WELCOME BACK FWers
The Futurework lists (Futurework [FW] and FW-L) are now located at the
University of Waterloo and ready for subscribers to once again post
messages. We are still figuring out how our new server here, majordomo,
can set your mail "digest" and "postpone", and you'll have word on that
soon.
For now, we'd like to get the lists back into action. And that means
getting you FWers back in the posting mode.
Why not start our new FW year (Year 4) by posting to FW your thoughts on
what will be the single most important issue related to the future of work
during 1998-1999 -- and your ideas on how that issue should be addressed.
>>>> INFO FUTUREWORK at the new Univ. of Waterloo, Ontario, Canada location
The lists remain as international as they have always been
REMINDER
FUTUREWORK: RE-DESIGNING WORK,INCOME DISTRIBUTION,EDUCATION
[Two lists: FUTUREWORK (unmoderated) and FW-L (moderated)]
FUTUREWORK is an international e-mail forum for discussion of how to
deal with the new realities created by economic globalization and
technological change. Basic changes are occurring in the nature of work
in all industrialized countries. Information technology has hastened the
advent of the global economic village. Jobs that workers at all skill
levels in developed countries once held are now filled by smart machines
and/or in low-wage countries. Contemporary rhetoric proclaims the need
for ever-escalating competition, leaner and meaner ways of doing
business, a totally *flexible* workforce, jobless growth.
What would a large permanent reduction in the number of secure,
adequately-waged jobs mean for communities, families and individuals?
This is not being adequately discussed, nor are the implications for
income distribution and education. Even less adequately addressed are
questions of how to take back control of these events, how to turn
technological change into the opportunity for a richer life rather than
the recipe for a bladerunner society.
Our objective in creating this list is to involve as many people as
possible in re-designing for the new realities. We hope that this list
will help to move these issues to a prominent place on public and
political agendas worldwide.
The FUTUREWORK lists are hosted by the Faculty of Environmental Studies at the
University of Waterloo.
To subscribe to FUTUREWORK and/or FW-L send a message to
[EMAIL PROTECTED] saying
subscribe futurework YourE-MailAddress
subscribe FW-L YourE-MailAddress
To post directly to the lists (once you are subscribed), send your
message to:
[EMAIL PROTECTED] or
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
Please include 'FW' or 'FW-L'in the subject line of your message, so that
subscribers know the mail is from someone on the list.
FUTUREWORK, the unmoderated list, is for discussion and debate. Subscribers
often use a topic/thread identifier on the subject line (e.g. 'FW downward
mobility') to focus discussion, but this is essentially an open list.
FW-L, the moderated list, serves as a "quiet room" for working
groups--think of a small chaired meeting--as well as a bulletin-board to
post notices about recommended books, articles, other documents, other
Net sites, conferences, even job openings, etc. relevant to the future
of work and to the roles of education, community and other factors in
that future. It serves subscribers as a calmer place to post and
browse. Sally Lerner and Arthur Cordell serve as co-moderators for
FW-L. Normally, posts to this moderated list should be limited to one
screen.
To access the archives for both lists, ftp to
Scribe.uwaterloo.ca
find research, then Futurework.
Archives are available via the FW WWW Home Page (under
construction) at the URL/location
http://www.fes.uwaterloo.ca/Research/FW
We look foward to meeting you once again on the FUTUREWORK and FW-L lists.
Sally Lerner Arthur Cordell
[EMAIL PROTECTED] [EMAIL PROTECTED]
