knOwhere
Palo Alto, California

May 8-10, 2001

"The real change set in motion by the Internet may, in fact, be a control revolution, a vast transformation in who governs information, experience, and resources." Andrew L. Shapiro, The Control Revolution, page 10.

"This code presents the greatest threat to liberal or libertarian ideals, as well as their greatest promise. We can build, or architect, or code cyberspace to protect values that we believe are fundamental, or we can build, or architect or code cyberspace to allow those values to disappear. There is no middle ground. There is no choice that does not include some kind of building. Code is never found; it is only ever made, and only ever made by us. As Mark Stefik puts it, 'Different versions of [cyberspace] support different kinds of dreams. We choose, wisely, or not.'" Lawrence Lessig, Code and Other Laws of Cyberspace, page 6.

"Excuse me for being greedy, but I want freedom and good government. Both a flourishing economy and a well-cared-for earth. A society that is diverse and communal ... that offers both privacy and accountability. One that can afford a big conscience, along with lots of neat toys. In fact, despite the relentless propaganda about "trade-offs," it should be evident by now that all five of these pairs will either prosper together or wither on the same vine. They are linked. They share the same blood supply. What evidence can I offer for such a strong and iconoclastic statement? The same evidence I have used several times before. Us." David Brin, The Transparent Society, pages 225-226.

The advent of the Internet is undoubtedly one of the most important developments of the 20th Century. The Information Revolution will alter global societies as dramatically as the invention of the printing press over 500 years ago. For the full, globally beneficial potential of this revolution to be realized, however, it is critical that the architecture of cyberspace be created through active design rather than through passive default. During the next few years, computing will continue to get faster and cheaper, communications bandwidth will increase enormously and amazing new unforeseen tools will emerge. Increasing network effects and ubiquitous computing will continue to shrink the part of our lives not touched by code. Thus, the decisions we make regarding the design of cyberspace will have an ever greater impact on our everyday lives in the years to come.

MG Taylor will hold a TANSTAAFL DesignShop® Event on May 8-10 in Palo Alto, California, bringing together a community of people concerned with these and other cyberspace design issues in order to advance the intelligent conversations. TANSTAAFL DesignShop events are forward-looking events designed to address strategic, policy, cultural, and philosophical aspects of a particular issue or group of issues. They bring together individuals, teams, and organizations who are "stakeholders" within the context of the subject matter and are meant to be catalyzing events that substantially augment, leverage, redesign and create new intellectual tools and processes that narrow the gap between Vision and Current Reality. A DesignShop is not your traditional "sit-and-git" conference and it is much more than a fancy brainstorming session. A DesignShop is complex process, designed to get at the heart of systemic issues, enabling the emergence of Group Genius™. The entire three days of the DesignShop process is fully documented in text, graphics and video. This documentation, combined with the action plan developed by the participants, ensures that this DesignShop event has the potential to measurably advance the implementation of the goals set by the participants.

A sampling of issues on the table:

It was once common to hear that cyberspace is, by nature, unregulable, that it is immune from any type of government (or anybody else's) control. Lawrence Lessig argues that this is not the case, that cyberspace has no inherent nature, the Internet is what we make it. The question then becomes, how do we design and implement the cyberspace Commonwealth we all want?

As David Brin has discussed at length in The Transparent Society, the sensors are coming. In many respects they are already here. A related concern is the loss of control of personal information, be it our shopping preferences or details of our genetic "defects." What is the appropriate response of an open society? Do we guarantee people's right to strong encryption, or do we insist on reciprocal transparency?

The Digital Divide - How can we insure that information tools are used to eliminate the current economic, social and political disparities, rather than magnify them? As new and exciting technologies are developed, how do we insure that new and unforeseen divides do not open up?

What forms of global governance might become necessary as a result of the information revolution? While the industrial revolution produced large scale technologies which required centralized decision making, the information revolution is producing global technologies which empower individual control.

Is the notion of intellectual property consistent with the emerging knowledge economies? If so, are there steps we can take to reform the current system? If not, what can be done to encourage and protect innovation in the information age?

What is the role of "open source" in creating the desired outcomes?

You are invited to participate in the MG Taylor TANSTAAFL DesignShop event, where these and many, many other critical issues concerning the future of society and of the global information infrastructure will be discussed, solutions explored and next steps designed.

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TANSTAAFL FAQ

What is TANSTAAFL?

There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch -
the TANSTAAFL Principle

As first discussed by Robert Heinlein in his book, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress ... And later by Edwin G. Dolan in TANSTAAFL, The Economic Strategy for Environmental Crisis

"The fundamental principle on which this strategy is built may be expressed in a simple slogan—There Ain't No Such Thing As A Free Lunch, the "TANSTAAFL principle," for short. The TANSTAAFL principle is closely related to the fundamental theorem of ecological economics, that everything depends on everything else. Everything worthwhile has a cost. Whenever you think you are getting something for nothing, look again—someone, somewhere, somehow is paying for it. Behind every free lunch there is a hidden cost to be accounted for.

The task of ecological economics is to figure out how to restructure the economic system so that these hidden costs will be brought out into the open, with the ultimate aim that no one who benefits from the use of the environment will be able to escape without paying in full. The rest of this book is devoted to working out specific applications of this general strategy in order to deal with specific problems."
- Edwin G. Dolan, TANSTAAFL, 1969

What is a DesignShop Event?

A process designed to help companies, organizations, and communities create strategic solutions and action plans in the midst of tremendous complexity, uncertainty, and change. The process easily engages people from different industries, cultures, and communities. It involves 35 to 80 people for 3 to 4 days. The DesignShop navigates participants through a systematic process of exploration, assessment, decision making, and action planning. More...

What are the benefits and take-aways I can expect from participating in a TANSTAAFL event?

In any enterprise be it a club, a business, a field of endeavor, a nation or a planet, there are commons issues that have to be addressed by everyone. Even competitors have to create, together, the rules of engagement that makes their competition healthy and productive - not destructive. This is true even in war.

In our American society, today, the "Tragedy of the Commons" is the biggest problem we face and we, as a society, have few ways to deal with it. The commons issue, of course, is a global issue and there exists no means - that all consider legitimate - to address it. Neutral space is required. A process is required.

TANSTAAFL DesignShop events are an effective environment for individuals and organizations to accomplish the following:

Perform Weak Signal® Research and anticipatory design.

Diagnose, in collaboration with peers, and solve industry specific problems and societal issues too complex for any one organization.

Prepare for managing the commons.

Develop collaborative and co-design skills.

Build networks.

Refresh their personal perspective and world view.

The value that can be created in three days overwhelms the cost and the scarcity of time that rules the life of so many of us. Whole new paradigms can be explored, a myriad of solidly engineered alternatives accomplished, personal and organizationally specific implementation plans can be crafted.

Documentation
The DesignShop process will be facilitated and extensively documented by an experienced team of MG Taylor knowledge workers. With skill sets including knowledge management, writing, illustration, graphic facilitation, video, and web design, the crew will capture, document and publish the content generated over the course of the three days.

Each participant will receive web access and/or hard-copy publication of the event proceedings and outcomes.

How much does it cost?

$2,950 per person.

Organizations who register 3 to 6 participants will receive a $200 discount per person. Participation is generally limited to 6 people from any one organization. If you are interested in sending more, please contact us.

Sponsorship, additional events and other means of participation:

Event Sponsorship - provides you with the opportunity to co-design the event with MG Taylor. There is a limit of 15 sponsors per event.
Additional cost: $800.

Author Seminar (if scheduled)- attend a half-day seminar with one of the authors whose work will be featured in the DesignShop event. There is a limit of 30 participants per seminar.
Additional cost: $500.

Virtual Participation - participate in an Online TANSTAAFL experience that will coincide with the event in Palo Alto. Up to 500 virtual participants may attend.
Cost: $500

Corporate Sponsorship is also available. Contact MG Taylor for details.

Recommended Hotels in the Palo Alto area
There are numerous hotel options in Palo Alto, most located on El Camino Real, the major thoroughfare through town. A few of our recommendations:

Dinah's Court
4261 El Camino Real Palo Alto, California 94306
t.) 650.493.2844 f.) 650.856.4713
approximate rates: $175 and up

Cabana Crowne Plaza
4290 El Camino Real Palo Alto,California 94306
t.) 800.227.6963 f.) 650.857.0787
approximate rates: $175 and up

Hyatt Rickeys
4219 El Camino Real Palo Alto, California 94306
t.) 650.493.8000
approximate rates: $175 and up

Creekside Inn
3400 El Camino Real Palo Alto, California 94306
t.) 650.493.2411
approximate rates: $150 to $225

Stanford Motor Inn
3305 El Camino Real Palo Alto, California 94306
t.) 650.493.3153
approximate rates: $110 to $180

Contact us if you would like additional options or assistance in booking your stay.

To Register:

Registration for this event has CLOSED.

To secure your participation in Coding the Transparent Society, fill out the on-line registration form, which will then direct you to information regarding payment options.

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