WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
Event: Digital Divide Network Meeting at WSIS
COPYRIGHT
Kazaa Calls on its Fans to Help
ACCESSIBILITY
CNIB Launches Digital Library for the Blind
BROADCASTING
FCC Ruling on 'F-Word' Fires up Conservatives
INTERNET
Palestinians Turn to Internet to Cope with Israeli Restrictions
Google Deskbar Seeks in Small Space
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WORLD SUMMIT ON THE INFORMATION SOCIETY
EVENT: DIGITAL DIVIDE NETWORK MEETING AT WSIS
The Digital Divide Network will convene its first meeting of members from
around the world at the upcoming World Summit on the Information Society
(WSIS) in Geneva. The event, to be co-hosted the Digital Opportunity
Channel, will take place at Geneva's Palexpo Center from 10am-12pm on
December 9. If you are planning to attend WSIS or the ICT4D Platform and
would like to participate, please email your contact information to
ddivide( at )benton.org with the words "WSIS Event" in the subject line. Seating
is limited, so please RSVP soon. Additionally, participants are invited to
take part in DDN's WSIS online community space (http://crosstalk.atomz.com),
which you can use to publish your contact information and summit plans in
order to network with peers.
SOURCE: Digital Divide Network
http://www.digitaldividenetwork.org/content/stories/index.cfm?key=277
COPYRIGHT
KAZAA CALLS ON ITS FANS TO HELP
Sharman Networks, distributor of the Kazaa Media Desktop peer-to-peer
software, will launch a $1 million advertising campaign to mobilize its
supporters. The campaign encourages users of peer-to-peer services to demand
that entertainment companies begin licensing their content to Kazaa, says
Nikki Hemming, chief executive officer of Sharman Networks. Kazaa criticizes
the industry's approach and believe this campaign can offer an alternative
interaction with content users. "It is time to embrace peer-to-peer,"
Hemming said. "We want to raise the awareness of influencers worldwide that
there's a better way to do things, a better way to market and distribute
content, and a better way to engage with fans that doesn't involve suing
them." The campaign takes a counter stance to the RIAA and MPAA position
against P2P software vendors and users, she adds. The campaign will
encourage P2P users to "try and buy" licensed content already available on
Kazaa, and to demand more licensed content. Hemming also argues that
entertainment companies could save 90 percent of their bandwidth costs by
using P2P networks to distribute products. The campaign will be launched
Wednesday in the US, UK and Australia.
SOURCE: Yahoo! News; AUTHOR: Grant Gross, IDG News Service
http://story.news.yahoo.com/news?tmpl=story&cid=1093&ncid=1093&e=3&u=/pc...
d/20031118/tc_pcworld/113510
ACCESSIBILITY
CNIB LAUNCHES DIGITAL LIBRARY FOR THE BLIND
Last week, the Canadian National Institute for the Blind launched the CNIB
Digital Library, containing more than 10,000 audio, text and Braille titles,
with an option to search and order from a collection of more than 60,000
titles. The library also offers current editions of 40 daily, national and
community newspapers from across Canada, and access to the full-text
versions of thousands of magazines and databases. The library was designed
to work with major adaptive technology products, including screen-reading
programs and Braille keyboards. "For sighted people, technology makes access
to information easier," said CNIB president Jim Sanders. "For people like
myself who are blind, it makes access possible." The site's Children's
Discovery Portal provides visually impaired children access to online games,
books, homework help and online chats with other visually impaired children
from across the country. Microsoft Canada designed the software to manage
the digital library collection and contributed to the library's funding
campaign.
SOURCE: Globe and Mail; AUTHOR: Jack Kapica
http://www.globeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20031113.gtblindnov13/BN...
y/Technology/?query=CNIB+launches+digital+library+for+the+blind
BROADCASTING
FCC RULING ON 'F-WORD' FIRES UP CONSERVATIVES
Conservative groups, such as the American Family Association (AFA) and
Parents Television Council (PTC), are urging action after the FCC's decision
that the use of the "f-word" during the 2003 Golden Globe Awards does not
violate the commission's obscenity standards. "Have we now reached the place
where common decency enforcement is deemed censorship?" asked AFA founder
and Chairman Donald E. Wildmon. PTC founder and President Brent Bozell asked
each of the five commissioners to respond personally and publicly whether he
agrees with the decision. Commissioner Michael J. Copps applauded Bozell for
asking the commissioners to address the issue of profanity on the airwaves
and agreed that "commission-level commitment" is necessary to address
indecency. Copps suggested "if our current definition of indecency is not
getting the job done," the commission should "reexamine our definition." He
continued, "As I traveled across the nation during my media ownership
hearings this past year, I saw first-hand the rising anger of the American
people over what they and their children are being served up during
primetime viewing hours." Copps encouraged Bozell to "keep pushing, and
pushing hard" on the indecency issue.
SOURCE: Cybercast News Service; AUTHOR: Melanie Hunter
http://www.cnsnews.com/ViewCulture.asp?Page=%5CCulture%5Carchive%5C20031...
CUL20031118a.html
INTERNET
PALESTINIANS TURN TO INTERNET TO COPE WITH ISRAELI RESTRICTIONS
In the Deheishe Refugee Camp in the West Bank, Palestinians have found a way
to escape the fighting and the enclosure they face by going online. "People
are using the Internet a lot more for practical reasons than their
counterparts in other regions," says Maan Bseiso, owner of Palnet, the
dominant Palestinian ISP. The Ibdaa Cultural Center, the first computer
center in Deheishe, is evidence of the rapidly growing electronic
revolution. Giggling girls engage in virtual conversation via chat rooms
with friends in Lebanon. "My friend wants to know whether anyone has been
arrested or killed," says 13-year-old Maram Adel. Teenage boys update Web
pages about life under Israeli occupation and play spy-adventure video
games. "They are a radical generation," said Ziad Abbas, co-director of
Ibdaa. This is problematic, he says, but the children will not come to the
center if they cannot play the games. His aim is to introduce them to
computers, then teach them more useful skills like sending email or surfing
the Web. In terms of Internet use, Palestinians are ahead of much of the
Arab world including countries like Morocco, Egypt and Jordan, according to
Madar Research Group, a research firm based in Dubai.
SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: Josef Federman, The Associated Press
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-11-18-palestine-online_x.htm
GOOGLE DESKBAR SEEKS IN SMALL SPACE
Google has launched a new service it hopes will revolutionize online
searching. The Google Deskbar, free software that embeds a small search box
on the task bar at the bottom of Windows PCs, can do searches without
launching an Internet browser. The box is always visible, and Web-connected
PC users can enter a query at any time. Seconds later, results appear in the
lower right corner of the screen. Deskbar takes up less than a quarter of
the screen, making multitasking easier. "This gives users a richer,
instantaneous search experience," says James Governor, RedMonk tech analyst.
Online searching is the second most popular Internet activity and Google is
stepping up to "improve the overall search experience," says John
Piscitello, Deskbar product manager. "This is just a first step to get
people used to the idea of using Google on your desktop," says Chris Le
Tocq, Guernsey Research analyst.
SOURCE: USA Today; AUTHOR: Byron Acohido
http://www.usatoday.com/tech/news/2003-11-17-search_x.htm
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