Open Source Support by Google

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Just a quick note.

Google has thrown some cash at universities to study and work on open source software. Scott Kveton had some impact on the decision, and runs an excellent blog.

As you probably know Bastiat Free University uses Docebo open-source for our class structure. We have not tapped 10% of the potential in their product. Learning beyond the basics and improving our classes will start in January 2006, after we finish our goal of offering you 100 courses.

If you still are using bloatware, check out our free open source links and downloads page. You have everything to gain by using quality software made by users for themselves.

Allan

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Renaissance or Gesture

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I came across this excellent article about the current state of education. Note the emphasis is on the narrowing of perspective.


Is Bastiat Free University part of this trend?


BFU recognizes that the primary purpose of a degree in modern society is not evidence of learning.


A degree is most often sought today as a self marketing tool. A degree is the meal ticket of the late industrial age. There is no pleasure in this style of education. If you have ever considered donating to a college, choose one that defies this trend.


Bastiat Free University espouses what we like to call Renaissance Education, or self directed learning. The first gal in that article would like the thought, a shot cut to a diploma, with the GPA controlled by omission. That is not what we offer.


Self directed learning BFU style is about passion. If you love liberty you will examine psychology also, this will lead you to sociology and economics. You pick the classes because you want to know. Your knowledge raises other questions, and you seek other answers. Learning becomes an all day, every day, all life experience. Learning is a pleasure.


This is the sort of renaissance person we seek to serve. Those late industrial age diplomas are a prison release for proper execution of a four, six, or ten year sentence. BFU wants people that want to rediscover the pleasures of learning.


If you are ready to pursue your passions, come check us out. Click here to register for free, you can monitor classes for free. You can pursue knowledge just because you want too.


It's ok to learn just because you want to know.


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Now over Eighty Courses

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Very cool news at your school .


We are adding students.


We are adding courses.


By the end of the year we will have 100 classes available.


Then we can work on making the site work better and eventually even look better.


C. F. Bastiat's 205 birthday is 29 June 2006, your BFU will be ready and scalable.


To those that have already signed up in spite of the construction signs, - thank you and welcome.


Please continue to let us know how we can improve BFU for YOU. - You are the reason we exist.


Best to all,


Allan
Rector, Bastiat Free University

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Insights For the New Blogger

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This blog entry by Joi Ito makes some great general points about blogs, some of which, like being humble, are real tough for me. Funny since I have so much to be humble about.

I am used to talking and writing as an authority; that controls even when I don't know what I'm talking about. There are just so many areas in which I am ignorant.

If you are new to blogging, like myself, there is a lot of tripping over things in the dark.

I'm still not sure how that trackback thingee works.

I am going to go back and re-read the Joi's message, - I have a lot to learn.


Allan

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Home School For Grade School Stuff.

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Bastiat Free University is a home school for thinking adults, and those that want to think like adults.


At the excellent Kauffman Foundation entrepreneurial site I found and excellent piece of business simulation aimed at grade school kids. This is from a collaboration between Kauffman and Disney, it is simplistic but fun. It is called Hot Shot Business, if you have kiddos, give it a try. This is not just for home school, but is cool for any kid.


When my kiddos were young we played a business simulator with robot manufacturing. I think it was based on a Wharton B school program. The kids loved it for a while, house bots and sentry bots etc., but they soon learned to beat it.


Take a look, give it a try.

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Controversy and Blogs for Dispersed Research

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There is quite a blog battle going on in India over freedom of speech, dispersed research by blogs, and accusations by a school of its detractors.


I have just started to look it over, and it is wild. People have supposedly started blogs in another person's name to discredit them, and threats of lawsuits are flying.


These bloggers may need your support, take a look and see what you can learn as to the rightness of their cause.


This battle may effect all of us that use the Internet.


If anyone wants to look up Bastiat Free University, we probably have too much information available. Dig in if you wish, here is my biography for a start, and a paper on our approach to education, and a comparison of B&M with distance learning.


But this is not about BFU.


This battle may be a lot larger than that.


Allan

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Ten Years From Now

What will you be doing in ten years if you do not learn a skill?

Now is the time to start your professional education.

Here is a great article that applies to many areas of learning.

I use a rule of thumb that it takes six months to discover if a group or company is good to work with. It takes about two years to establish yourself in a new business. And here is Peter Norvig who claims it takes at least ten years to reach top notch expertise.

Of course if you change nothing, nothing is likely to change, for the better. If you do not want the next two years to be a repeat of the last two, change something.

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College for Entrepreneurs

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Our College of Entrepreneurship.

A small change perhaps from the business school title, but it better represents our philosophy.

A business school is normally focused on institutional management.

Our College for Entrepreneurs is focused on starting and growing your own business.

Some of what a B school teaches, like economics, is covered in our College of Human Interaction, but our courses are without obfuscating math.

If you want a business education, start a business. Then learn everything you can to grow your business. It will cost less even if you fail, and you will have had an education for your next start up.

A business degree is a self marketing tool. You need an accredited school's diploma to get a wage slave job. -- All you need to start a business as an entrepreneur is an idea and drive.

Go for it.

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Next Year

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Bastiat Free University will look about the same through December. There will be more courses added, some small tweaks, but the BFU look will remain familiar.

Starting in January we will try to improve the inner workings, and we will finally put on some makeup and let the outer beauty shine.

29 June 2006 is C. F. Bastiat's 205 birthday, a comparison of today's BFU with that date should show a totally different campus.

Visit us now, register for no charge to monitor a course or two, give us some feedback.

Your opinion counts.

Thanks,

Allan

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Intelligent Design or Evolution

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I am not comfortable with Intelligent Design or Evolution, so I crafted my own theory.

The reason we may need to put up a statement is that we do have a School of Theology, and we do have an opinion.

Intelligent design, at least as I understand it is a compromise, kinda we have faith - but we are not sure about the science.

To me it needs to be science, see link above, or faith. If it is science, and not a blend that confuses me, let it stand on a logical basis.

Adam was created a full grown man.

Eve was created a full grown woman.

This earth might have been created a full grown earth.

Kinda a did Adam have a belly button? - that explains dinosaurs type of reasoning.

That may be a bit facetious, but I'm sure you get the point. If you still want more, here is that first (not missing) link again.

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I Err Therefore I Am

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Just a quick note.

I've started a blog to help my daughter with a new business project. It is also a test bed for a BFU 401 class, start a blog. A blog is a terrific way to generate traffic for your business site.

As an added plus I admit my fallibility in a post at dreampower.

Most quotes attributed to me are convoluted messes that take some deciphering, like

"Our reflection hides the view through the window." - Allan R. Wallace

or perhaps:

"The risks and rewards for you from creative entrepreneurship are greater, and of far more value to society, than illusions of security that enslave a human cog in the social machine." - Allan Wallace

Nothing pithy there.

This one may stick, it suits me:


"I err, therefore I am." - Allan R. Wallace

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Adventure Investment and the Grad Program

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Jim Rogers, the great adventure-investor is helping create a new Bastiat Free University graduate level course. The working title for the class is B503, The Foundations of Investment Excellence. Expect to see it offered within the next week or so at BFU.


As most of you know Jim was the author of two best selling non-fiction books, Adventure Capitalist: The Ultimate Road Trip, and Investment Biker: Around the World With Jim Rogers. His new book, Hot Commodities: How Anyone Can Invest profitably in The World's Best Market, is not only doing very well it is leading investors into the next great investment arena.


It may be time to move out of stocks and housing. Read Jim's books, and also enjoy his new class. Prepare for coming opportunities.


Jim is one of the very best. This is a great opportunity to review what has made an impact on his winning investment style.


Not all of us can take him to dinner and ask questions - but we can all learn from his insights.

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Privatized Government and Judge Judy

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Just a bit of food for thought.

Most arguments over government, aside from the loud and senseless ones by those cheering for their political team, end up about how much government is the right amount of government.

Socialists, be they communist or fascist, think the government should control just about everything. Communists run the government and their countries with political party elites, fascists run it with a few political elites and large business leaders. Libertarians and anarcho-capitalists by contrast think little or no government is just about right.

We have seen socialist extremes in our life time, Russia collapsed under a huge central government. The American Revolution came close to a libertarian society, a limited and weak central government with free and separate states competing for free and mobile citizens. There have been no extreme anarcho-capitalist states since the Industrial revolution. Prior to that the Hansa League for one was a type of very loose capitalist alliance, for centuries there was no real central authority structure.


States in transition to watch include China, now capitalist in structure with a strong central government growing weaker. The United States is also in transition, it was once capitalist in structure with distributed power and since the start of the last depression has steadily been socialized and centralized. Russia, stuck in the spin cycle. Russia has never had a strong small business class, the closest it has come to capitalism is fairly primitive. Russia is floundering about with half measures and over reactions. India is the unnoticed but potentially powerful dark horse, a large number of literate people strangled by regulation and tradition, but they are emerging quickly.

The oldest democracy in the world is Switzerland, with over 500 years of successful decentralized government among diverse citizens. As a capitalist country surrounded by a heavily socialist Europe, Switzerland too is under great pressure. With the emerging information and miniaturization age all countries are under the pressure of societal change.

When folk talk of programs they feel absolutely need government, they usually mention at least roads, courts, and police.

Roads we can envision privatized because we have seen toll roads. Courts are tougher, but we have seen Judge Judy. JJ is really just binding arbitration, both parties guarantee they will abide by her decision, a quick presentation and the case is settled. Most civil matters can be privatized, and then we can look at criminal trials.

Police, here we can consider small private teams of Cops looking for a few year contract. Their reputation for lack of unnecessary force and fair action may get their contract renewed, otherwise they can get booted. The threat of the boot, and the extra pay from competition for the better teams, will encourage fair and balanced enforcement. Police as short term mercenaries under civil authority is very doable. Think of it as term limits for power.

The Libertarian Harry Brown said something to the effect, "Would you give up your favorite government program to stop paying taxes?" Think of the huge outpouring from the private sector for Katrina, private charity is much more efficient than government, and would be larger still if government did not take half of everyone's income.

It can be done. The question is with our changing society will it be done? The next question is who will attempt it first? There will be the potential of wealth for the people of any countries that succeed.

This next 50 years will be very interesting.

Judge Judy, one way to avoid slow courts.

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Good news in the Grad Program

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Great news, we have a course created by Richard Daughty, The Great Magumbo Guru!

Check out the information about our graduate courses. They now contain one created by this top flight financier, and down right creative guy.

We are also talking with a very adventuresome guy, one many of you will recognize. We hope to have him create a graduate level course based on books that influenced his wonderful success, and his open approach to life. More soon.

If you have problems figuring out Bastiat Free University try our Academic Summary page. If you still have questions, send us a note or make a comment. I hope things will be clearer soon.


Allan

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The Netcohort & the Netcohort Society

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The netcohort: knowledge workers that will lead the emerging Netcohort Society.


We can complete the circle. The Netcohort Society, the emerging age that will replace the industrial age. The middle class will be replaced by the netcohort, as the guilds were replaced by the middle class.


If you are training to become a professional you are probably in a good situation. There is a need for your skills, but as industrial age schools around the world create huge numbers of competitors, expect the value of your education to decrease. Of course that may be good for the rest of us as the costs for professional services decrease.


What will have value in the future?


Learn to enjoy learning. The successful members of the netcohort will demonstrate integrity, knowledge, adaptability, and a desire to keep constantly learning.


How do I become a member of the netcohort?


Think small business on steroids. Aggressive and honorable business practices will allow you to network with similar individuals in short term, project oriented teams. Information technology netcohort teams are already producing wonderful results.


How do I prepare?


At any age, start to explore knowledge in areas you enjoy. Use technology to leverage your research. Create based on your insights; and then dig deeper into knowledge that enhances your projects. If you are serving the twelve year sentence in public schools, look beyond their doors for reality. Don't blindly accept a bureaucratic school's view of reality. If possible get yourself home schooled or become unschooled. Find areas where you want to learn and study them, discover the pleasures of self directed learning.


The final piece is to find other creative people that share your passions. Check their reputation and do some small projects with them. Over time you will develop a reputation; if your reputation is one of passion, knowledge, action, and integrity you will have many opportunities to join important projects.


This is also a fun way to live.


As part of the netcohort you will stay mobile, flexible, and open to new ideas. You will build on what others have created, as others will build on your contributions - all will profit.

Enjoy life,


Allan

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