The AP has a story purporting that the Simputer project has largely failed in its goals to bring computers to the rural poor in India. The article notes that many local governments prefer to accept donations of computer equipment from Microsoft and other multinational hardware vendors rather than pay for new technology. It’s tough to…
SMS democracy in the Arab world
The Washington Post has an interesting article about political organizers and activists in the Persian Gulf using SMS cell phone text messaging to organize mass rallies and slam their opponents. This reminds me of the SMS uprisings in the Philippines that led to the ouster of President Joseph Estrada in 1991. When it comes down…
Cheap, Cool Digital Devices for the 3rd World
Just catching up on the status of cheap digital devices for the developing world. I have long been interested in the “Simputer” project, which was initiated several years ago with the goal of creating a viable, cheap device that the poor could use in the developing world to get access to a computer and the…
A New World of Chatty Devices
As a youngster, “ubiquitous” was one of my favorite words, even when I had only a dim understanding of what it meant. Now I am again challenged to understand the concept as the Japanese government sponsors a WSIS-related meeting on the “ubiquitous network society” on May 16. The Japanese government describes the “ubiquitous network society”…
Scrap the Commission on Human Rights
I have to say, that after reading several reports from this year’s UN Commission on Human Rights, I think the institution is ripe for reform. Having a smaller, more accountable body of governments responsible for overseeing the human rights work of the UN and the human rights situation throughout the world seems an essential part…
A community blog for the United Nations?
I got a brainstorm after having lunch with Bobson Wong, a cool web designer / activist guy. We were talking about the need for more public awareness and involvement in what is happening at the United Nations and on internet governance issues. Today it hit me: the UN needs a community blog. Ok, there already…
RFID Zapper Makes Your Privacy Woes disappear!
The premier gadget site Gizmodo profiles today a RFID “Tag Zapper” that disables any RFID device, including those placed on commercial merchandise, or even, say, a conference badge. Not that any WSIS people could think of a use for this…. The
Should the WSIS be about Tunisia?
Is Tunisia going to be such a central focus of political and media attention that it overshadows all the other issues on the WSIS agenda? If this happens, than I would argue that this would be a terrible disservice to the hundreds of civil society, government and UN folks who have worked so hard to…
80% of Nigerians don’t believe that AIDS exists
LAGOS, 09/21 – About 80 percent of Nigerians think HIV/AIDS is not real, a Nigerian government official said here Monday. Babatunde Osotimehin, chairman of the National Action Committee on HIV/AIDS (NACA), told reporters in the nation`s commercial capital Lagos that “ninety percent of Nigerians know about HIV/ AIDS, but only 20 percent believe it is…
Avri Doria is my hero
Amidst the frustrations and craziness in the WSIS process, a lot of what keeps me engaged and excited about the WSIS is the people. Avri Doria is one of those cool folks who have crossed my path because of the WSIS. I have known about Avri for a long time because of her lucid and…