Support Our Free Future

34 Mainstream #BasicIncome Links

2014-06-03T13:12:00.000-07:00

Note the G+ post where you will find thirty four links (was 33, updated to 34) regarding basic income reports in the mainstream media. I will also include the thirty four links in this post, beneath the G+ post, for resilience.

For added value I have included two related videos. The first video is by Peter Diamandis regarding how technology is leading us to an increasingly free future, very abundant indeed. The second video features Bill Gates regarding civilization moving from poverty to prosperity. The video featuring Bill touches upon robots or automation leading to a reduction of jobs, technological-unemployment.

cnn
newstatesman
theguardian
archive ft
forbes
huffingtonpost
huffingtonpost
msnbc
economix.blogs.nytimes
pbs
bbc
techcrunch
techcrunch
techcrunch
washingtonpost
washingtonpost
washingtonpost
foxbusiness
bostonglobe
theguardian
theguardian
archive ftalphaville.ft
economist
huffingtonpost
businessinsider
bigthink
bigthink
nbcnews
techdirt
slate
slate
slate
salon
1993: independent archive

Mobile-Cell Testing Basic Income Badge

2014-05-01T12:26:00.000-07:00

It has come to my attention the badge is not rendered properly on at least one mobile due to the Impact font not being displayed, so I shall create a substitute for Impact, a safer web-safe font. Various issues are being tested, expect chaos while this badge is being perfected.

SUPPORT

BASIC

INCOME

Tweet #BasicIncome

SUPPORT

BASIC

INCOME

Tweet #BasicIncome

#BasicIncome Badge

2014-04-30T00:30:00.000-07:00

Progress regarding basic income badge (see earlier version). More editing needs to be done but this is essentially finished. In addition to other fine tuning I just need to decide what link-page will be shared.

SUPPORT

BASIC

INCOME

Tweet #BasicIncome

SUPPORT

BASIC

INCOME

Tweet #BasicIncome

Exponential Explosion #3Dprinting

2014-04-29T04:43:00.001-07:00

This is a great quote regarding 3D-printing. Michael Golway, CEO of Advanced Solutions said:

"We're experiencing an exponential explosion with the technology."

3D-Printer Feedstock Recycling

2014-04-19T13:54:00.000-07:00

On G+ Singularity 2045, I posted about 3D-printer feedstock recyclers, dated 29 December 2013. I have now embedded the post below. Note also the post responsible for inspiring me to make this log, which is embeddable after the post about feedstock recycling. Someone mentioned, in comment, how the cost of inks or feedstock could stop mass uptake of 3D-printers. Consider feedstock recyclers merging with Drexler's APM.

http://t.co/Js0hYhPBDE http://t.co/NueAaZPoTt Liz Havlin https://t.co/XdaWbv3elN http://t.co/yUfn7yk7EE
— SINGULARITY UTOPIA (@2045singularity) April 30, 2014

A new recycler was about to launch at the time of this blog post, note Wastestream to Mainstream. There maybe more recyclers in April 2014, but at least it is important to note these three fully-fledged recyclers:

1. Filabot.
2. Filamaker.
3. Recyclebot.

#BasicIncome Europe "lively debate" PBS Article, America Next?

2014-04-12T09:09:00.000-07:00

PBS has brilliantly helped raise basic income awareness via an article titled "Will a guaranteed income ever come to America?" PBS mentions the "lively debate" in Europe regarding basic income.

The article hinges upon the pending Swiss referendum. There is a lack of optimism in the article but all publicity is good publicity. The important issue is people are genuinely considering the possibility of free money. PBS published their views on 7 April 2014. The article was written by Felix Oberholzer-Gee who stated:

"So, will Europe provide a guaranteed income to its citizens? My personal view is that this is unlikely. The Swiss in particular (most of whom are temperamentally risk averse) are too practical to turn into strong proponents of radical redistribution. Differences in beliefs about the reasons for income inequality, however, will continue to drive redistributive policies."

Below is the video from the article, and below the video is a PS Warriors G+ post mentioning the article.

#3Dprinting Will Radically Change The World

2014-04-07T13:38:00.002-07:00

Here is an example of how popular 3D-printung will be. This cheap printer, very suited to the consumer market, was massively over-funded on the first day. The target finding was reached in only 11 minutes! The Micro: The First Truly Consumer 3D Printer.

People often state we are heading for a new industrial revolution based on 3D-printing.

#3Dprinting history happening right now with overfunding of this Micro 3D-printer: https://t.co/fDaDZfzbOV. Watch real time total increases.
— SINGULARITY UTOPIA (@2045singularity) April 8, 2014

#BasicIncome Awareness Grows

2014-04-06T19:48:00.000-07:00

Slowly but surely basic income awareness is growing. People are beginning to realise the future inevitably entails unemployment. Not everyone has made the cognitive leap, but total awareness of the need for free money, with no jobs too, will happen soon. Vice Motherboard wrote: "Yet it sure looks like the future of jobs involves more and more robots and machines..."

Below is a video about long term unemployment. Below the video note two PS Warriors posts. The first post includes a video where Robert Reich mentions basic income in response to an audience question. Robert Reich is notorious for making a documentary titled Inequality for All, which explores growing wealth inequality. The second post collates three New Statesman articles all mentioning basic income.

Nearly Free

2014-04-02T07:58:00.005-07:00

Here are some recent posts from Post-Scarcity Warriors regarding things being free or nearly free. The New York Times image could be a banner for the Warriors.

You may have noticed the development of the SOFF site has been significantly delayed, but all the pieces are in place thus eventually it will all be drawn together into a polished end product, at some point. These things take time.

Bertrand Russell Advocated #BasicIncome

2013-11-17T10:49:00.000-08:00

Basic income is an unconditional income guarantee. In theory this benefit (welfare payment) is given by the government to all citizens of a nation without any conditions for receiving the benefit.

Recipients of basic income would not need to be unemployed, working, or searching for work. Workers and unemployed people would both receive basic income without question. Receipt of basic income does not depend upon your savings thus you can receive the benefit regardless of savings or other capital. There is no way a person can forfeit receipt of basic income. When people state it is "unconditional" they really mean it, thus in addition to calling it "basic income" people often call it "unconditional basic income" or "universal basic income guarantee" or other variations.

There have been some temporary successful basic income tests, on small populations, but in the year 2013 basic income has not yet been implemented in a widespread or permanent manner. Times are however changing, there is White House petition (archive) for the implementation of basic income (15th December 2013 deadline), and a Swiss referendum is pending regarding the implementation of basic income.

Importantly I want to draw your attention to how the "philosopher, logician, mathematician, historian, and social critic" Bertrand Russell advocated basic income. Bertrand Russell is noteworthy person who has deeply considered the issue of receiving money without needing to work. Bertrand Russell did not actually use the words "basic income" (basic income is a new phrase) but Bertrand Russell did advocate an unconditional income for all people, which would leave people "free" if they decided they didn't want to do any work.

On page 102 of "Proposed Roads to Freedom," accessible via Project Gutenberg (free online library), Bertrand Russell stated (bold emphasis added): "When education is finished no one should be COMPELLED to work." Bertrand Russell believed people should be "completely free" from the need or obligation to work. The document in question, Proposed Roads to Freedom, is also freely available via zpub.com (archived). Below is the relevant excerpt from Proposed Roads to Freedom (first published in 1918):

"When education is finished no one should be COMPELLED to work, and those who choose not to work should receive a bare livelihood, and be left completely free; but probably it would be desirable that there should be a strong public opinion in favor of work, so that only comparatively few should choose idleness. One great advantage of making idleness economically possible is that it would afford a powerful motive for making work not disagreeable; and no community where most work is disagreeable can be said to have found a solution of economic problems. I think it is reasonable to assume that few would choose idleness, in view of the fact that even now at least nine out of ten of those who have (say) 100 pounds a year from investments prefer to increase their income by paid work."

The psychoanalyst Erich Fromm also allegedly supported the idea of basic income. Fromm apparently advocated basic income in his books "Ways Out of a Sick Society" and "To Have or to Be?" but unfortunately, after some online searching, I haven't found any significant corroboration of Fromm's support for basic income. If you have access to the aforementioned books by Fromm perhaps you could post copies of the relevant excerpts online.

Basic Income Referendum Switzerland

2013-10-05T12:53:00.001-07:00

I am continuing to build the SOFF site, I have been severely delayed, hopefully I should finish before the end of 2013. In the meantime it is good to note Basic Income progress in Switzerland. Enough signatures have been collected for a referendum on Basic Income.

The Daily Mail wrote (archive): "Enno Schmidt, founder of Generation Basic Income Initiative, says he wants government to implement an unconditional basic income (UBI), Ruptly.TV reported." The Daily Mail also stated: "The initiative aims to have a minimum monthly disposal household income of CHF 2,500 (US$ 2,700) given by the government to every citizen living in Switzerland." Yahoo news wrote (archive): "Funding for the proposed measure would come out of the Swiss social insurance system, which already guarantees universal health care coverage for its citizens, along with other benefits designed to uphold the country’s social safety net." This news was also reported on by Gawker.

Here is a post about it via the Post-Scarcity Warriors, which contains additional reports:

Here is a video regarding this Swiss Basic Income news:

Delays Creating SOFF Site

2013-06-18T01:50:00.001-07:00

I have been rather delayed creating this site, when I first published this blog-post I was hoping to finish creating SOFF before the end of July 2013. Now, updating the post on 1st September 2013, it seems I was too hopeful. Midway through building this site I decided to create another site called Futuristic Reader, which is a simple site, it was almost complete when I initially composed this blog-post, but I became rather delayed because our world is incredibly depressing, from my viewpoint, thus the simplest of things is a struggle. Futuristic Reader was created to replace the demise of Google Reader.

All the stupid people constitute an almost unstoppable avalanche of insanity. Attempting to educate them is utterly agonising, exasperating.
— SINGULARITY UTOPIA (@2045singularity) September 1, 2013

Anyway regarding SOFF, I was close to finishing compiling all the content back in mid to late June 2013 (I had been writing the content off-line). The styling merely required fine but significant tuning for the best visual impression. I shall now during ~~September~~ October continue from where I paused.

On June 18th 2013 I sent a Tweet to Penn Jillette regarding the Famous Support page. I was hoping, not realistically, he would get the ball rolling, but nothing happened. It's such a hard, thankless task explaining the future, very depressing, not surprising I am delayed. Here is the Tweet to Jillette:

@pennjillette you love science and are Singularity-aware. So I wonder, could U give +quote to get this page started? http://t.co/6uYASyNPOh
— SINGULARITY UTOPIA ⎔ (@2045singularity) June 18, 2013

Here is a SOFF archive archive.is/I40lE (2nd Oct 2013), which I'll log here for my personal reference while I am making changes, designing the site.

Soylent Could Significantly Decrease Food Scarcity

2013-06-02T10:29:00.000-07:00

Have you heard about a new food product called Soylent? Soylent is currently being developed via crowding-fund which very successfully raised 412% of the 100% target ($411,487 of $100,000 with 19 days remaining at the time of this blog-post).

The Soylent campaign site wrote (quote taken on 2nd June 2013):

"For many people, on many occasions, food is a hassle, especially when trying to eat well. Suppose we had a default meal that was the nutritional equivalent of water: cheap, healthy, convenient and ubiquitous. Soylent will be personalized for different body types and customizable based on individual goals. It allows one to enjoy the health benefits of a well balanced diet with less effort and cost."

There are clearly ramifications here regarding cutting down on food waste, furthermore resources could significantly be saved because the creation of Soylent minimises farming and production costs. The food is a synthesised, streamlined, refined, distilled, ultra-potent form of food.

There could also be significant health benefits, which will impact upon our scarce lifespans by making illnesses less likely. Gawker.com wrote (29th May 2013): "Rheinhart rattled off the benefits he's noticed since switching almost exclusively to a diet of Soylent: improved concentration and strength, weight loss."

Apparently, according to Boing Boing, the Soylent project was hosted via CrowdHoster, which allows people to create Kickstarter-esque pages. CNET, the LA-Times, and Vice.com have all reported on Soylent. Vice wrote:

"Soylent contains all of the nutritive components of a balanced diet, but with just a third of the calories and none of the toxins or cancer-causing stuff you'd usually find waiting to kill you in your lunch. Despite the fact it looks a bit like vomit, Soylent supposedly has the potential to change the entire world's relationship with food, so I spoke to Rob to find out how."

Finally, here's a video:

Disqus Comments Static Pages

2013-05-28T10:43:00.000-07:00

I am creating another blog before I finish this one. Thankfully the new blog is simpler than this one, the content will be purely piped feeds from various sources regarding futuristic technology. Anyway, thinking about creating the new blog made me remember a problem I had creating this blog, at first I couldn't implement Disqus comments on the static pages. Thankfully a found someone with a solution, which is really quite simple. To make Disqus comments appear on static Blogger pages you delete <b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'> and </b:if> from the Disqus section of the template/layout.

Here is my Tweet about it:

@disqushelp solved now. Was quite simple. Within #Disqus code I deleted: <b:if cond='data:blog.pageType == "item"'> and </b:if>
— SINGULARITY UTOPIA ⎔ (@2045singularity) April 25, 2013

I also need to try the code below on both blogs, or at least one of them, it should in theory make any links in Disqus comments open target="_blank" (a new tab/window).

<script>
$('.dsq-comment-text a').live('mouseover', function() {
$(this).attr('target', '_blank');
});
</script>

1979 Vs 2013 - BIG 250MB Vs 16GB MicroSD

2013-05-26T14:50:00.000-07:00

This Tweet said it all, until the account was deleted, it highlighted how we do more for less with each passing year. The Tweet asked: "Where are we going? #Singularity." The Tweet included the image below, which I have embedded via imgur. The picture shows a massive 250MB hard drive (1979) versus a 16GB microSD card (2013). In addition to the size difference there is a massive price difference. I have no idea what the source of the image is, I have no idea who the original author is. Below are some additional links to the image, the image has been reposted by multiple people.

Must Finish SOFF Soon

2013-05-15T13:23:00.002-07:00

H+ have published a good article about Abundance:

hplusmagazine.com/2013/05/14/hacking-abundance/

It seems things are about the take-off, awareness-wise. I am noticing a significant up-tick regarding artificial intelligence and robot articles about ongoing steady breakthroughs.

The abundance (Post-Scarcity) meme is progressing well. I think when Drexler's book Radical Abundance is published in a few weeks (June is it?) then awareness could explode, we shall see. I think this year (2013) could be very big regarding shifting awareness.

I must finish SOFF soon. I have been delayed editing all the info into a compelling case.

See also:
singularityhub.com/2013/05/15/moshe-vardi-robots-could-put-humans-out-of-work-by-2045

Link To SOFF From Your Site

2013-04-29T07:18:00.004-07:00

If you want to link to SOFF, from your blog-site, you can use the following code. Note how the world progresses to towards explosive intelligence when you clink the total freedom link.
SOFF Aware: TOTAL FREEDOM!

2008/09 Namibian Basic Income

2013-04-27T04:45:00.001-07:00

I am in the process of editing the basic income page, thus I am whittling down the information into a concise presentation. Here is some valuable data I have gleaned, which I have posted here to ensure it does not become lost or too harshly pruned in the editing process.

In 2008/2009 there was a basic income trial, a test experiment, undertaken in Namibia regarding the areas Omitara and Otjivero. Apparently the project, orchestrated by Basic Income Grant (BIG) Coalition, was a great success. Below are some pertinent quotes from Der Spiegel. Incidentally a point to note regarding the German newspaper Der Spiegel is that a literal translation is The Mirror.

In 2009 Der Spiegel wrote:

"It sounds like a communist utopia, but a basic income program pioneered by German aid workers has helped alleviate poverty in a Nambian village. Crime is down and children can finally attend school. Only the local white farmers are unhappy."

"Haarmann says that he doesn't understand why the farmers are reacting so emotionally to the basic income. One farmer, who baited a Swedish camera team with his eight dogs, says that he had received emails with racist comments. "I assume that the farmers are afraid," says Haarmann -- afraid that the poor will gain some influence and deprive the rich, white 20 percent of the population of some of their power. Their dissatisfaction probably stems in part from the fact that if a basic income is widely introduced, it will be the rich whose taxes will go up to help pay for the program."

"A few weeks ago, Dirk Haarmann published his annual report, which he sent to politicians, the United Nations and even a few presidents. According to the report, economic activity in the village has grown by 10 percent, more people are paying tuition and doctors' fees, health is improving and the crime rate is down."

"The report also stated that the basic income could be funded through the tax system by increasing the value-added tax or income tax by a few percent. Only 3 percent of the gross domestic product, or €115 million, would be enough to provide a basic income for all Namibians."

"Reactions to the idea have been cautious but positive. The UN Commission for Social Development has defined Otjivero as a "best practice" model. Hage Geingob, the former Namibian prime minister and current trade and industry minister, has commented positively on the pilot project. A group of 16 members of parliament recently paid a visit to Otjivero, where they watched Frieda Nembwaya bake her bread and Sarah Katangolo feed her chickens. The National Planning Commission called the BIG program a forward-looking concept for the country's economic development."

Blog R&D (Research/Design)

2013-04-24T07:56:00.002-07:00

This blog was recently launched. The design and layout is currently being fine-tuned. The content for the pages (see tabs) is being researched (links are being collated). The blog should be finished by the end of April 2013. #D1C9CC is the old color for the 2px dashed border.

Here is one location where research is taking place:
http://www.kurzweilai.net/forums/topic/basic-income-research-and-post-scarcity-proof-help-needed

Here are some notes:

.post-body img, .post-body .tr-caption-container
{padding: $(image.border.large.size);}
.post-body img, .post-body .tr-caption-container, .Profile img, .Image img,
.BlogList .item-thumbnail img {padding: $(image.border.small.size);
background: $(image.background.color);
border: 1px solid $(image.border.color);
-moz-box-shadow: 1px 1px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, .1);
-webkit-box-shadow: 1px 1px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, .1);
box-shadow: 1px 1px 5px rgba(0, 0, 0, .1);}

Test Post

2013-04-21T02:31:00.001-07:00

Lorem Ipsum. This blog is being constructed. Under construction. Pages incomplete. Text needs refining, various fine-tuning aspects are needed. Below is some filler text, as a design test. This is a link. This is a link in bold. Hello world how are you? Testing 1, 2, 3, 123, abc. Futurism # @twitter ~ {}[]<>)(*&^%$£"!1234567890\\ || ? // CAPS LOCK WRITING. ● ■ ► ◄ █ ▲▼ ♥♥♥

$(tabs.border.color) $(content.background.color) border-left: 1px solid #BCBCCC;

Lorem ipsum dolor sit amet, consectetur adipisicing elit, sed do eiusmod tempor incididunt ut labore et dolore magna aliqua. Ut enim ad minim veniam, quis nostrud exercitation ullamco laboris nisi ut aliquip ex ea commodo consequat. Duis aute irure dolor in reprehenderit in voluptate velit esse cillum dolore eu fugiat nulla pariatur. Excepteur sint occaecat cupidatat non proident, sunt in culpa qui officia deserunt mollit anim id est laborum.