Comments on: The Power Of Blogs: Why Space Advocates need their own Daily Kos http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html Chronicling and Commenting on Human Progress Thu, 29 Jul 2010 12:06:01 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.2 By: Anthony Kendall http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-80 Anthony Kendall Sun, 08 Jan 2006 21:03:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-80 I visited Frontier Files Online and it looks very much like the kind of site I've been looking for. It is missing the feature that allows voting on diary entries allowing promotion, but the volumes are so low at this point that it's not really too important maybe. I'm going to keep an eye on the site and consider posting some of my space related entries over there. Thanks! I visited Frontier Files Online and it looks very much like the kind of site I’ve been looking for. It is missing the feature that allows voting on diary entries allowing promotion, but the volumes are so low at this point that it’s not really too important maybe. I’m going to keep an eye on the site and consider posting some of my space related entries over there. Thanks!

]]> By: PhysBrain http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-79 PhysBrain Sun, 08 Jan 2006 18:32:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-79 The Daily Kos site is running Scoop. I thought it sounded familiar from your description. Al Differ has set up a Scoop site over at <a HREF="http://www.frontierfiles.org/" rel="nofollow">Frontier Files Online</A>. It does not have terribly high traffic at the moment, but perhaps this could be the forum you're looking for. The Daily Kos site is running Scoop. I thought it sounded familiar from your description. Al Differ has set up a Scoop site over at Frontier Files Online. It does not have terribly high traffic at the moment, but perhaps this could be the forum you’re looking for.

]]> By: PhysBrain http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-78 PhysBrain Sat, 07 Jan 2006 21:16:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-78 This post has been removed by the author. This post has been removed by the author.

]]> By: Anthony Kendall http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-77 Anthony Kendall Wed, 14 Dec 2005 13:00:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-77 Bruce, I'm sure the software to operate sites like <I>Daily Kos</I> are widely available, and probably mostly free. I am not quite qualified to do it myself, nor do I have the time at this point in my career, otherwise I very much would do it. But I would love to participate, and I would move much of my space posting to such a site, maybe just republishing or linking here. Peter and Valentine in Ender's Game influenced my thinking quite a bit. The idea that an individual can shape world events is very powerful to me. In my younger days (read: freshman at college), I remember reading a summary of <a HREF="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Arnold_J._Toynbee" rel="nofollow">Arnold Toynbee's</A> historical theory of civilizations. In it he presented the whole of written history as the rise and fall of civilizations based merely on how they respond to external challenges. His main idea was that civilizations that rise up to respond to challenges advance and spread, and those that do not decline. Toynbee's theories really disheartened me for a while, because it suggested that history is not created by the proactive, or those that would seek to expand civilization's boundaries, but by the reactive. It de-emphasized the importance of historical figures, suggesting the aggregate response was what determined fates. I've since snapped out of that a little bit, back then I had too much respect for a well-worded argument I guess. I now feel that individuals play a crucial role in the success of a venture, or of a society. I fundamentally believe that the future of our civilization lies in the stars, and that is the proactive message of positive change that I am devoting much of my efforts to spreading. I'm not saying that I'm a "Demosthenes" or "Locke" from Ender's Game, but I hope to be part of a group of individuals that together have that kind of influence. Bruce,
I’m sure the software to operate sites like Daily Kos are widely available, and probably mostly free. I am not quite qualified to do it myself, nor do I have the time at this point in my career, otherwise I very much would do it. But I would love to participate, and I would move much of my space posting to such a site, maybe just republishing or linking here.

Peter and Valentine in Ender’s Game influenced my thinking quite a bit. The idea that an individual can shape world events is very powerful to me.

In my younger days (read: freshman at college), I remember reading a summary of Arnold Toynbee’s historical theory of civilizations. In it he presented the whole of written history as the rise and fall of civilizations based merely on how they respond to external challenges. His main idea was that civilizations that rise up to respond to challenges advance and spread, and those that do not decline.

Toynbee’s theories really disheartened me for a while, because it suggested that history is not created by the proactive, or those that would seek to expand civilization’s boundaries, but by the reactive. It de-emphasized the importance of historical figures, suggesting the aggregate response was what determined fates.

I’ve since snapped out of that a little bit, back then I had too much respect for a well-worded argument I guess. I now feel that individuals play a crucial role in the success of a venture, or of a society. I fundamentally believe that the future of our civilization lies in the stars, and that is the proactive message of positive change that I am devoting much of my efforts to spreading. I’m not saying that I’m a “Demosthenes” or “Locke” from Ender’s Game, but I hope to be part of a group of individuals that together have that kind of influence.

]]> By: FlyingSinger http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-76 FlyingSinger Wed, 14 Dec 2005 06:13:00 +0000 http://www.anthonares.net/2005/12/power-of-blogs-why-space-advocates.html#comment-76 Some good ideas, I think - I will have to check out the Daily Kos when I get back. There is already a sort of Darwinian competition for the survival and promotion of ideas on the web, with bloggers being in some sense "low on the food chain." Maybe this is a way to evolve this into a more effective "organism," to build strength in numbers, though this does detract somewhat from the free-wheeling "anything I want to discuss" aspect of blogging, even if the audience is small and the shelf-life short. But I will definitely give this some thought. BTW, something just reminded me of the Ender books, where "genius kids" writing political opinion pieces "on the net" under aliases (Demosthenes and Locke) end up influencing world opinion and even policy (on the internet, nobody knows you're a dog, I mean a kid). I used to think that was nonsense, but maybe mechanisms evolving from blogging will result in influential (or more influential) interest groups, or even charismatic individuals, being able to really make a difference, at least in selected areas. -Bruce Some good ideas, I think - I will have to check out the Daily Kos when I get back. There is already a sort of Darwinian competition for the survival and promotion of ideas on the web, with bloggers being in some sense “low on the food chain.” Maybe this is a way to evolve this into a more effective “organism,” to build strength in numbers, though this does detract somewhat from the free-wheeling “anything I want to discuss” aspect of blogging, even if the audience is small and the shelf-life short. But I will definitely give this some thought.

BTW, something just reminded me of the Ender books, where “genius kids” writing political opinion pieces “on the net” under aliases (Demosthenes and Locke) end up influencing world opinion and even policy (on the internet, nobody knows you’re a dog, I mean a kid). I used to think that was nonsense, but maybe mechanisms evolving from blogging will result in influential (or more influential) interest groups, or even charismatic individuals, being able to really make a difference, at least in selected areas.

-Bruce

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