<!DOCTYPE HTML PUBLIC "-//W3C//DTD HTML 4.0 Transitional//EN">
<HTML><HEAD>
<META content="text/html; charset=us-ascii" http-equiv=Content-Type>
<META name=GENERATOR content="MSHTML 9.00.8112.16430"></HEAD>
<BODY>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>Well, although I hesitate to advance this as anything
other than the messiest of all possible solutions (ain't democracy a pain), but
wouldn't the "classic" resolution be something along these
lines:</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>1. The CURRENT BOARD renews or otherwise
reactivates SCN's registration with the state.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>2. The CURRENT BOARD immediately schedules and convenes
an ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING as the ultimate decision body for
SCN (yeah, that probably means reactivating a means for people
to enroll or otherwise confirm membership, but this would be the sole
and final action of the current board)</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>3. The ANNUAL MEMBERSHIP MEETING determines and
votes on a new board of directors (with any enabling "legislation" to vote
on all positions, not just those that may have expired under whatever process
the Board has been using in the absence of full membership
meetings).</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>4. The NEWLY ELECTED BOARD is charged by the ANNUAL
MEMBERSHIP MEETING with either dissolving the SCN corporation and
turning assets over to a suitable successor (which I'm thinking is maybe not as
likely now as it might have been a month ago), or leading a process of
restructuring SCN with a new mission and goals, and hopefully new energy based
on a broader commissioning.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>Clearly, current board members could still be
re-elected, but they, along with any other candidates/nominees, would have the
same opportunity for expressing their vision and commitment. Let the people
decide. But let us make one last invitation to a wider "people" (those who
continue to care about SCN or could be involved under a reborn mission and
structure).</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>I think that's what the SCN "of olde" may have
done.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>No question, this would be a "put up or shut up"
proposition based on who really can muster a strong enough constituency for a
genuine rebirth (or genuine closure). Democracy is a pain. And the case could be
made that there may be little passion for the energy that would be required for
confirming membership or receiving new members. My only thought was that if
there were sufficient spark to continue in any form, than some kind of full
membership meeting, even if only 20 or so folks, could more objectively
symbolize and support a launch into a new direction. And, needless to say, we'd
probably have to recruit a facilitator with a terminal disease (sorry, "with
nothing to lose") to oversee the proceedings.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>Or we could engineer a "friendly coup" from among the
relatively few of us who, as Al notes, already know too much about each other to
"just start over" with the same faces in the same places. This is my read on the
current proposals, and I'm ultimately open to whatever
unfolds.</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011></SPAN></FONT> </DIV>
<DIV dir=ltr align=left><FONT color=#0000ff size=2 face=Arial><SPAN
class=167445216-10072011>Just thinkin'</SPAN></FONT></DIV>
<DIV align=left><SPAN lang=EN></DIV>
<P align=left><FONT size=2 face=Arial>Ken Gillgren</FONT></SPAN></P><BR>
<DIV dir=ltr lang=en-us class=OutlookMessageHeader align=left>
<HR tabIndex=-1>
<FONT size=2 face=Tahoma><B>From:</B> owner-scn@scn.org
[mailto:owner-scn@scn.org] <B>On Behalf Of </B>Al Boss<BR><B>Sent:</B> Saturday,
July 09, 2011 1:36 PM<BR><B>To:</B> SCN<BR><B>Subject:</B> SCN: Now
what?<BR></FONT><BR></DIV>
<DIV></DIV>Hi, all.
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>JJ, as always, raises an interesting point, and it has prodded me into
finally getting around to typing out something I've been thinking about for the
past couple of weeks.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>The SCN/SCNA situation is pretty overwhelming when viewed as a whole.
Leadership, direction, volunteer base, equipment, users, and information
providers are all pretty lean, although we seem to be doing much better at the
physical things (equipment and capital) than the ones that require people in the
mix.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>The SCNA part, the need for an active board and a functioning structure,
are obviously essential, and the bulk of our conversation over the last few
weeks has been--correctly, I think--around that subject. Maybe because we have
active participants in that conversation, my thoughts have wandered to another
question.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>If I wanted to approach people about joining either SCN or SCNA (preferably
both), I'd immediately have to explain what SCN is. What does it do? What's it
for?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>JJ's analysis of our principles mirrors mine, but our conclusions might
differ. Technology has changed tremendously since 1992, and specific needs have
changed, but like JJ says these principles are short on specifics. The thing is,
I think that's a good thing. Here's why:</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>The big issues haven't gone away. They're not obsolete. What's happened is
that we were a little too successful in our vision for the response to these
issues, so much so that much of what we offered is available elsewhere from
better-resourced providers that offer a much wider range of features.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Free email? Check.</DIV>
<DIV>Free Websites for nonprofits? Check.</DIV>
<DIV>Internet access somewhere in your Seattle community? Libraries, community
centers, Internet cafes.</DIV>
<DIV>Free dial-up access? Available from several sources.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I imagine you get my point. Aside from the computer giveaway program, much
of the "stuff" of SCN, the actual services we provide, are either obsolete,
commonplace, or no longer relevant.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>But that's just stuff, isn't it? It's not our ends that are flirting with
irrelevance; it's our approach.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Access: Are there technological things that people don't have easy access
to, things that could make a positive difference in their lives? Yes. Same
things as in the early 1990s? No way.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Privacy: Folks need to consider that, now more than ever. We've always
offered services that won't sell your data. I can see room for a big chunk of
information about what that means, about what privacy means in this decade,
about where we can still expect it and where it's completely gone. Back then, we
were an alternative; now we're a haven--and we know why we are and how we are,
and as part of our commitment to community we can educate the
citizenry about why and how that matters. </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Democracy: Are there still things a bunch of smart, technically savvy,
community-minded suckers (that's us) can offer, that'd help level the playing
field a little bit, that'd help folks get some extra advantages they'd not
otherwise have? Are there things we can do to help voices get heard? Do I even
need to answer that? </DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I can keep this up all day, but if you've read this far you probably see
where I'm heading. And, you can probably see why JJ's question dovetails with
mine so well. He asked about the agenda, about what to fix, and that's just what
I was considering: what are the needs of today? What kind of problems would
benefit from SCN being a part of the solution? What are our strengths?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>For example: Seattle Schools have special rooms where you go for computers.
But when kids aren't in school, the technology is ubiquitous. In school all kids
learn to keyboard, and to never look stuff up on Wikipedia, and that's about it.
There's more if you pursue it, but suppose you want to learn how computers work
rather the history of the floppy disk and how to use Word? Don't expect you'll
find that at school. Maybe, maybe not.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>So, wait till college. If you make it in a local college, you'll learn that
there is no operating system other than Windows. How many of our community
colleges have more than one class using something that's not from Redmond?</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Musing: if SCN were where kids could build communities of interest, that
they had to maintain, I wonder if there's an easy way we could sandbox them in a
way they could learn about the back end as well as the front, without
compromising our system? Stop, JJ, don't hurt me, I'm not saying _that_ is what
we should do--or even could do. Other people already do that. (Freeshell.org and
SDF come to mind.)</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>I _am_ saying that Out There we've got a lot of people out of work, a
generation of people who don't remember a time without computers, schools
requiring community service, Amazon and Google with offices in a county that has
a dearth of ways to learn Unix/Linux, and a host of other juicy challenges, and
In Here we have some of the smartest people I've ever had the pleasure to work
with, stable equipment, expertise in hardware, software, community, education,
security, flaming, analysis, coding, debating, and finding good coffee.
Certainly there are some good matches in there.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>At the same time we're shoring up our leadership structure, we should also
be thinking about what we might want SCN to do in this phase of its life.
Directors will direct, but it's quite possible that what we want from directors
(and what they want from us) should be different from what we have been doing
since 1989 when we first started kicking around the ideas.</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Best,</DIV>
<DIV><BR></DIV>
<DIV>Al</DIV></BODY></HTML>