Does a mute make a sound when he/she coughs? What if said mute was in the empty forest where that tree fell down?
Yes, I do think about things like that. Don’t you? 
Perhaps it’s a sign that I’ve taken too many antibiotics for my own good or that I’m not getting enough sleep due to this incessant cough.. or maybe it’s just who I am.
Those of you who know me well and even those who don’t really might have guessed that I like to ponder things – myself, life, philosophy, the world’s problems and even, the problems of a mute. Yes I’m a ponderer (it’s not a word, I made it up.) I like to indulge in the what-ifs and dream of what could be.. then that practical engineering part of me starts to wonder how I could make things like that work. So in saying that I’ve been playing around with some ideas for social ventures and I thought I’d put them out there and see if any one is interested in pursuing them further with me or just brainstorming etc. Here’s some of my ideas. what do you guys think?
UnderDevelopment
My idea of UnderDevelopment is an online platform to connect people in the developing world with knowledge and expertise from people through an online collaboration system. A hybrid system of online forums, wikipedia and seek.
The idea is that there are a lot of people in the developing world who have things they want to do but don’t have access to the right knowledge or skills and there are a lot of people like you and me who have the knowledge and skills and even if we only contribute like 1% of our time we could make a huge difference by sharing that knowledge to meet a need. The idea is that it’s an open database of knowledge that can be re-used.
A large part of the user base would also be NGOs. There are a tonne of different organisations working on the same big problems in their own way, there’s bound to be redundancies in work and knowledge. Imagine if there was international collaboration or co-operation and knowledge was shared quickly and effectively. It’s all about synergies. I hate waste and redundancy.
TheirStory
There’s so much power in a story. It opens up the mind to imagination and possibility and it breaks down barriers and opens understanding. Each of us have our own story to share and everyone can learn from it… but what if instead of sharing your own story, you shared the story of a stranger?
This idea came to me as a way of creating mutual understanding and respect. To write and share a story about someone else, you need to first understand and appreciate the uniqueness that is them. In the same way that you are the only person in the world with the set of skills, experience and personality that you have.. so it is with another person. I see this as a movement or a type of media platform. I think there’s potential here but I can’t see how to move it forward.
PersonalSpace
Imagine this. You walk into a round room and it’s split down the center with a café in the middle. In the middle is a simple café with good free-trade coffee and teas and clean organic foods.
To the left, there are individual spaces where you can sit down and be alone. There’s no cellphone coverage, no noise and no distractions. This is a place for you to rest, reflect and spend time on yourself and to be yourself. No one will disturb you as long as you are in your space. There are interesting books on all sorts of things for you to read and challenge your self-reflection or music for you to listen to to meditate. It’s your Personal Space.
To the right, there are several fireplaces and chairs surrounding each one. This is a space to be yourself but with other people. It’s a place of connection but it’s a connection beyond our race, gender, religion. It’s a place of equality and mutual respect where you can be free to be who you want to be. It’s just a place where friends talk around the fire.
If such a place existed would you go?
Ever come across KhanAcademy.org? It’s a non-profit in California that provides ~10 minute tutorials on all subjects for students of all ages and totally free. Currently they’re very popular on YouTube but obviously that limits their reach to Africa, Asia and South America. Language is the other barrier. So they’ve got some effort towards offline distribution of these videos along with translating them to different languages. I guess it’s kind of complementary to your UnderDevelopment.
A colleague here in Melbourne has set up a website called The Daily Positive, shorthand name is “D+”. http://www.dailypositive.org/Daily_Positive. It collects positive stories for each day of the year on a per country basis. Basically a way of sharing some positive vibes. Worth checking out as that’s also complementary to your second idea.
Regarding the cafe, yes, I would go there. The hard part would be enforcing people to strictly obey the left-right division. We all remember how people loved to chat in labs even though they were clearly designated private spaces. It’s also hard to satisfy so many different tastes when it comes to a personal sanctuary. Sometimes I don’t want a human being anywhere within 10 metres of me because I’m just in that mood. Other times, I don’t mind the noise of chatter as I feel immersed in normalcy. In saying that, one thing I just noticed in Auckland is the real dearth of quality cafes that provide basic amenities like WiFi and a sturdy table
Melbourne has some fantastic little places that are probably most of what you’re thinking. So I suspect Auckland could definitely do with some.
yong, that’s an interesting idea. my question would be along the lines of what alif referred to – how to make the forum accessible to those who need it? very good idea, espeically in terms of redundany. there is a fair bit of that, and surprisingly, a fair bit of “turf” protection between NGOs and other organisations, even if the same good will is there, ultimately. things to think about. would love to explore the idea with you more, though.
am doing a lot of thinking myself – amazed that you feel adjusted back to life at home. perhaps it is because i’m not home, and because i still require waiting and public transit to move around (i love it and am not excited about it all at the same time). i am missing the daladalas, injera, even the dust.
cafe idea – that’s a hard one, as many people don’t feel comfortable in their own skin when i public – so even if there’s a protected personal space, they’ll be ill at ease because it is still public. cafes, though, with wifi, books, peace… there are a few places i’ve been that i’ve found with that. little utopias. i need to find a few in london, to be outside amongst other living beings more, while i am studying… and perhaps chat with people the way i once did when i was younger and more carefree.
Thanks Alif and Ayesha.
Alif – Khan Academy is a good site. I originally thought it was part of the huge Aga Khan Development Network http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Aga_Khan_Development_Network but I see it’s not.
In terms of access, that’s the real challenge. Luckily infrastructure is developing quite well in some places. There was a noticeable difference in internet speed over the two years I was there. The real value isn’t in the education but the bringing some kind of co-operation and sharing between aid workers and NGOs. For example, some of the stuff I did in Tanzania would no doubt be useful for other NGOs in terms of the solutions and the documents I wrote up. The challenge in that of course is the ‘turf’ wars ayesha mentioned.
I’d be quite interested to find out more about these places both of you guys have talked about.. these little utopias. What do they do well? and how do they do it? In terms of realisation of PersonalSpace, I’m struggling to visualise and conceptualise it past that point to be honest.
Regarding the little utopias, here are some samples of the places I visit.
http://www.saintandrogue.com.au/
http://wheelercentre.com/
http://bookaffair.com.au/
Saint & Rogue have free WiFi at ~1 Mbps sustained, great coffee, comfortable couches and chairs/tables, beautiful timber decor with a rustic smell and affordable tasty food. They’re hidden away from the main street with an inconspicuous entrance that subtly filters out the “wrong” crowd without being exclusive.
The Wheeler Center also goes by the name of Melbourne Writers’ Center. They’re next door to the public library that I showed you (the one with that awesome chess room). They also have WiFi, lots of stimulating public seminars and forums where influential people from all parts of society come and discuss current affairs during week nights. They also have separate space for writers to network. I’m not a writer but I go along to attend one of the free monthly seminars (which also gets televised on the ABC) and just talk to random writers sometimes.
Book Affair is one of a bunch of second-hand bookshops that I visit regularly. It’s the only one I could find a website for right now. Each of these bookshops are unique and are usually owner operated. This one doesn’t have WiFi but has a ridiculous number of great psychology texts that I go and read. They also have old magazines from the 1950s and 1960s that I love browsing to see popular culture of that era. All these bookshops are quite boutique and very quiet. No one bothers you and no one comes up to you trying to sell you stuff. So it’s easy to get lost for an hour or two while reading and pondering. There’s a bookshop in Brunswick called Grub Street Bookshop that plays soothing French jazz in the background. I don’t understand a word but the melancholy of French jazz is soothing indeed.