Mutiny at TED – Put Down Your iPads and Strap on Your Eye Patches!

Was a HUGE privilege to be invited to speak at TEDx Exeter in April this year. I was given 12 minutes to speak on piracy, so decided to take one aspect of Mutiny! and look at how pirates work to defend and enrich the commons.

In preparing the talk it struck me that TED is actually a very ‘pirate’ organisation – sharing ideas, enriching the public sphere, and all under a ‘creative commons’ license. The talk is basically a plea for more of that – more companies to work in a socially entrepreneurial way, not just financially. Why? Because when we have a ‘wide’ commons, everyone in society benefits. And that has to be more satisfying than another Merc, right?

But this is more than just about money. There are enclosed enclosed riches of land the public should have access to, enclosed riches of information – and Bradley Manning’s case shows just how protective and violently defensive governments still are about what they do ‘on our behalf.’ The pirate move is about self-determination, coming out from under oppression, shedding ignorance and working together for the common good…

Hope you enjoy it – do ‘like’, comment, share, contact Spielberg etc. .-)