It's an interesting lens to look through. From the link you provided: "‘Value’ means something of perceived use, to the Stakeholder <http://www.gilb.com/community/tiki-view_tracker_item.php?itemId=112&show=view&offset=0&reloff=0&status=opc&trackerId=5&sort_mode=f_20_desc>; they need it, they want it, they are willing to sacrifice Resources <http://www.gilb.com/community/tiki-view_tracker_item.php?itemId=116&show=view&offset=0&reloff=11&status=opc&trackerId=5&sort_mode=f_20_desc> to get it, they will be unhappy if it is late or lower in power than their expectations."
Let's put that in the context of the digital divide. Based on that definition alone, we could solve a lot of world problems - but the issue at hand in the context of the digital divide is that sometimes people do not see that they 'need' it, or they don't 'want' it, and thus are not willing to sacrifice 'resources' to get it, etc. With the socioeconomic divide that is a constant part of digital divide discussion, we got the poorly planned OLPC - where the focus was on the scant resources due to the socioeconomic divide. That is a marketer's approach, and while we can learn from marketers we should also learn what not to do from marketers. Solutions to digital divide issues, as Cindy again mentioned in a part of this discussion I just received, is about *people*. Everything technology does should provide 'value'. Yet 'value' is a messy thing - what I value highly - such as silence, solitude and a morning surrounded by nature - is something that others may not value. I may value a discussion about the digital divide and human health, but others may not. That train of thought leads me to wonder where the Doctors and Nurses are in this discussion. Perhaps that is a symptom of the problem. Medical administrators are as infamous in the context of patient happiness as educational administrators are in the context of education (no slights intended, it is a perception of which I speak). Where are the hands on people? We have the teachers here for education - and what a number! Maybe we should all pass this along to physicians and nurses we know and get them talking about it. They are, after all, a part of the solutions we wish to discuss. But back to value. Does an iPod add value? Some say yes - the market says yes. The iPhone? Some say yes. The OLPC? Some say yes. These are some of the best marketed devices out there - and that's all well and good - but what the first two did was simplified needs of consumers. The latter, no one can really say. Why? The digital divide is not *just* a marketplace. It isn't a bazaar. It's about access to information. It's about the Amazon Kindle without DRM and the ability to share books without getting one's underwear sued off. It's about dealing with differences in perception on technology in different cultures, races, languages and abilities. It's about people being equal - thus the 'digital *divide*'. It's about techno-segregation, where people without access have to ride in the back of the bus - but unlike a bus, they cannot sit in the wrong place to make their point. Is the answer to redlining the inverse of redlining, or rather the removal of redlines? (Redlining reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Redlining ) And how does this really impact the digital divide and human health? Indeed, this is a deep topic... Bakr Al-Tamimi wrote: > I would like to address the question : How to measure success? > > Professor Tom Gilb is an authority on this, as he specializes in "Competitive > Engineering" which takes questions like how to quantify quality? How to > measure a value, or even an emotion (love for example)! > > He has been a member of the ACM since the dawn of computing industry, and he > has authorized an engineering and planning language called PLANGUAGE. > > You can read more here: > http://www.gilb.com/community/tiki-view_blog.php?blogId=2 > > Regards > Bakr Al-Tamimi > -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: San Fernando, Trinidad [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.knowprose.com http://www.your2ndplace.com Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ "Criticize by creating." — Michelangelo "The present is theirs; the future, for which I really worked, is mine." - Nikola Tesla _______________________________________________ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list [email protected] http://digitaldivide.net/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
