My schedule kind of fell apart on Thursday, which was the first day of workshops, as I had appointments elsewhere to attend to (and upcoming work on Friday as well). I went to my 9am appointment, then picked up my video equipment and pack, and walked up to TCV – walking is nearly a fast as catching a 3-wheeled taxi, costing me only about 5 extra minutes, and I always like the hiking.
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| Comfort Kazanka – Nigeria |
I rejoined the workshop groups at the zone of peace for lunch and had a chance to shoot many photos of attendees. All of the luncheons had been catered by Milap’s restauranteurs, and a surprisingly broad variety of food had been presented over the course of the event. I was looking forward to lunch each day!
The planning on the part of the WSFII attendees for another WSFII in early 2007 is really heating up now, with serious discussions about exactly where, and how to increase participation from outside the US-European axis. I personally felt that what I learned about South Asia was important, and really value the opportunity that we’ve had to here in Dharamsala, and will do everything I can to support the next summit, which looks like it’ll be in Africa (the exact location still to be decided).
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| Mahabir Pun – Nepal Wireless |
A major issue then, (as it seems to have been for this meeting) will be travel costs to get a world-wide range of attendees. Many of us have committed to working on this problem. (The photo on the right shows Mahabir Pun, of Nepal Wireless, who was a speaker, talking over lunch in the Zone of Peace, with other workshop participants.)
By Thursday afternoon the attendees had split into workshop groups – I joined Laura Drewitt’s group (Laura’s photo appears below) to discuss business plans, but had to leave early for an appointment way down the hill. I took a hair-raising ride down the hill several kilometers in a 3-wheeled taxi – the longest I have ever taken in one of those contraptions – and after two taxi wallahs (taxi men) pretty much had a knock-down fight over who was next in line to take a passenger.
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| Laura Drewitt – Workshop leader |
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| Vic Hayes – 802.11 innovator |
On Friday I have a very mixed schedule coming up, since a video team is arriving in the morning and we’re recording some senior school students at TCV for another project, and also I’m installing some hardware and software for continuing use at TCV. Jay Dedman and Ryanne Hodson are doing a video workshop, and we’re including a teacher and students from TCV in this work – or perhaps it would be more accurate to say that Ryan and Jay are donating time to TCV as well as to workshop participants.
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| An observer |
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