DIGITAL DIVIDE
HP Marks East Palo Alto Computer Initiative
Emphasizing Computer Skills and Networking in Bhutan's Rural
Districts
Keeping Women in the Tech Industry
INTERNET
Publishers Fight 'Deep Links,' Despite Popularity of Practice
Man Is Sentenced on Charges Of Using Net to Subvert Beijing
In Pakistan, Surfers Worry Anti-Terror Law May Dull Web Experience
DIGITAL DIVIDE
HP MARKS EAST PALO ALTO COMPUTER INITIATIVE
Now in its third year, the Digital Village project seeks to bring =
technology
to small businesses in California's East Palo Alto. A sub-project =
called the
Small Business Development Initiative has provided 50 local businesses =
with
computers, free email, scanners, tech support and more. The project's =
goal
is to help entrepreneurs launch and grow businesses thus increasing the
city's tax base and invigorating the local economy. Hewlett-Packard is
working with Start Up (a nonprofit business incubator), the local =
merchant's
association and the Rainbow/Push initiative.
[SOURCE: San Jose Mercury News, AUTHOR: Thaai Walker]
(http://www.siliconvalley.com/mld/siliconvalley/news/local/3807044.htm)
EMPHASIZING COMPUTER SKILLS AND NETWORKING IN BHUTAN'S RURAL DISTRICTS
In the Himalayan kingdom of Bhutan, the planning commission secretariat =
is
establishing an information network to bridge the digital divide found =
among
and within the nation's administrative districts, or dzongkhags. The
project, known as the Planning Information Network (PIN), will build
technical capacity in local dzongkhag administrations by training =
officials
in the use of computer and Internet applications. Since the project =
began
early this year, basic training has been completed in eight dzongkhags. =
The
project training package was funded through UNDP's Japan Policy and =
Human
Resources Development Fund.=20
[SOURCE: Kuensel Online, AUTHOR: Bishal Rai]
(http://www.kuenselonline.com/article.php?sid=3D1828&KUENSELONLINE_PHPSE=
SSID=3D1
578ef08bf72e8d3d9257cbd29806b30)
KEEPING WOMEN IN THE TECH INDUSTRY
The British government continues to discuss solutions to a definite =
gender
imbalance in the tech industry. While recent publicity about the lack =
of
women in the tech sector has helped recruit more women into the field,
retention continues to be a problem. As jobs become more senior, the =
gender
gap worsens. Dell reports that a scant eight percent of board-level =
tech
positions in Europe are filled by women. The situation, in comparison, =
is
slightly better in the U.S. where 18 percent of directors are women.
Familial obligations are considered the biggest hurdle to recruiting =
and
retaining women. In response, the UK government has made =A31 million
available to tech firms willing to increase job flexibility for women
returning to work after having a family.
[SOURCE: BBC News]
(http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/technology/2176108.stm)
INTERNET
PUBLISHERS FIGHT 'DEEP LINKS,' DESPITE POPULARITY OF PRACTICE
One of the defining characteristics of the Web is the ability to link =
pages
and publications easily and take users directly to content. However, =
there
is a growing desire by publishers to control external links to their =
stories
and some have taken their grievances to court. In Denmark, a court =
ruled in
favor of the Danish Newspaper Publishers Association (DNPA) and forced =
the
Newsbooster Web site to stop deep-linking to DNPA news Web sites. From =
the
publisher's perspective, diminishing ad revenues and concerns around =
how
their content is used are increasing the importance of controlling =
access to
their Web sites. Despite these issues, most publishers have an open =
linking
policy and U.S. lawyers do not expect to see many lawsuits around
deep-linking. Additionally, many link-counting search engines such as
Google.com use links to rank search results. A New York Times =
spokesperson
said, "We have no problem with other news sites and Web logs linking to
NYTimes.com -- the more the better."
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Stephanie Miles]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB102807155128762520,00.html)
(Requires subscription)
MAN IS SENTENCED ON CHARGES OF USING NET TO SUBVERT BEIJING
A former Beijing policeman has been sentenced to 11 years in prison for
downloading counter-revolutionary essays and printing them out into 10
books. He was sentenced on charges of subverting state power. The
Information Center for Human Rights and Democracy also reported that =
the man
was accused of using email, the phone and letters to communicate with
overseas colleagues.
[SOURCE: The Wall Street Journal, AUTHOR: Associated Press]
(http://online.wsj.com/article/0,,SB102856652863413320,00.html?mod=3Dtec=
hnolog
y_main_whats_news)
(Requires subscription)
IN PAKISTAN, SURFERS WORRY ANTI-TERROR LAW MAY DULL WEB EXPERIENCE
Starting this month, cyber cafes in Pakistan will be required to ask =
patrons
for proof of identity and to keep records of users. The previously
unregulated Internet cafes also must start registering with the =
government.
Authorities say the new regulations will help track down terrorists by
making emails easier to trace. But patrons say reporting their names =
will
make them more cautious about visiting certain Web sites. Regulators =
may
also find tracking down Internet cafes as difficult as hunting =
terrorists.
In recent years, the popularity of Internet cafes has soared in this =
poor
country, where the average annual income is barely $400, and even
middle-class youth find computers difficult to afford. Currently, there =
is
no record of how many Internet cafes are in Pakistan because the =
government
has not kept track of them.
[SOURCE: Nando Times, AUTHOR: Martin Fackler, Associated Press]
(http://www.nando.net/technology/story/488801p-3900285c.html)
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