Matt Locke has uncovered some wonderful stuff looking into slow networks:

“Googling on information for the slow networks post below, I came across this excellent paper from Princeton about communication networks in 18th Century Paris. The article gives an analysis of ‘Laffaire des Quatorze’ – an investigation by Parisian police into the author of some seditious poetry that had been circulating amongst students, clerks and priests. The interesting thing was that when they started tracing the route of the poetry, there was not the straight line back to an author that they expected, but a complex network of alterations, repurposing and adaptions that criss-crossed between 14 main protagonists (hence ‘The Affair of the Fourteen’). Its almost like a political combination of slow networks and a ‘rip.mix.burn’ philosophy, where the adaptation is part of the condition of a slow network. Very interesting…”

» Test.org.uk: More slowness – “L’affaire des Quatorze”

My project sponsor, Sian, writes:

“The BBC project seeks to engage people in a unique interactive community through which they can make a difference in civic life. The initial aim is to foster communities connecting people interested in the same issues. They will be helped to attract and channel support for their issues, achieving very broadly-defined outcomes, ranging from contact with like people to coverage on BBC networks, with even the occasional possibility of influencing legislation.

To help it become easier to navigate civic life, we will provide a ‘database of democracy’ which people can use to find out who they have to contact on any given issue. We want to provide people with the opportunity and means to participate in democracy at local and national levels, not simply to observe it. This will be a service designed for action, not talk or ‘chat’.”

» OpenDemocracy.net: “The BBC’s plans for digital democracy”