On this day, June 25th, 2008, the news brings to our attention the contention between hackers and social activists, the feminist blog as a hotbed for action, a look at what, exactly, the future holds for the Internet, and more.

• When are hackers social activists?
• Patrick Ruffini on the changing face of “rightroots” movement.
• Feminist blogs appear to be where the collective action is at.
• Notes on E-Mobalization and Participation from the Berkman Conference on Internet and Democracy.
• The future is broadband, not Facebook. And some odds and ends from Larry Lessig.
• Speaking of Lessig don’t fall into the “four year trap”.
• And finally, the press just loves a good flash mob freeze.

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On this day, June 19th, 2008, the news brings to our attention the Internet-savvy Red Guard, the dilemma of modern collective action, public choice theory, and much, much more.

• Newspapers are bad at flash mob coverage.
• Illegal flash mob pool parties, Google, and the cops who get pulled into it all.
• “New Media” is old hat.
• www.thechairmanismyhomeboy.com
• The left, collective action, our generation, and dilemma.
• When was the last time you really put some thought into public choice theory?
• And finally, a pretty great analysis of all of the numbers emerging on increased Internet and politics.

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On this day, June 18th, 2008, the news brings to our attention myths and realities about Chinese bloggers, a look at collective learning, Muslim activism online, the replacement of X-Gaming with flash mobbing (sort of), and much, much more.

• Bringing the business card exchange to the Internet.
• Best news title of the day goes to: “Campaign Obamizing VS Community Organizing?”
• More on Obama: The Illinois Senator “suggests that it takes a collective.”
• Have you partaken in the New Sport for the under 40 Generation?
• How are the Chinese blogging?
• Getting Your Collective Lean On 101
• Muslim activism online.
• And finally, Brits are going online to take on collective action.

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On this day, June 12th, 2008, the news brings to our attention today’s goings on in mobile activism, the online efforts of young McCain supporters, the Grand Net War of 2025, incarcerated net and civil rights activists, and more.

• Improv Everywhere begins documenting attacks of fun.
• Net and civil rights activist Jailed for “longer than most dangerous criminals.”
• It’s party time at South Korea’s protest 2.0!
• In 2025, there will be a grand net-war.
• In a 2.0 world, what’s an Internet populist to do?
• While we’re asking questions, how is mobile technology is facilitating development work?
• And finally, Rasiej and Sifry: We told you so!

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On this day, June 4th, 2008, the news brings to our attention the flash mob’s cooler cousin, digital ninjas, “computer literate” terrorism, guerrilla campaigning in Idaho, the 10-year-old’s digital pedophile costume, and more.

• Forbes takes a look at Kiva and its founders, Matt and Jessica Flannery.
• Charlie Beckett of the Polis Journalism Society: Does the Internet make things more democratic?
• SleepWhenDeadNYC puts on a steroid-pumped flash-mob festival. Is this the flash mobs more mature cousin? What is this?
• Perhaps talk of Egypt and Facebook activism will fill the void in conversation choices left by the end of primary season.
• Adeline Flash Mob advertises upcoming (ninja) mob, video.
• Have you heard about the 10-year-old girl who masked herself as an Internet pedophile?
• A look at Guerrilla campaigning through the eyes of Smokefree Boise.
• And finally, there is no shortage of reportage on the rise of “computer literate” terrorism.

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On this day, June 2nd, 2008, the news brings to our attention flash mobs (everywhere), black bloggers fighting for a voice, YouTube as the great political organizer, David Sirota on his book The Uprising, and more.

• More on My Chemical Romance’s march — It sounds like it was a bust.
• Flash mob (Critical Mass) in Sofia!
• Flash mob on the Underground (and in jail)!
• YouTube: the great political equalizer.
• Black Bloggers are trying to put their voices out there, especially with regard to the DNC.
• And Finally, David Sirota talks about his book The Uprising on CNN:

[youtube]http://youtube.com/watch?v=B5bROFU_y84[/youtube]

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On this day, May 19th, 2008, the news brings to our attention accusation of Free Press lies, eJihad, Internet savvy rape victims and more.

• Gordon Brown: The Internet will shame Burma’s Junta.
• Is the Free Press lying? The Register says so.
• Speaking of The Register, UK Police squash flash mobs.
• Microfinance is apparently at some sort of crossroads.
• Vertical markets are rapidly shifting their fundraising to the internet.
• Virtual Jihad is steadily gaining press attention.
• And finally, [more on] rape victims who use the Internet to look for help.

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I just returned from serving as a staff member at the Maine Youth Leadership conference , where around 100 tenth grade “ambassadors” from every public and private high school in the state gathered to participate in a 4-day leadership seminar. At one of the sessions, young participants engaged in an activity called “The Game of Life,” an exercise which is constructed to get kids who live in an otherwise economically and racially homogeneous state to consider factors like, class, and privilege, in the context of “success.” Each student is assigned an identity or series of identities (i.e. Caucasian, African American, lower, middle, and upper class, etc.) and during the 30 minute activity, in which they are simply told “to succeed,” they travel to different stations that represent education, employment, town halls (for marriage licenses), shopping centers, and mortgage lenders. The attendants at each station, reading code on the participants’ name tags (the meaning of which is unknown to the kids), treat them in accordance with pre-suppositions of institutional racism/sexism/classism.

This led to happiness and bitterness, organized crime and organized labor among the sophomores.

According to the exercise’s facilitator, this was the first year that students who had withdrawn from the game because of their frustration with being sent away from services based on various biases, revolted. One student, separated from success, had sat out (or “committed suicide,” as he put it) until he thought to ask if it was OK for him to rob the stations so that he could compete with the other, more well-to-do participants. Told that the facilitators could not tell him what to or not to do, he improvised, rallying other frustrated and disenfranchised players and they put together protests and strikes. Even more interestingly, whenever the organizer would pick up some money from a philanthropic participant who related with the cause, he would leave his union members, spend the money, and build a new union to start again. Regardless of his reputation after several organizing swindles, he continued to attract disenfranchised participants time and time again.

Perhaps next year we can incorporate into the activity some connective-modernity — Flash mobs/denial-of-service attacks anyone?

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On this day, May 16th, 2008, the news brings to our attention the Iranian political blogosphere, flash mobs in Philly, character attacks by unknown assailants, the Internet tendencies of martyrdom bombers, the year of the small donor, and more.

• Virtual communities mourn for earthquake victims.
• Iran’s more-elected political blogosphere.
• Tomorrow, a flash mob appears to be in the forecast for Philly.
• Is 2008 the year of the small donor?
• Bin Laden finds a home online.
• Estonia will house NATO’s Cooperative Cyber Defence Centre of Excellence.
• And finally, bin Laden’s friends find a home online.

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On this day, May 15th, 2008, the news brings to our attention the changes the Internet has brought to fundraising (as if you didn’t know already), a second look at “cyber action hotspots,” a micro blogging response to giant earthquakes, a gander at the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act,” and more.

• With the way that everything is changing thanks to the Internet, Arianna Huffington tells women to get involved.
• A micro blogging response to earth quakes.
• Here are some Internet functions that have changed the fundraising process.
• In buyout news: Comcast, meet Plaxo.
• THE Massachusetts Flash Mob event.
• How much have you read about the “Violent Radicalization and Homegrown Terrorism Prevention Act”?
• And finally, even more than you already knew about “cyber attack hot spots.”

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