Stories about Technology from December, 2010
St. Lucia: Technology & Publishing
Caribbean Book Blog says that “two major technology ventures are underway in the Caribbean and Africa and they have the potential to radically transform the book trade and knowledge transfer...
Tweet Photos of South Korea on Cold Snap
A cold snap has lingered in South Korea for several days now, marking the lowest temperatures of this winter. Twitterer @Ssanmart, in line with other Twitterers, shared how cold the weather is...
Blogger.com Removes Two Blogs by Same Author for More than 12 Hours
Blogger Carlos Quiroz writes, “On Monday, December 13, 2010 around by at 11:00 AM. my blog Carlos in DC was deleted by Blogger.com after I tried posting a video of the...
Russia: Studying Online Mobilization of the Manezh Riots
Recent riots on Manezhnaya Square next to the Kremlin showed that Russian soccer fans have become a powerful community who can mobilize thousands very quickly around an event. Last week,...
Russia: Police Intensifies Surveillance ‘to Prevent Calls to Violence’
Special services are monitoring social networks and track IP-addresses of those who spread calls to violence, rian.ru reports [RUS]. Vkontakte.ru, Russian social network, increased removal of the groups with xenophobia...
Mexico: Mapping the Heroes of Ciudad Juárez
Vivir México [es] reports that the initiative Cronicas de Heroes [es] (Hero Chronicles) –inspired by Hero Reports New York– aims to document and report the good deeds of the people...
Bahrain: Much Ado About An Ad That Says Nothing!
The short film, INFINITY, that had almost half a million viewers in two weeks and was supposed to be an advertisement for a telecommunication company in Bahrain says nothing about them! Beyond the wonderful illusion of play and adventure, lies turbulence where services and products are undermined, and a lack of credibility prevails, say netizens.
Kuwait: Should the Kuwaiti Amir Join Twitter?
On Twitter, @kuwaiti (Ar) asks the Kuwaiti Ruler to join Twitter “to get closer to his people and understand their opinions.”
@MedvedevRussia, Are You Listening? A Story of 6 Months on Twitter
Since first appearing on Twitter in June 2010, Russian President Dmitry Medvedev has become one of the most prominent tweeters on Russian Tweet-o-sphere. Yelena Osipova looks back at some of the highlights and key moments of the past six months.
Uruguay: Winners of Blog Competition “Your Ideas Matter” Announced
The winners of the schoolchildren blog competition, “Your Ideas Matter,” were recently announced [es]: three girls from the School Agraria de Raigón won first place in the innovative projects category;...
India: Open Access Indian Law Database
Yale Law Library blog informs that The Legal Information Institute of India (LII of India), a non-profit access to 50 databases of Indian law, is now open for public access.
Armenia: Facebook Storytelling
Writing for Ararat Magazine, Global Voices author Simon Maghakyan says that that one Facebook Group is attempting to use the popular social networking site to teach children Armenian history. The...
Kenya: Kenya’s fastest rising Google Search words 2010
Kenya's fastest rising Google search words in 2010: “According to the Google Zeitgeist, Kenyans this year showed strong interest in social networking sites and virtual realities. “2go” topped the fastest...
Caucasus: Average Internet speeds and prices
The Yerevan-based Civilitas Foundation compares the average speed and cost of Internet connections in the South Caucasus. According to that data, Armenia is well behind its two neighbors in the...
South Korea: A Controversy Over Free Internet Calls
In South Korea, as new applications offering the free internet phone calls via smart phones became available, the nation's two largest communication companies have decided to limit the use of...
Venezuela: Views and Thoughts on Internet Regulation
The Venezuelan National Assembly will be discussing a reform to the national telecommunications system, which includes the creation of a national Network Access Point, the regulation of all content distributed through the Internet, and the prohibition of several kinds of content (sex, violence, and those which "offend decency"). While Venezuelan politicians remain silent, netizens have expressed their views regarding this bill.
Peru: Reactions to Changes in Internet Contracts with Telefonica
Telefónica del Perú, the main Internet service provider in the country, made some changes in the contracts with its users which have generated protests and rejection among Internet users. The penalties for "excessive" use of the Internet and the limited number of possible connections, among other things, are being discussed by several bloggers.
Azerbaijan: Adnan and Emin are back… and say thank you
In Mutatione Fortitudo posts the first YouTube video by Adnan Hajizade and Emin Milli since their release. In the video, the two video blogging youth activists in Azerbaijan say thank...
Russia: Google Launches Search of Russian Blogs
Google launches blogsearch.google.ru, Russian-language blog search service. One of it's functions – to display the most discussed news of the Russian blogosphere. Almost a year ago, Yandex.ru, Russia's most popular search...
Tanzania: The promising future of social media
Proches Tairo is the founder of Bongoline, a new online community for Tanzanians. I conducted an interview with him about the use of social media in Tanzania with particular reference to 2010 Tanzania General Elections. He contends that although the majority of Tanzanians are not currently using social media, the future looks promising.
Russia: President Medvedev Argues with a Fake Lawmaker's Twitter
President Medvedev had a Twitter clash with a fake Twitter account of Alexander Khinshtein, Russian lawmaker. The clash was about Medvedev's relations with the Belorussian president Alexander Lukashenko. Surprisingly, real Khinshtein apologized...
