Essential projects

Essential projects are interesting projects we can't really ignore. They are doing things that we have to do, and we are far better off working with them, than ignoring them. In many cases they will be doing something before we do it here, and maybe better. So tracking them closely is useful.

• Consumerium itself, of course!

• wikitext standard efforts, notably at Metaweb and Recyclopedia, and GetWiki software project.

(note: Meta-Wikipedia is now devoted to software imperialism and mediawiki hegemony, and cannot be considered a valid forum to discuss any such "standard"; As an example of a failed attempt to organize against a cabal, see theUnited Wikipedias Forum - how to get a huge 40-language project governed in Simple English without a cabal taking it over completely. Obviously this has failed.

• Recyclopedia (at this URL - probably the most closely aligned encyclopedia project, and using GetWiki. We might consider this to be the best prototype yet of the future Development Wiki.

• http://www.responsibleshopper.org/ A project run by Co-op America that has very convergent goal with us. They actually have a DB online with 350 big companies investigated. Truly worth a visit.

• http://badcorp.org/ - they have very interesting search engine for figuring out who owns who! This is essential to track those constantly-changing names.

• http://www.wtfcon.org - WTF's The Future? A wiki that organises moots for techno-hippies and anarcho-geeks. A truly cool use of emergent democracy.

• Wikitravel - a travel guide - boycotts should include not going places where people do rotten things, since tourism has an eco-impact and sends messages of approval too.

• http://www.adbusters.org/campaigns/opensource/greenscan/ - GreenScan, an Adbusters project to create a hand-held barcode scanner with a simple output system. Scan a product: if you get a green light, it is ok to buy. Red is bad. What they don't yet realize is that building a specific access device without a database and information infrastructure, won't do much good. Go visit them and keep reminding them of this!

• Internet UPC Database - database of manufacturers and products with UPC codes, searchable online and downloadable version which is not as up-to-date as the online version but is strangely licensed under GPL

• Redefinition of mandatory label terms like dolphin safe, which we must track closely. what is the best source on this issue, and who tracks whether labels are ecologically sane or not?

• Propaganda and no body detection, since these always work to the detriment of some body. See Disinfopedia:propaganda and the propaganda glossary underlying it.

Feeling frustrated? Do something useful, it'll make you feel better

• http://www.thehungersite.com - Donate food by visiting this site. You will see some advertisements from companies that are donating the financial capital to make this happen. If you don't want this to happen you should close your eyes.

All of the above are essential since not doing them leads to the wrong result, or no result (also wrong) at the point of purchase. For instance to not know who owns who can let a company that is truly horrible compete simply by creating a front company. To not have Adbusters helping to create and publicize the standard barcode we agree on, means we lose essential publicity and help from them, and their programs of anti-propaganda billboards and truth-telling. To not include travel is to have no influence on the largest discretionary decision people usually make in a year - where to spend their vacation. The ability to check which tourism packages are best or worst with a single click or code is a huge edge for a happy future! Letting no body convince you that some body doesn't matter, or matters less than the no body who says so, is a sure way to help no-body corporations and ideology destroy some-body apes, dolphins, forests and this planet.

The following has recently moved under the umbrella of an enemy project:

• Simple English Wikipedia - educating people all over the world, finding out what they care about, recruiting those who can keep opinion wiki up to date. This is the translation base for all Wikipedias, and may be necessary for use to provide background notes in any language for Consumerium advice.

Now it will be necessary to fork this project, perhaps working with a valid and neutral international agency such as UNHCR which actually cares about the providing of essential survival and liability and risk information to people in simple language, and which probably has good resources for dealing with this.