I was going to write a post about another looming crisis. Bees. Specifically, the death of bees. “Is that really a crisis?” – I hear you cry. Only if you like to eat. Go read the article. Dancr has a post scheduled after ten on this sort of thing (a good place for any comments re the bees).
Anyway, I was starting to write, when it occurred to me that I’m always writing about bad news. Bloody Tories. Climate change. Oil spills. Financial collapses. Countries torn apart. It’s a depressing diet. Time for a change! How about a post about good news? Let’s give it a try.
Here’s one, for example, the Free Software movement. Tens of thousands of people all over the world donating their training, their talent and their energy to make neat software and give it away. For free. Just because it’s cool, or to make a political statement. A bunch of volunteers have created tools that rival the big corporations. It’s inspiring. The World Wide Web, the tool that we’re using to communicate with now, was developed by an amazing individual who never tried to commercialise it or shackle it in any way, he just gave it away for the common good. Same goes for the internet protocols that sit underneath the web, and much of the fascinating early history of the internet. It’s not the software that’s free, it’s you. I wonder if those founders could ever have imagined what an integral part of life it has become for most of us.
So, what other good news is out there? Let’s try and leave politics out of it. What is there of national or international significance to be cheerful about? (Or anything goes if you’re moved to write about personal good news.) Go ahead – make our day…
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