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About Street roots. (Portland, OR) 1998-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 24, 2015)
Street Roots • Dec. 24-31, 2015 News Page 5 COPIOSIS, from page 4 organizations have since clashed, although was Gruber’s intention to use the school’s Mason has remained cordial. Street Roots patrons as a starting point for the project made multiple attempts to reach Mason for For Stefano Iaboni, the discount on his received. comment but received no reply. daughter’s tuition was half his motivation for Attendees Street Roots spoke with said The culmination of Mason and Gruber’s joining the group, he said. they had general frustration with the effects work, Copiosis, is highly technical and based Iaboni was an Italian living in Spain prior of capitalism and were eager to hear about on an elaborate algorithm Gruber initially to moving to Portland two years ago. He said something new - although no one was ready designed. to commit on that particular afternoon in In a nutshell, here’s how it works: May. In Copiosis, participants are /W hat Copiosis is in my mind,” Gruber “producers,” meaning they produce some told them during a presentation, “is a sort of good or service. Artists might offer transitory solution that gets us from where paintings. Those who enjoy gardening we are now to the system that Charles might offer vegetables. Eisenstein and the Zeitgeist Movement and All exchanges are recorded in an online the Venus Project talk about.... When we get software program that uses Gruber’s the right momentum, they’re going to start algorithm to calculate “Net Benefit paying attention/ He imagines that transition will Reward.” This software was created for Copioisis pro bono by a group of Portland " I n order for bs le get come once 1,000 demonstration State University students as a school- projects, intended to prove his to that, we have to get related computer science project. thesis that people will do things th ro a f b capitalism^ ami If the product is a necessity, such as for each other within his system, to get thra ngli capital- food, shelter or clothing, other are up and running. Then, he Ism, the orgasiuatloB participants can obtain it from that said, legislation will pave the way producer, we’ll say for the sake of clarity, needs meney»" for full-scale transition away from for “free.” Every time a producer gives perry gruber capitalism and government someone a good or service, he or she PHQ TO BY JOE GLODE “This is the paradox,” he told receives Net Benefit Reward, or as Perry Gruber joins Bridget Towles in the kitchen at B ’s Preschool in his audience at Taborspace. “In Copiosis members call it, “NBR.” North Portland. Towles is holding jars of homemade black bean and order for us to get to that, we have to get The person who’s providing the product com soup and cranberry sauce that another Copiosis participant picked through capitalism, and to get through up moments later. doesn’t receive the NBR points from the capitalism, the organization needs money. person receiving it; they receive it from the And it needs to have money to pay people to software program as reward for providing the in the United States, capitalism is more spend the time they need to spend in order good or service. . prevalent and people work harder and are to make this system a reality; it’s just more isolated than in Europe, so he was The algorithm determines how much a common sense to me.” intrigued by Gruber’s offer of an alternative. product “benefits” society, arid awards points With ongoing donations of about $110 per “Everything has a price; nothing is for based on that determination. For example, if month coming in from the crowdfunding site free,” he said, noting it’s the first time in his a product feeds people, it’s beneficial - the Pateeon, Copiosis is making enough to pay 38 yearsjhe’s h a d to p ay f o r h e a lth c a re , l i e p ro d u c e r g e ts p o in ts. If it’s h e a lth y and ; fot tb’Chhieal assistanceandGruber’s was surprised by the host of education, too, grown organically, they would receive more traveling expenses between Portland and and said when it’s time for his daughter to go points than if it’s unhealthy or its production Chico, but no one is on salary. to college, his family will move back to harms the environment Gruber said he spends about 10 hours a Europe. Participants use the NBR they’ve accrued week on Copiosis and is working on two “It’s like it’s a way to also divide society. If from benefiting society to buy “luxury other start-ups: Tiny House Podcast on you’re wealthy, you can get an education, and items.” These are goods and services iTunes and Transamorous Network, an online available that are not necessities. The more a if you’re not, welt I’m sorry then you’re not network for men who are attracted to trans going to get a very good position in your women, which will launch on Valentine’s Day, participant benefits society, the more career,” he said. luxuries he or she can afford. When a A comedic performer, Iaboni lists living participant spends NBR, it isn’t transferred room entertainment, Italian and Spanish to the producer; it simply disappears from ommunity sharing is not new. In North instruction and laughter therapy among his their account. Portland alone, Little Free Libraries offerings to participants in the Kenton This is not an attempt to explain the abound with free books, and the North demonstration project. system in its entirety. Both Gruber and Portland Tool Library offers tools for people “It’s a great way to bring people together,” Mason have written volumes about it online, to borrow at no expense. Additionally, time he said. attempting, it seems, to think of everything. banks and exchanges have operated So far he’s received business consulting A common question about this system, nationwide for decades; these are usually through Copiosis, but no one has accepted said Gruber, is, ‘If everyone has a job they’re online platforms where members exchange any of his offers yet. passionate about, what about jobs like time helping one another. As far as Copiosis taking over the garbage collecting?’ Gruber said the But Copiosis is far more complex than economy, he said, “I think it’s the only algorithm takes supply and demand into these other share-economy structures and solution for the future.” account. High-demand products in short nonprofits. While Kenton’s demonstration project has supply will earn a producer more NBR than It’s a system based on the work of Larry low-demand products in abundant supply - so seven participants, Chico’s has 15. K. Mason, a former sociology instructor and “We’ve found it really is taking a genuine essentially, the garbage collector would earn computer programmer. He spent 35 years effort to reach out to each other and offer more NBR. developing the system and ultimately wrote a something, or making it a point to accept But, he also said he believes his system science fiction book, “Invisible Hand,” to something on the page,” Erica Charlesworth would lead to innovations that would rid the help explain it. During an interview with the said hours before receiving a free massage world of things such as garbage and sewage, Portland Business Journal in 2009, Gruber courtesy of her Copiosis community in so the need for those jobs would eventually listed it as the book that most influenced Chico. disappear. him. “It’s a lot more involved than I had In the Kenton demonstration project, Gruber said he sat down with Mason at his realized, but also really, super enriching,” participants can use their NBR to receive a home over dinner in North Carolina three - she said. discount at B’s Preschool, run by Copiosis years ago and promised him that he was At least one participant said she’s not anti Steering Committee member Bridget Towles, going to make “Invisible Hand” a reality. He capitalism, although she said she likes the who is also Gruber’s significant other. said Mason gave him permission to build idea of Copiosis catching on. Most of the Kenton project participants upon his model. have children who attend B’s Preschool. It See COPIOSIS, page 9 Gruber said Copiosis and Mason’s C «««<?? Catch u p o n our coverage and learn more about our vendors at our website, streetroots.org. ■III!
