5 Laptops, $5K and a Whole Lot of Learning

119 Gallery is a cool contemporary art space in Lowell, MA They engage young, old, new and established artists in a range of video, sound, and interactive art forms. The organization will be kicking off a fundraiser for its educational program with a jazz brunch on April 1st. We are trying to raise $5,000 in order to purchase 5 laptops for a variety of workshops both onsite at the 119 Gallery and with our educational partners.

Take a moment to check them out at http://www.119gallery.org and if you like what you see, either join us at our brunch on April 1st and / or contribute to our goals via Chipin – http://119gallery.chipin.com .

Academy Awards 2007

So I’ve been sitting here watching the Oscars over the last almostthree hours – so some thoughts. The host, Ellen Degeneris, is setting atone that is casual and low-key. Environmentalism is highlighted. -the live event seems infused with diversity. There have been manylanguages, countries, races, and lifestyles portrayed by the livepeople and the films themselves. There are lots of behind the scenesactiom and the underpinnings of filmmaking. I have this feeling thatwe are being pulled in as important elements of the event. Thebroadcast makes me think that maybe as a culture Americans are on theverge of finally expanding and growing into the global communities weare part of it. It’s been a hopeful and comforting night. Something Iwouldn’t have expected at all.

The Net and the 2006 mid-term electon

Jeff Jarvis relfects on the importance of the Internet in shaping the outcome of this election. Here are his thoughts

I think the internet brought more change to the biorhythms of American politics inthis election than the last, but in more subtle ways that we can only now begin to measure.Start with this: Wouldn’t it be ironic if the netroots’ excommunication of Joe Lieberman led the Democrats to lose a seat and not quite get control of the Senate? It won’t matter much in reality, of course. Lieberman’s still a Democrat, whether some Democrats want him or not.But there’s a lesson here for newly empowered popular movements and for political parties. It’s just not clear yet what that lesson is. Does the law of unintended consequences rule: A movement rose up to purge Lieberman from the party but ended up losing one for the party? Or does this demonstrate to party leaders that they can’t lose control of their parties? Can they still? The people and the power brokers have to figure out who’s on top.And:YouTube allowed anyone with a camera to report on any candidate and so now any misstatement gains toxicity and speed; this is the true viral politics.The speed of politics has changed, just as the speed of media did before it. Dan Rather couldn’t wait 11 days to correct his mistake. Allen and Kerry couldn’t wait hours to back off their media malaprops.The voice of politics has changed, not just because the people can now be heard in our blogs but also because we can cut through the nonsense of media coverage with the no-nonsense attitude of comedy news. On YouTube, you can remix and mock any politician. Anyone can be Jon Stewart. Everyone can call bullshit. I hope we are starting to see the death of the dutiful voice of politics in America.Yes, this was an incredibly ugly, TV-run election in many races (including our Senate race in New Jersey) but I believe that we will see an ever-declining influence of television and political advertising on TV in future elections. They will find new ways to get ugly in new media.

BuzzMachine » Blog Archive » The net’s voice in the election

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The Imp Trail

Last weekend (beginnig of October) I spend my entire Saturday, pulling my out of shape body up the moderate Imp Trail in the White Mountains. An old friend Bill was visiting an old friend of his, Scott, and they invited me to join them.

Here’s a pic (taken by Bill) of me and Scott on the trail. Have to say I almost gave up not even 1/2 way up the trail. But I stuck with it and both Bill and Scott were patience with me. They are in far better shape than myself. I was psyched to have completed the trail.

And here we are up at the top. I really need to get myself more fit. Overall it was a really great day.  The weather was fantastic and the trail not too crowded.  I guess I need to find myself a club to hike with.

Train the Trainers ICT

Train the trainers or let the trainers train themselves? (for ICT4D trainers)

This is a 4-page summary of a community readiness assessment for ICT4D trainers, done by IICD last year, which is available online here:

Train the trainers or let the trainers train themselves?

The research brief includes a short overview of the assessment, and ends with recommendations which may be valid for other communities of practice, as well as a few other methodological reflections.

You can also read the full report HERE.

Social Media and the Networked Public Sphere

Can social media increase and improve civic participation? If so, in what ways? There’s a lot being said and written about the subject these days, but it is difficult to get a clear overview of the opinions. I attempt here to collect viewpoints both for and against the premise that social media is creating a better public sphere, and analyze them in the context of what constitutes a public and its antithesis, a mass. In presenting what are sometimes extreme positions within this debate (too idealistic v. too critical), my hope is to begin to understand the reality that lies in the middle, and come closer to understanding social media’s potential (and limitations) as a tool to bring about social change.

i d e a n t: Social Media and the Networked Public Sphere

citizen film

Featured Member – Citizen Film
Founded in 2002 by Sophie Constantinou, Sam Ball and Kate Stilley Steiner, Citizen Film is an independent documentary production company dedicated to telling personal stories with care and dignity. We work with community institutions to make and distribute films that foster active participation in civic and cultural life. Citizen Film’s directors have also provided intensive film training at a variety of educational and community institutions throughout the San Francisco Bay Area.

Flock

Just found out about a fantastic new browser that is an add on to Firefox.  Will be testing it out over the next couple of weeks.  It is called Flock – http://www.flock.com