Re: [DDN] Re: The digital divide and the idea of "public computing"

[Taran Rampersad]

K Wong (UVic) wrote:

>I agree with you that technology is a tool. My issue is with the term
>"just". When you state that "technology is *just* a tool" you are
>minimizing the important and often obscure biases within the technology.
>The issue is subtle, but I believe it is significant.
>
>To use your car analogy, there is nothing stopping someone from
>customizing their ride, you are quite right. Adding fuzzy dice is always
>a nice touch; however, customizing the car does not affect the biases
>within the car which are not changeable. For example, the car uses
>petrochemicals which pollute the environment and cause wars. 
>
That is changeable, and there are hybrid and electric cars that prove that.

>The car
>operates on roads which ends up in lost farmland.
>
And that changes, with the use of onboard navigation systems.

> Cars cause fatal
>accidents.
>
No, cars do not cause accidents. Drivers are usually the culprits, but
sometimes accidents are simply accidents. And rarely are there cases of
manufacturer caused accidents, but they also are a factor. Then there
are the pedestrians running across the road, the squirrel running across
the road...

No, I don't think cars themselves cause accidents.

> Drinking and driving would not be possible without cars. 
>
It wouldn't be possible without alcohol or drivers. And, for the record,
one can be arrested for drinking and driving if you're on a bicycle...

>The
>list is long indeed.
>  
>
?

>In economic terms, the characterization is one of negative externalities
>or the unknown real cost of ownership. My concern is that by minimizing
>these important biases, communities could end up adopting technologies
>without knowing their true costs.
>  
>
This is what I don't understand. There is no 'cost of ownership' when it
comes to technology that I see. There is, however, a cost of *use* of
technology. Just because we buy widgets doesn't make us technological;
it's the use of the widgets that does so. It's sort of like all that
exercise equipment gathering dust somewhere in people's houses and
apartments...

Buying exercise equipment doesn't make one skinny or muscular, though I
do have a theory that if one buys enough of it, one will not be able to
afford to eat - and that's certainly something which will cause one to
lose weight.

But now we're really talking about cost and value, which are separate
things despite some genius marketing.

>That is my only point. I agree with you on your other points:
>responsibility, choice, changing the world and even the Sims.
>  
>
I think you actually do agree with what I'm saying... I think the real
issues here are 'use vs. own' and 'cost vs. value'.

-- 
Taran Rampersad

[EMAIL PROTECTED]

http://www.linuxgazette.com
http://www.a42.com
http://www.knowprose.com
http://www.easylum.net

"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.

[DDN] new Friends feature on DDN's web site

[Phil Shapiro]

 this new feature is excellent. thanks cedar, andy, mike furdyck and
anyone else involved in creating this feature.

   it's useful to note that the word "friend" is used in the broadest
sense.  i use this feature just to keep track of folks whose
profile looks interesting on the DDN site. so people might be
showing up in my "friends" list who i might not have communicated
with.

down the road it would be way cool for there to be some indication
of hierarchy of relationship.  for example, i classify people in
my own life as a colleague, a friend or a kidney friend.  a kidney
friend is someone i'd give a kidney to.  i'm lucky enough to count
several kidney friends right here on DDN.

  adding features of the kind i describe costs money, though.  the
best way for us to get to that point is to continue growing the
DDN community.  invite in more friends and colleagues (and
kidney friends.) spread the word in the communities you move in.
growing the size of the DDN community is the best current way of
strengthening the community.

 blogging using the DDN web site blogging tools is another way
of strengthening the community.  if you're not sure what to
blog about, check out what other people are blogging about. 
i'm constantly surprised and inspired by what i read on the
DDN group blog.
http://www.digitaldivide.net/blogs

 the best thing about blogging? you can have a blog entry with
just 2 or 3 words in it.
blogging is a lazy person's best friend.  when i first heard about
blogging, i latched on right away. lazy is good.

- phil


-- 
Phil Shapiro [EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://www.his.com/pshapiro/ (personal)
http://teachme.blogspot.com (weblog)
http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/pshapiro (technology access work)
http://mytvstation.blogspot.com/ (video and rich media)

"There's just so much more creativity and genius out there than
our media currently reflect."  FCC Commissioner Michael Copps
___
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] RADIO: STATIONS: LICENSING : UNITED STATES: GOVERNMENT: FEDERAL: REGULATION AND REGULATORY AGENCIES: FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC): Article With Links to Information Resources About Ra

[David P. Dillard]

RADIO: STATIONS: LICENSING : UNITED STATES: GOVERNMENT: FEDERAL:
REGULATION AND REGULATORY AGENCIES: FEDERAL COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION
(FCC): Article With Links to Information Resources AGENCIES: FEDERAL
COMMUNICATIONS COMMISSION (FCC): Article With Links to Information
Resources




Sincerely,
David Dillard
Temple University
(215) 204 - 4584
[EMAIL PROTECTED]





World Business Community Advisor


___
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] Grant Op

[Bob Hirshon]

Hi:

This looks like a grant opportunity worth forwarding to the group. 

Bob
**

2005 Community Grant. The Beaumont Foundation
of America is dedicated to enriching the lives of
individuals by providing technology to historically
underserved schools and communities. The 2005
Areas of Focus include: affordable housing;
children's hospitals; college and university
scholarship programs; faith-based initiatives; foster
care and mentoring programs for children; homeless
persons; people with disabilities; restart programs for
released offenders; and senior citizens. Eligible
applicants include city or township governments,
county governments, independent school districts,
special district governments, state governments,
public, private, parochial, and charter schools, as well
as hospitals, and nonprofit organizations. Online
Letter of Intent (LOI) is due by April 22, 2005.
Approximately $350 Million is available. For further
information, contact The Beaumont Foundation of
America, at 1-866 546-2667, or
http://www.bmtfoundation.com/bfa/us/public/en/cont
actus/query.html; or go to: www.bmtfoundation.com.
GrantID: GD259
___
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] Guide to Rural Telecentres Published in Brazil

[J Cravens]

Guide to Rural Telecentres Published in Brazil
09-03-2005 (UNESCO Brasilia) - A "Guide to Rural Telecentres" (Guia
Gemas da Terra de Telecentros Rurais) was recently published by the
Brazilian NGO Gemas da Terra. The Guide, that was produced with resources
from UNESCO's Information for All Programme, is aimed at helping
Portuguese-speaking communities to establish community multimedia 
telecentres in
rural areas.
http://portal.unesco.org/ci/en/ev.php-URL_ID=18376&URL_DO=DO_TOPIC&URL_SECTION=201.html

--
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
Jayne Cravens 
Bonn, Germany

Services for Mission-Based Orgs
www.coyotecommunications.com
TECH4IMPACT Newsletter
www.coyotecommunications.com/tech4impact.html
Open University Development Studies
www.coyotecommunications.com/development
Contact me
www.coyotecommunications.com/contact.html
<><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><><>
___
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] Tunisia digital divide data needs

[Ana Maria Moraes de Albuquerque Lima]

Hi Fabrizio, 
 
I am researcher in Brazil about digital divide issues. I have a small virtual 
library where I collected some reports and digital thesis about the theme in 
http://br.geocities.com/bibliotecamicromundos Have you seen the blog of Andy 
Carvin. He wrote about the prep com of Tunisia that happened in Geneva some 
weeks ago and also discussed about a polemic report of World Bank. See at 
www.acarvin.com
 
Best regards, 
Ana Maria Moraes.

Fabrizio Nasti <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
Hi everyone,
i'm a long time lurker of this great mailing-list.
Now I have a request for the members.
Sorry for my uncertain english.

I'm completing my work for the degree in
Communication Sciences five years curriculum at
the University of Rome. The subject of the thesis
is the so called digital divide, particularly the
role of community place-based initiatives in
getting technology closer to people needs
both in developed and developing countries.
I'm writing also about the little italian
organization i'm a member of (Pro-digi
www.pro-digi.org) and the one-month volunteer
project we ran in 2003 in south Tunisia,
North-Africa. We used refurbished PC's equipped
with free software (GNU-Linux OS, Mozilla,
OpenOffice and some more) to fit out two labs
connected to the Internet, and ran some basic and
advanced training and workshops for some 30 people
from several communities (basic keybording,
mousing and "filing"; word processing, e-mail use,
web-searching and browsing, web editing, etc).
We also got volunteer help and support from two
tunisians Linux users and developers, who
delivered as well a seminar in arab language on
free software ideas, history and features.
Of the two labs only the one that was placed in a
rural village community center became something
similar to a telecenter and continued to work,
even if with some troubles.

I don't want to bore you with the entire report -
if interested you can find more in our website,
included the basic web pages students created
about their communities - so I'll go directly to
the point:
does someone know about some up to date data,
reports, case studies, articles, etc. about the
digital divide - and issues related to - in
Tunisia?

I guess there would be great attention on
Tunisia ICT issues because of the forthcoming
second phase of the WSIS. So maybe anyone in the
world, the real one, may help me more than Google did.

Thanks a lot
Fabrizio
Italy










___
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.


-
Yahoo! Mail - Com 250MB de espaço.  Abra sua conta!
___
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] Non-Profits and Open Source

[Taran Rampersad]

I just wrote this article at the IT Garage, and thought a few people
might be interested.

http://garage.docsearls.com/node/553

-- 
Taran Rampersad

[EMAIL PROTECTED]

http://www.linuxgazette.com
http://www.a42.com
http://www.knowprose.com
http://www.easylum.net

"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.

[DDN] CyberVolunteers Program is launching its new website

[Marouen MRAIHI]

FYI

Marouen MRAIHI
CyberVolunteer in Mali right now
http://www.mraihi.com

 Original Message 
Subject: ICV News Update, 14 March 2005
Date:Sun, March 13, 2005 11:22 am
--

ICVolunteers / ICVolontaires / ICVoluntarios

News Update, 14 March 2005

Dear Colleagues, Friends and Volunteers,

We are happy to announce that the CyberVolunteers Program is launching its
new web site.

The CyberVolunteers Program recruits, trains and coordinates volunteers
with information and communication technology skills for development.
Volunteers participate in local, regional and international projects for a
period of several weeks or months, offering their skills in areas such as
web or software development, system administration and content
generation.

The Program values in particular South-South exchanges, but also includes
South-North and North-South cooperation, with projects in Mali, Senegal,
Congo (Brazzaville), Uganda, South Africa, Tanzania, Cameroon, Mozambique,
India, Switzerland. It is implemented by ICVolunteers
(http://www.icvolunteers.org), an international  volunteer organization
working with volunteers from many countries around  the world. The
CyberVolunteers Program benefits from the patronage of
UNESCO-Switzerland.

To learn more, visit
http://www.cyber.icvolunteers.org

Cordially,

Viola Krebs
Director of ICVolunteers



Chers CollÃgues, amis et volontaires,

Nous sommes trÃs heureux de vous informer que le Programme
CyberVolontaires  vient de lancer son nouveau site web.

Le Programme CyberVolontaires recrute, forme et coordonne des volontaires
ayant des compÃtences en technologies de l'information et de la
communication pour le dÃveloppement. Les volontaires participent à des
projets locaux, rÃgionaux et internationaux pour une pÃriode de plusieurs
semaines ou mois, offrant leurs compÃtences dans les domaines tels que le
dÃveloppement de sites web et de logiciels, l'administration de rÃseaux ou
encore le dÃveloppement de contenus.

Le Programme valorise tout particuliÃrement des Ãchanges Sud-Sud, mais
Ãgalement la coopÃration Sud-Nord et Nord-Sud, avec des projets au Mali,
SÃnÃgal, Congo (Brazzaville), Ouganda, Afrique du Sud, Tanzanie, Cameroun,
Mozambique, Inde, Suisse. Le Programme est mis en Åuvre par ICVolontaires
(http://www.icvolontaires.org), une organisation  internationale de
volontariat qui collabore avec des volontaires de  nombreux pays. Le
Programme CyberVolontaires est mis en Åuvre sous le  patronage
d'UNESCO-Suisse.

Pour vister le site, allez à l'adresse
http://www.cyber.icvolunteers.org

Cordiales salutations,

Viola Krebs
Directrice d'ICVolontaires


ICVolunteers / ICVolontaires / ICVoluntarios
P.O. Box 755, 1211 Geneva 4, Switzerland
http://www.icvolunteers.org
Phone: +41 22 800 1436
Fax: +41 22 800 1437 or 321 53 27
Email: [EMAIL PROTECTED]


___
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] mobile global broadband

[Tom Abeles]

The following from Kurzweil's email newsletter:
*
Mobile broadband Internet access
anywhere
KurzweilAI.net March 14, 2005
*
Three new Inmarsat 4 communications
satellites will provide global
broadband Internet access to mobile
users for the first time. The first
satellite, launched March 10, will
cover most of Europe, Africa, the
Middle East, and Asia. The second,
planned for summer 2005 launch, will
cover South America, most of North
America, the Atlantic Ocean and...
http://www.kurzweilai.net/email/newsRedirect.html?newsID=4312&m=6879

___
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] The real digital divide (fwd)

[K Wong \(UVic\)]

One of the best books I have found on the subject of technology and
American Indians is Jerry Mander's "In the Absence of the Sacred: The
failure of technology and the survival of the Indian nations". It was
published by Sierra Books, San Francisco in 1991. Mander's book leans to
the left at times, but it is well written with some very thought
provoking ideas.

Mander, J. (1991) In the Absence of the Sacred. At Amazon.com.
http://tinyurl.com/57kz9

The Western ethnocentric bias in software development is an obvious
place to look for evidence of assimilation of languages and cultures.
One indicator of the homogenization of humanity is the loss of
linguistic diversity as documented by many sources including the UN. The
link below leads to a horribly written, rambling press release on the
subject (some interesting snippets though). The report itself is huge
(25MB - 750 pages) but there is lots of good stuff in there. There are a
number of people in the States working on the linguistic preservation
issue including the folks at Red Pony. You may want to contact them.

UNEP Press Release:  Globalization Threat to World's Cultural,
Linguistic and Biological Diversity http://tinyurl.com/6xyaa

Cultural and Spiritual Values of Biodiversity - Edited by Darrell
Addison Posey http://www.unep.org/Biodiversity/

Red Pony
http://www.redpony.us/

Kelvin Wong
Department of Computer Science
University of Victoria

My Blog on Aboriginal People and Technology
http://nativetech.blogspot.com/


-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Wanda Jean
Lord
Sent: March 12, 2005 12:56 PM
To: 'The Digital Divide Network discussion group'
Subject: RE: [DDN] The real digital divide (fwd)

As we focus on bridging the DD - it appears that there are cultural
exchanges that are inherent in this work, with impacts. Are there models
of completed DD projects that work specifically with the markers of
retaining and/or strengthening the intact cultures to which the
technology is introduced while bringing economic benefits to those
communities? 

I wonder at the impacts technology can have that either purposefully, or
without intent, act as a 'great assimilator.' Can anyone recommend
readings/research on this topic?


___
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] Guide to Rural Telecentres Published in Brazil

[Jon maddog Hall]

Hi,

It is projects like these that make me call Brazil the "Shining Star of
Free and Open Source Software".

Note that the report and all of the software necessary to duplicate the effort
is available for download.

Score:
Brazil 2,536,357
Others 5,212

[Note: These scores are only estimated, completely prejudiced and totally
without any practical measurementthey just feel right.  :-)  ]

md
-- 
Jon "maddog" Hall
Executive Director   Linux International(R)
email: [EMAIL PROTECTED] 80 Amherst St. 
Voice: +1.603.672.4557   Amherst, N.H. 03031-3032 U.S.A.
WWW: http://www.li.org

Board Member: Uniforum Association, USENIX Association

(R)Linux is a registered trademark of Linus Torvalds in several countries.
(R)Linux International is a registered trademark in the USA used pursuant
   to a license from Linux Mark Institute, authorized licensor of Linus
   Torvalds, owner of the Linux trademark on a worldwide basis
(R)UNIX is a registered trademark of The Open Group in the USA and other
   countries.

___
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] Web documentary: Baramati Bus Stop

[Andy Carvin]

Hi everyone,
This weekend I completed a short Web documentary on my visit to a mobile 
computing lab in Baramati, India last week. The video, called Baramati 
Bus Stop, is about six and a half minutes long. It explores the mobile 
lab, which features two dozen thin-client computers installed on a bus. 
I also show my visit to a rural primary school classroom, and meeting 
some of the local village children who aren't enrolled in school -- and 
thus have no access to the technology.

I've made two versions of the video, one without captioning and one with 
captioning.

Without captions:
http://www.andycarvin.com/video/baramati-bus.mov
Captioned:
http://www.andycarvin.com/video/baramati-captioned.mov
Both versions of the movie are quite large - more than 45 megs. So you 
may want to let the video download for a brief time before trying to 
stream it. Better yet, download the whole thing first so you won't have 
to worry about it pausing due to bandwidth bottlenecks. The movie is 
released on a Creative Commons noncommercial/attribution/share-alike 
license, which means it may be viewed, disseminated and even edited for 
educational and noncommercial purposes.

For those of you who are interested in how I made the video, here are 
some quick tech specs. I shot the video on a Canon A60 digital camera, 
capturing about 15 minutes of footage, on location in Baramti, India. I 
uploaded this footage to my Mac G4 laptop and edited it using Final Cut 
Pro. Music was licensed from ProductionTrax.com; licenses for four songs 
cost approximately USD $30. For voiceover (narration) I used Final Cut 
Pro's voiceover tool, spoken through a LogiTech USB headset mic. 
Captioning was also done using Final Cut Pro. The total editing process, 
from uploading footage to exporting the movie as a Quicktime file, took 
approximately eight hours over the course of several days.

Anyway, please check it out when you get a chance and let me know what 
you think.

thanks,
andy
--
---
Andy Carvin
Program Director
EDC Center for Media & Community
acarvin @ edc . org
http://www.digitaldivide.net
http://www.tsunami-info.org
Blog: 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.

[DDN] Cyber-dissident Zouhair Yahyaoui dies of heart attack

[Andy Carvin]

Sad news from Tunisia... -andy
 Original Message 
Subject: [WSIS CS-Plenary] 14.03.05 > cyber-dissident  Zouhair Yahyaoui 
dies of heart attack - "cyberdissident" Zouhair Yahyaoui décède d'une 
crise cardiaque
Date: Mon, 14 Mar 2005 15:51:00 +0100

Courageous young cyber-dissident dies of heart attack Reporters Without
Borders offers its condolences to Zouhair Yahyaoui's family
Reporters Without Borders voiced its deep regret today at §the death of the
young Tunisian cyber-dissident, Zouhair Yahyaoui, 36, the founder and editor
of the online newspaper TUNeZINE, who died yesterday of a heart attack.
"We offer our condolences to the family and friends of Zouhair," the press
freedom organization said. "This young man was a courageous activist and
resolute defender of free expression in his country. He always fought for
the right to freely inform his fellow citizens. Even prison failed to
silence him.
"Tunisia has lost one of its most active supporters of the struggle for a
greater democracy. Zouhair had managed to open a breach in the tightly
controlled Tunisian Internet. His efforts were not in vain and it is now up
to us to continue the fight."
Yahyaoui woke yesterday with pains in his chest and died a few hours later
at the Habib Thameur hospital in Tunis. His funeral will take place today.
Reporters Without Borders immediately sent a representative to express its
condolences personally to the family.
Using the pseudonym "Ettounsi," which means Tunisian in Arabic, Yahyaoui
founded the website tunezine.com in July 2001 as a way to circulate
information about the situation of freedoms in Tunisia. He also posted
opposition statements on the site, and was the first to publish an open
letter to the president by Judge Mokhtar Yahyaoui criticising the judicial
system.
The Tunis appeal court sentenced him to two years in prison for
"disseminating inaccurate news" on 10 July 2002, a few weeks after
plain-clothes police arrested him in an Internet cafe. During interrogation
he was subjected twice to a form of torture in which the victim is made to
hang from his arms with his feet barely touching the ground. He received a
conditional release on 18 November 2003.
Source: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12852
Radionongrata.info
Stéphane koch
--- Français ---
Reporters sans frontières exprime ses condoléances à la famille de Zouhair
Yahyaoui
Le cyberdissident tunisien Zouhair Yahyaoui, fondateur et animateur du
journal en ligne TUNeZINE, est décédé d'une attaque cardiaque, le 13 mars en
fin de matinée.
"Nous exprimons nos condoléances à la famille et aux proches de Zouhair. Ce
jeune homme de 36 ans était un militant courageux et un défenseur acharné de
la liberté d'expression dans son pays. Il s'était toujours battu pour avoir
le droit d'informer librement ses concitoyens. Même la prison n'avait pas
réussi à le faire taire. La Tunisie perd aujourd'hui l'un de ses soutiens
les plus actifs à la lutte pour une plus grande démocratie. Zouhair était
parvenu à ouvrir une brèche dans l'Internet tunisien si étroitement
contrôlé. Ses efforts n'ont pas été vains et c'est à nous tous, désormais,
de poursuivre ce combat", a déclaré Reporters sans frontières.
Le 13 mars, Zouhair Yahyaoui s'est réveillé avec des douleurs à la poitrine.
Il est mort d'une crises cardiaque quelques heures plus tard à l'hôpital
Habib Thameur de Tunis. Ses funérailles auront lieu aujourd'hui. Reporters
sans frontières a immédiatement envoyé un représentant sur place pour
exprimer ses condoléances à la famille de Zouhair.
Zouhair Yahyaoui écrivait sous le pseudonyme "Ettounsi" qui signifie le
Tunisien en arabe. Il avait fondé le site tunezine.com en juillet 2001 pour
diffuser notamment des informations sur l'état des libertés en Tunisie. Il
publiait également en ligne des documents de l'opposition. Il avait été le
premier à diffuser la lettre dénonçant le système judiciaire du pays
adressée au président de la République par le juge Mokhtar Yahyaoui.
Le 10 juillet 2002, il avait été condamné, par la cour d'appel de Tunis, à
deux ans de prison pour "propagation de fausses nouvelles". Il avait été
arrêté, quelques semaines auparavant, par plusieurs policiers en civil dans
un cybercafé. Au cours de son interrogatoire, il avait subi trois séances de
"suspension", méthode de torture où la personne est suspendue par les bras,
avec les pieds touchant à peine le sol. Il avait bénéficié d'une libération
conditionnelle le 18 novembre 2003.
Source: http://www.rsf.org/article.php3?id_article=12848
Radionongrata.info
Stéphane koch
___
Plenary mailing list
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
http://mailman.greennet.org.uk/mailman/listinfo/plenary
--
---
Andy Carvin
Program Director
EDC Center for Media & Community
acarvin @ edc . org
http://www.digitaldivide.net
http://www.tsunami-info.org
Blog: http://www.andycarvin.com
---

[DDN] new feature: DDN friends

[Andy Carvin]

Hi everyone,
We've just added a new feature to the Digital Divide Network website 
called DDN Friends. The idea behind this feature is to allow DDN members 
to identify friends and colleagues on the network and list them on your 
personal profile page. For example, if you go to my personal profile 
page, you'll see a list of several friends I've added to my list. This 
list appears below my bio, in the right column below my list of favorite 
 websites.

http://www.digitaldivide.net/profile/acarvin
How it works:
When you're logged into the website and click on anyone's personal 
profile, you'll now see a link at the top right of the page that says 
"Add as Friend." Click on that link, and the person will be added to 
your list of friends, which you can review and manage by going to your 
"About Me" page in the edit profile section of the site 
(http://www.digitaldivide.net/members/edit.php?section=aboutme). If you 
want to list your friends on your public profile page, you'll have to go 
to the About Me edit page listed above and  click the box that says 
"Public friends." This will make your list public.

In future upgrades to the site, we may add other features to this tool, 
but for now it's a simple, handy way to list friends and colleagues on 
your personal profile page and build your social network on DDN. Please 
give it a try and let us know what you think.

thanks,
andy

--
---
Andy Carvin
Program Director
EDC Center for Media & Community
acarvin @ edc . org
http://www.digitaldivide.net
http://www.tsunami-info.org
Blog: 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] Re: The digital divide and the idea of "public computing"

[K Wong \(UVic\)]

I agree with you that technology is a tool. My issue is with the term
"just". When you state that "technology is *just* a tool" you are
minimizing the important and often obscure biases within the technology.
The issue is subtle, but I believe it is significant.

To use your car analogy, there is nothing stopping someone from
customizing their ride, you are quite right. Adding fuzzy dice is always
a nice touch; however, customizing the car does not affect the biases
within the car which are not changeable. For example, the car uses
petrochemicals which pollute the environment and cause wars. The car
operates on roads which ends up in lost farmland. Cars cause fatal
accidents. Drinking and driving would not be possible without cars. The
list is long indeed.

In economic terms, the characterization is one of negative externalities
or the unknown real cost of ownership. My concern is that by minimizing
these important biases, communities could end up adopting technologies
without knowing their true costs.

That is my only point. I agree with you on your other points:
responsibility, choice, changing the world and even the Sims.

Kelvin

-Original Message-
From: [EMAIL PROTECTED]
[mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED] On Behalf Of Taran
Rampersad
Sent: March 3, 2005 6:23 AM
To: The Digital Divide Network discussion group
Subject: Re: [DDN] Re: The digital divide and the idea of "public
computing"


Apparently, we violently agree.

Technology *is* just a tool, just like the stone axe. Yes, you are right
that technology is defined by the creator.

But nobody said that technology couldn't be changed to be used by
others. Whose responsibility is it to change something? Let's say I
build a car, and you like the car and purchase it from me. Does that
keep you from modifying the car for your own needs? No, it certainly
does not...


___
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.