Alright, I guess I'll kick off this first post with a bit of an introduction.  I'm a 23 year old animator currently living in Atlanta, GA.  I've always been a big fan of open source, and recently I'm starting to see how it could be used to help us transform our world quickly and efficiently.  I think open source is a mature enough concept that it's ready to move out of the world of software development and into the realm of the physical. 

 Over at Worldchanging.com. Alex Steffen just posted a passoinate piece critiquing Al Gore's challenge.  Alex's main point is that focusing just on renewable energy might not be enough.  While I have to say I believe it's a bit more of a 'lynchpin issue' than Alex gives it credit for, I agree absolutely with him that there are a myriad of problems which all need solving, and quick.  This is why I think I'm so optimistic about the potential of open source.  Open source, could do to the next generation of city planning, energy and transportation technology, and a spectrum of others what the printing press did for literature.  One great thing about open source is its modular nature.  Groups form around problems of common interest and find a solution optimized to solve it.  The result is then freely shared, creating a network of optimized solutions waiting to be woven together into something magnificent.  Take Linux as a prime example.  There is no one person who sat down and wrote every bit of a Linux distro from the most basic driver up to the GUI polish.   Different groups of interested people worked seperately yet in concert with one another to create the components which could be remixed and utilized at will, ultimately being combined into larger projects.  Imagine a open source city block using open source building designs, using open source green technology, and connected together using a open source public transportation systems replicated across the world.  As a lump sum it looks like a impossible goal, but in components and with proper foresight and collaboration, each of these could be easily tackled by groups of interested in each specific area.  

For more cool musings on open source, I point you to Yochai Benkler.