Stories about Technology from December, 2008
Southeast Asia: Newsmakers of 2008
For Southeast Asia, 2008 was a year of terrible disasters, both natural and man-made. Rice consumption was reduced, milk products were contaminated with melamine, jobs were lost, bloggers were arrested, and homes were destroyed. But the situation is not hopeless.
Caucasus: 2008 Blog Review
Last year ended with a state of emergency declared in Georgia, but few could imagine that the events of 2008 would eclipse those of 2007. Three presidential elections, a war, and yet another state of emergency defined the South Caucasus this year, and bloggers were there to document events from...
China: Interview with Bei Feng
Adam from DANWEI interviewed a famous blogger, Bei feng, who talks about new media space in China.
Thailand: Blocked websites
The Freedom Against Censorship Thailand has just received a secret list of blocked websites leaked from Thailand’s Ministry of Information and Communication Technology. The report mentioned 1,303 websites which were censored by the government.
Vietnam: Blogging to be regulated
Vietnam has introduced some new restrictions on blogging. Blog posts which undermine national security, incite violence or crime, and disclose state secrets are banned. Internet companies are also ordered to issue reports to the government every six months.
Vietnam: Extreme street cables
oobject posts pictures of extreme street wiring in Vietnam cities.
Japan: The year in Japanese blogs
What were bloggers writing about this year in the Japanese blogosphere? The year in Japanese blogs at Global Voices included posts on everything from an American Enka singer making waves in Japan, to debates on the regulation of “harmful” Internet content, to the Olympic torch relay in Nagano.
Pakistan: Winning The Best South Asian Blog Award
Teeth Maestro from Pakistan has been selected as the best South Asian Blog at the Brass Crescent Awards. Congratulations!
Trinidad & Tobago, U.S.A.: Sock & Awe
Trinidadian blogger Attillah Springer is playing Sock and Awe, “the simply brilliant online game” in which more than 46 million people have pelted shoes at President Bush – but more importantly, she is “plotting ways to pelt intellectual shoes, coming up with ideas on how to bobolise those who would...
Ukraine: Yushchenko's Press Conference
Tetyana Vysotska of What's Up, Ukraine? writes about the Ukrainian president's annual press conference and his response to one of the most popular questions posed to him via the internet: “Mr. President, how much money should the people of Ukraine pay to convince you and other top authorities to leave...
Bulgaria, Russia: “Open Source AK-47″
Eternal Remont writes: “Apparently, Russia's state-owned arms exporter Rosoboronexport is livid that Bulgaria would violate the sacred principles of intellectual property and trademark protection to produce an, um, we're going to call it an ‘open source AK-47′.”
Russia: Patriarch; Yoshkar-Ola; Stalin's Legacy; Protests
A selection of recent posts from Window on Eurasia: a “Ukrainian” metropolitan who may or may not become Russia's next patriarch; Hungarians react to the Russian authorities’ suggestion to rename Yoshkar-Ola, the capital of Mari El, to Tsaryovokokshaysk, the city's pre-1917 name; some Russian history teachers’ efforts to educate students...
Egypt: Internet cables cut again
Once again, fibreoptic cables have been cut in the Mediterranean, affecting the internet in Egypt and other parts of the Middle East. Elijah Zarwan at The Skeptic asks, “What accident could account for three cuts in three locations over the course of a year?”
Trinidad & Tobago: A Day in the Life
TriniGourmet.com posts “A Day in the Life” flickr photoset.
Peru: Top Ten Moments of Web 2.0 For 2008
El Útero de Marita [es] posts the Top 10 moments of Web 2.0 in Peru in 2008, including the campaign of “adopt-a-Congressman.”
Bangladesh Election 2008 And Cyber Activism
Bangladesh goes into poll on December 29, 2008 for a much awaited parliamentary election. The scenario is lot different than the recent US presidential election where citizen media and Internet campaigning and fund raising were extensively used. With a penetration of 1% of the total population of 145 million, Internet...
Sri Lanka: The Siemens Bribery Scandal
Rohan Samarajiva at LIRNEAsia analyzes the recent Siemens Bribery Scandal and comments that every country should check Siemens court papers for traces of corruption.
Uruguay: Holiday Phone Calls Saturate Lines
The Christmas holidays in Uruguay often saturate phone lines due to the increase in the number of phone calls made to friends and family both home and abroad. Chino of Tan Conectados [es] writes that the telephone company Ancel plans to double the number of lines available.
Russia: LiveJournal and Mass Media Laws
IZO translates LJ user plucer‘s view that the newest LiveJournal addition – this line at the end of the posts: “I hereby give third parties the right to reproduce or disseminate all of my materials as a whole or in part…” – “would mean you were ‘disseminating information’ and mass-media...
Cape Verde: Success Stories From Peace Corps Volunteers
Christopher writes about a Peace Corps Volunteer who is working with community members in Cape Verde to start a sustainable internet cafe business.
Malawi: A decade of internet
Bennett Kankuzi reviews the history of internet in Malawi and the current accessibility challenges in the country.
