[Air-l] BYTESFORALL [May 2007] Software 'piracy' ... poverty and copyrights... other updates from South Asia

Fri Jun 8 12:59:22 PDT 2007

BYTESFORALL * MAY 2007 * SUMMARY

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SOFTWARE PIRACY IN INDIA DROPS BY ONE PERCENT: STUDY. And
Patrice Riemens informs that a most interesting article in
yesterday's Financial Times Digital Business supplement
details the stunning costs, direct and indirect, that are
associated with the 'management' of software licenses for
business and other professional organisations. It's called
"The hidden cost of being too cautious" and is by Alan Cane
Published: May 30, 2007. Source Patrice Riemens patrice at xs4all.nl

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GOOGLE OFFERS HELP to Mysore University (Karnataka) to
digitize 8,00,000 books. The Mysore University library has
around 100,000 manuscripts that are written both on paper as
well as palm leaves. These would include India's first
political treatise, the 'Arthashastra' written in the 4th
century BC by Kautilya. The idea behind digitising for free
is to get free links to these materials once the necessary
patenting is complete. Google will also provide expertise,
software, and manpower for the digitization work. Whereas,
Mysore University is training some of its select Physics
students to help in the digitization process.

http://www.techshout.com/internet/2007/21/google-to-digitize-800000-books-at-mysore-university-in-india/
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bytesforall_readers/message/10340

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LET'S MAKE POVERTY A 'COPYRIGHT FREE ZONE'! Nalaka
Gunawardene argues that we all know the power of moving
images. Used strategically, moving images can move people to
change lifestyles, attitudes and behaviour. Indeed, the right
kind of information -- whether about microcredit,
contraception, home gardening or immunisation -- can vastly
improve the quality of life, and even save lives that are
needlessly lost. Says Nalaka: "Broadcasters need to let go of
development related TV content after initial broadcasts. They
must also allow educational and civil society users greater
access to vast visual archives, gathered from all over the
world. In this context, I would like to repeat a proposal I
first made last year, which I have since presented at the UN
Headquarters and other forums. It's simple: Let us make
poverty a 'copyrights free zone'."

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bytesforall_readers/message/10338

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TELECENTRE.ORG BLOG, some highlights:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bytesforall_readers/message/10336

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CHEAPER LAPTOPS FOR CHILDREN: A programme to provide millions
of low-cost laptops to students in poor countries is set to
start production in September even as commercial competitors
prepare to offer even cheaper models. The idea from Nicholas
Negroponte, a co-founder of the Massachusetts Institute of
Technology (MIT) Media Laboratory, who proposed the project
at the World Economic Forum in Davos two years ago, has moved
closer to fruition. Negroponte sees the computers, to be sold
in bulk to governments of certain countries, as a linchpin of
education and development. The non-profit organization he
formed -- One Laptop Per Child (OLPC) -- attracted support of
leading businesses and institutions and will start production
later this year, Michail Bletsas, chief connectivity officer
at OLPC, said. The laptop is being made by the Chinese firm
Quanta: the goal is for Quanta to manufacture 40,000 laptops
a month beginning in September, then step up production to
400,000 per month by the end of the year. "OLPC would like to
manufacture at least three million units in the first round
of production," he said. But OLPC could not say which
countries were planning to order the laptops, spokeswoman
Jackie Lustig said. Volume shipments to developing nations
were planned for later this year, she said. "OLPC is in talks
with Argentina, Brazil, Uruguay, Peru, Nigeria, Thailand,
Pakistan, Russia, Rwanda and many other countries -- but
nothing definite just yet," she said.

http://www.dnaindia.com/report.asp?newsid=1099381
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bytesforall_readers/message/10332

* * * *

SOFTWARE, FROM A BANGLADESHI HACKER: "These are some of my
hacks that you might find useful. I wrote them in my own time
(weekends, after work and in my vacation), my employer has
nothing to do with them. All the software are available with
source for free. If you have any questions or suggestions
please email me at muquit at muquit.com If you find the software
useful, please let me know as well. Share and enjoy!"

http://www.muquit.com/muquit/software/software.html

* * *

CELLPHONE CALL FROM EVEREST: British climber Rod Baber on
Monday became the first man to use a cellphone for making a
call from Mount Everest. He used the GSM technology. Earlier,
satellite phones had been used to make calls from the Everest
summit, but this is for the first time that a call has been
made using the 3G technology. The call was made possible with
the help of a cell tower installed by China Telecom in
Rongbuk, about 12 miles from the mountain peak.

http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bytesforall_readers/message/10321

* * *

FOR MOBILE APPLICATION DEVELOPERS: The Institute for the
Future is holding a roundtable of developers or programmers
working on mobile applications or services in Delhi. If you
know anyone working in this sphere, please ask them to get in
touch with Steve Cisler, Center for Science Technology and
Society, Santa Clara University http://scu.edu/sts/ <sacisler
AT yahoo.com>

* * *

STOCKHOLM CHALLENGE: Earl Mardle in Sydney meanwhile calls on
mobile developers from anywhere to take part in the Stockholm
Challenge. "We are very aware that mobile is vital to many
areas of development and the more interesting and innovative
programmes we can contact, the better," says he. You can find
out more about the Challenge here or register and take part
here or contact earl.mardle at stockholmchallenge.se

Earl Mardle is with KeyNet Consultancy/ Using Information
Technology in the Real World at 29 River St Earlwood Sydney
NSW 2206 Australia.

* * *

TELECENTRES IN THE MADRASA: The school based telecenter
project of RI SOL has launched internet-enabled telecenters
in two Bangladeshi madrasas (Islamic religious schools), in
Khulna and Dhaka. See Khulna Alia Madrasa Advocates for an
Inclusive Information Society on World Information Society
Day Link to the news story and photos of the celebration:
http://www.connect-bangladesh.org/content/view/418/101/
Source: Nazrul Islam <nazrul07 at gmail.com>

* * *

Search Engine for Malayalam: http://www.guruji.com/ml/
Source: Ridhi D'Cruz, independent journalist, web designer,
photographer, ICT4D enthusiast and BytesForAll volunteer.

* * *
...Trimmed for reasons of length. See full issue at
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bytesforall_readers/message/10395

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This issue compiled by: Frederick Noronha, co-founder.
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