The railroad will open up access to Tibet in ways we cannot predict. CNN has an interesting and long article on the railway to Tibet, and there are many others online. We know that the “Tibetan way of life” will become a thing of the past, and will uniquely adapt to contact with China and the rest of the world, but many things will survive. The discussion of what will survive has only begun.
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Free Wireless and Open Knowledge
There’s a lot of excitement around the world, both in undeveloped and developed countries about “free information infrastructure” and about free or inexpensive access to the Internet. The Open Knowledge Foundation Network (OKFN) is one promoter of this concept – it came to my attention this week. An example of the free access principle is the wireless mesh in upper Dharamsala, India (well, almost free), and the rumored possibility that Google may provide free Internet access for the citizens of more than one city in California.
The Mesh becomes reality
In March, when I visited Bhagsu, up above Dharamsala, a fellow named Yahel Ben-David (photo) had just “switched on” the first nodes in the “backbone for a wireless Internet mesh” that he hoped would bring wireless connectivity to the Tibetan exile community, and would spread to much of the rest of the local Dharamsala community.
Evangelism and process planning
Use Linux! Use Windows because everyone else does and Microsoft isn’t going to go away. Use Java because it runs everywhere. Use Plone/Zope. Use Drupal. Use Open Source. Use commercial products because they’re well-supported. Use Freeware.
On and on we go, extolling the virtues of the various software systems we might use to build a new web site for our particular community of practice.
It’s a fun discussion for geeks everywhere. Promoting our favorite systems. (Mine is Java and ODBC databases.) But, where does it get us in the NPO world?
Tibetan IT Professionals Pool Talents In New Association
Palo Alto, CA, April 15, 2005 – The Dharamsala Information Technology Group
(DITG) was launched today to tackle Information Technology (IT) development
in the region.
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