Re: Project PM
Subject: Re: Project PM
From: Barrett Brown <barriticus@gmail.com>
Date: 5/9/10, 13:23
To: Jon Nicholas <eltonjock@yahoo.com>, Caleb Pritchard <cpritchard2001@gmail.com>, Mirna Hariz <mirnahariz@gmail.com>

Hi, Jon-

Sorry for the delay in getting back to you.

We won't be formally launching until perhaps August or so, as we're waiting for the software to be written in order to facilitate the two component networks, the media network and the governing network. In the meantime, we're simply recruiting various folks, media and otherwise, and informally making some plans. For instance, as a means of demonstrating the capabilities of collaborative networks in general, we're setting up the first of what will be many branch projects, this being a charitable trust intended to provide water purification projects to African villages and to do so in the most efficient manner possible (no administrative costs, for instance). My thinking on this is that a network made up of a collection of heavy internet users with various skill sets will be in a better position to identify the most effective methods by which to achieve a given goal - the limiting factor in all human striving involves getting the best information to those with the means to act on it, and hopefully the particular design of the network will facilitate information flow better than, say, a board of directors or other institutions.

Anyway, even though we're still working informally at this point, parts of the same principle are in play insomuch as that, by means of the internet, I've been able to recruit around 50 people thus far and am putting some problems to them in order to see how they go about solving them. The water charity project is the first; I've got a retired lawyer in Chicago who's just gotten back to me with a number of existing methods he's found that have already proven effective (and who's also trying to figure out how we should set up the trust legally), as well as a hedge fund manager whom I plan to put in charge of whatever funds we're able to raise for the charity since I'm thinking it makes sense (and is probably standard practice) to have a portion of those funds invested in order to increase their end effectiveness in terms of how much impact one's donations will ultimately have.

Meanwhile, there are a number of details we need to determine this summer - for instance, should we set up the media network in such a way as to encourage an emphasis on attacking major outlets and pundits, and if so, how? And should the governing network operate under some sort of "constitution" or other formal procedures, or should it operate in a free-for-all, more anarchistic fashion? If it's the former, should we set up subcommittees? Is there a more clever approach we can take in order to ensure that its operations are not bogged down by undue red tape?

I'm going to be setting up several Google documents and sharing them with our members so that we can brainstorm and otherwise informally address these questions in the meantime; I will let you and everyone else know when these are ready. You might want to get a gmail address (I see you're using Yahoo) or account or whatever in order to more easily contribute to those documents in the meantime; otherwise, you can simply let me or my second-in-command Caleb Pritchard (producer at an NBC affiliate, reachable at cpritchard2001@gmail.com) or my lawyer Mirna Hariz (mirnahariz@gmail.com) know of any ideas or suggestions you may have. When the software is ready, we may still use Google docs for a number of things (the new version allows for real-time collaboration on a given document, which is pretty cool, but then I am a text fanatic), or we may implement our own widget for text communication beyond what is provided for by the core software itself.

Also, do please let me know if you have any particular areas of expertise or other useful skills, and also please confirm that you'd be interested in serving on the governing network when the time comes (remember that this entails no time commitment on your part). And don't hesitate to ask any questions you may have; I may be reached via e-mail or phone at any time.

Anyway, thanks for getting in touch and for volunteering to assist with Project PM. I am convinced that this is a viable means by which to prompt needed change in several aspects of Western society, even if only by way of encouraging others to start thinking more about the possibilities inherent to this rather unprecedented age, and I appreciate the interest and dedication of those such as yourself who have taken the time to write me and offer their time and effort in advance of this project.

On Fri, May 7, 2010 at 2:19 AM, Jon Nicholas <eltonjock@yahoo.com> wrote: w
I would love to get involved with Project PM however I can.  Please let me know what the next step is.

Thanks,
Jon Nicholas




--
Regards,

Barrett Brown
Brooklyn, NY
512-560-2302