barefoot cyborg_

Ubuntu is a southern African humanist philosophy focusing on people’s allegiances and relations with each other.

Archbishop Desmond Tutu said:

“Ubuntu speaks particularly about the fact that you can’t exist as a human being in isolation. It speaks about our interconnectedness. You can’t be human all by yourself, and when you have this quality – Ubuntu – you are known for your generosity.

We think of ourselves far too frequently as just individuals, separated from one another, whereas you are connected and what you do affects the whole World. When you do well, it spreads out; it is for the whole of humanity.”

Interconnectedness – what you do affects the whole world.

Like a circle of friends.

I am fortunate to have a wonderful circle of friends, all of you, here.

And we have the power to help each other, to affect the community around us, to pass on our own good fortunes to others.

As I move forward with my own business plans, I am already thinking about how I will give back to the world – beyond what I will be selling. What can I truly *give* back to the world, to make it a better place?

We are fortunate to be living in this time, because it is so easy for us to connect, and grow.

Amber Case is a “cyborg anthropologist” and she gave an excellent TED talk entitled, “We are all cyborgs now”.

This concept may frighten some people, but I do not believe it should, as I believe it speaks to our interconnectedness.

Just yesterday, I turned back on my way to work, to get my smartphone, which I had left on the kitchen counter – why?

Because I need it to stay connected to all of *you* – my circle of friends – and it is a part of me, that I also use to stay on top of things that are important to me, like technology.

And the image at the top of this page?

That is the official logo of Ubuntu Linux – the circle of friends. Like all versions of Linux, Ubuntu is a community-based effort, and “it is what it is because of who we – the community – all are.” The founder of Ubuntu, Mark Shuttleworth, created the project as a way of passing on his own good fortunes to others.

From the Ubuntu Brand Guidelines:

“We stand for something

We believe that everyone has the right to a high-quality computing experience. And we believe it should be free. Ubuntu is the best operating system in the world. It’s fast, free and safe. More than an operating system, Ubuntu is at the forefront of a world-changing revolution that’s gathering pace every day. A truly collaborative effort with freedom at its heart, Ubuntu is the result of a growing community working together to produce something extraordinary.”

And so, this is one of the reasons why I run Ubuntu on my computers at home – I feel a sense of interconnectedness with it that I do not feel when I run other operating systems such as Windows or OS X.

It gives me freedom to do what I want with it – and I have the power to make changes to it, and give those changes back to the community around me.

I can use it, freely, to power computers that I build and sell, and my plan is to give back some of that to the world, freely, to enable the community around me.

Looking forward, I will talk about why you might consider learning more about Linux yourself – whether you are ready or not, Linux is coming, and it is rapidly changing the world!

I will also go into more depth as to why and how I use Ubuntu*, and how you can try it yourself, if you are interested.

(With a tip of my hat to Steve Jobs)

But there is one more thing…

Bonus points (and a prize!) to the person who can figure out why I posted at this specific time today.

(Please submit your answers within 24 hours of the timestamp on the post – a random selection process will be used in the event that I receive multiple correct answers. Email your answers to brett.legree AT barefootcyborg DOT com – good luck!)

This is the beginning of what will be a monthly giveaway – the start of my plan to enable the community around me.

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*I could run any version of Linux or BSD, or anything else that I choose for that matter, yet I run Ubuntu – I will explain why in a future post.

Filed under: Machina, Terra by brett

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