July 16, 2011
Undersea Internet Cables-See Them for Yourself
July 15, 2011
An Infographics Treasure Trove
An Infographics Treasure Trove
July 10, 2011
When Free Speech Goes Afoul
Freedom of speech is one of our most precious rights.
When Free Speech Goes Afoul
July 9, 2011
Future Of Space Travel
Note: A robonaut is currently up on the International Space Station for testing (a precursor to Deep Space Nine).
Future Of Space Travel
How Far Will You Go?
How Far Will You Go?
July 5, 2011
Technology To Fit You
From super-sized televisions and mega data centers to smaller and smaller personal computing devices, we are attracted to the computing on the edge.
Read the article at Public CIO Magazine.
Technology To Fit You
July 4, 2011
Appropriate Technology For All
Appropriate Technology For All
July 3, 2011
What's Relationships Got To Do With It
It is said that one of the key differences between leaders and staff is that leaders are supposed to spend significantly more time on relationships, while staff tend to concentrate on the task at hand.
What's Relationships Got To Do With It
July 2, 2011
Happy Guy Dancing
Happy Guy Dancing
Technology, Just Eat It
Technology, Just Eat It
July 1, 2011
Soft Skills Complement Hard Work
Soft Skills Complement Hard Work
June 26, 2011
How Leaders Can Imitate Art
How Leaders Can Imitate Art
June 25, 2011
Busting The Organizational Bunkers
Busting The Organizational Bunkers
June 24, 2011
Feedback, Can't Live Without It
Feedback, Can't Live Without It
June 19, 2011
Crashing The Internet--Are We Prepared?
Almost week after week, I read and hear about the dangers of cyber attacks and whether "the big one" is coming.
Just last week, the Federal Times (13 June 2011) wrote that the "U.S. government computer networks are attacked about 1.8 billion times per month."
Crashing The Internet--Are We Prepared?
June 18, 2011
Imagine Me Being Free
Imagine Me Being Free
June 17, 2011
Apps-The World At Your Fingertips
Apps-The World At Your Fingertips
June 16, 2011
New Beginnings
I also greatly appreciate the opportunity to have worked and learned with such talented and dedicated professionals in the Office of Science and Technology.
New Beginnings
June 15, 2011
Apple Store "Heaven"
Apple Store "Heaven"
June 11, 2011
The Internet: A Right and a Responsibility
Good Online is reporting (10 June 2011) that the “U.N. Declares Internet Access a Human Right.”
According to the U.N. report, “The Internet has become a key means by which individuals exercise their right to freedom of expression.”
But as Good points out, this is not just a “third-world concern,” since even in America those without high-speed access cannot adequately perform certain functions “and that surely this affects their ability to get informed, educated, and employed.”
The U.N. is pushing for more protections for people to “assert themselves freely online,” but Good proposes that Internet access means more than just freedom of expression, but also the right to more public Wi-Fi access, better access to technology in libraries and I would assume in schools as well.
Interestingly enough, just on Thursday, Mayor Bloomberg of NYC and AT&T Chairman and CEO Randall Stephenson announced that as part of NYC’s “Road Map for the Digital City,” they were launching a five-year initiative for free Wi-Fi service at 20 NYC parks—this is seen as a “critical developmental tool” for children, families, and communities.
The Internet stands alone as a technology that is now a “human right.” Radios, televisions, and telephones—none of these have that status. Yes, we have freedom of speech, but the technologies that enable them are not seen as a human right.
Similarly, access to the printing press (i.e. the technology for printing) itself is not a human right—rather, freedom of press (i.e. expression through print) is.
Do we not communicate and express ourselves over radio, TV, telephone, and other technologies as we do over the Internet? Do we not get information from them and through them? Do we not reach out with them to others both nationally and globally as we do over Net?
The answer to all of these is of course, we do.
So what is distinct about the Internet that the mere access to it is declared a human right?
I believe it is the fact that the Internet is the first technology whose very access enables the protection of all the other human rights, since it empowers EVERYONE to hear and speak from and to the masses about what is going in—whether in the tumultuous streets of the Arab Spring to the darkest prisons silencing political dissent.
While radio and television, in their time, were important in getting information and entertainment, but they were essentially unidirectional modes of communication and these can be manipulated by the powers that be. Similarly, the telephone while important to bridging communications over vast distances was for the most part constrained between two or at most a few individuals conversing. And publishing was limited to the realm of the professionals with printing presses.
In contrast, the Internet enables each person to become their own TV producer (think YouTube), radio announcer (think iTunes), telephone operator (think Skype) or publisher (think websites, blogs, wikis, etc.).
The Internet has put tremendous power into the hands of every individual. This is now a declared right. With that right, there is a tremendous responsibility to share information and collaborate with others for the benefit of all.
Of course, as a powerful tool of expression, the Internet can also be used malevolently to express hatred, racism, bigotry, etc. and to malign other people, their thoughts or opinions. Of course, it can also be used to steal, spy, hack, and otherwise disrupt normal civilization.
So we also all have the responsibility to behave appropriately, fairly, and with dignity to each other on the Internet.
While I applaud the U.N. for declaring the Internet a human right, I would like to see this expanded to include both a right and responsibility—this to me would be more balanced and beneficial to building not only access, but also giving and tolerance.
(Photo Source: WorldVisionReport.org)
The Internet: A Right and a Responsibility