DIGITAL DIVIDE
ITU, Cisco Expand Internet Initiative to Bridge Digital Divide
Bay Area Embraces Internet, but Gap Widens Between Rich, Poor
Tech a Hit in Mississippi Schools
INTERNET
Email Overload is a Myth, Study Says
Free Content Online? Publishers are Divided
DIGITAL DIVIDE
ITU, CISCO EXPAND INTERNET INITIATIVE TO BRIDGE DIGITAL DIVIDE
The Internet Training Center Initiative for Developing Countries (ITCIDC)
received a much-needed boost last week as partners Cisco Systems and the
International Telecommunication Union decided to expand the program. Serving
nearly 1,000 students at 26 centers worldwide, ITCIDC provides tech skills
training to developing countries. The partners announced a plan to grow the
total to 50 centers by the end of next year while also expanding the
curriculum. ITU calls the project "a model for private-public partnerships
to bridge the digital divide," and Cisco president Gordon Astles noted that
the link between IT capacity and prosperity has become nearly undeniable.
[SOURCE: The Manila Bulletin Online, AUTHOR: Red R. Samar]
(http://www.mb.com.ph/news.php?art=23795§=8&fname=IT02120823795f.txt)
BAY AREA EMBRACES INTERNET, BUT GAP WIDENS BETWEEN RICH, POOR
Despite having embraced technology more than most regions in the United
States, the San Francisco Bay Area still finds a gap between high- and
low-income groups and their access to the Internet. According to the annual
Bay Area Poll, only 58 percent of homes with income under $40,000 reported
using the Internet, compared with 90 percent of households earning $80,000
or more. Furthermore, the number of homes reporting computer use has
declined in lower-income homes, dropping three points to 65 percent.
[SOURCE: San Francisco Chronicle, AUTHOR: Verne Kopytoff]
(http://www.sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?file=/chronicle/archive/2002/12/0
9/BU203352.DTL)
TECH A HIT IN MISSISSIPPI SCHOOLS
By Dec. 31, every classroom in Mississippi will have an Internet-accessible
computer. According to Gov. Ronnie Musgrove, it will be the first state to
claim this distinction. One reason nay be that many schools in the state are
offering computer construction programs, in which students learn how to
build computers from scratch, as well as troubleshoot and refurbish donated
machines. They also learn basic networking, which prepares them for A+
certification as an entry-level computer technician. The program has "saved
the state of Mississippi a significant amount of money, and at the same time
it's providing students with real-world job skills," said Dave Bolick, CEO
of ExplorNet, which supplies schools with the PC parts and training.
[SOURCE: Wired, AUTHOR: Katie Dean]
(http://www.wired.com/news/school/0,1383,56599,00.html)
INTERNET
EMAIL OVERLOAD IS A MYTH, STUDY SAYS
A study performed by the Pew Internet & American Life Project revealed that
60 percent of American workers polled are _not_ suffering under a deluge of
spam and other email messages. The finding directly conflicts with both
conventional wisdom and another recent survey reporting the exponential
increase in junk mail volume since the beginning of this year. Critics have
raised questions about Pew's methodology for the study, suggesting that
interviewing users about their workplace emails would bias the results since
home email addresses are more common targets of spam.
[SOURCE: The Washington Post, AUTHOR: Sharon Henry]
(http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A24684-2002Dec7.html)
FREE CONTENT ONLINE? PUBLISHERS ARE DIVIDED
AOL's announcement last week that it would move its business model toward
selling add-on services has sparked question about the future of free online
content. While AOL claims that declining ad revenues have forced many sites
to charge for content and services that were once free, many sites argue to
the contrary. Sites such as Yahoo! and MarketWatch.com have created
additional pay services to attract new members while keeping their basic
offerings free. Some have even seen an increase in their ad revenues and
don't want to jeopardize that stream by charging a fee.
[SOURCE: The New York Times, AUTHOR: Saul Hansell]
(http://www.nytimes.com/2002/12/09/technology/09FREE.html)
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