From: Frederick Noronha
To: [log in to unmask]
Sent: 11/02/01 20:37
Subject: BYTESFORALL: Feb 12, 2001 issue... Simputer, earthquake,
i2001list...
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_/ B y t e s F o r A l l --- http://www.bytesforall.org
_/ Making Computing Relevant to the People of South Asia
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FEBRUARY 12, 2001 ISSUE * FOCUS: DEVELOPMENTS IN SOUTH ASIA
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SPECIAL NEWS: T H E S I M P U T E R I S U P !
Department of Computer Science associate professor Swami Manohar
reports from the Indian Institute of Science in Bangalore, that
a
plan to make a low-cost sub-$200 computing device (a 'Simple
Computer' or Simputer) is making steady progress.
Says Manohar: "We have some good news to share. Over the
Republic Day
(end-Jan) weekend we got the first simputer working inside its
box
with its own battery pack. Linux and X, as well as the audio
part are
now in good shape. Pending items are: smartcard driver,
higher-speed
modem (currently 2400 baud is up), A few glitches in IR
reception,
USB slave driver, and power management.
Check out http://www.simputer.org for the details and some
pictures.
Contact Prof Manohar: Tel +91 80 309 2368 x204 Email:
[log in to unmask] To join a mailing list discussing the
issue:
[log in to unmask]
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RESPONDING TO THE TRAGIC earthquake in Gujarat, India that shook the
region on
January 26, BytesForAll volunteers -- specially Archana in Goa-India,
Partha
from Dhaka-Bangladesh and Zunaira from Karachi-Pakistan -- have put
together
a compilation of web-based initiatives to cope with the situation.
Please check http://www.bytesforall.org/gujarat_appeal.html
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INTERNET HELPS GLOBAL INDIANS RALLY FOR QUAKE AID, REPORTS REUTERS.
Panjokutch (Our Kutch) (http://www.panjokutch.com) was quickly
transformed
from a community Web site that helped arranged marriages, carried travel
ads and posted job information. Now it serves as an information hub for
quake relief. Its tasks range from online registration of aid donors to
locating lost relatives. Pankaj K. Shah, managing trustee of the
non-profit
S.K. Shah Charitable Trust, which runs Panjokutch.com, said the site's
main
aim now was to inform anxious relatives of victims.
There are a host of other sites such as http://www.kutchinfo.com which
details
specific needs for quake-hit villages. Gujarati magazines like
Chitralekha
(http://www.chitralekha.com) are also part of the effort. And Bombay's
Grain,
Rice and Oilseed Merchants Association (http://www.groma.org) has a
victim
relief site. AlertNet (http://www.alertnet.org), run by the Reuters
Foundation
of global news and information group Reuters Group Plc, is another site
helping disaster relief communication.
Pankaj K. Shah, managing trustee of the non-profit S.K. Shah Charitable
Trust, which runs Panjokutch.com, said the site's main aim now was to
inform
anxious relatives of victims.
Details of relief needs sought over the web are meticulous, with goods
needed ranging from biscuits and milk powder to cotton rolls and
analgesics.
http://www0.mercurycenter.com/svtech/news/breaking/internet/docs/801468l
.htm
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DIGITAL IMAGE E-MAILS IN AID OF QUAKE VICTIMS (Thanks to Irfan Khan,
s-asia-it) SUKHPUR (India), Feb 8: Japanese Red Cross doctors helping
victims
of the Indian earthquake are using satellite phones and digital photos
e-
mailed to Japan to seek second opinions before beginning surgery on
patients.
The doctors work out of a field hospital in Sukhpur, one of the villages
flattened by the devastating earthquake of Jan 26 which measured 7.9 on
the
Richter scale and claimed an estimated 30,000 lives. A few metres from
the
operating table, the picture of an entire leg cut open filled a PC
screen
while a digital camcorder kept records of the three operations
performed on
the day. Outside the tent mounted on inflatable material amid the rubble
of
houses in a semi-desert countryside, an antenna is locked into a
satellite,
the whole system powered by a series of generators. "The doctors are
more
and more specialized," said Dr Nobuyuki Sagehashi, a plastic surgeon
clad in
the standard operating theatre-issue blue overalls. "And we must select
several options." Advice from an expert conversant with a given clinical
case is considered valuable. The doctors in Sukhpur therefore e-mail a
picture of a wound or fracture to Japan, seeking pointers on how to
proceed. http://www.dawn.com/2001/02/09/int6.htm
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INDLINUX, A MAILING LIST for making Linux even more relevant to India:
The
goal of the IndLinux mailing list is to make the benefits of the digital
revolution available to the Indian masses. The Free/Open Source movement
is
one of the best vehicles for making this possible. Members of the list
are
those who are interested in the Indianisation of Linux project
Further details Indlinux Moderator <[log in to unmask]>
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SUNIL KHAIRNAR <[log in to unmask]> writes: We run the largest
Indian
centric agribusiness portal http://www.agriwatch.com We publish the
only
daily agricultural newspaper in India in both Hindi and English from
Delhi and
Bhopal.
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ICICIcommunites is a Social Development Portal, a purely non-commercial
venture of ICICI's Social Initiative Group. The portal aims to create a
platform, which will enable NGOs, development professionals and
concerned
citizens to contribute to the development initiatives in India. It not
only
gives donors the convenience to contribute to social causes but also
provides
a platform to NGOs to dialogue and gain from the resources and the
services
provided in the Portal.
The portal, which is under construction, at present features an online
charity site, called GiveOnline, which allows a donor to donate to a
select
cause or an NGO, a shopping mall for providing opportunities to rural
artisans to market their products across the world, a news and analysis
section and Resource Centres on Infant mortality and Primary Education.
The
centres will carry information, toolkits and research papers on the
relevant
subjects and will act as discussion centres. These resource centres will
be
extended to cover technology and micro finance in the future.
In the coming months another feature, Careers and volunteers will be
added.
This application will provide space for NGOs to advertise for jobs and
for
candidates to post their Resumes.
FURTHER DETAILS: Rahul Barkataky, 4th Floor Shangrila Garden, A wing,
Bund
Garden Road Pune 411 001 India Tel: 0091-20-6128221-5 (extn.413)
Fax:91-20-6128226 Email: <[log in to unmask]>
http://www.icicicommunities.org
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EXPLORE THE VIRTUAL ENVIRONMENTAL REALITY ON UNE-DOT-NET:
[log in to unmask] reports from Nairobi on the launch by UNEP of a
new
interactive environmental Web site (http://www.unep.net) known as UNEP
dot
net. It" will provide an expanded series of environmental management
solutions. The network portal will offer a forum for scientific,
technical
peer review; provision of insights on environmental issues to the
global
community; and exchange of ideas, information and data.
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'TECHNOLOGY FOR PEOPLE'/ INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION -- India is one
of the countries listed, according to Irfan Khan.
New products are often developed solely on the basis of technological
feasibility. Far too often, the user is ignored and it is not until the
technology has been fully developed that we begin to consider the
user's
situation and needs. How can we encourage greater attention to human
interests during the development process? How do we encourage
developments
within information technology, which are more in tune with human
interests
and needs?
The Danish telecommunications company SONOFON has thrown down the
gauntlet
to students, researchers, engineers, etc. - inviting them to enter an
international competition that tries to answer some of these questions.
The
"Technology for People" competition is part of SONOFON's efforts to
promote
technological developments which are more in tune with the interests
and
needs of the users. Information technology must be developed for
people. It
must be easy to use and access has to be for all.
The winners will be selected by an international panel of judges.
First,
second and third prizes of $15,000, $10,000 and $5,000 will be awarded.
http://www.sonofonkampagne.dk/technology_for_people/
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From DrAniruddha Malpani <[log in to unmask]> has published an article in
HouseCalls magazine, which explains "why every doctor should have his
own
website".
Some tips: Putting up a website has become very easy, and your first
website
can be hosted free at http://www.goodhealthnyou.com -- you just need to
fill up
the form online at the website.
He notes: "Remember that Indian patients want information about diseases
common in India so they want information on malaria rather than cystic
fibrosis. By providing this information, you establish yourself as a
credible
expert."
Dr Malpani's first website, http://www.healthlibrary.com is a purely
educational site. And by putting up over 20 full-text books on ayurveda
and
yoga online in our reading room, he says they are helping to promote
Indian
healing systems internationally.
Says he: "The future of medical care is e-healthcare, with the promise
of
online medical records, online pharmacies, telemedicine, patient
education,
and an ever-expanding list of exciting opportunities. The opportunity to
help
our patients navigate the wealth of information on the World Wide Web
and
better educate themselves is now in our hands. We owe it to ourselves
and our
patients to meet the challenge that lies before us all!"
http://www.drmalpani.com
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INTERNET CONTENT over the telephone may soon be a reality... with
benefits for
many, including the blind. The new buzzword in technology circles is
VoiceXML.
It is being promoted by the VoiceXML Forum founded by AT&T, IBM, Lucent
and
Motorola. The idea is to make Internet content available over the
telephone.
You do that, and the number of potential Internet users will go up from
three
or four million to over 20 million (in India) in one step, writes Dr S.
Ramani, who until recently was director of the National Centre for
Software
Technology, Juhu-Mumbai. Contact: [log in to unmask]
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PROF ASHOK JHUNJHUNWALA'S EXPERIMENTS WITH TAKING TELEPHONES TO THE
COMMONMAN: Newspaper reports say that this year 24 Indian cities will
deploy
CorDECT
If the Fortune magazine calls him one of the top men to shape the future
of
the world, the telecom industry revers him. But Ashok Jhunjhunwala, the
father of CorDECT Wirelss in Local Loop (WLL), is a professor through
and
through ...
What is the difference between CorDECT WLL and the CDMA WLL?
CorDECT WLL provides high-quality telephone and Internet access at a
cost
lower than conventional technologies, in both dense urban and sparse
rural.
While CorDECT WLL can provide data transmission rate of 70 kbps for
Internet
access, WLL based on CDMA or GSM can not go beyond 9.6 kbps. Also, while
the
CDMA WLL and GSM can be used to provide mobility, CorDECT is more
suited for
the needs of faster connectivity to the Indian villages, since it is
cheaper
and can provide high quality Internet access, even if it can't provide
mobility. Moreover, in CorDECT, the same line can be used simultaneously
to
access the Internet and to provide voice.
BYTESFORALL wishes all luck to Prof Jhunjhunwala.
http://www.financialexpress.com/fe/daily/20010205/efe05007.html
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BANG!inux -- India's premier and exclusive open-source conference and
exhibition, according to its organisers. March 5-7, Indian Institute of
Science, Bangalore. Three days of open-source code, information and
knowledge
from programmer to programmer. 32 sessions covered by international
speakers.
Over 40 exhibitors showcasing the hottest Linux products and
developments.
Details from: http://www.banglinux.com
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COULD THE INTERNET help improved rice farmers fetch a better price?
http://www.thestandard.com/article/display/0,1151,21402,00.html
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FROM BANGLADESH, Walther Warnaar <[log in to unmask]> recently
commented
in a discussion on the [log in to unmask] mailing list: "Here in
Bangladesh,
many people working in IT have a degree in other subjects, such as
statistics
or applied physics. That will not hamper development; the analytical
skills
needed for software development are the same as the skills needed for
these
other subjects. The real problem in education might be that,
traditionally,
education here is more aimed at knowledge than at skills and real
understanding. And, indeed, knowledge becomes outdated very fast.
"If Bangladesh succeeds in setting up an export-oriented software
industry,
it will be due to the many young entrepreneurs who are now starting IT
companies. The competition between them will automatically lead to
improved
quality. Especially when they'll work for foreign customers who will
demand
higher quality and business standards.
"By the same token, I'm much more optimistic that out of the large
number of
IT training institutes we have in Dhaka, some real good ones will
evolve,
than about the possibility that the government can set up many new
universities."
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NEW IICD WEBSITE ON ICTs FOR DEVELOPMENT: International Institute for
Communication and Development (IICD) officially launches its new website
(http://www.iicd.org/). It provides valuable information on all its
activities in the area of ICT for development purposes.
The International Institute for Communication and Development (IICD)
assists developing countries to utilise the opportunities offered by
information and communication technologies (ICTs) to realise
sustainable development. It focuses on good governance, environment,
health care, education and socio-economic opportunities, such as
e-commerce. IICD's role is to act as a facilitator and an independent
broker in knowledge, partnering and funding. Focus countries are to
date Burkina Faso, Ghana, Tanzania, Zambia, Mali, Uganda, Jamaica and
Bolivia.
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2001 INDIAN/SOUTH ASIAN WEBSITES: BytesForAll update of Indian/South
Asian
websites is now available online at
http://www.bytesforall.org/i2001.html
If you'd like a copy of the HTML file via email (300K) please write to
[log in to unmask] with REQUEST i2001 as your subjectline. This is a
GNU/CopyLeft compiliation.
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bYtES For aLL is a voluntary, unfunded venture that seeks the
involvement and
support of all who agree with its goals.
Contact us at [log in to unmask] * Compiled in public interest *
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(including
credits) are kept intact.
bYtES For aLL ezine volunteers team includes: Frederick in Goa, Partha
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Zunaira
in Karachi, Shivkumar in Mumbai, Gihan in Colombo, Daryl in Chicago and
Sangeeta in Kathmandu. Partha Sarkar is webmaster of
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