At C4SS--Score One for the Free Market Left

C4SS: Help!

I just found out from the latest C4SS fundraising update that, although I recently got payment for my writing in September, Thomas Knapp is still waiting to be paid for his work as media coordinator back in September. That really makes me feel like shit. At last count they still needed about $400 to pay Tom before September before they even think about paying all of us for our work in October.

Tom has given back a bunch of his pay out of goodwill for the C4SS's mission. I'm not as generous as Tom (this income is my "go to hell" money for my current job), but I'm subscribed myself for a recurring $20 monthly contribution out of my $425 pay.

A lot of us will probably keep doing this stuff -- at least to some extent -- even if C4SS doesn't collect enough to pay us in full. But if you enjoy reading C4SS material and can afford it, please give some thought to helping us out. This isn't like PBS, which gets some taxpayer money; all the money we get is from you.

And the more people who sign up for monthly subscription payments and increase our regular revenue stream, the less you have to put up with these beg-a-thons -- and the less those of us who are anxiously waiting to be paid have to go through this white knuckle crap.

At C4SS--The Anti-TSA Backlash: It Ain't Just a Right-Wing Thing

Radix Media

Shawn Wilbur, creator of the Corvus Editions micropublishing project (check out his explanatory posts at Out of the Libertarian Labyrinth), is promoting a crowd-funded micropublishing project at Kickstarter: Portland's Radix Media.

Radix Media is an independent print shop and publishing operation based in Portland, OR. We are dedicated to producing radical literature and beautiful propaganda, rooted in social justice movements. We come directly out of the DIY and independent publishing sector, and we hope to prioritize the needs of folks who are also rooted in this sector.

We are currently raising funds to purchase some new equipment, which will improve our productivity and help out our vibrant community of activists, zinesters, musicians, filmmakers and more. Have you ever grudgingly spent money at Kinkos to make copies of a zine, or flyer for a radical / DIY event? Doesn't it suck to give your hard-earned dollars to a corporation? And let's be honest, those photocopiers make your things look bad. Offset presses make your things look good. Those are pretty good reasons to support this project, right? If not, keep reading.

The average zine printed by independent publishers is around 24 pages, and they usually do a run (often a dozen or so at a time) of 250-500. It costs about 9 cents per page to do it at Kinkos, and the quality is subpar. At the price Radix offers, it costs about 4 cents per page - more than HALF of what that corporation will charge you - and the finished product looks a hundred times better. This price, of course, also includes collating, folding, stapling, and trimming. Isn't that a deal? We think so!

Despite what some people might say, print is still just as relevant as ever, especially in small communities where there is a message to be spread. To this end, it is crucial that small print shops survive, and that the money spent on radical / DIY / creative projects stay in those communities so that they may continue to thrive. We hope you will help make our dream a reality!

If it sounds worthwhile to you and you can afford to help out, please do so!

And while we're at it, the fundraiser at C4SS is running pretty slow. We're only up to $295, 9% of the $3205 we need to raise by the end of this month if me and all the rest of our writers are going to get paid for the writing we did in October.

At C4SS--Civil Aviation: A Case Study in Systems Disruption

C4SS Fundraiser Update

For anyone who prefers contributing through the Chip-in widget like before, there's one available at the C4SS site, as well as in my left-hand sidebar. And remember: you can always subscribe for a recurring PayPal monthly donation, "opt out" of these begathons, and feel smugly superior to the folks who aren't regular contributors.

We've got a little over a week till the fundraiser ends, and I know all of us who've been writing the commentary at C4SS would like to get paid for October. So if you value the material and can afford to help out, please consider doing so!

At C4SS--Some Stuff I'm Thankful For

At C4SS--BS Alert: Napolitano's Lips Are Moving

C4SS Fundraiser for September and October

Hey, folks! It's that time again -- the C4SS fundraiser. If you enjoy the material we put out at C4SS and have the means to do so, we'd certainly appreciate your help.

At C4SS--The Power of Exit: Boycott Air Travel

At C4SS: Meet the New Boss

At P2P Foundation Blog: Distributed Manufacturing Milestone, or Hula Hoop?

At C4SS: Can't We All Just Not Get Along?

At C4SS: Citizens United -- Is the Gas Pedal Stuck?

Carson Interview at EcoClub

At P2P Foundation Blog: Review of Insidious Competition, by Richard Telofski

At C4SS: TSA Is Evil AND Stupid

At C4SS: Enjoy It While You Can

At C4SS: In Which I Am Discouraged by the US Pirate Party

Guest Post at The League of Ordinary Gentlemen

It's a rejoinder to Jason Kuznicki's thoughtful review of Studies in Mutualist Political Economy.