Stories about Technology from July, 2011
Africa: Prefix Taps Into Africa’s Digital Realm
Prefix taps into Africa’s digital realm, Bontle Moeng reports: “Prefix Technology, a software design company is developing mobile applications and content management tools (cms) for Africa’s online publishing companies. In SA, the company connects 1 in 5 people to a digital platform.”
South Africa: WordCamp Cape Town 2011
Get ready for WordCamp Cape Town 2011: “WordCamp Cape Town is scheduled for 15th September 2011 and will serve as a platform for discussing the latest trends in WordPress, targeting developers and publishers alike.”
Nepal: It is Code of Ethics, Not Censorship!
Bhumika Ghimire comments on the code of ethics signed by 10 Nepali bloggers which turned controversial: “this code of ethics is part of that effort to help the community, it is not censorship and it is not an attack on a blogger’s individual rights.”
SEE: Danica Radovanovic's Interview on Online Social Interactions
At Open Society Foundations’ Blog, an interview with Danica Radovanovic of Digital Serendipities, covering “various topics related to digital use, online social interactions, digital divide, social networks and young adults in Southeastern Europe” and the Balkans.
Kenya: Facebook Should Unfriend John Mwau
A Kenyan blogger, Daudi Were, has raised an interesting question about whether the U.S. government will be willing to enforce the Kingpin Act against Facebook for apparently doing business with a Kenyan national Mr Harun Mwau who had earlier this year been designated as a drug lord under the Kingpin Act.
Cuba: MSM Paying Attention
Pedazos de La Isla takes heart in the fact that “various English-language news sources have been brave enough to publish the truth about the Caribbean island”, saying: “In Cuba, there is much to report, whether it is through blogs, digital magazines, newspapers, television, radio, etc. On a daily basis, dissidents...
Cuba: Internet Restrictions
Uncommon Sense says that despite the arrival of “an underwater cable reached Cuba from Venezuela” designed to improve Internet access to the island, ” the regime has intensified its control of the Internet, restricting government employees’ access to Facebook and on networks that provide ‘illegal’ e-mail accounts.”
South Korea: 35 Million Users’ Information Leaked in Cyber Attack
Thirty-five million Koreans’ information stored in the South Korean portal site Nate and Cyworld, was hacked in cyber attack from China. One net user from Daum Agora website blamed [ko] Nate's default setting in checking emails- reading the emails without preview function- for involuntarily opening doors to mass hacker attacks.
Vietnam: More than 500 Attended Barcamp Saigon
The fourth Barcamp in Saigon was held last Sunday, July 24, at RMIT International University in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam. It was the biggest Barcamp in Saigon in terms of attendance.
Poland: The State of Reading
A few weeks ago, a new social campaign - Reading in Poland - was launched by one of Poland's largest daily newspapers due to the fact that reading rates in Poland are very low: one reports states that 56 percent of the Poles don't read books at all - and are also incapable of reading texts longer than 3 pages. A huge debate has started on the reading culture in Poland and the reasons for the crisis it is facing.
Africa: First African Demo of Sixth Sense Technology
Bontle Moeng blogs about the first African demo of sixth sense technology: “Basically, Sixth Sense is a mini-projector coupled with a camera and a cellphone—which acts as the computer and your connection to the Cloud, all the information stored on the web.”
Puerto Rico: Libraries and Reading
Gil the Jenius puts forward a theory about why “there are no decent libraries on the island”, adding that with the current levels of Internet penetration, “We don't have any excuses anymore.”
Africa: Membership Opens For mLab SA
Application for membership for mLab Southern Africa has opened: “The mLab SA provides incubation support to mobile developers and entrepreneurs through the following services: subsidised office space with meeting rooms – to allow members to benefit from being part of the mobile startup community; training and accreditation on mobile technologies...
Kyrgyzstan: Government Bans News Websites from the Election Campaign
Ahead of the presidential elections to be held in Kyrgyzstan on 30 October, 2011, the Central Elections Committee (CEC) came out with a controversial decision, barring web-based news media from taking part in the campaign. Eleven news sites were denied accreditation to inform voters on the pre-election developments.
EU, Poland: Airport Body Scanners; Shaminder Puri's Case
Dominika Bychawska-Siniarska of Europe of Human Rights writes on BlogActiv.eu about airport body scanners, “human dignity” and the case of Shaminder Puri, a British Sikh who was harassed at the Warsaw Chopin Airport last year.
Sri Lanka: One Million Users On Facebook
Amitha Amarasinghe informs that Sri Lanka became the 76th country to reach one million users on Facebook. “This is a penetration of 4.66% into Sri Lanka’s entire population”, says Amitha.
Nepal: Bloggers Sign Code of Ethics
A historic moment in citizen journalism in Nepal happened today as Nepali bloggers signed their own code of conduct, reports Ujjwal Acharya. The Code of Ethics for bloggers is a joint initiative by BLOGAN, a network of Nepali bloggers, and Online Journalists Association of Nepal (OJA).
Jamaica: An Anime Nation to be Reckoned With
Jamaipanese says that this year's Anime Nation was “bigger and better” than its inaugural event, calling it “an epic event for fans of anime, cosplay, video games and Japan as patrons came from all over Jamaica to enjoy the event many of them wearing costumes or “cosplaying” as their favourite...
Jamaica: Unimpressed with Minaj
Active Voice publishes a guest post about singer Nicki Minaj's performance at Jamaica's recent Reggae Sumfest: “Minaj messed up when she displayed such flagrant disrespect to Jamaica by announcing that she was warned about profanity but went ahead merrily, regardless.”
Russia: Policeman that Promised to “Rob and Kill” Dismissed
A policeman that was caught on camera saying that if he would be dismissed he would “go to the streets to rip, rob, and kill” (video [ru]) was dismissed, lenta.ru reported [ru]. The dismissal (result of a bloggers’ activity in spreading the word about the case), however, didn't solve a...
Russia: While LiveJournal Experiences DDoS Attack (Again), Users to Twitter and Facebook
LJ-user igrick (head of LiveJournal development team) publishes [ru] (the link might be temporary unavailable) evidence of another serious DDoS attack against the platform. Roem.ru, on the other hand, brings up graphs [ru] that say that bloggers deprived of their publishing platform move to Twitter and Facebook.
