Technology & Communications

Despite the 'like' I have for my Gateway ML6720, it places limitations on me that even the later Gateway Dual Core 1.73GHz 1GB 160GB DVD/RW 15.4-Inch Vista can't address. My life is anything but simple and docile.

In an average day, I may be out rattling through the bush with the 4x4, checking on my corn and other things. While I'm down there, I may run across tenants who want information on things, which I have all electronically stored and encrypted on a memory stick or two. From there, I might head off to a lawyer's office, or to the revenue office, or to a wireless hotspot, or to the University of the West Indies, or to the beach, or... In essence, my entire life requires a rugged existence that I worry to put my present laptop through.

I'm a bastard when it comes to durability. I maintain my equipment well, but some equipment just falls away - and when it comes to data, and the ability to write when inspiration strikes, I need something that can handle being in a pickup that gets flipped in the bush while cutting a new 'road'. Not that this has happened, but it could. I've almost done it. Seriously.

Then there's the administration of websites - CaribNexus.net is coming next - which should be done whenever possible. A simple login to make sure that the spaminating idiots out here haven't taken over the site is usually important... and catastrophic failures are something to keep an eye out for.

So I need a new device that: { Read more }

• Is light and fairly rugged. A solid state drive is viewed as a necessity.
• Has an interface that won't irk me.
• Is wireless enabled, and can allow me to transfer data from my other systems via USB.
• Crams as much power as possible into a light footprint.
• Isn't more than $500.

Dear Sir,

I must admit that I have some concerns about your dealings with the media as outlined in the following articles:

• PM comes under fire (Trinidad and Tobago Guardian)
• It was not my idea: PM on suspension of 94.1 FM employees... (Trinidad Express)
• Manning: I am going to the courts next time
• ‘I have rights too’ (Trinidad Newsday)

As a member of the Media Association of Trinidad and Tobago, I am concerned for a few reasons. The first reason is simple, and something that you could rectify since the media I have found on the topic has been weighed and found wanting - something I find a regular issue. What, exactly, was the unprofessional behaviour that prompted your visit to the radio station? I understand that you have rights, but without such information there is an open question as to what the people were suspended for. Without that information, it appears to be censorship of the media - something which can only be alleged, but which tarnishes the reputation of your person, and more importantly, the Institution which your person is associated with. So I ask you, openly, to tell the nation why these people required your personal attention and presence.

It is a simple request. As it stands now, from people I have spoken with and also my own personal opinion, everything is quite dubious. You, who have held the Office of Prime Minister for so long, are aware of the effect of your presence - or should be. { Read more }

Update: A National Geographic employee offered us the secret sauce for entry in the comment below, reaffirming all that is awesome about National Geographic. I'll be playing with Expedition as soon as I get some free time...

Earlier this week, I got a press release on National Geographic's launching of an online adventure game. So, being me and a fan of National Geographic's work, I went to take a look at it at http://www.natgeotv.com/expedition - but since I'm in Trinidad and Tobago, I get re-routed to... http://www.natgeo.tv/la/. The Latin America site. Which, of course, is in Spanish despite the fact that not everyone in the Latin America/Caribbean area speaks Spanish. And there's no way to switch languages or sites!

In essence, National Geographic's web presence seems to have a big gaping hole when it comes to their demonstrable understanding of the linguistic and technogeographical understanding of the region.

And that is inexcusable for any magazine, channel or website that claims the reputation National Geographic does.

Sending an email - immediately - explaining the issue gained me no response. And that tells me that National Geographic doesn't really care. Shame on you, National Geographic.

For purposes of being thorough, here's the press release:

NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC CHANNEL LAUNCHES ONLINE ADVENTURE GAME IN CONJUNCTION WITH FIRST ANNUAL EXPEDITION WEEK

Developed in partnership with Arkadium, Game Available at natgeotv.com/expedition beginning Monday, Nov. 3 { Read more }

When I read An Obama presidency: Good, bad news for technology, I did not respond immediately because I believe that the article oversimplified global issues; indeed, there is implicit isolationism in the article. The first 'W' in the acronym 'WWW' is... World. U.S. media coverage, especially in the context of technology, seemingly forgets this 99% of the time¹. The remaining 1% of the time is typically hidden so deep in the other 99% that one has to wonder why there is even a bother to cover it. As someone who was nominated for the Working Group on Internet Governance, I'm constantly reading that 1%.

Silly me.

The article itself puts a lot on Obama. Consider that there's a question of permitting fair use within the DMCA:

...Obama was also vague when we asked him whether he wants to amend the Digital Millennium Copyright Act to let Americans make a single backup copy of a DVD or computer game they legally purchase. He said only that he'd support it "in concept."... { Read more }

If there's a person on this planet who does not know about President Elect Barack Obama's success - the American people's success - I would be surprised. Over the last years, being outside of the United States, I have paid attention to the views outside of the United States as someone who could vote. I did not watch television. I rarely listened to the radio. But I paid attention on the Internet, and the people around me.

Last week, at the lunch break at the Caribbean Internet Forum, I was playing videos on my laptop and was surprised that simply hearing Barack Obama's voice drew a crowd from surrounding tables and started political discussion. As my friend Raul noted, I was not the only supporter of Barack Obama - but I was the only one who had a say. Still, I was in awe. There was so much interest in Barack Obama that I seriously wondered at the role of the Internet itself in his success - not in the media blitzes that were focused on the American people, but through discussion using the Internet.

After all, discussion is the true core of democracy. Voting is simply a rough metric, a decision between more than one choice made available yet a decision which ,almost by necessity, does not cover all the choices. When people vote, they spend little time considering how the question of what they are voting on came to be. { Read more }

Oddly enough, even as Mrs. Marina Torres, Development and Education Specialist (Trinidad and Tobago) spoke of the Mobile Internet and it's impact on family and society at the Caribbean Internet Forum, I was sent a few articles regarding Dr. Gary Small's neuroscience research.

Basically, the findings seem to demonstrate that using the Internet affects the way one's brain functions - for better and worse. This, I think, should not come as a surprise to people - much like the use of one's brain for any specific purpose seems to affect the way one thinks. As Dr. Small is quoted here:

..."The brain is very specialized in its circuitry and if you repeat mental tasks over and over it will strengthen certain neural circuits and ignore others," said Small...

In essence, it's not just the Internet that affects the brain - everything does. I would hope that this isn't a surprise. The Internet's use, though, is something well worth studying - especially to explore the down side. As Dr. Small is quoted earlier in the same article (ibid):

...Small, however, argues that the people who will come out on top in the next generation will be those with a mixture of technological and social skills.

"We're seeing an evolutionary change. The people in the next generation who are really going to have the edge are the ones who master the technological skills and also face-to-face skills," Small told Reuters in a telephone interview. { Read more }

For lack of a PR person, I'm stuck with the job. 'Web 2.0 And Cloud Computing Must Die' is now available in it's remixed form here.

There's some other interesting stuff over there. Go poke around. :-)

One of the things that I took away from the Caribbean Internet Forum blogging experience was that Drupal is admirably suited for the task but I did not use it this time, instead relying on internal pingbacks.

What I should have done - and what Drupal users should do - when live blogging an event is to use Drupal's book module functionality so that the entire set of blog entries are linked through Drupal. And since the Book Module remains a part of Drupal Core, it stands to reason that this is also the most robust method for sites that will eventually be upgraded: 3rd party modules, in my experience, are almost never updated as quickly as new versions of Drupal are released.