From open science to open technology

Este artículo analiza algunos de los aspectos más importantes de los movimientos actuales por la ciencia y la tecnología abiertas y su relación con la producción colaborativa. En el terreno de la ciencia, se tratan especialmente los problemas en torno al sistema de publicación y su relación con un proceso más amplio de privatización y mercantilización crecientes de la ciencia. La tecnología abierta se vincula, más que al software libre, como es habitual, a los principios de la ciencia abierta. Se analizan diversas instancias de tecnología abierta en el entorno de los hackerspaces, a partir de un trabajo etnográfico internacional, y se propone el concepto de artefactos inacabados para considerar mejor las implicaciones sociales y políticas de esta nueva manera de acometer el diseño tecnológico.This article discusses some of the most important aspects of current movements for open science and technology and their relationship with peer production. In the realm of science we focus on the issues surrounding the publishing system and link them to a broader process of increasing privatization and commodification of science. Open technology is traced back to open science principles – rather than to free software, as usual narratives do. Different instances of open technology are analyzed in the context of hackerspaces, through an international ethnographic research, and the concept of unfinished artifacts is proposed in order to grasp the social and political implications of this new way to undertake technological design

Analysis of construction site injuries in Palestine

Construction sites are considered dangerous places. A large number of people die on them every year. Many site injuries result from people falling from structures like roofs and scaffolds, or being hit by falling objects. Many others are caused by the misuse of mechanical plant and site transport, including hoists (Frayer, 1995). There is nearly always keen competition for new contracts and site personnel are often under pressure to work to tight time and cost constraints. It is hardly surprising that safety is often neglected. In spite of the low attention often given to construction sites injuries in many countries, the statistics continue to be alarming. For instance, fatal accidental injury rates in the United Kingdom and Japan are reported to be four times higher in the construction industry, when compared to the manufacturing industry (Bentil, 1990). Construction is often classified as a high-risk industry because it has historically been plagued with much higher and unacceptable injury rates when compared to other industries. In the United States, the incidence rate of accidents in the construction industry is reported to be twice that of the industrial average. According to the National Safety Council, there are an estimated 2,200 deaths and 220,000 disabling injuries each year (National Safety Council, 1987)