Bytes For All

MULTIMEDIA TRAINING

The UNESCO/APC Multimedia Training Kit (MMTK) provides trainers in telecentres, community media organisations, and the development sector with a structured set of materials to help make that jump between new and traditional media or train in a new skill area. The materials cover a range of multimedia areas like "presenting on radio" and "writing for the Web" as well as topics such as "co-operative problem solving". The MMTK is a growing collection, and new topics will be added in the months to come. Find out more at www.itrainonline.org/itrainonline/mmtk/

PRYING, IN REVERSE

Researchers at the MIT Media Lab have unveiled the Government Information Awareness, or GIA, website at opengov.media.mit.edu. Using applications developed at the Media Lab, GIA collects and collates information about government programs, plans and politicians from the general public and numerous online sources. Currently the database contains information on more than 3,000 public figures. The premise of GIA is that if the government has a right to know personal details about citizens, then citizens have a right to similar information about the government. Perhaps India needs something like this too!

FARM JOURNALISM, ONLINE

The Centre for Alternative Agricultural Media (an NGO working for a farmer-friendly communication system) is launching a diploma course in farm journalism. The correspondence diploma, the first of its kind in Kannada, will commence from November 2003. Topics like nature and importance of farmer-friendly farm journalism, types of farm writing, techniques of writing, photojournalism, etc, will be covered during the course. Only ten students will be selected for the one-year diploma course. E-mail: caam@sify.com. Website: www.farmedia.org

DAKNET, FOR RURAL NEEDS

This initiative led by First Mile Solutions (FMS), a venture managed by a team of MIT graduates, is developing and testing innovative connectivity approaches aiming at rural needs in developing countries. A pilot demonstration took place in Tikawali, a village near Faridabad, in March 2002. The pilot solution enabled villagers to file complaints via e-mail and send video messages from one village to another. The solution combines WiFi (IEEE 802.11b) equipment at 2.4GHz with Mobile Access Points (MAPs) mounted on and powered by a public bus. The pilot proved able to wirelessly and automatically collect, transport and deliver data at high speeds to and from kiosk-based computers enabled with WiFi cards. For more, go to www.daknet.net.

URDU SOLUTION

The Center for Research in Urdu Language Processing at National University of Computer and Emerging Sciences (www.nu.edu.pk) has announced the beta release of character-based Nafees Naskh Open Type Font for writing Urdu in Naskh script, based on the Unicode standard. This font is developed according to calligraphic rules, following the Lahori style of one of the finest calligraphers of the language. Nafees Naskh allows Urdu computing on Microsoft 2000, NT, XP, Java (JDK1.4), Unix and Linux platforms. This font enables desktop and Internet publishing, and electronic communication in Urdu using existing software (without any plug-ins) supporting OTF specifications. Nafees Naskh is freely downloadable from www.crulp.org or www.nu.edu.pk.

INTERNET HANDBOOK

Bangalore-based IT consultant and writer Dr Madanmohan Rao has recently edited ‘The Asia-Pacific Internet Handbook’ and ‘The Knowledge Management Chronicles.’ Check it out at http://www.tatamcgrawhill.com/digital_solutions/madan

infoDEV INITIATIVES

infoDev will launch four initiatives—an e-security network study (contact: Michel H. Maechler, mmaechler@worldbank.org), a free and open source software toolkit, a program on lessons learned from infoDev projects and a infodev case studies (contact Jacqueline Dubow, jdubow@worldbank.org for the above three)

SOFTWARE FOR E-GOVERNANCE

OpenSector.org helps public sector decision-makers translate the benefits of free software for their constituents. Here open-source developers and organisations can find opportunities and advocate for adoption of free software. http://opensector.org/

GLOBAL KNOWLEDGE FOR DEVELOPMENT

For the past six years, thousands of people worldwide have generously shared their experience on IT for development via GKD, the Global Knowledge for Development mailing list. "We believe that shared knowledge is extremely valuable, and thus we have developed a database that makes it easy to quickly find messages about various key topics. I hope that you will find this unique tool to be a powerful resource for researchers, educators, donors, journalists, and others with an interest in using ICTs for development," says Centre for Innovative Technologies EDC director Janice Brodman <jbrodman@edc.org> Check out the new GKD database resource at: http://www.GKDknowledge.org.

SOFTWARE FOR WINDOWS

Swatantra software for Windows? See an Indian compilation. Write for a copy to Mahesh T Pai, ‘Nandini’, S R M Road, Ernakulam, Cochin-682018, Kerala, India. http://in.geocities.com/paivakil, e-mail paivakil@vsnl.net

WATER HARVESTING DIRECTORY

Centre for Science and Environment in Delhi says one of its most successful initiatives has been Water Links, a directory of individuals and organisations engaged in activities related to water harvesting in different parts of India and rest of the world. They have a new website, www.rainwaterharvetsing.org

RIVER LINKING PLAN SURVEY

http://indianenvironmentonline.net/riverlink is a programme to compile information on the recently proposed National River Linking Plan. "This questionnaire will cover all the positive and negative aspects of the river linking plan from scientific to economic and environmental aspects and its future effects. And if you do not support the link, there are alternate solutions for our water problems," says Tamil Selvan, editor of the Indian Environment Online.

BytesForAll is a volunteer-driven initiative to focus on how ICT is being used for development across South Asia. To join an informative list that discusses this issue, send a blank e-mail to bytesforall_readers-subscribe@yahoogroups.com