Think Locally, Act Locally

Time to recommend an essay.

But what to recommend? Since it’s me, you’re probably expecting an essay on Open Source Software.

Perhaps you’re thinking I should go a bit more extreme and find one about the (hopefully, very) possible end results of the Open Source philosophy, with a bit of a road map thrown in for how to get there?

No, perhaps your interest lies in architecture, and the methodology behind the cathedral of Notre Dame. Or even in a contrast between this and the Leavittown philosophy! Or the way that Leavittowns evolved over time.

No, no… I can tell that you are the type of person who is interested in emergent behavior on the border between chaos and order: the way that a colony of termites builds an arch, or the way that birds find their places in formations…

Ah, you’re interested in the xenia, gift-giving culture of Ancient Greece, and the way that it conflicts and corresponds with our commodity, capitalistic economy. Am I right?

Maybe I’m not… Maybe you’re more interested in the duende of musicians and poets, and where that’s applicable in a universal sense. In that case…

Okay, I’ll recommend all of those. In one essay. Ladies and Gentlemen, “Mob Software” by Richard Gabriel and Ron Goldman. It’s 32 pages, but you may find it to be a good investment of your reading time. (PDF, HTML, Local Copy)