Dear Beekeepers:
You are invited to explore and dive into a scientific debate on Flow Hive using our software prototype— with an eye to helping critique and improve it.
As a beekeeper, I decided to use the spirited controversy over Flow Hive as the topic for a software prototype called “Cautionary Vigilance” being developed by our non-profit organization, Revive & Restore, a project of The Long Now Foundation. Once we road test the software using Flow Hive as an example, we will improve the overall design and user interface. Our intent is to create a general platform that could be used for public participation in any scientific controversy that could benefit from greater public engagement (e.g. fighting Zika with mosquitoes that resist the virus, self-driving cars and public safety, etc). The point is to help sift the evidence that eventually will resolve each debate.
Please take a look at the Cautionary Vigilance site, take a look at the FAQ and explore the FlowHive content. If you’d like to post on the site ( which we hope you will do) you will need to “Sign up” first and get a username and password, and then you can “sign in “ right away and start posting.
And if you really get into it— I am happy to confer “curator status” if you want to help us develop and maintain the highest quality content. Each Vigilance subject comes with a founding group of Curators committed to a neutral point of view, expressing allegiance to neither side of the controversy. Their job is to make sure the debates are fair and clear. As Discussion and Debates proceed, some participants, based on the quality of what they bring to the process, may be invited to take on the Curator role.
We would welcome any comments from you simply by email as well. I am also copying co-founder Stewart Brand here. We are both eager for feedback, either by posting on the Cautionary Vigilance site, or simply by emailing comments directly back to us:
ryan@longnow.org
sb@longnow.org
Many thanks for your consideration,
- Ryan and Stewart
Ryan Phelan and Stewart Brand
Co-founders
Revive & Restore