Google vs. Apple, Round 2 or: Can I Get That on a Netbook?

The rise of the netbook has made its way into traditional print media - a strong indicator that the trend toward low cost, cloud-reliant computing has firmly taken root in American consumer behavior.

Data.gov and the Digital Open

While working on the Digital Open: the Innovation Expo for Global Youth that IFTF is running in partnership with Sun Microsystems and Boing Boing, I have tried to keep an eye out for potential areas that would benefit from the types of projects the Open is seeking. It was great to see this interview with the U.S. Government's first C.I.O. in the July edition of Wired.

Neo-neo Colonialism?

Some of my colleagues and I have been doing some research on the growing, or perhaps dying trend, of land grabbing to secure future food sources. I recently found a great resource for anyone interested in following this disturbing trend.

Space gaming takes a step closer to reality

In the recent Signtific games on the future of cubesats (described here), a number of people suggested using them for games. At the 2009 cubesat conference

As Space.com reports,

[Space entrepreneur Jeffrey] Manber announced plans for Nanoracks, a company developing games incorporating CubeSats. The idea is to take advantage of recent advances in nanotechnology and hand-held communication devices like the Apple iPhone to allow people on Earth to participate in games of skill or chance that, in one way or another, involve an on-orbit CubeSat. "The CubeSat is a standardized platform that has an emerging base of developers," Manber said. "We think it's analogous to 20-25 years ago in the personal computer industry. If we can get people interested in games in zero gravity, there is a proven business model for using entertainment as a way to develop a market."

The Kentucky Space Blog adds,

There is, as he points out, a proven business model for using entertainment to pioneer new markets. His presentation is short and to the point.

In response to a question about why not simulate gaming in a weightless environment, a young member of the audience blurts out "because space is fun!" and talks about how zero-gravity games could be held using real time space to ground communications.

The argument that cubesats are like the personal computer is one that's circulating in the cubesat community now. It highlights the long connections, both technical and imginative, between computers and space: recall that one of the first personal computers was the Altair.

The Future of Infrastructure

A couple weeks ago I mentioned my long standing fascination with the history of architecture, and in particular my interest in how spatial design affects behavior. Last Sunday's New York Times Magazine on 'Infrastructure' was therefore an unexpected delight.

De-Colonizing Social Innovation

Microsoft and Ghana Ministry of Education sign a Memorandum of Understanding

Microsoft is investing in building ICT capabilities in Ghana. The MoU is an extension of the 2004 relationship between Microsoft and Ghana in which three IT academies were established and 300 teachers within all levels of education were trained.

IFTF at Open Video Conference 2009, New York City

Registration is still open for the first Open Video Conference (6/19-21, NYU Law School), the first major public event of the Open Video Alliance—an impressive collaboration of the Yale Law School's Information Society Project, Kaltura, the Participatory Culture Foundation, iCommons, and sponsored by open source software giants Mozilla and Red Hat as well as more than a dozen other major corporate, foundation, nonprofit and academic players in the open video ecosystem. What is open video, you might ask? Have a watch (in 12 languages!):

Fieldnotes from the Iran twitterstream

Perhaps you've been like me, glued to the twitterstreams about Iran over the past days.  It's been compelling watching, a new kind of media experience delivered not only in tweet-sized bits but in the knitting together of multiple media forms and sources.  As Clay Shirky points out in his articulate way in an interview posted the Tedblog yesterday, we're seeing the media invent itself in real time.

Kenyan Undersea Fiber Optic Cable Launched

“The long-awaited East African Marine System (TEAMS) fibre optic
undersea cable, expected to cut telecommunications costs across the
continent has officially been launched in Kenya.”

On conversation and extremism

It's conventional wisdom that groups generate ideas and plans more moderate than those of individuals. Groups and discussion encourage compromise, smooth out extremes, and guarantee moderation. It is also one of the unspoken assumptions of facilitation and group-oriented scenario work. Facilitation and scenario-building, the thinking goes, builds a sense of collective spirit by helping groups develop a shared vision of the future.

Identity management in online worlds

Every alternate year we conduct the IFTF Signals Survey to track emerging behaviors in the areas of technology, health, work, sustainability and environment. We conducted our survey last year where we looked at  how many people participate in virtual worlds and online games, how they manage and develop their online identities, and what kinds of associations they form with others in online worlds/games.

Motorcycle Ambulances in Sudan

The Ministry of Health in south Sudan has released 5 motorcycles complete with sidecar and padded bed to act as ambulances for pregnant women. The motorcycles were donated by UNICEF for about $6,000 a piece.

Medical Tourism in Tunisia

Medical tourism in Tunisia has become the countries second highest foreign currency earner, and the second largest employer. Many medical tourists come to Tunisia for specialized surgical procedures in cardiology, gynecology, or urology. Or they come because of Tunisia’s reputation for good cosmetic surgeons.

Facebook launches Swahili version