MoneyLab is a network of artists, activists, and geeks experimenting with forms of financial democratization. Entering the 10th year of the global financial crisis, it still remains a difficult yet crucial task to distinguish old wine from its fancy new bottles. The MoneyLab network questions persistent beliefs, from Calvinist austerity, growth, and up-scaling, to trustless, automated decision making and (anarcho-)capitalist dreams of cybercurrencies and blockchained solutionism.We consider experiments with digital coops, internet-based payment and network-based revenue models as spaces of political imagination, with an equally important aesthetic program. In this second MoneyLab Reader the network delves into topics like the financialization of art; love as a binary proposition on the blockchain; the crowdfunding of livelihood; the cashless society; financial surveillance of the poor; universal basic income as the real McCoy or a real sham; the cooperative answer to Airbnb and Uber; the history of your financial dashboard; and, Hollywood’s narration of the financial crisis. Fintech rushes through our veins, causing a whirlwind of critical concepts, ideas and imaginaries. Welcome to the eye of the storm.
MULTIFILE
Regenerative forms of higher education are emerging, and required, to connect with some of the grand transition challenges of our times. This paper explores the lived experience of 21 students learning to navigate a regenerative form of higher education in the Mission Impact course at The Hague University of Applied Sciences. This semester-length course ran for two iterations with the intention of connecting the students with local transitions towards a more circular society, one where products are lasting and have multiple lives when they are shared, refurbished, or become a source for a new product. At the end of each iteration, the students reflected on their experience using the Living Spiral Framework, which served as basis for an interpretative phenomenological analysis of their journey navigating this transformative course. The results of this study include four themes; (1) Opting in—Choosing RHE, (2) Learning in Regenerative Ways, (3) Navigating Resistance(s), and (4) Transformative Impacts of RHE. These themes can be used by practitioners to design and engage with regenerative forms of higher education, and by scholars to guide further inquiry. van den Berg B, Poldner KA, Sjoer E, Wals AEJ. ‘Sweet Acid’ An Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis of Students’ Navigating Regenerative Higher Education. Education Sciences. 2022; 12(8):533. https://doi.org/10.3390/educsci12080533
An important step towards improving performance while reducing weight and maintenance needs is the integration of composite materials into mechanical and aerospace engineering. This subject explores the many aspects of composite application, from basic material characterization to state-of-the-art advances in manufacturing and design processes. The major goal is to present the most recent developments in composite science and technology while highlighting their critical significance in the industrial sector—most notably in the wind energy, automotive, aerospace, and marine domains. The foundation of this investigation is material characterization, which offers insights into the mechanical, chemical, and physical characteristics that determine composite performance. The papers in this collection discuss the difficulties of gaining an in-depth understanding of composites, which is necessary to maximize their overall performance and design. The collection of articles within this topic addresses the challenges of achieving a profound understanding of composites, which is essential for optimizing design and overall functionality. This includes the application of complicated material modeling together with cutting-edge simulation tools that integrate multiscale methods and multiphysics, the creation of novel characterization techniques, and the integration of nanotechnology and additive manufacturing. This topic offers a detailed overview of the current state and future directions of composite research, covering experimental studies, theoretical evaluations, and numerical simulations. This subject provides a platform for interdisciplinary cooperation and creativity in everything from the processing and testing of innovative composite structures to the inspection and repair procedures. In order to support the development of more effective, durable, and sustainable materials for the mechanical and aerospace engineering industries, we seek to promote a greater understanding of composites.
