Stories about Technology from January, 2011
Russia: Bloggers Protest Against Educational Reform
Blog-based address [RUS] to Russian leadership with demands to cancel educational reform has received more than 10 thousands voices of support [RUS] within two days. Bloggers protest against wide reform of the high school that would reduce number of compulsory subjects to 4 while leaving such disciplines like Russian language, mathematics,...
Honduras: New WikiLeaks Cables Reveal US Involvement in Honduran Politics
“The cables that Wikileaks have been releasing about Honduras, and that in the uproar over Tunisia and Egypt have been ignored by the mainstream media, make the level of US involvement in Honduran politics starkly clear. Very few people care at the moment,” writes Aaron Ortiz in his blog Pensive.
Egypt: Last ISP Goes Offline, Fears of Losing Mobile Networks
Following a near-blackout of Internet service on January 27, it seems that the last remaining ISP--Noor Group, which has approximately 8% of market share--has now been cut off as well, leaving Egyptians without any form of Internet access.
India: Twitter And Our Lives
“So why exactly do we twitter?” asks Indian blogger Offstumped.
Africa: This is Africa website
Kajsa discovers This is Africa website: It is a spanking fresh culture site that trumpets “Africa for a new generation!” and sports subheadlines like “city life”, “music” and “art&fashion”.
Sudan: “Facebook Revolution” with the help of Twitter as a side kick
Today we are witnessing a new trend in Sudan. Young Sudanese are growing up digital and are well aware of how the world is changing around them. Young people in Sudan are using social media tools to voice their opinions and challenge the regime. In this post, we are looking at how social media tools were used to help organise, document and report January 30 demonstrations.
Sudan: Tweeting #SudanJan30
Using the social networking site Facebook, Sudanese students called for a street demonstration on January 30 to protest against the government of Omar al-Bashir. The protests have claimed the life of Mohammed Abdulrahman, a student at the Ahaliya University. This is our latest roundup of #SudanJan30 tweets.
Cuba, Trinidad & Tobago: Looking at Egypt
Cuban bloggers speculate that the Egypt protests may set an example for Cubans, issue advice to the Egyptian people and blog about similarities and differences between the two countries, while from Trinidad and Tobago, Globewriter calls social networking “the new human rights weapon”.
Russia: Valeria Novodvorskaya's Blog Hacked
Vladimir Pribylovskiy reports [RUS] hi-jacking of Valeria Novodvorskaya‘s (Russian liberal politician and a former Soviet dissident) LiveJournal account [RUS]. “The Brigade of Hell,” dispersed group of generally pro-Kremlin hackers, took the responsibility for the attack. For the time being Novodvorskaya's account has been suspended.
Myanmar: Aung San Suu Kyi's party launches new website
Aung San Suu Kyi's party, the National League for Democracy, has launched a new website. The NLD is the main opposition party in Myanmar.
Egypt: On Twitter, the Search for Wael Ghonim
On Twitter, friends express concern for blogger and Google staffer Wael Ghonim, who's been missing since January 27 in midst of the demonstrations in Cairo.
Israel: Social Media Offers Alternative Egypt Commentary
On social media and blogs, Israelis express mixed feelings about Egypt: intuitive support of the demand for freedom alongside concerns. Carmel L. Vaisman reports.
Saudi Arabia: Jeddah's Youth Come to the Rescue in Floods
Following Jeddah's flood at the end of January, the young generation of Saudis used social media websites to help with relief operations by providing aid, shelter, food or transportation to those who got affected by the rain.
Brazil: Exclusive Internet Interview with the Founder of WikiLeaks
Brazilian netizens were invited to participate in an exclusive and collective interview with Julian Assange, founder and editor of the polemical WikiLeaks. Assange explains why he works with mainstream media – though he never fails to criticize it.
Egypt: The World is Watching
As Egyptian demonstrators take to the streets for the sixth day in a row, netizens continue to pull all the stops to keep the world informed of what is happening on the ground. Here's a snapshot of reactions from Twitter this morning, compiled by Jordanian Nadine Toukan.
Philippines: SIM cards – to register or not to register?
The mandatory cell phone SIM card registration proposal continues to generate an intense online debate in the Philippines as bloggers share their views whether the measure will be an effective anti-terror tool. Here are more voices from the Philippine blogosphere.
Maldives to Egypt: Can a Revolution be Censored?
When the Egyptian government decided to go for a total Internet shutdown of the country to curb the growing anti-government protests, people in the Maldives were reminded of 13 August, 2004, when the government of Maldives blocked Internet in the country following a massive pro-democracy demonstration.
Could Nicaragua experience “the Egypt and Tunisia phenomenon”?
In an interview with El Nuevo Diario [es], Global Voices author Rodrigo Peñalba was asked [es] if the phenomenon seen in Egypt and Tunisia is “far from the national reality” and if netizens would respond in the same way. He concludes that the newspaper, instead of asking “could this happen...
Philippines: Online debate over SIM registration
The registration of cellphone subscriber identification module (SIM) cards has become a hot topic for Filipino netizens as lawmakers pushed for the measure in the wake of a recent bus bombing that allegedly involved the use of a cellphone.
Egypt: Visualizing Topics Shared on Twitter
Twitter has played an instrumental role in keeping the world abreast of the latest developments in Egypt, where demonstrations against the 30-year rule of president Hosni Mubarak have entered their fourth day. The following widget shows Twitter content mentioning the hashtag #jan25 over the last three days, and are all related to terms mentioned in people's Twitter messages.
Haiti: Candidates on Twitter
“With a measly 199 followers, @Judecelestin10's campaign seems to have underestimated Twitter as a communications tool”: kiskeacity looks at the popularity of Haitian political candidates on Twitter.
