Stories about Ideas from September, 2009
Bahrain: Observations from Dubai
Bint Battuta in Bahrain travels to Dubai and here are her observations.
Suriname: Photographic Art
Paramaribo SPAN shines the spotlight on Dutch artist Risk Hazekamp, who shares her thoughts on thoughts “on one of the works inspired by her residency in Suriname in 2008.”
Trinidad & Tobago: Thinking & Drinking
Trinidadian blogger Andre Bagoo republishes an article he wrote in which he “began to think in earnest about the reasons why I drink.”
Israel: The Meaning of Home
Absolute Carmel‘s Carmel Vaisman contemplates notions of home. “I fear that the concept of home, like love or identity, is a complex chaotic fractal, a secret formula, that if I change one component I’ll lose it entirely.”
Israel: Ideas for Household Water Conservation
After receiving an expensive water bill, Baila decided to implement some water-saving rules for her household. Read here to find out more. Comment to add your own suggestions.
Trinidad & Tobago: The Price of Progress is High
“As if the stink of the uselessness of the building weren’t enough…here comes talk that toxic fumes from the Performing Arts Academy are making people in the neighbouring buildings fall sick. Yes, this is progress at its best”: Trinidadian Attillah Springer says the whole thing “is a tragic kind of...
Japan: Animated Explanations of Policies?
Inspired by this American video explaining ‘Why We Need Government-Run Universal Socialized Health Insurance‘, Media Sabor suggests using some of the budget from the canceled National Center for Media Arts to have animators create understandable animations to explain new policies to the public [ja].
Taiwan: BoF 2009
Started by a group of bloggers in 2005, and then organized by ADCT since 2006, BoF(Birds of a Feather), aka Taiwan Youth Blog Festival, has become the major Web 2.0 event in Taiwan. This year, because of Typhoon Morakot that wreaked havoc in August 2009 in southeren Taiwan, BoF 2009...
Bermuda: national identity
“Who are we?” asks Tales from the Triangle's Tip. News of an upcoming visit to Bermuda by Queen Elizabeth II raises questions about national identity in the British Overseas Territory. “After 400 years, we are still defined by a queen, a crown.”
Barbados, Guyana: forest outpost?
Living in Barbados examines an audacious 16-year-old proposal to establish a Barbadian outpost in the interior of Guyana, thus addressing the problems of overpopulation in one country and underdevelopment in the other.
Harvard Forum – What do we need to know?
Today's conversation starts with discussions of “knowledge gaps”, open questions we need to answer through research so we can understand what's succeeding and failing in our field.
Harvard Forum: ICT4D and, and, and
Ethan brings the live-blog from day one to a close after questions and lively discussion with conclusion from Mike Best who suggests there's no way to summarize these discussions… with anything but an observation that the field is filled with “ands”.
Harvard Forum: Are we satisfied with what we've got?
The live-blogging continues, as Michael Spence helps identify questions that are top research priorities for the ICT for development field with input from Yochai Benkler, Rohan Samarajiva, Hernan Galperin, Alison Gillwald, and Bill Melody.
Harvard Forum: the complex world of ICT and gender
The live-blog continues with panel presentations on ICT for development by Clotilde Fonseca, Sabri Saidam, Ineke Buskens, Nancy Spence, and Ethan Zuckerman.
Iran: Animations vs. Dictatorship
Many designs, posters, songs and videos have been created in support of Iran's "green" protest movement. Animators too, have declared war on the dictatorship in Iran.
St. Vincent and the Grenadines: “good hair”
“If you are black, female from a post-colonial space you will have had this discussion at some point in your life.” Empath considers the ever-knotty question of what it means for black women to have “good hair”. “My locks … constitute a very important part of my identity and I...
Update from the Harvard Forum on ICT4D
Ethan Zuckerman and Jen Brea from Global Voices are live-blogging a conversation today and tomorrow at Harvard on the future of information and communication technology and development (ICT4D) hosted by Canada's International Development Research Center and Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet & Society.
Bangkok Twestival
Bangkok Twestival organizers happily announced that the event raised more than US$600 for the benefit of two orphanages.
Mobile-empowered to serve you better
The mobile phone has grown to be a tool that enables, farmers, small traders and service providers to take information-based decisions, thereby leading to their economic empowerment
Barbados: Bolt vs. Gay
Doan Mind Me shares his conflicted thoughts on the news that US sprinter Tyson Gay has equalled Jamaican Usain Bolt's 100-metre Olympic record. “Is it that when I see a Jamaican/Caribbean man running them times then I believe that he's clean cause I more easily empathize with him than with...
MENA: Thanks “Khawater” from Japan
Television viewers across the Arab world were in for a treat this Ramadan, with the airing of a special programme on Japan. In its fifth season, Khawater (Thoughts) visited Japan, where a young Saudi preacher Ahmed Al Shugairy explained the Japanese success story to Arab and Muslim viewers. Here are some blogger reactions to the one month show.
