authoritarian proprietary money need be forever suffered.

I am not saying it's best to totally abandon donations & the
whole 501c3 scene (just yet).  But I certainly do believe we
can build upon the wealth that's being constantly created by
valiant volunteers and seize the power to transform the most
basic precepts concerning wealth.  And perhaps the best part
is that this can be realized in full accord with 7F ideas.

Listen up, CREATING WEALTH & BEAUTY IS YOUR STRONGEST FORTE.
OK? So why weaken yourself by pandering to false & pathetic
scarcity principles wholly alien to the wiki spirit?  Your
proper placement for key endeavors should always be right
at the very top. But let me just say that you will never
be sterling players in the supplicant's area. There are
just far too many of them who have already honed their
curious craft to razor sharpness.  Even if you should
become honored & famed fund raisers that inevitably
lures one into the sullen slippery slope realm of
the lecherous lobbyist.  And before you know it
your previously free & wide open world starts
shrinking to accommodate the mean & narrow
minded precepts of the status quo.

The very existence of vastly varied cultures resulting solely
from the segregation of populations is itself, an indisputable
indictment of individuals' innate predisposition to assimilate
cultural norms. So it is no surprise that so many minds -after
years of turning to dollars for their very survival- form this
impression that fiat currency is necessary and scarcity is the
natural way of the world. They then run both their daily lives
and organizations in accordance with the status quo's dictates.
So even while we may be setting on top of a mountain of wealth,
there is always the blind propensity to ignore our true assets
and instead seek after rather dangerously deceptive currencies.
But just as 7F (as expressed through WP) stands to obliterate
the sordid sanctity of copyright;  a well working alternative
to FRNs (Federal Reserve Notes) could crack our dependence on
that harmful mind warping illusion also.

So here's the idea.  Embrace abundance.  Focus on strengths.
Place prime importance on continued high quality work/gifts.
Expand upon the enrichment already created by awarding your
own form of (monetary) *recognition* (remember? we left this
hanging in 3rd paragraph above).  Certainly any new monetary
concept appropriate for 7F needs calls for a whole new level
of integrity. So I'm suggesting a new order of raw individual
OWNERSHIP that is thief-proof, indestructible, unforgeable &
undeniable - plus basically cost free to a) create, b) store,
and c) transfer. The object of ownership is called a "YeNom"
since many of its features are the exact opposite of current
proprietary money.

The above -to good to be true- characteristics are actually
easy to actualize since -as you may have guessed- YeNoms are
simply files that are GPG/PGP clear text signed first by the
originator and finally by the recipient (should they wish to
assume ownership).  All active YeNom files are maintained in
a highly accessible open source database available to anyone
on the Internet (3rd party service providers most welcomed).
A YeNom (text file) could be title to tangible goods, stock
in an enterprise, pledged delivery of work/product or most
anything else an originator might imagine.  One especially
attractive idea for wiki would be votes of moral support in
the form of well considered comments on work & performance
for worthy persons, particularly your volunteers/supporters.

This is rather reminiscent of the barnstar idea, but with
higher expectations. YeNoms are highly objectified & most
explicitly owned.  They are also filed in a huge database
open to the world with the ready ability to be transfered
to new owners (the complete ownership history is embedded
in all YeNoms). Esteemed personages endowed with more well
earned regard than dollars can use YeNoms to critique and
extol cohorts. This amplifies the value of their gestures
for the whole community. This forum is also a great stage
for high profile philanthropy through selectively purchas-
ing individuals' YeNoms. In any case, being a YeNom owner
avails significant appreciation potential with zero risks.

While this idea was originated with you all & the GNU/Linux
hackers in mind, it's fully open for anyone's use. I'd also
be happy to manage the database at my own expense up until
it exceeds my abilities.  Finally, while this is really a
pretty simple idea, numerous points & details still remain
uncovered.  This email however, is already much too long,
so I respectfully offer the following URL for more info:
http://world1tours.com/wPress/home.html

Z.Clark