Stories about Technology from August, 2012
Uruguay: Analyzing How Politicians Use Twitter
In his blog Curar Contenidos (“Curating Content”), Manuel Podetti is publishing a series of posts on “Uruguayan Politics and Twitter” [es]. His first two posts look at the most influential political parties [es] and politicians [es] on Twitter.
Somalia: The Very First Humanitarian “Customer Calling Center”
In her blog post about the very first humanitarian customer calling center, Anahi Ayala Iacucci describes “a quick and convenient way for Somali beneficiaries to give feedback about projects funded or services provided by the Danish Refugee Council using an SMS feedback system”: “This project has started in September 2011...
East Timor: Crowdmapping Humanitarian and Community Development Projects
East Timorese NGO Belun, in collaboration with FONGTIL and Fundasaun Alola, have recently launched a crowdmap platform that features a National Database of Humanitarian and Community Development Projects.
Myanmar: Barcamp X
As part of the successful BarCamp events in Myanmar, BarCamp Yangon organisers held [my] a three day BarCampX event focusing on Data Camp, Edu[cation] Camp & Health Camp from 3-5 August, 2012.
World: “Hackitat” – A Film About Political Hacking
Artists based in Sweden have launched a crowd-funding campaign to support and sustain their film project “Hackitat”. The documentary aims to highlight hackers, “the people building a nation on the Internet”, and searches for answers to: “What compels some people to spend a lot of time and energy on setting...
Egypt: Social Justice for All
The Egyptian non-profit media collective Mosireen [en, ar] is “born out of the explosion of citizen journalism and cultural activism in Egypt during the revolution”. The group of filmmakers and citizen journalists collects footage and video testimonies from protests in Egypt. Their YouTube channel was the most viewed non-profit channel...
Guatemala: Indigenous Village Declares Internet Access a Human Right
In the village of Santiago Atitlan internet access has been declared "a human right" by both their inhabitants and their local authorities. Authorities are also implementing a plan to provide free community Wi-Fi to the entire population so that everyone can benefit from it.
Global: ‘International Relations’ Out of the Classroom Onto the Web
"IR has a new dimension and is no longer the subject of a few for discussion." - Former IR Student. "Blogging is not an end in itself or a replacement for real research." - IR Professor
The Welsh Language's Digital Toolbox
A key challenge for the United Kingdom's Welsh language has been to develop resources so that people can use it easily on the web and in digital media. Experienced terminologist Delyth Prys describes the current tools available for Welsh speakers online.
Pakistan: Engineer Claims to Invent Water-Fuelled Engine
A Pakistani engineer claims that he can run a car on a water-fuelled engine. Pakistan is currently going through a severe power crisis, so the proud inventor Agha Waqar Ahmad is the talk of the town in mainstream and social media, with some praising the innovation, and others making fun of it.
Create UNAOC 2012: Apps and Games for Intercultural Dialogue
The recently launched Create UNAOC 2012 competition is an opportunity for developers across the world to produce innovative apps and mobile games to promote intercultural dialogue, in a bid to avoid global conflicts and tension. Find out how to submit your idea.
Bangladesh: High Hopes for Bangla Supported Mobiles
In Bangladesh use of SMS is very low because most imported handsets do not support the Bangla language. To deliver the benefits that mobile technology can bring, development of Bangla language support for mobile phone is essential.
Armenia: Activism or Slacktivism?
Contributing a guest post to The Armenian Observer, local blogger Uzogh criticizes Facebook activism in Armenia, considering it more akin to slacktivism engaged in by a minority and not backed up by concrete actions in the offline world. A small discussion follows in the comments section.