Since the dawn of the 21^st century, digital and electronic technology has advanced at rapid pace, outstripping the almost comparatively insignificant advancements made in the previous decades. The advent of the internet coupled with this new technology allowed masses of data to be stored and accessed by anyone with internet access. The Internet represents tremendous opportunities for advancing social, economic, educational, and governmental development (EbscoHost:MIS Quarterly). This is all dependent on the individual’s opportunity to access this information scattered across the internet. The disparity between those that have access to the internet and those that don’t have access is defined as the Digital Divide. The digital divide is based on several mitigating factors defining the accessibility of the user. The main dimensions used to construct the basis of the digital divide span across demographic, ethnic, and geographic factors with a primary focus being placed on the socioeconomic factor; or the disparity of education and income between users and non-users of information and communication technology (or ICT). This growing disparity has become a hot button issue amongst technology pundits and journalists across the globe. There are countless opinions weighing in on how exactly to solve this digital divide, but too few with enough substance to actually begin bridging the gap between the haves and have-nots. To begin the change necessary to increase saturation of ICT’s, an established infrastructure is necessary in order to properly address and begin the change necessary to close the digital divide. Corporations have begun taking a human interest in their attempt to close this technology gap. Utilizing their established infrastructure as well as rapidly advancing technology, corporations are beginning to turn the tide in the fight for global information equality.

In order to understand how to remedy the global digital divide, it is essential to understand just what exactly the digital divide is and why exactly it’s worth closing the gap. The digital divide is not limited to simply accessing the internet; but rather it is an all encompassing term used to describe the disparity between access, creation, distribution, and exposure to the information in our digital world. In Andrew Chadwick’s textbook, Internet Politics, Karen Mossberger and colleagues define four principal barriers that categorize the primary factors constituting the digital divide:

-The access divide: inequalities in the basic availability of computers and internet

-The skills divide: inequalities in technical competence and information literacy.

-The economic opportunity divide: inequalities in the extent to which individuals are able to use information for the purposes of social advancement, such as getting a new job, and

-The democratic divide: divisions between those able to use the internet for enhancing their political participation and influence. (Chadwick 52)

These four factors together essentially form the core of the digital divide definition. While all four factors combine to compose the collective digital divide, the access divide is the most basic primary contributor to the global division of ICT. The access divide is based upon specific technology infrastructure variables such as the penetration of telephones, computers, televisions, and radios, as well as the technology necessary to maintain these Medias (Chadwick 64). Without physical access to a computer connected to the internet, the other factors cease to exist. If an individual doesn’t have physical access the internet, than it just isn’t important for them to be able to manipulate the internet to fit their needs and desires and enter the global marketplace of ideas. The skills divide is also a relatively independent factor contributing to the digital divide. Even with internet access, the ability to manipulate the internet vis-à-vis a computer is almost as essential as having that physical access to the internet itself. Users must have an understanding of how to navigate and contribute to the global marketplace of ideas in order to bridge the divide themselves. Basic skills are necessary to create and analyze content that invariably affects the lives of the user. The information sprawled across the internet can benefit users in their interactions within the public sphere in which they operate. This information can be utilized for economic gain as well as in the implementation of e-democracy. E-democracy is becoming much more prominent as a way to enhance participation, community cohesion, and political deliberation amongst a country or group; at its core its purpose is to foster new types of civic engagement (Chadwick 49). The ability to contribute to society based on the utilization of the internet is founded on the notion that contributors have access to the proper equipment and the knowledge necessary to manipulate it.

The global digital divide is in fact just that; a global problem that ignores international boundaries and geographic barriers. Even in countries with the highest percentage of internet users (USA, Canada, Northern Europe, Australia, New Zealand, and to a lesser extent Western Europe) an internal disparity across demographic categories still exists (Chadwick 54). In America, where the highest percentage of internet users reside, race, household income, and education are the primary deviating categories where this discrepancy appears. According to the 2005 Pew Internet and American Life Project, less than 45% of African American’s are online. While most income brackets average roughly 80% internet saturation rates, those earning less than $30k a year have only a minimal 44 percent of individuals accessing the internet. The grossest disparity in America however stems from the educational disparity amongst internet users; only a mere 32 percent of users who failed to complete high school are online (Chadwick 73). While all the aforementioned countries and America are considered politically and economically stable, they still have issues concerning the digital divide amongst their citizens. On the opposite end of the spectrum fall Africa, the Middle East, Central and Eastern Europe, Asia, Central and South America, and the rest of Oceania (Chadwick 54). These countries disparities along the digital divide are significantly more problematic when contrasted against the top internet using countries. America and Canada both roughly average a 50 percent saturation rate across the entire population whereas the lowest internet using countries hover roughly between 2 to 13 percent saturation (Chadwick 55). These areas have typically had problems across the board in terms of social, political, and economic factors thusly influencing the disparity between them and the top internet using countries in the digital divide. Without the monetary access to gain the physical accessories needed to access the internet for any purpose, there is no need to address any of the other issues concerning the digital divide. While the wealthiest countries and regions still have access issues, the majority of work done to bridge the global digital divide is directed at these countries occupying the bottom percentages of internet use. In an effort to help bridge this gap, major corporations are reaching out in ways never before utilized to help narrow the digital divide.

The standard operating procedure of current corporations impacting the digital divide is segmented across two areas directly impacting the primary factors in the world wide ICT discrepancy. These primary segments, physical access to the internet as well as the skills necessary to actively browse and contribute to the digital community both require different tactics to address their specific needs. Before anyone can be proficient in their internet use they must first have physical access to this media. Private and public corporations as well as non-profit organizations are beginning to cater to this international demand for physical access to the internet as well as the skills necessary to actively and productively browse and contribute to the digital world.

The primary objective in narrowing the digital divide is to provide the physical tools necessary to access the internet. Computer access is beyond a necessity, it is an absolute must in getting online. Computers have always been a relatively expensive product. This simple yet enormously defining characteristic has been the prominent factor in the dispersion of computers across the globe. Economically depressed and unstable countries with the lowest GDP’s across the board fit squarely into the biggest void left by the digital divide. Rapid advancements in technology have dropped computer manufacturing costs significantly, allowing for the production of cheaper computers that still perform exceptionally well. Combined with an ethos of cyberlibertarianism, the manufacturers of these ultra low-cost laptops (ULPC’s) are committed to keeping their products open source. “Open source software is developed by companies and individuals who do not charge license fees for the use of their software and allow other developers to contribute to the software’s creation and development. The main license condition of open source software is that the original developer retains control of inserting enhancements to the original source code, while users can customize the software to their needs and offer their enhancements back to the original developers” (LexisNexis: Open Source). One of the main proponents of this low cost laptop movement is the non-profit corporation OLPC, or One Laptop per Child. OLPC is the brainchild of the distinguished technology expert Nicholas Negroponte. Negroponte and OLPC describe their mission as a way to educate the children of impoverished nations through the learning that using a computer fosters. In areas where education and technology take a back seat, the children are paying the consequences. Most of the nearly two–billion children in the developing world are inadequately educated, one in three children does not complete the fifth grade; others receive no education at all (OLPC: Mission). This lack of education places these children into the same revolving cycle that their parents fell into: a life of perpetual poverty and isolation. Beyond the direct impact of these aspects to the nuclear family, their governments struggle to compete in a rapidly evolving, global information economy. They are hobbled by a vast and increasingly urban underclass that cannot support itself, much less contribute to the commonweal, simply because it lacks the tools to do so (OLPC: Mission). OLPC is aimed to create a product that teaches children to learn how to learn while introducing the light of education into their lives. The goal is to foster education in these developing countries as a way to advance the lives of everyone who wishes to advance themselves. “It’s an education project, not a laptop project” says Negroponte (OLPC:Content).

The foundation of OLPC is based upon their production model laptop, the XO. The 7.5’’ XO was designed with production costs in mind allowing the price for each laptop to be set at $200 with the goal of producing a sub $100 laptop by 2009. OLPC has designed a Get One Give One program that allows individuals the opportunity to purchase their own XO for $400. Each Get One Give One purchase utilizes the extra $200 to donate an XO to a child in need. This is the type of initiative that fosters philanthropist type mentalities in every purchaser of an XO. The goal of OLPC wasn’t just to create the cheapest laptop, but one that was extremely functional and intuitive as well. The XO includes an internal wireless card capable of operating on the 802.11 b/g and 802.11 mesh wireless spectrums’s used by most routers as well as a plethora of extra screws and parts contained inside the machine. On the software end of the XO, a stripped down Linux based open source operating system complete with education based programs and utilities makes user interaction as simple as possible (NoteBook Review: OLPC XO). This is deeply rooted in Negroponte’s cyber-libertarian views as well as the unprecedented access open source technology allows. These factors combine to allow the XO to be the most accessible piece of technology it can be with the ability to connect to the internet over virtually any network type. In additional to the physical hardware, OLPC is providing educational opportunities to the areas where their laptops are being distributed; technical support including the creation of wireless access points and school networking is also being delivered. “OLPC is not, at heart, a technology program, nor is the XO a product in any conventional sense of the word. OLPC is a non-profit organization providing a means to an end—an end that sees children in even the most remote regions of the globe being given the opportunity to tap into their own potential, to be exposed to a whole world of ideas, and to contribute to a more productive and saner world community” (OLPC: Mission). Several examples of additional technical support provided by OLPC include advanced pilot programs intended to establish wireless and local area networks, a teacher training program designed to further educate student instructors including the creation of instructional material, and also the large scale instruction of new users on how to use the XO (OLPC Wiki). The typical OLPC process consists of an advanced networking team to establish internet connectivity in the area. After the networking details are established, OLPC employees and volunteers travel to the designated area with the arrival of the XO shipment. These employees than begin mass instruction to users where a majority have little or no computer experience. This also includes special attention to teachers and educators who can utilize their XO’s to create educational and informational material (OLPC: Wiki). The XO offers a chance for students and children to completely immerse themselves in the modern technology of today. The OLPC movement has become wildly successful, a testament to the ideals of OLPC’s founders. Since mass production began in November of 2007, over 230,000 laptops have been distributed across the globe with a majority of these laptops placed in OLPC’s initial test sites of Nigeria, Afghanistan, and Peru (OLPC Wiki). Beyond these previously distributed laptops, Quanta Computer, which is responsible for the XO’s production, has confirmed their orders to produce one million OLPC XO’s (Engadget). These laptops are poised to make a significant and positive change in the lives of their future users.

While the OLPC movement has been extremely successful, their still remains several issues worth addressing. Although designed to be extremely rugged, the XO’s are finding life in these impoverished countries to be more difficult than OLPC had predicted. The XO’s are having issues with dirt and dust getting inside the display, as well as several hardware issues that OLPC has yet to come to terms with. This is where the OLPC experiment is paying off though, through the response these challenges have yielded. As these laptops are going where no conventional computer repair shop is located, the children/students have taken matters into their own hands.

During the recent Greener Gadgets Conference in New York, former OLPC CTO Mary Lou Jepsen discussed the real-world difficulties with using the kid-friendly laptops, including the creation of an XO “hospital” used to repair broken computers. In the crowded conditions of schools in places like Nigeria, the little green laptops have a tendency to be jostled around and knocked to the floor from time to time. As there’s typically no repair shops nearby, the kids have learned to fix the systems themselves, setting up a ad-hoc “laptop hospital” where they can repair what’s broken using simple tools and cheap replacement parts. Jepsen says the company designed the systems to be easily fixable, including additional screws embedded in the computers themselves, and allowing for quick changes of the LCD backlight and other components. The in-house repairs cut down on shipping, promote reuse, and increase kids’ understanding of ownership and responsibility, thus furthering the primary OLPC mission of learning learning (Engadget).

This is one example of how OLPC has made an impact beyond their original intent. These children are figuring out how to do things they have never done before on a machine that they may have only been exposed to for several months. This is beyond the best intentions of the OLPC movement. These children are literally learning everything as they go. Through increased proficiency and saturation rates, countries that depend on these low cost laptops will begin to see the formation of their own distinct digital realm based on content specifically produced for their region.

Beyond the OLPC XO, several other UMPC (ultra mobile personal computer) manufacturers have sprung up embodying several of OLPC’s main ideals. Besides the XO, the two companies making the most progress towards narrowing the digital divide are Asus with their powerful EeePC, and Everex, who launched their own UMPC products even more recently than the OLPC XO. The Asus EeePC is attempting to meet the flaws of the XO. Retailing for $400 (for a single unit), the EeePC is incredibly powerful for its size. Matching up with the XO, the EeePC sought to improve on the groundwork laid before them. Regardless of its .5’’ smaller screen, the EeePC manages to pack twice the processing power and 4 times the HD storage of the XO. It also took a few notes from OLPC, using an Asus customized build of the open-source Linux based Xandros OS. It features simple to use icons in the same vein as windows, yet the hard drive data footprint and relative low cost of the Linux based OS make it ideal for these low cost laptops (Notebook Review: Asus EeePC). Asus has also delved headfirst into the non-profit section of business. Asus has developed a sort of ambassadors’ abroad program that is sending Asus employees to Africa and abroad to educate children on how to fully utilize the power of the internet. The main points of this program are to expose children to the more technical aspects of the internet, as well as the intellectual aspects as well. The Asus employees teach children how to skillfully navigate the internet with the use of portals, build and publish their own web sites, and how to judge the credentials of what they are being exposed to on the internet (Asus). This is the extra effort need to narrow the gap in the content divide. Research by Mathew Zook has revealed that 55 percent of the world’s internet domain names are registered in the United States. with the second closest countries being Germany and the UK with just 7 percent (Chadwick 69). Through efforts like this is where children and students will learn to digest and utilize the information they have access to, including political news and actions that directly impact them as a citizen of their country, as well as creating content that is specifically targeted to their geographical location .

Everex is credited with being the first of these UMPC manufactures to garner global attention in terms of its ability to begin narrowing the digital divide. While remaining completely in the commercial sector, Everex has always operated under a strict set of ethical guidelines. “With the resources and capability to design, engineer and manufacture its own technology-based products, Everex maintains a unique competitive advantage and is able to provide products to both its resellers and end-users with the lowest possible cost of ownership, all without sacrificing quality, workmanship or service” (Everex: About). The Cloudbook is the latest iteration to their catalogue as a new low cost laptop with the ability to impact the digital divide. The Cloudbook retails for $399, about the only similarity it shares with the EeePC. The Cloudbook is the most powerful of these low cost UMPC’s with a 1.2 GHz processor and 30 times the hard drive capacity of the OLPC XO. In addition to being faster and more powerful, the Cloudbook offers a WVGA screen for improved visibility in any condition, more serial ports than it’s competitors, and media card reader capabilities. Using a modified UNIX operating system, the Cloudbook remains committed to the open source movement that fosters curiosity and learning (Notebook Review: Everex Cloudbook). While Everex does not directly involve themselves in the humanitarian side of spanning the digital divide, its ability to provide low cost, high quality products is essential in the physical distribution aspect. While both the Cloudbook and EeePC are nearly double the price of the OLPC XO, and quite soon possibly more, they are still utilizing their potential as a solution to the ICT deficiency. These laptops are easily accessible to unconnected persons in countries where internet saturation levels fall at a much less drastic margin. While the XO is a sufficient enough machine to meet user’s most basic needs, its shelf life and compatibility would be relatively non-existent in countries with a developed ICT infrastructure. This is the area where both the EeePC and the Cloudbook have a great potential to impact the digital divide on a much broader level. These portables are much more accessible to individuals whose economic variable levels are relatively low compared the rest of the population in a top tier GDP country, but not nearly as low as the comparative data for a socioeconomically depressed nation or region.

The global digital divide is shrinking, albeit slowly. The involvement of large corporations is expediting this process along several different lines. Addressing the primary needs of citizens (re: physical access and operational education) these corporations are doing their part to span the gap in the global ICT disparity. The diffusion of the internet and applicable computer knowledge is essential in our rapidly advancing world. The ability to access immeasurable amounts of data as well as the cost-efficient ability to create new content is paramount in the development of our modern global society. These corporations efforts to span this technological gap are allowing more and more individuals a chance at a better life and education as well as the direct ability to shape the world around them; bringing them directly into the new technological information age.

Physical Works Cited

Chadwick, Andrew. Internet Politics. New York, New York: Oxford University Press, 2006.

For weeks, the House has been deliberating on its response to the Senate’s FISA Amendments Act, which aims to grant retroactive immunity for telecoms involved in warrantless wiretapping. While it’s seemed like a possibility that the House was going to cave and agree to grant immunity, the tides have shifted in a big way in the last few days.

Yesterday, House leaders announced a bill that would not grant telecom immunity, and today, House Judiciary Chairman John Conyers, Jr. (D-MI) and 19 Members of the House Judiciary Committee issued a strong statement dismantling flawed pro-immunity arguments and delivering concrete findings and recommendations on dealing with the secretive terrorist surveillance program and telecom immunity.

Phone or email your Representative today — urge them to maintain opposition to retroactive immunity.

That article (take here from the EFF) pretty much made my day. I feel that if the telecom industry is given immunity in this matter than our right to privacy has basically been taken away from us in favor of “national security”. Pardon me, but piss off. This is ridiculous; if anyone thinks that this is in any what way right or constitutional please tell me, because I have no clue how this happened. Immunity in this case equals the nation giving the go ahead to the government to warrentlessy peruse our data files searching for anything that has to do with “national security”. So you may say “well if you don’t think they should do that than what are you hiding?” NOTHING! I’m hiding nothing. The principle of the matter is that I don’t like anybody who shouldn’t have access to my personal information having unrestricted, untraceable access to it. Plain and simple. I think this is a big step in rectifying Bush’s mistakes in the white house. The Patriot Act is unconstitutional, do some research, it’s not hard to figure that out with a little common sense…although common sense is a common threat these days. I think Bush read a little to deeply into the whole Well’s Big Brother thing…

Side comment here. I don’t know how the hell I missed this connection as I was writing my last post, but it’s a big one. According to the newly updated Spitzer piece on CNN.com, Spitzer first appeared on federal radars when he was reported to the IRS when he transferred a large sum of money from one account to another. It doesn’t really mention how this connects to the fact that he was targeted in the prostitution ring by federal wiretap. It went on to detail the entire investigation into the Emperor’s Club.

The investigation into the Emperor’s Club, which began in October 2007, included evidence from a confidential source identified in court papers as a prostitute who worked at the club in 2006 and was given immunity.

It also included statements from an undercover officer who posed as a customer, more than 5,000 intercepted phone calls and text messages, more than 6,000 e-mails recovered with search warrants, bank records, travel and hotel records and physical surveillance.

All the aforementioned methods all involve the rights the NSA and FBI have violated in conjunction with AT&T, leaving the possibility that all this data was not legally and properly obtained. Beyond this, speculation still remains over just exactly where the supposed $4300 Spitzer spent on the prostitute came from? I’m going to guess that it wasn’t from his paychecks. I have a feeling NY State tax dollars were used for Spitzer to purchase said hooker. So, New York’s 19.3 million citizens, do you feel like you got your money’s worth?

I was talking before about how this isn’t a major issue in America right now, which it should be. Way more people need to be outraged and pissed off that this is happening. Our privacy is the proverbial doormat lying securely before our front door. We can see who’s at the door and choose whether or not we want to let them in. The government has pretty much marched into our houses uninvited without even having the common courtesy to wipe their feet on our doormat.

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Edit – So apparently now Spitzer will be brought up on impeachment charges, and rightfully so. That’s not as interesting as the fact that he spent over $15,000  on all these hookers. Good work Spitzer (this is all from the same cnn.com article). I will post this article when I find it, but I remember reading that Spitzer was seeking abnormal and taboo sexual acts with the prostitute or prostitutes…that’s alot of hooker for $15,000 of what’s most likely my money anyways.

So New York State Governor extraordinaire Elliot Spitzer who happens to like busting and prosecuting prostitution rings also happen to enjoy his fair share of prostitutes himself. In an uniquely ironic situation it has come to light that this man, considered by many to be a prominent rising Democrat, enjoyed a pleasant evening with a wonderful lady. Oh yah, and he paid her for sex, and he paid her a lot, $4300 to be exact. Wonderful. I’m just going to say I didn’t like Spitzer from the beginning. Personal feelings really. I have a tendency to judge a public officials character before I listen to their politics, and I just didn’t like his character. Connecting this thing here to the bigger picture, I love how CNN.com constantly updates me on this too. They just told me the profit split between the prostitute and her “agency” (i.e. Pimp). This is in no way relevant to the story, but hey I guess the American people have a right to know. On a serious note though, this will lead to all sorts of speculation and investigation as to just where all this money came from. Do I smell a New York State Tax money scam? Oh Boy!

Oh by the way, Big Brother is here, and the EFF is not happy with him. So apparently AT&T has been copying all their telecommunications information and forwarding it on to the FBI and NSA. The EFF is not to happy with this, rightfully so, and is taking steps to bring AT&T to court. This website lists the specifics of the potential case as a rebuttal to the NSA’s determination of what exactly they think they can look at. Heres a brief rundown:

E-Mail – The NSA says that subject line, To, and From are all public property – These are in direct conflict with the DoJ’s manual dealing with the search and seizure of electronic evidence.

Internet – The NSA monitored sites visited and searches conducted – The NSA was taking direct copies of URL’s, this is in direct violation  of United States v. Forrester, 495 F.3d 1041 which rules only IP addresses are acceptable in terms of monitoring internet usage, as a URL points to a specific article or section of a page invading a persons right to privacy

Cellphone – The NSA is using GPS to locate cell phones -  Majority legislative opinion holds that a probable cause warrant is necessary for this sort of thing.

Phones – The NSA says it can monitor the incoming and outgoing numbers as well as length of call – The Government needs to obtain a Pen Register or Trap and Trace Order to obtain such call records.

Long story short, Bush is evil. I jest. The article talks about how the NSA zeros in on one suspect, tracing his contacts and searches outwards like a spiderweb. I hope a friend of a friend of your friend doesn’t know any terrorists, or Agent Smith might be knocking on your door here sometime soon. I don’t know how this story doesn’t have any more media coverage than what the EFF and the Wall Street Journal are reporting. This has serious implications. This is just what the NSA and the Government claimed they WEREN’T doing, beyond that this is just what they have admitted to so far. This whole thing could get ugly before anything gets settled. I smell a whole new wave of electronic security and information access laws coming. Basically the fight for our digital civil rights has begun.

Leap year, what an interesting concept. Honestly, the orbit of the Earth around the sun is 99.9 % perfect; we were able to create a time standard based on this. That missing .1 % comes today, an aggregate of time over 4 years to be synthesized into one random day tacked on to the end of February. It’s basically like living through 4 years in one day kind of, today is an extra day that we don’t get all the time…sorry just some random thoughts here about an interesting day…

Real thoughts now. I ran into this article over at Engadget.com. I would consider it a little more of an offshoot as far as my general topics are concerned, but it really caught my interest. What the article basically says is that a new bill being introduced to the House and Senate would make it mandatory for cell phone carriers to offer contract free phones.

 ”The bill, sponsored by Massachusetts Rep. Ed Markey, would require carriers to sell contract-free phones, provide rate plan information in a “clear, plain, and conspicuous manner,” disclose any phone subsidies hidden in the plan’s price, and offer price-comparable plans with no subsidy or early termination fee. That means you’d finally know exactly how much a plan would bill you every month including taxes and fees, it’d be easier to see how much devices like the iPhone are marked up, and most importantly, it’d be way easier to switch carriers to get better deals.”

I know this is only a small throw away from my usual ramblings about the internet, but it is still somewhat connected. These contract free phones will still be able to access the internet in the same manner they could before, but now it is contract free. Someone using their equipment with one carrier can instantly switch services depending on who has the best technical support and services. I think that this will lead to a steady increase in the use of the internet on cell phones. People are hesitant to lock themselves into a contract with web access through their cell phone when they know they only have a minimal grasp of how to utilize the internet as a resource on their cell phones. This no contract/clear and concise bill statements will allow people to feel a little bit more at ease concerning their equipment, possibly pushing them towards using their handset’s for their intended purposes. Basically, I’m just excited to see if this passes. I have always had issue with the way cell phone providers operate. I know everyone is just as motivated by the almighty dollar as I am, but Verizon and Cingular could at least cover it up a little, I mean, I at least want a pretty face reaching into my pocket to take the money out of it. It will be nice to finally know just how exactly my $49.99 a month contract turns into $80+ every month…

The digital divide can be explained as the division of technology and the internet across the population. Many factors influence this from economics and beyond to social issues and simple geographical location. I believe the main culprit behind the digital divide is the simple economic aspect, people simply do not have the money to purchase the hardware necessary to access the internet and bridge this digital divide. There is hope though. Several very cheap, very user friendly UMPC’s (ultra mobile personal computers) are being released. The Everex Cloudbook and the Asus EeePC both clock with actual retail prices under $450. These laptops are simply amazing for the price. They come with a new Linux interface that is designed for optimum mobility as far as the user interface is concerned. Capable of WiFi and wireless 3G internet, these machines are extremely versatile and flexible. They have the latest technology that makes wireless internet as well as wired internet easy to set up and efficient to use. Not only are these changing the game as far as price is concerned, they are blurring the line between home maintenance and manufacturer repairs. These OLPC’s being used in third world countries, such as Nigeria, are being fixed and modified by the children who are using them.

So Castro resigned from office, apparently there’s a moon base with better cell phone service than I get, and Lindsay Lohan is naked on purpose this time, yes the internet and the world are back in line (be careful, that last one might be not so safe for work). I guess what I’m trying to get at is that I’m still getting away with writing this thing. One thing that caught my attention about the Castro article was the way in which Castro announced his resignation; through the Cuban National News website. He transmitted his letter electronically to be released on a website. I don’t know how necessarily huge of an impact this has, but it seemed pretty unusual to me. How often have the leaders of countries released a resignation letter, or a letter of any significance for that matter, directly onto the internet before print or television sources? Not to many I’d guess. This got me thinking to all the new avenues of communication available to people with the internet. On one of the questions from our first test I took a direction that had me suggesting a type of blog or public forum for elected officials. A place where we could directly interact with the people who represent us in the big picture. This would be a way for all citizens to instantly access our lawmakers and policy setters. I think that scenarios like that are coming eventually, I mean it’s only logical.

More great news for the record industry. Digital sales are expected to surpass Cd sales by 2012 according to this article. It cited a need for DRM free music as a major factor in the increase of digital sales. It makes sense to me I guess. If I own something I want to own it, not to be told what I can and can’t do with my property like DRM does to music tracks. Besides, the physical product of a CD is something consumers have shown as an irrelevant piece of junk for lack of a better word. Digital copies are much more mobile and accessible to the types of technologies that consumers are using to listen to their music. Plainly speaking, see ya CD’s. Oh and see ya HD DVD too. That’s a depressing bit of news to me. I bought a brand new laptop like 3 months ago with an HD DVD drive in it, now my same model is packaged with a blue ray drive. I feel shafted. I hope HP offers some compensation for this. They completely stopped creating and marketing HD DVD products now, leaving us stuck with what they gave us. It’s now old technology, sweet.

Good post I think.

So as I haven’t been told that my blog is wrong, I will continue writing in the way I see fit. Again, reiterating a point from a previous post, I am just going to be writing about what I think fits the definition of internet politics under the subject of the entertainment industry. I was in class today having a discussion about the internet and how ISP’s control the content and volume of their customer’s internet usage. In Europe for example, European internet users receive an alloted data transfer quota. This number falls roughly around 100 gigabytes per month. This is in contrast to typical American ISP policy of unlimited data for a single monthly payment. This made me start thinking of the ISP’s (like AT&T, Comcast, and Time Warner) that have the ability to view the transfer of their customers data, a virtual wiretap if you will. I happened to check CNN’s website and stumble upon this article. I find it oddly coincidental that I was talking about this in class and managed to find this article that pretty much answered all the questions I had had about this. The initial stance of ISP’s was to retain a “net neutrality” if you will. A sort of blind, non censored eye towards their customers internet habits. Certain ISP’s have started examining this content and are finding that a majority of the internet “power users” use a significant portion of their bandwidth for illegal movie downloads. This wouldn’t necessarily be an issue, but as available internet bandwidth shrinks these ISP’s are looking to curtain these excessive bandwidth suckers and more evenly distribute the available bandwidth. “The goal for ISPs is to ensure that “some bandwidth hog can’t knock your mom off, who’s just trying to get her e-mail,” said Rob Malan”. This so elegantly states the main principle behind there madness. AT&T took a little bit different stance on this issue. They said they would take an active step in curtailing the illegal downloads. The articles stated that it was akin to the postal service examining mail to make sure there were no photo copies of books inside them. I think that the internet needs to be kept completely free of ISP’s censorship of downloadable content. The ISP’s make there money by connecting us to this massive network, they don’t need to meddle anymore beyond that. Maybe it’s my republican father speaking through me on a contemporary issue. He was never huge on government interference in your everyday life, and disliked being told what he could and couldn’t do. I feel the same way about this issue. We built the internet just like our government: trial and error, amending old rules, and by ultimately having the majority rule the land (that may be a terrible analogy, but I feel like it makes sense in my head, I mean, just think about it, it makes sense, right?). Either way, back to me trying to make a valid point. I don’t want my ISP telling me what I can and cannot do. It’s’ not really there problem anyways, the FCC, MPAA, and RIAA are the ones who should be worried about what I’m doing.

As of 6:05 Eastern Standard Time the Writers Guild of America has ended there several month struggle with the major media companies. This is pretty good news. I don’t know how necessarily politically relevant this whole ordeal is, but I like to think that this has some political undertones to it. California’s economy and state laws deal directly with the entertainment industry, it’s just the way it works. This industry makes money, alot of money, a ridiculously obscenely large amount of money. With all that money flying around it definitely influences the political landscape. I may just be rambling now but the truth is I don’t really have a clear picture of what I want this blog to be about. I was thinking about doing the business/political aspect of the record industry (i.e. the RIAA suing people for illegal downloading, independent music as being redefined by Radiohead, Madonna, and The Format). I think that would be a kosher topic, although I’m not entirely sure. To be honest, I’m not entirely sure I know what I have to do for class tomorrow. Such is life. I guess what I’m really happy about is I get my T.V. shows back, although I have to wait till July anyways for Weeds. In other news: I’m am intently watching this auction with all hopes that google gets there hands on it. Although it looks like Verizon might take it, the 700Mhz spectrum is something that will completely upgrade the countries data services. It spans all 50 states and provides a virtual blanket of coverage over the continental 48. The cool thing about this auction is that the FCC placed a reserve on the blind bidding. Once the reserve bid was reached it would enact certain provincial stipulations governing the new spectrum; there is an open devices and open applications provision placed on it that basically means that any device can be used off of the 700Mhz spectrum, as well as any software developed for use on the newly vacant chunk of digital beach front property has to be able to be utilized by any device utilizing the 700Mhz spectrum. While Verizon will probably come down with it in the end this still doesn’t give me the 3G wireless that I am craving for right now anyways. Blah, owell. Hopefully I can sort this all out tomorrow in class and actually get credit for what, well what I feel, is a pretty damn good first blog post.

Just making sure this weblog thing is rocking out, letting me do what I want to do. I want to be able to add updates from my cell phone and I’m not sure how to use that. Send pictures and text just like this blog is supposed to let me do, but it isn’t.