Personal ARC Update.

First, I'd like to thank all the people who have emailed us and shared information with the ARC team.

It has come to light in the last few days that systems similar to the ARC have been created before. What impact this has on the project has yet to be determined, but at this time we are still proceeding - though apparently working through what can only be termed as communication calamities.

On a personal note, it should be noted that the BBC interview I participated in wasn't my idea, and the original concepts are something I have consistently denied as being my own.

There are different thoughts of the future of the ARC project. The expression of some of these thoughts have been less than professional, and have extended to a broader audience than was necessary - we've got an email list with participants, yet people have decided (for their own reasons which I can only theorize on) to share information publicly and not within the group. This is sad, but is a reflection of the flip side of 'smart mobs'. It's an embarassment, and one that the ARC project will have to do without in the future. It's a fact of life, so we must move on.

My role as coordinator is something I am constantly reconsidering. While some have remained silent during the periods of progress, this has not been something I have perceived as an option because my role as coordinator is to assure that the project moves forward. It's a shame that some would question the credibility of the project and other team members (including myself) in a public manner when the facts are all in the public domain at this time, and speak for themselves.

Everyone has been rather critical of the coordinator, and that's fine. If someone wants the job, believe me - they can have it.

There can be no question that the members participating are credible, and that the premise of the project itself is credible. Where there are other similar pre-existing projects, we are researching them and even communicating with them to gain a better understanding of the role of the ARC in the future.

I really don't want ARC on my personal site, as this sends the wrong signals - but it was on the SEA EAT's Wiki, and I was told that it didn't belong there. To maintain the credibility of the ARC project, it was necessary to remove it from this association. It really doesn't belong here either. Over the weekend, I expect that the project will move to a more permanent location at DigitalDivide.net. More on that to be posted as it becomes more concrete.

Updates to come.