[DDN] my digital divide article in School Library Journal
Hi everyone, School Library Journal has just published a feature story of mine in their latest issue. It's called The Gap, and it examines how the digital divide, as a policy issue, has fallen off the radar screens of politicians and the media, while marginalized communities continue to be left behind. Some highlights from the article: This year, 2006, marks the 10th anniversary of the advent of the digital divide—a major societal challenge that, sadly, has been pushed aside and forgotten in recent years. Rewind to 1996: middle-class Americans were just beginning to explore the possibilities of the Internet as a tool for education, civic engagement, and entertainment. Yet less affluent citizens, lacking the necessary skills and exposure, did not enjoy the same access to these opportunities. The so-called “Digital Divide” made prominent headlines that year when high-profile pundits, from President Bill Clinton to network news anchors, popularized the term in addressing the growing inequities that appeared to accompany the technological revolution. Today, however, you’re not likely to hear much mention of the digital divide on the news or your favorite political blog. As with other political and social issues, conversation about the digital divide ebbs and flows—and for several years now we’ve been wallowing at a low watermark ... Unfortunately, the digital divide is rarely addressed as a major policy issue in America. But as the U.S. struggles to improve its schools, while dragging its heels at improving our national broadband infrastructure, countries like India and China are churning out highly skilled young people for their workforces. At the same time, Nordic countries and Korea deploy ubiquitous Internet access. Other nations are creating government ministries to spur technological and educational innovation, while American digital divide policies have fallen off the docket. America is losing its competitiveness because we’re not making the necessary investments in education and infrastructure. Fortunately, there is still positive work being done. The federal e-rate program continues to enable low-income schools and libraries to connect to the Internet, while nonprofit and private sector entities invest in local and national efforts dedicated to bridging the gap. Meanwhile, copyright initiatives like Creative Commons ease the way for people to publish their own content for broad public use. And open courseware initiatives from universities, such as MIT, are making some of the most coveted curriculum freely available, whether you can afford to attend the brick-and-mortar institutions or not Here's a link to the full text of the article in case you're interested in reading it: http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6312460.html -andy -- -- Andy Carvin acarvin (at) edc . org andycarvin (at) yahoo . com http://www.digitaldivide.net http://www.andycarvin.com -- ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
RE: [DDN] PC Magazine reviews $159 Linspire computer
Some people on the list will disagree with me as they have in the past, but the future is literally in your hand. Your cell phone, Good to know that you and Bill Gates agree on something. At least for the developing world. Mike * Michael F. Pitsch [EMAIL PROTECTED] -Original Message- From: [EMAIL PROTECTED] [mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Taran Rampersad Sent: Wednesday, March 15, 2006 3:05 PM To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group Subject: Re: [DDN] PC Magazine reviews $159 Linspire computer Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote: SO... what do all these discussions mean to the $100 computer that will soon deliver to the children of the developing world? Cindy [EMAIL PROTECTED] There's a $100 computer? :-) From the MISTICA list, I understand that Argentina has signed up for Negroponte's contraption. I lamented the loss of $100 million that Argentina could use on infrastructure instead, which would benefit everyone. My friends down there saw my point. If a 1 gigabyte USB stick is the length of my finger (and it is), and an operating system can fit into less than 50 megabytes (and more than one can - one desktop OS adapted is http://damnsmalllinux.org/ - also see the standard, http://www.symbian.com/ ) - and screen resolutions continue to increase (and they are) and the power requirements for systems are decreasing (and they are), then I'm sure Negroponte's laptop will get the success it deserves and continue to get the attention it doesn't. (For advocates of the neon windup toy, please answer my previous questions instead of ignoring them.) If we expect children to not consciously break their toys (and they do), then I expect trusting them with a device that an adult can accidentally break (as Koffi Annan did) is folly. If in 1999 (for the record, we're in 2006) someone could build a web server that could fit in a matchbox (and they did: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/1999/02/990210070216.htm ), then we should definitely expect more from commercial entities and NGOs - and if you look carefully at what the commercial entities are doing, you'll notice that bandwidth usage is increasing, that requirements for processing are decreasing for systems that are not servers (like your mobile phone). Of course, Web2.0 requires more processing on the client side, and done properly it will require *some* processing. Some people on the list will disagree with me as they have in the past, but the future is literally in your hand. Your cell phone, which is usually much more than a phone. Phones transmit and receive data. Modern cellphones process data as well. When does a phone become a computer? When does a computer become a phone? The lines are not distinct anymore. I've reached a point where I am actually tired of carrying around a laptop - and I've only been doing it for one year as of February 25th! The 'desktop' is less relevant now. So what about developing nations? Mobile phone infrastructure is increasing (though I must admit odd things are happening in Trinidad and Tobago). Can anyone say that in 5 years the developed nations will be focused more on mobile computing than desktop computing? No. But that's what I'm seeing. Honestly, I don't like it either. I hate telephones. But they are more ubiquitous than PCs, they have a better infrastructure worldwide, they allow rapid voice and data communication, and they work quite well as thin clients. We already have $100 U.S. systems. Most people just don't see them that way. The manufacturers are fighting for the ground floor right now. Shouldn't the future be what developing nations shoot for instead of antiquity? When my technology that I carry with me weighs less than my average meal, I'll be happy. :-) -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago [EMAIL PROTECTED] Looking for contracts/work! http://www.knowprose.com/node/9786 New!: http://www.OpenDepth.com http://www.knowprose.com http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/Taran Pictures: http://www.flickr.com/photos/knowprose/ Criticize by creating. - Michelangelo ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Document - Policies of United Nations System Organizations towards the Use of Open Source Software (OSS) for Development
Policies of United Nations System Organizations towards the Use of Open Source Software (OSS) for Development This report in the framework of using information and communication technologies (ICT) for development, to contribute in raising awareness on the potential role of open source software (OSS) for the achievement of specific objectives set in the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) and the Plan of Action adopted in 2003 by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS). The link address is: http://www.unsystem.org/JIU/data/reports/2005/en2005_7.pdf Reference: The United Nations System Website http://www.unsystem.org FOSSFP is interested in receiving your views and feedback on this United Nation's initiative/report. Regards --- Fouad Riaz Bajwa General Secretary - FOSS Advocate FOSSFP: Free Open Source Software Foundation of Pakistan R Secretariat FOSS Resource Centre - FOSSRC 5-A, 1st Floor, 32-M, Manzoor Plaza Civic Centre, Model Town Extension Lahore-54700, Pakistan Cell: 92-333-4661290 Tel: 92-42-8496645 E-Mail: [EMAIL PROTECTED] URL: www.fossfp.org ; www.ubuntu-pk.org Disclaimer: This e-mail message is intended for its recipient only. If you have received this e-mail in error, please discard it. The author of this e- mail or FOSSFP: Free and Open Source Software Foundation of Pakistan (R) takes no responsibility for the material, implicit or explicit. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Opportunity To Nurture Women Bloggers!
Dear Colleagues, I would like to inform you of mentorship opportunities with a new project, Blogs for African Women (BAWo). BAWo is inspired by a similar project organised by Katy Pearce - Young Caucasus Women. BAWo needs bloggers to mentor young African women who are thinking of or just starting out on their blogosphere adventures. Please read on and contact us if you are interested, or forward to someone you know who might be. Regards, Ore Somolu OPPORTUNITY TO NURTURE WOMEN BLOGGERS! Are you a blogger interested in encouraging more people to blog? Do you enjoy working with young women? Blogs for African Women (BAWo) is looking for mentors to participate in a project for young African women who are new to blogging, from early May to the end of July 2006. The project will initially target Nigerian students aged 10 to 13, but will later extend to the rest of Africa. WHAT IS THIS PROJECT ABOUT? BAWo is a project for African women who want to start blogging or who are new to blogging. The young bloggers will post each week on an assigned topic. They will also be expected to comment on each others posts as well as the mentors. WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO DO? Each mentor is assigned a week to post. You will post once at the start of the week. Your post will provide the young bloggers with ideas and guidance for their own posts. You will comment on the young womens posts. You are also encouraged to comment on the other mentors posts during their assigned weeks. We will work with you to come up with suitable topics for the young women. WHAT QUALITIES SHOULD A MENTOR HAVE? We welcome all bloggers who are culturally and gender sensitive and who are interested in working with young women. We particularly encourage African women bloggers to participate in this project. WHY THIS PROJECT? Internet use in the African continent, although growing, is still fairly low due to many factors which discourage Africans from using the Internet and other Communication Technologies (ICTs) such as no or limited access to the Internet, erratic electricity supply, and low literacy levels. Womens Internet use (and consequently blogging) continues to be very low. A cursory browse of the African blogosphere will show that male bloggers make up the majority of African bloggers, with many residing outside of the African continent. While this project cannot remove many of the barriers to ICT use, it aims to introduce African women to blogging as a tool for self-expression within a nurturing environment, and in the long-run encourage an active engagement with technology. The objectives of this project are: To encourage African women who want to start blogging and support those who recently started blogging To help balance gender disparity in blogging To encourage African women to report their own stories as an alternative to mainstream media To increase the amount of locally-relevant content available on the Internet To encourage a love for writing and reading To promote weblogs as a method of democratic expression To encourage more African women to think about how to incorporate other technology tools into their lives WHAT DO YOU DO NEXT? If you are interested in becoming a mentor or know someone who is, please contact Ore Somolu at [EMAIL PROTECTED] or Sokari Ekine at [EMAIL PROTECTED] Please write a few lines about yourself and your interest in this project, including your blog URL. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Change from --- $159 Linspire computer --- to mobile computing
Cindy Lemcke-Hoong wrote: Hello Taran, Mobile computing. You raised some interesting issues that I am no longer that familiar. One of my confusion with mobile computing is that I see two situations: 1) using the mobile phone as a computer, 2) using the mobile network for computer. In the present popular context of a computer, this is right (and it's the best way to explain it). I 'see' data flow - the computer is transparent - so I look at it this way; either you use the data where you are or you send it to some other person/people - or both. Wherever the data ends up, it should have been processed into a form that the user can make sense of. Where the processing occurs is where most people get stuck in the mud. For example, everyone on this list gets email from this list - data. The data has already been processed so it can get to everyone on this list, within general guidelines. We require a piece of hardware - a computer - to decipher the messages to us and present us the information in a manner that each individual likes. For example, I deal in plain text for a number of reasons, but many people use HTML email settings. These are our personal preferences. I see computing continuing along this trend; a mix of both the mobile phone as a computer and the mobile network as a computer. The servers on the mobile network preprocess the data into generic guidelines that make everyone happy (or less prone to fits of rage), and everyone uses the data in a manner that they choose to. /*As a sidenote, this is why Digital Rights Management works against such things - because it limits how individuals can use data that they receive if they pay for it. The irony of Digital Rights Management (DRM) is that data that isn't protected is usually free of cost and you can do with it what you wish - but if it is protected by DRM, you pay for it and you're limited in what you can do with it. Intuitively, that should be reversed and is why I raise a ruckus when I can, but in the world I live in people use their brains instead of follow instructions like a stupid computer...*/ The computers process the data for us, that's all the stupid things are good for (and even then we have to tell them how to do it). So, the network and the phone are a computer. If we use a traditional desktop computer as an analogy, consider the video card: The video card receives data from the motherboard and presents it in a manner which we interact with. So it is with a mobile phone, or any other device that processes data. Item 1 is the situation that I ruled out for myself (eye sights and big fingers) but can item 2 works? Well Item 1 is probably the biggest problem facing the mobile phone/handheld market. I believe keyboards or other input devices will become available to attach to such systems (like the chiclet keyboard for the PalmPilot), but other things such as predictive text are improving. I examined some of this stuff a few years ago: http://www.worldchanging.com/archives/000530.html Technically speaking can one uses the mobile network for computer? I think the standards are different. Am I right? There are some generic standards, and they are increasing in number. This is why Microsoft, Linux, Symbian and other Operating Systems are fighting their wars now over the mobile phone operating systems - so that they can define or help define the standards which will define what you and everyone else alive in the next 5-15 years will be doing with their data. Microsoft has a dictatorial history (though it's beginning to lean more towards accepting input from users) with what you can do with your data, Linux and Free/Open Source software leans toward participative democracy (though Free Software/Open Source corporations are leaning toward Microsoft's dictatorial stance)... The defining point will be the 'sweet spot' where dictatorial and participative democratic methods for dealing with data meet, shake hands and have a few drinks together. That's not why I'm not too worried about the 'desktop'. Why fight over a small thing when there is so much more out there? Isn't it strange that the de facto leader of the Operating System market, Microsoft, isn't in too much of a hurry to release a new desktop operating system? A popular view of Free Software/Open Source advocates is that Linux is catching up - and it is catching up to what Microsoft has already, in some ways surpassing Microsoft's desktop. Yet in my view, a lot of Free Software/Open Source is missing the boat because they can't afford to buy into the real poker game that's being played in a closed glass room in a dark corner. It's there for everyone to see, but it doesn't attract the eye because the game is high stakes. The less players, the more likely the corporations with the bigger checkbooks will win. What's in your wallet? (Sorry, couldn't resist) -- Taran Rampersad Presently in: San
[DDN] APDIP e-Note 7 - Open Technologies: Catalyst for Transformation
== Out Now: APDIP e-Note 7 – Open Technologies: Catalyst for Transformation By Jeffrey A. Kaplan http://www.apdip.net/news/apdipenote7 == An ICT ecosystem is the entire technology environment. It is not just hardware and software. It encompasses the policies, processes, procurement, data, laws, applications, partnerships, standards and stakeholders that together make up a technology environment for a country, a government or an organization. People - those who create, buy, sell, regulate, manage and use technology - are the most important part of any ICT ecosystem. An open ICT ecosystem brings increased choices, collaboration, innovation and economic opportunities. It impacts access to public information, government procurement, industrial development (especially for small- and medium-sized enterprises), privacy, security, investment policy, intellectual property and economic growth. Five principles define open ICT ecosystems and guide their evolution. Open ICT ecosystems are: interoperable, user-centric, collaborative, sustainable and flexible. To activate these principles, there are three building blocks of an open ICT ecosystem: open standards, open source and service-orientation. This APDIP e-Note explains the value of open ICT ecosystems and elaborates on their principles and building blocks in simple terms. APDIP e-Notes are brief snapshots that present analyses of specific issues related to information and communication technologies (ICTs) for sustainable human development in the Asia-Pacific region. This online series introduces readers to the who, what, where, why and how of a wide range of current issues related to ICTs such as Internet governance, ICTs and poverty alleviation, e-governance, free and open source software, and many others. Download APDIP e-Note 7 from http://www.apdip.net/apdipenote/7.pdf All APDIP e-Notes are available at http://www.apdip.net/apdipenote/ All APDIP e-Resources are available at http://www.apdip.net/elibrary/ Christine Apikul ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] new study - digital culture important for personal growth
hi Digital Divide Network community - this new study might be helpful to cite in grant proposals. http://digg.com/technology/Digital_Culture_Important_for_Personal_Growth - phil -- Phil Shapiro [EMAIL PROTECTED] http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/pshapiro http://digg.com/users/pshapiro/submitted http://www.his.com/pshapiro/stories.menu.html Wisdom starts with wonder. - Socrates Learning happens through gentleness. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] Podcast Audience Small but Growing: Research Report
Date: Thu, 9 Mar 2006 09:53:19 -0700 From: George Lessard [EMAIL PROTECTED] Reply-To: mediamentor@yahoogroups.com To: Creative Radio List [EMAIL PROTECTED] Subject: [MediaMentor] Podcast audience small but growing: research report Podcast audience small but growing: research report Internet researcher eMarketer forecasts that the total US audience for podcasts could reach 25 million by 2008, and perhaps 50 million by 2010. The total audience for podcasts has shown meteoric growth, particularly in the US, says Mike Chapman, eMarketer Editorial Director and author of the new Podcasting: Who's Tuning In? report. The active listening audience is much smaller, but it is still set to grow rapidly. A year ago, many people had not even heard of podcasting. Yet the number of podcast listeners who have ever listened to or watched a podcast is projected to top 10 million this year and reach 50 million by 2010. Today, many major media outlets, as well as thousands of individuals all over the Web, have their own podcasts, ensuring that niche markets and interest groups are well served. However, many of these podcast listeners are one-time users, according to the new report. The key to increased spending in this new medium is for these one-time listeners to become regular, active podcast listeners. eMarketer forecasts that the active podcast audience in the US can be expected to reach 3 million this year, 7.5 million in 2008 and 15 million in 2010. Podcasting is not set to become a new mass-market venue, at least for the next half decade, says eMarketer's Mr Chapman. By way of comparison, US broadcast radio still reaches close to 200 million Americans. eMarketer http://www.emarketer.com/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = Via / By / Excerpted / From / Tip from / Thanks to: http://medianetwork.blogspot.com/2006_02_26_medianetwork_archive.html © info http://members.tripod.com/~media002/disclaimer.htm Due to the nature of email the WWW, check ALL sources. This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Developing Nations license. http://creativecommons.org/licenses/devnations/2.0/ = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = = ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
Re: [DDN] Change from --- $159 Linspire computer --- to mobile computing
Sabi ni Cindy noong Thu, 16 Mar 2006 02:45:47 + (GMT): One of my confusion with mobile computing is that I see two situations: 1) using the mobile phone as a computer, 2) using the mobile network for computer. Item 1 is the situation that I ruled out for myself (eye sights and big fingers) but can item 2 works? Bigger phones might address both problems -- they have bigger screens and keypads. Technically speaking can one uses the mobile network for computer? I think the standards are different. Am I right? You may be referring to two standards for mobile computing. The first is WiFi, the 802.11 family for a Local Area Network (LAN), also used for WiFi HotSpots. It's of limited range, about 10 meters if I recall rightly, and tops off at 54Mbits/second. I'd estimate that 70% of modern laptops to have WiFi circuitry built-in, and in any case, there are WiFi PCCards available for those that don't. WiFi has a successor called WiMax which extends the range to several kilometers. The second standard is 2G and 3G cellular telephony, the one we use to place our phone calls. Can computers use it? Short answer is yes. One way is by using a handset as a modem for the computer -- I've done this before, through my GPRS phone, although given the speed, I may as well have been using landline dial-up. 2.5G, also known as EDGE, is supposed to double the speed, and 3G is supposed to bring cellular bandwidth to Mbit/second speed. You would connect the computer to the phone using either a data cable, IR, or BlueTooth. There are also PCCards available for notebooks. I'm not aware of PCI cards, I guess because desktop users are more likely to connect using DSL or cable. Lastly, a few manufacturers have announced that they would incorporate 3G circuitry into their notebooks -- Lenovo is one of them, and I think Fujitsu-Siemens is another one. Another point I'd like to bring up is, how do we define a computer? The high-end phone/PDAs such as the Treo 650, O2 XDA, Motorola A780, and others have capabilities for at least reading MS Office files. They're true computers too, in the sense that you can write software for them. Indeed, there's a slew of 3rd-party software for each of those phones, er, computers(?). Anyway, that was an aside :) Regards. -- Daniel O. Escasa [EMAIL PROTECTED] contributor, Free Software Magazine (http://www.freesoftwaremagazine.com) personal blog at http://descasa.i.ph -- http://www.fastmail.fm - Choose from over 50 domains or use your own ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
[DDN] US National Summit for Community Wireless Networks, March 31-April 2, St. Charles, Missouri
Hi everyone, DDN folks within (and who can travel to) the US might be interested in this conference. The 2nd Annual National Summit for Community Wireless Networks is less than three weeks away, March 31st - April 2nd, in St. Charles, Missouri! This is a huge year for wireless networking and this will be one of the key events of 2006. You can register here: http://cuwireless.net/summit/2006registration More information: http://cuwireless.net/summit/ The event will be hosted by CUWiN, Free Press, and the Mid-Rivers Community Wireless Network. Developers, researchers, programmers and policy-makers will meet for three days for involved discussions at Lindenwood University in St. Charles, Missouri. ... Community wireless developers from across North America will demonstrate cutting-edge technologies; ... Researchers and programmers will discuss breakthroughs and developments; ... Policy-makers and funders will strategize with participants on the new initiatives being launched and involvement in national telecommunications policies. Participants include Harold Feld of the Media Access Project, Esme de Guzman Vos of Muniwireless.com, Robert McChesney of Free Press and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, Dewayne Hendricks of the Dandin Group, Inc., Sascha Meinrath of CUWiN, Paul Smith of the Center for Neighborhood Technologies, and Laura Forlano of NYC Wireless among others. Schedule here: http://cuwireless.net/summit/2006schedule The 2nd National Summit for Community Wireless Networks is sure to be a key event that will help set the agenda for further wireless growth. Pass on the word or register yourself before space fills up: http://cuwireless.net/summit/2006registration Best, Frannie * * * * Frannie Wellings Program Manager Free Press (202) 265-1490 x 21 http://www.freepress.net Media is the issue. ___ DIGITALDIVIDE mailing list DIGITALDIVIDE@mailman.edc.org http://mailman.edc.org/mailman/listinfo/digitaldivide To unsubscribe, send a message to [EMAIL PROTECTED] with the word UNSUBSCRIBE in the body of the message.
