From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Mon Mar 1 03:58:26 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id DAA18632; Mon, 1 Mar 1999 03:56:04 GMT Received: from garlic.negia.net (garlic.negia.net [206.61.0.14]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id DAA18624 for ; Mon, 1 Mar 1999 03:56:00 GMT Received: from idn.org (b1ppp33.negia.net [207.43.201.33]) by garlic.negia.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id VAA14124; Sun, 28 Feb 1999 21:52:50 -0500 Message-ID: <36DA0B39.56C8FA3A@idn.org> Date: Sun, 28 Feb 1999 22:36:25 -0500 From: Christopher Byrne Organization: International Development Network X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.04 [en] (Win95; U) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: info@idn.org Subject: IDN Looks at Agency Transparency on First Anniversary Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit The International Development Network at http://www.idn.org/ turned one year old last week and in the latest update to our web site, we provide a snapshot look at the transparency of some of the bilateral and multilateral agencies and show you how often they have provided current news to the public through their web sites. It may or may not surprise you that USAID comes in dead last, but how poorly they compare may indeed surprise you. The results are posted at http://www.idn.org/ and will be updated each week. In our first year, we have welcomed over 20,000 visitors and we look forward to continued growth. Here is what else is new at the IDN Web Site this week: NEW MEMBERS Dr. Ancha Srinivasan, is the newest sponsoring member of the IDN. Dr. Srinivasan is a Senior Researcher at the Geospatial Analysis Center of the Regional Science Institute (RSI). He has over 15 years experience as an agronomist/consultant/project manager with expertise in crop-climate interactions, environmental issues and information systems. He has an MSc in agronomy from the Indian Agricultural Research Institute, and a PhD from Cambridge University (UK). Prior to joining the RSI, he worked at the International Crops Research Institute for the Semi-Arid Tropics (ICRISAT), Hokkaido National Agricultural Experiment Station, and the Japan International Research Center for Agricultural Sciences (JIRCAS). Dr. Srinivasan is looking for challenging opportunities in agricultural research and development and is willing to work on short-term assignments. You may download his curriculum vitae from the IDN Web Site in Word 97 format or in Adobe PDF. Information on how to become a sponsoring members may be found at http://www.idn.org/membership/ _______________________________________________________________________ TOOLS YOU CAN USE Canadian International Development Agency Planned Consultations for 1999 This week's tool is a link to the current schedule for 1999 Canadian International Development Agency Planned or Foreseen Consultations _______________________________________________________________________ QUICK LINK OF THE WEEK United Nations Standard Product and Service Codes On February 23, the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) and Dun & Bradstreet, the world's leading provider of business credit, marketing and purchasing information, announced the introduction of the first global coding system intended to classify over 8,000 products and services and to streamline their procurement and marketing, especially via the internet. The new system is the result of a merger of the UN's Common Coding System (UNCCS) with Dun & Bradstreet's Standard Products and Services Codes (SPSC). UNDP is the world's largest provider of grants for technical assistance in developing countries, with a mandate to help developing countries eradicate poverty, protect the environment, and improve governance and national institutions and opportunities for people. _______________________________________________________________________ NEW LINKS Development Bank of South Africa Handicap International - Multi-field programs to improve the living conditions of people in situations of handicap or vulnerability. (French) Human Rights Internet - key objective of the organization is to support the work of the global non-governmental community in its struggle to obtain human rights for all. International Health Programs (IHP) - is a provider of training, research and technical assistance to health care delivery and training organizations throughout the world. International Institute for Environment and Development - principal aim is to improve the management of natural resources so that communities and countries of the South can improve living standards without jeopardising their resource base. Management of Social Transformations (MOST) - is a research programme, designed by UNESCO, to promote international comparative social science research. Partners in Population and Development - represents an alliance of developing countries established specifically to realise the concepts of South-South collaboration elaborated in the Cairo Programme of Action. Students' International Health Association - Inter-disciplinary student group at the University of Alberta with development projects in Guyana and Tanzania. Sustainable Development Department of the Interamerican Development Bank - includes publications, strategies and policies on Environment, Social Development, Microenterprise, SME Financial Markets, Indigenous Peoples, Women in Development. Sustainable Development Studies (THAILAND) - A study-abroad program of Kalamazoo College (USA) for undergraduate students, is an academically challenging experiential learning program focused on the questions surrounding what ""sustainability"" means in a globalized world. Rigorous classroom study and seminars are coupled with experiential ""field based"" learning opportunities with NGOs. UNDP Bolivia (English/Spanish) UNICEF Caribbean Area Office These links were added on February 14: Center for Economic Policy Analysis (CEPA) - is the research center of the Department of Economics at the New School for Social Research. Central American Bank for Economic Integration (CABEI) - is the multilateral bank for the integration and development of Central America, whose purpose is to contribute in the raising of the quality of life of the population, providing financial and technical cooperation resources, so as to satisfy the needs of three countries within a culture of service and regional vision. (English/Spanish) Central American Integration System (SICA) (Spanish) International Arid Lands Consortium - an independent, nonprofit research organization supporting ecological sustainability in arid and semiarid lands worldwide. Latin American and Caribbean Economic Association - an international association of economists with common research interests in Latin America. Latin American Integration Association (LAIA) UNDP Gender in Development Programme - advises, supports and facilitates UNDP gender equality policy, dialogue and practice, and promotes the empowerment of women. USC-Canada - is a non-profit voluntary organization committed to the enhancement of human development through an international partnership of people linked in the challenge to eradicate poverty. United Nations Integrated Regional Information Network (IRIN) - dedicated to improving the information available to the humanitarian and international communities on crises in sub-Saharan Africa. WomenWatch - The UN Internet Gateway on the Advancement and Empowerment of Women Links with an (*) are modified links or link descriptions. _______________________________________________________________________ New Publications Trends in Private Investment in Developing Countries National accounts normally do not break down gross domestic investment into its private and public sector components. Private investment is defined in this paper as the difference between total gross domestic investment (from national accounts) and consolidated public investment. Consolidated public investment data for each country were found mainly in World Bank Country Economic Memoranda, Public Investment Review, Public Expenditure Reviews, and other World Bank country reports. They reflect efforts by World Bank missions to compile public sector data. Where World Bank data are not available, country data were used. The countries included in this edition represent all the developing countries for which the relevant data are available. You can download the data sets through the IDN Web Site. _______________________________________________________________________ Conferences Information on the following upcoming conferences is available: BYU's Marriott School to Host Second Annual MicroEnterprise Conference UNESCO Conference: "Indigenous and Rural Women Weavers in Latin America; Microfinance And the Development of Micro-enterprises" _______________________________________________________________________ The IDN plans to continue our growth and to expand the depth and breadth of our information services. If you have not yet thought about a membership/sponsorship in the IDN, we encourage you to consider becoming a sponsor/member of the fastest growing, most comprehensive and current International Development Web Site on the Internet! Information is available at http://www.idn.org/membership/ From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Tue Mar 2 16:40:26 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id QAA06087; Tue, 2 Mar 1999 16:35:58 GMT Received: from ram.wlink.com.np (ram.wlink.com.np [206.82.134.33]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with SMTP id QAA06057 for ; Tue, 2 Mar 1999 16:35:44 GMT From: spinbabb@wlink.com.np Received: (qmail 28154 invoked from network); 2 Mar 1999 16:36:24 -0000 Received: from unknown (HELO default) (206.82.134.211) by ram.wlink.com.np with SMTP; 2 Mar 1999 16:36:24 -0000 Message-ID: <36DCD4E6.538A@wlink.com.np> Date: Tue, 02 Mar 1999 22:21:26 -0800 Reply-To: spinbabb@wlink.com.np X-Mailer: Mozilla 3.01 (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: s-asia-it@teckla.apnic.net Subject: Swasthani Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit THE SWASTHANI SCRIPTURES IN ENGLISH I am pleased to send you this information. SWASTHANI is now available in English. These scriptures of the East contain stories that may be 3,000 years old. They explain the process of creation; the one God who created the cosmos; the Lords Brahma, Bishnu, and Shiva; and the mischief and the wars of lesser mortals -- Devas, Raksas, humans, serpents, and garudas. This year, Spiny Babbler is concentrating on reaching out to persons such as yourself. We are an arts and literature organization in Nepal. With Swasthani, we present a document that has played a greater role in shaping the cultural fabric of the Nepal Himalaya that the "Ramayana" or the "Mahabharata". It encompasses great stories that begin from the shaping of the cosmos. We are sure that if you are interested in Oriental or Himalayan cultures, social structures, histories, people, religions, and even the environment, you will find Swasthani of great interest. We look forward to hearing from you. If you are interested in learning more please visit our web page at --- www.yomari.com/spinybabbler --- I would like to know if you are interested in purchasing a copy of the Swasthani or knowing about what we are doing at Spiny Babbler. "YES", "NO", or a "I DON'T WANT TO KNOW" answer will help us understand and respect your wishes. Thank you. Sincerely yours, For Spiny Babbler Shyam Khatiwada THE SWASTHANI SCRIPTURES IN ENGLISH -- Swasthani, discover this scripture of the East. -- Stories that may go back 3000 years. -- Essential reading for those interested in Eastern people, history, social structure, and cultures. -- The stories of creation, mischief, gods, and demons from the Himalayas. -- Featuring a Lord who lives on Mt. Kailas and is worshipped in Tibet, Nepal, and India. -- 27 paintings and exquisite translation by Pallav Ranjan. -- Signed copy: US$18 (NRs. 1200) postage and handling inclusive. The tales of creation, the lords Brahma, Bishnu, and Shiva, and the battles and the wonders of the Devas and the Raksas come from the oral as well as "Purana" traditions. For those interested in Eastern and, especially Himalayan, culture, history, societies, and social structure, Swasthani is essential reading for the stories in the scriptures may be 3000 years old. There is, perhaps, no other document like it on the entire Indian sub-continent. In Nepal, a Hindu-Buddhist kingdom, these scriptures are more important than the "Ramayana" or the "Mahabharata". In thousands of Nepali homes, in the plains and the hills, the scriptures are read aloud every evening chapter by chapter from January to February as a family ritual. Every version, whether Newari, Nepali, Maithali, or Hindi, is equally venerated. Among the people found to be reading these scriptures are Newars, Thakalis, Gurungs, Brahmins, and Chhetris. The translations are by Pallav Ranjan, a writer of Nepal who, according to one critic, can "capture the fog's moisture and the light of a million fireflies". 27 full-page "Swasthani" related paintings, a chart outlining God's creations, and a map of sites that you can visit make the book especially exciting. You may visit internet website -- www.yomari.com/spinybabbler -- for more information. The scriptures focus on Lord Shiva, perhaps the most popular religious figure of the kingdom. The deity is revered by those who follow religions based on animism, Hinduism, and even Buddhism. His home, Mount Kailas, is an important pilgrimage site to the Hindus and Buddhists of this region. TO ORDER SWASTHANI SEND US THE FOLLOWING INFORMATION I would like to order ……………… copies of Swasthani, 128 pages, published 1999, Price US$18 (Nepali Rs 1200, Indian Rs 750) per copy. Payment by check should be made in the name of Spiny Babbler and mailed to Spiny Babbler, 3303 Willow Crescent Drive, Apt.T2, Fairfax VA 22030, U.S.A. If you are in Nepal, you may pay in Nepalese currency, cash, check, or Himalayan Bank Card/Visa Card. Call phone 537111 in Kathmandu if you have questions. Name: Title: Organization: Address: Phone: Fax: Email: Payment method a. Check b. Visa card/Master card Card number: Expiry date: For further information contact (email or fax is preferable): Spiny Babbler, P.O. Box 8975, Epc 472, Kathmandu, Nepal Spiny Babbler, 3303 Willow Crescent Drive, Apt.T2, Fairfax VA 22030, USA Fax: 977-1-260451 or 977-1-542810. Phone: 977-1-537111. Website: www.yomari.com/spinybabbler Email: spinbabb@wlink.com.np SPINY BABBLER "Swasthani" is published by Spiny Babbler, the organization. Spiny Babbler was established in 1992 as an English poetry journal in Kathmandu. The organization began providing publication services to development organizations in 1995 and it consolidated its work in literature and arts by opening a private gallery in Kathmandu in 1996. Spiny Babbler's three working sectors - publications, art gallery, and publication services - are all in the forefront of companies working in these fields in Nepal. Spiny Babbler is an independent organization. Spiny Babbler is among those efforts that I appreciate the most... - G.P. Koirala, Prime Minister of Nepal From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Tue Mar 2 21:02:21 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id UAA18031; Tue, 2 Mar 1999 20:59:12 GMT Received: from fh105.infi.net (fh105.infi.net [209.97.16.35]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id UAA18023 for ; Tue, 2 Mar 1999 20:59:05 GMT Received: from akron.infi.net (pm1-56.akr.infi.net [207.0.173.56]) by fh105.infi.net (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id OAA00057; Tue, 2 Mar 1999 14:50:42 -0500 (EST) Message-ID: <36DD9373.CAFB3C72@akron.infi.net> Date: Wed, 03 Mar 1999 14:54:28 -0500 From: Bob Pyke Jr X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.5 [en] (Win95; U) X-Accept-Language: en MIME-Version: 1.0 To: Afircatelehealth Subject: [Fwd: Fyi Telehealth Resource] Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary="------------D624B9C244A94F5436AA0CE2" Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk This is a multi-part message in MIME format. --------------D624B9C244A94F5436AA0CE2 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit This comes from a aquaintance in Spain and may be of intrest? Thanks Bob Pyke Jr Miguel Camacho wrote > Dear Sir/Madame, > > It is a great honour for me on behalf of the consortium of the HECTOR > (Health Emergency Management and Coordination through Telematics > Operational Resources) Project, to have the opportunity to invite you to > attend the 1st International Conference on Health Emergency Telematics to > be held in Seville, Spain on March 15th-17th, 1999. > > This conference will provide an open global forum and a unique opportunity > for the interchange of experiences and ideas on what is an optimal strategy > to follow in applying information and telecommunications technologies in > the health emergency domain, as we enter the XXI century. Health Emergency > Telematics is one of the most exciting new areas of Telemedicine and is > currently capturing the imagination of the medical community. Participants > in this conference will have the opportunity to examine and evaluate the > state of the art in this important domain (during the Technical Exhibition) > and to discuss new innovative ideas, current trends and future challenges. > > During this conference, the European Commission's 5th Framework Programme > (R+D for health) will be described and the conference will provide a > perfect place for starting new consortiums for new proposals. > > Please refer to the WEB page of the conference (http://www.sadiel.es) for > more updated information, and I would appreciate if you could disseminate > the information to your close collaborators. > > I would be more than happy if your would like to be present in our > discussions or exhibition. > > Put this date in your diaries now - Seville, Spain next March 15th-17th, 1999. > > This will be the beginning of the 21st Century in Healthcare Emergency > Telematics. > > Can you really afford to miss it? > > Be a part of the future > > Miguel CAMACHO > Chairman, Organising Committee, HECTOR Project Co-ordinator > ======================================================= > Miguel Camacho Martín > SADIEL > Avda. Isaac Newton > Edificio SADIEL - SODEAN > Isla de la Cartuja > E-41092 Sevilla > Spain > Tel: +34 95 448 8100 > Fax: +34 95 448 8101 > mailto:mcamacho@sadiel.es > ======================================================= --------------D624B9C244A94F5436AA0CE2 Content-Type: message/rfc822 Content-Disposition: inline Return-Path: Received: from correo.sadiel.es ([195.76.36.242]) by fh105.infi.net (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id MAA29256 for ; Tue, 2 Mar 1999 12:34:27 -0500 (EST) Received: from pcmcamacho.sadiel.es (PCMCAMACHO [172.18.1.69]) by correo.sadiel.es with SMTP (Microsoft Exchange Internet Mail Service Version 5.5.1960.3) id 1R7R1P3A; Tue, 2 Mar 1999 18:41:51 +0100 Message-Id: <3.0.1.32.19990302182732.0095a420@pop.sadiel.es> X-Sender: mcamacho@pop.sadiel.es X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.1 (32) Date: Tue, 02 Mar 1999 18:27:32 +0100 To: Bob Pyke Jr From: Miguel Camacho Subject: Re: Fyi Telehealth Resource In-Reply-To: <36DD6B86.772D887E@akron.infi.net> References: <3.0.1.32.19990302115804.0094b8a4@pop.sadiel.es> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" X-MIME-Autoconverted: from quoted-printable to 8bit by fh105.infi.net id MAA29256 X-Mozilla-Status2: 00000000 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit At 12:04 3/03/99 -0500, you wrote: > Miguel, >Send me the announcement an d I will make sure it gets out to at least 2000 >people or more? >Gracias, >Bob Here you have it : ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------ Dear Sir/Madame, It is a great honour for me on behalf of the consortium of the HECTOR (Health Emergency Management and Coordination through Telematics Operational Resources) Project, to have the opportunity to invite you to attend the 1st International Conference on Health Emergency Telematics to be held in Seville, Spain on March 15th-17th, 1999. This conference will provide an open global forum and a unique opportunity for the interchange of experiences and ideas on what is an optimal strategy to follow in applying information and telecommunications technologies in the health emergency domain, as we enter the XXI century. Health Emergency Telematics is one of the most exciting new areas of Telemedicine and is currently capturing the imagination of the medical community. Participants in this conference will have the opportunity to examine and evaluate the state of the art in this important domain (during the Technical Exhibition) and to discuss new innovative ideas, current trends and future challenges. During this conference, the European Commission's 5th Framework Programme (R+D for health) will be described and the conference will provide a perfect place for starting new consortiums for new proposals. Please refer to the WEB page of the conference (http://www.sadiel.es) for more updated information, and I would appreciate if you could disseminate the information to your close collaborators. I would be more than happy if your would like to be present in our discussions or exhibition. Put this date in your diaries now - Seville, Spain next March 15th-17th, 1999. This will be the beginning of the 21st Century in Healthcare Emergency Telematics. Can you really afford to miss it? Be a part of the future Miguel CAMACHO Chairman, Organising Committee, HECTOR Project Co-ordinator ======================================================= Miguel Camacho Martín SADIEL Avda. Isaac Newton Edificio SADIEL - SODEAN Isla de la Cartuja E-41092 Sevilla Spain Tel: +34 95 448 8100 Fax: +34 95 448 8101 mailto:mcamacho@sadiel.es ======================================================= --------------D624B9C244A94F5436AA0CE2-- From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Fri Mar 5 22:58:27 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id WAA08133; Fri, 5 Mar 1999 22:53:56 GMT Received: from online.no (pilt-s.online.no [148.122.208.18]) by alpha (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id WAA08124 for ; Fri, 5 Mar 1999 22:53:32 GMT Received: from [130.67.69.3] (ti34a23-0003.dialup.online.no [130.67.69.3]) by online.no (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id XAA28486 for ; Fri, 5 Mar 1999 23:53:18 +0100 (MET) X-Sender: kj@everbit.com (Unverified) Message-Id: Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 00:05:18 +0200 To: s-asia-it@apnic.net From: everbit@everbit.com (Everbit Systems) Subject: Norwegian company seeking a Tamil programmer Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Hi, Everbit Systems Development, located in Norway, is searching for a CGI Programmer from South India. Please pass on this information to those who might be interesed. Many thanks Jan Erik Technical Manager Everbit Systems Development AS Oslo, Norway DETAILS: Job Title: ---------- Programmer (Internet, WWW) Length: ------- Initially 8 - 12 months (possibility for extending the period/permanent job in India after the project is launched.) Location: --------- Oslo, Norway Degree Requirement: ------------------ Bachelor of Computer Science or equivalent (Degree is not a must if enough experience would count) Natural Language Requirements: ----------------------------- Communication skills in both Tamil and English. Programming Language Requirements: ---------------------------------- 2+ years experience. Knowledge about the Internet technology, and programming experience in one of the following langauages: C/C++/Java/Perl Main programming environment of the project is Perl on UNIX. Operating Systems environment: ----------------------------- UNIX, Windows95/NT. Job Description: ---------------- Candidate will perform CGI programming for Web mainly on UNIX to build up a completely new media service in both Tamil and English. How to apply: ------------- E-mail your resume as early as possible to everbit@everbit.com Please provide a telephone number we can reach you at for a telephone interview. Everbit Systems Development AS Oslo Research Park Gaustadalleen 21 N-0371 Oslo Norway From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Tue Mar 9 18:28:27 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id SAA03874; Tue, 9 Mar 1999 18:24:15 GMT Received: from isp.super.net.pk (isp.super.net.pk [203.130.2.4]) by alpha (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id SAA03843 for ; Tue, 9 Mar 1999 18:23:05 GMT Received: from excel586 ([203.130.5.169]) by isp.super.net.pk (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id XAA04789 for ; Tue, 9 Mar 1999 23:34:30 +0500 (GMT+0500) Message-Id: <199903091834.XAA04789@isp.super.net.pk> From: "Irfan Khan" To: s-asia-it@apnic.net Date: Tue, 9 Mar 1999 23:27:29 +0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: Linux Without Borders (fwd) X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.01d) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Sat, 6 Mar 1999 10:11:31 -0400 (AST) From: Michael Gurstein Subject: NEW: Subject: Linux Without Borders (fwd) To: ict-4-led ---------- Forwarded message ---------- Date: Thu, 4 Mar 1999 09:03:53 -0500 From: Alan McConnell Reply-To: listdump@HYPATIA.CS.WISC.EDU To: NEW-LIST@HYPATIA.CS.WISC.EDU Subject: NEW: Subject: Linux Without Borders Linux Without Borders This E-list is dedicated to discussion and implementation of the vision that in countries whose citizens are not yet rich enough to own Personal Computers(PCs), computers must be *shared*; and that the way to enable sharing while preserving individual privacy is to install Linux, a multi-user, multi-tasking operating system, on PCs owned cooperatively, or by businesses. This will enable citizens to establish their own accounts on a commonly owned, or rented, computer, where they can do all the things that citizens of wealthier countries can do: write, do accounts, and -- perhaps most important -- use "their" computer to communicate with other people, in their own country and throughout the world. To subscribe, send E-mail to: Majordomo@tux.org with the following line in the body of the message: subscribe linux-without-borders For further information, send E-mail to: Alan McConnell ( alan@tux.org ) (Acknowledgement: The name "Linux Without Borders" was suggested by Eric S. Raymond) ***The NEW-LIST mailing list is a service of the Internet Scout Project ( http://scout.cs.wisc.edu/ )*** From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Thu Mar 11 15:13:38 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id PAA08224; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 15:09:40 GMT Received: from isp.super.net.pk (isp.super.net.pk [203.130.2.4]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id PAA08207 for ; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 15:09:33 GMT Received: from excel586 ([203.130.5.79]) by isp.super.net.pk (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id UAA28501 for ; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 20:21:02 +0500 (GMT+0500) Message-Id: <199903111521.UAA28501@isp.super.net.pk> From: "Irfan Khan" To: s-asia-it@apnic.net Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 20:14:22 +0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: [GKD] Asian states sign Y2K Manila Declaration (Fwd) X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.01d) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 11:09:51 -0500 To: gkd@phoenix.edc.org From: Chris Anderson Subject: [GKD] Asian states sign Y2K Manila Declaration Y2K Manila Declaration signed [March 6, 1999) Year 2000 Regional Asian Coordinators headed by Dr. Amable R. Aguiluz V, Chair of the Philippine Commission on Year 2000 Compliance and senior executive of the International Year 2000 Cooperation Center signed today the historic Manila Declaration that will lay down the framework of the region's approach on the Millennium debacle. The "Declaration of Cooperation and Support of Asian Y2K Coordinators" summarized the priorities of action, which will be implemented by the regional coordinators in the Asia Pacific region and will serve as their "bible" in dealing with the Y2K problem. "This historic declaration puts the Philippines in the foreground with the rest of the Asian countries as we act in unison to defeat the Millennium Bug," Aguiluz said. The Manila declaration, which is the world's first to be executed by regional Y2K coordinators, will further strengthen Asia's link with other international coordinators through the Washington-based International Year 2000 Cooperation Center chaired by Bruce McConnell. The Asian coordinators came up with the declaration on the initiative of Aguiluz V, head of the regional Asian coordinators in consultation with the International Y2K Cooperation Center, the World Bank and the Y2K coordinators around the world including the United States, The Netherlands and Zambia. Aguiluz said Asian coordinators agreed among others that they Y2K Bug " is not a mere technical problem but is a societal management problem that if not addressed, will adversely affect the delivery of essential services in critical sectors of society including power, telecommunications, finance, transport and health." It also emphasized that because of the inter-connected nature of systems, regional cooperation across borders is essential to assure the continued functioning of critical sectors. It further stressed that global cooperation is needed to assure a successful response to the potential consequences of Y2K. The regional coordinators also agreed to work with all other nations and economies of the Asian region and intensify efforts in the sharing of information across borders on Y2K readiness, best practices, lessons learned, embedded systems and Y2K failures and successes. The regional coordinators also agreed to: - Bring their own countries to the highest possible level of Y2K readiness, not only to benefit but also to minimize adverse Y2K effects on other countries and vital sectors; - Cooperate to address Trans-border issues in critical sectors and to plan continuity and response activities; - Support and participate in the next global meeting tentatively set on June 16 to 18 in New York; - Participate in Y2K Action Week in late April 1999 under sponsorship of the Asia Pacific Economic (APEC) Forum; - Cooperate and support the International Y2K Cooperation Center in its efforts to promote Y2K Information sharing among public and private entities; - Call upon the World Bank, the Asian Development Bank and other financial and multilateral organizations to review and increase their level of support for national and regional efforts. The declaration was signed by representatives from Bhutan, United Arab Emirates, Japan, Syria, Thailand, Zambia, Mongolia, Fiji, Korea, Malaysia, Bangladesh, China, Nepal, India, Vietnam, Indonesia, Jordan, Zimbabwe, Syria, Papua New Guinea, Pakistan, Marshall Islands, Myanmar, Iraq, Laos, Yemen, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyztan, Maldives, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Singapore. From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Thu Mar 11 17:28:57 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id RAA14127; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 17:28:14 GMT Received: from isp.super.net.pk (isp.super.net.pk [203.130.2.4]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id RAA14120 for ; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 17:28:08 GMT Received: from excel586 ([203.130.5.234]) by isp.super.net.pk (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id WAA09129; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 22:39:46 +0500 (GMT+0500) Message-Id: <199903111739.WAA09129@isp.super.net.pk> From: "Irfan Khan" To: s-asia-it@apnic.net Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 22:33:05 +0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=US-ASCII Content-transfer-encoding: 7BIT Subject: (Fwd) [CCI] Introduction and appeal for help CC: J.E.Millar@sussex.ac.uk X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.01d) Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7BIT dear s-asia-it list members, any ideas? irfan. [originally appeared on the Cybercom India mailing list.] ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 10:57:15 +0000 From: Jane Millar Subject: [CCI] Introduction and appeal for help To: CYBERCOM@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU Dear Cybercom Members, I am a new list member of this list from SPRU - Science and Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex in the UK and would like to ask this list for some assistance. I am researching software use by poor communities in India and am looking for direct examples of software that has been developed to meet local community needs. I am particularly interested in the small scale use of standardised or customised packages (such as spreadsheet or accounting systems, word processing or DTP packages and the like) for example by cooperatives or small and micro enterprises. Also I am keen to know about local community use of educational or library information systems and GIS software. Can anyone provide me with examples or put me in contact with those who might be able to help? I look forward to hearing from you. Best wishes, Jane. ____________________________________________________________________ CCI Mailing List http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/cybercom.html To Join send mail to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU with follwing message SUBSCRIBE CYBERCOM First_name Last_name From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Thu Mar 11 18:16:58 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id SAA17853; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 18:16:27 GMT Received: from hotmail.com (f28.hotmail.com [207.82.250.39]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with SMTP id SAA17846 for ; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 18:16:24 GMT Received: (qmail 26178 invoked by uid 65534); 11 Mar 1999 18:16:22 -0000 Message-ID: <19990311181622.26175.qmail@hotmail.com> Received: from 153.37.122.115 by www.hotmail.com with HTTP; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 10:16:21 PST X-Originating-IP: [153.37.122.115] From: "Indian Patriot" To: s-asia-it@apnic.net Subject: Privatize DoT/VSNL 1999 Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 10:16:21 PST Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Why should Indian citizens not have the right to demand something better? We are the ones who pay taxes, and we are the ones who elect some people to run the government. We have appointed the government, so does it not make sense that we would want government to take all actions that provide us better telecom and internet services at much better rates? VSNL is a govt. run enterprise, so why are we tolerating its insistence on charging us exhorbitant rates and giving us low quality service, and not much of it. Consumers benefit from increased competition, and a level playing field. We will stand to gain better service, more choice, and far better rates. VSNL is warning people not to send voice over Internet, and blocking advanced Internet access technology, when clearly the rest of the world has started using it. They are telling us this as if we are still in a feudal system, and the government is the local Rajah. Pardon me, wake up! Government is not our boss. How is it that a corporation (even if govt. run) has the cheek to tell people what they can and cannot do? Imagine IBM telling people what computers they can use! Or Tata Steel telling us what kind of steel we can use! VSNL must be privatized immediately. Open competition must be allowed. Effective 1999. Not some distant date like 2004. NOW! Write to the Prime Minister, to TRA, and to every newspaper you can think of. If you want lower rates and better service, that is. Get Your Private, Free Email at http://www.hotmail.com From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Thu Mar 11 20:24:53 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id UAA23284; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 20:23:58 GMT Received: from MIT.EDU (SOUTH-STATION-ANNEX.MIT.EDU [18.72.1.2]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with SMTP id UAA23278 for ; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 20:23:50 GMT Received: from GRAND-CENTRAL-STATION.MIT.EDU by MIT.EDU with SMTP id AA10259; Thu, 11 Mar 99 15:23:25 EST Received: from melbourne-city-street.MIT.EDU (MELBOURNE-CITY-STREET.MIT.EDU [18.69.0.45]) by grand-central-station.MIT.EDU (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id PAA02214; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 15:23:46 -0500 (EST) Received: from [18.22.0.109] (CLARKKENT.MIT.EDU [18.22.0.109]) by melbourne-city-street.MIT.EDU (8.9.2/8.9.2) with ESMTP id PAA24388; Thu, 11 Mar 1999 15:23:40 -0500 (EST) Message-Id: In-Reply-To: <2.2.32.19990311184113.012c8eac@po10.mit.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Thu, 11 Mar 1999 16:40:52 -0500 To: s-asia-it@apnic.net From: Venkatesh Hariharan Subject: Re: (Fwd) [CCI] Introduction and appeal for help Cc: edesk@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in, J.E.Millar@sussex.ac.uk, harshkumar@poboxes.com Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Dear Jane, The closest I have come to hearing about this is a village in Bengal called Udang which bought its own computers and used spreadsheets and databases for maintaining land records. You may also contact Sudhir Kadam of Executive Desk (I have cc:ed this mail to him). He has a personal information management software in Hindi and Marathi which is used by the Coast Guard in India. Regards, Venky >>Dear Cybercom Members, >> >>I am a new list member of this list from SPRU - Science and >>Technology Policy Research, University of Sussex in the UK and would >>like to ask this list for some assistance. >> >>I am researching software use by poor communities in India and am >>looking for direct examples of software that has been developed to >>meet local community needs. I am particularly interested in the >>small scale use of standardised or customised packages (such as >>spreadsheet or accounting systems, word processing or DTP packages >>and the like) for example by cooperatives or small and micro >>enterprises. Also I am keen to know about local community use of >>educational or library information systems and GIS software. >> >>Can anyone provide me with examples or put me in contact with those >>who might be able to help? >> >>I look forward to hearing from you. >> >>Best wishes, >>Jane. >> >>____________________________________________________________________ >> >>CCI Mailing List http://maelstrom.stjohns.edu/archives/cybercom.html >>To Join send mail to LISTSERV@MAELSTROM.STJOHNS.EDU with follwing >>message SUBSCRIBE CYBERCOM First_name Last_name >> >> Venkatesh Hariharan Knight Science Journalism Fellow @ Massachusetts Institute of Technology 156 Magazine Street, Apt # 33, Cambridge, MA 02139 Tel: (O) 617-253-6709 Fax: 617-258-8100 URL: http://www.venky.org From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Fri Mar 12 09:20:50 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id JAA03815; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 09:19:02 GMT Received: from bom2.vsnl.net.in (bom2.vsnl.net.in [202.54.1.1]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id JAA03806 for ; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 09:18:53 GMT Received: from goanews ([202.54.17.33]) by bom2.vsnl.net.in (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id OAA24085; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 14:49:40 +0530 (IST) Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19990312100520.007be310@bom2.vsnl.net.in> X-Sender: fred@bom2.vsnl.net.in (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.5 (32) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 10:05:20 +0500 To: Venkatesh Hariharan , s-asia-it@apnic.net From: Frederick Noronha Subject: Re: (Fwd) [CCI] Introduction and appeal for help Cc: edesk@giasbm01.vsnl.net.in, J.E.Millar@sussex.ac.uk, harshkumar@poboxes.com In-Reply-To: References: <2.2.32.19990311184113.012c8eac@po10.mit.edu> Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Hi Jane: This is something I wrote many months ago. Maybe it might fit the bill. Sorry I didn't keep track as to what happened subsequently. Regards, Frederick Noronha/ Goa. >>>I am researching software use by poor communities in India and am >>>looking for direct examples of software that has been developed to >>>meet local community needs. I am particularly interested in the NOW, SOFTWARE TO QUENCH THIRST OF PARCHED INDIAN VILLAGERS In Rajasthan, voluntary agencies have worked out a new software program which will help villagers predict their drinking water supplies, and remind us of the receding dream of providing every human being with a reliable and safe source of water. By Frederick Noronha Rural India's developmental efforts could get an unexpected boost from the software field. To kick-off such attempts the first program of its kind has just been launched by public-spirited citizens, which offers to simulate the performance of rainwater collection tanks. Called SimTanka, this free computer software is meant at simulating performance of rainwater harvesting systems with covered water storage tanks under the influence of a fluctuating rainfall. Such systems are called Tanka in the western parts of Rajasthan. Western Rajasthan -- the region's inhospitable desert tract -- is known to have once had prosperity, wealth and habitability in medieval times. This is believed to have been based on the extremely sagacious use of its natural resource base, which has got badly eroded over time. Now, the search is on for a software fix which could help offer a solution. "Traditional water harvesting techniques have been severely eroded, thrown into disuse and even eliminated in most parts of the country," warned a citizens' report on the state of India's environment, brought out by the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi recently. Most desert-tract villages have small ponds, which gave them enough drinking water for upto eight months in a good season. Villages also have used 'tankas'. These are circular holes in the ground lined with fine polished lime ('chunam'), in which water was collected during rainfall and used only when other supplies failed. Using computer simulation, this software will predict the performance of this rainwater harvesting system, based on a mathematical model of the actual system. SimTanka simulates the fluctuating rainfall on which the water harvesting system relies. Rainwater harvesting system are often designed using some statistical indicator of the rainfall for a given place, like the average rainfall. When the rainfall is meager and shows large fluctuations -- as is the case in India's desert tracts -- then a design based on any single statistical indicator can be misleading. But SimTanka takes into account the fluctuations in the rainfall, giving each fluctuation its right importance for determining the size of the rainwater harvesting system. "The result of the simulation allows you to design a rainwater harvesting system that will meet your demands reliably. It lets you find the minimum catchment area and the smallest possible storage tank that will meet your demand with probability of 95% in spite of the fluctuations in the rainfall," says Vikram Vyas of The Ajit Foundation in Jaipur, which developed this software. You can even use SimTanka to find out what fraction of your total demand can be met reliably by your system. SimTanka uses the rainfall record of the immediate past, say last fifteen years, to obtain probabilities of the future rainfall. Simulation results give a guideline based on past rainfall record, not a definite prediction of future performance. SimTanka needs at least 15 years of rainfall record for the place where it's being used. If not available, then rainfall records from the nearest place which has the same pattern of rainfall can be used. It has an included utility, RainRecorder, to enter and updating the rainfall data. "SimTanka is free and is being developed by the Ajit Foundation in the spirit that it might be useful for meeting the water needs of small communities in a sustainable and reliable manner," added Vyas of The Ajit Foundation. SimTanka runs on Windows 95. Copies are available by simply sending in three 3-1/2 inch floppies to Vikram Vyas, The Ajit Foundation, 396 Vasundhara Colony, Tonk Road, Jaipur 302 018 India Vyas, announcing his plans this week to members of the not-for- development community, welcomed collaboration from those working on similar projects. His next model will aim to simulate rainwater harvesting systems with open storage tanks, and is tentatively named SimTalab. Vyas told this correspondent: "The dream of providing every human being with a reliable and safe source of water seems to be ever receding. In pursuit of this vision the traditional rainwater harvesting systems, as developed in the arid and semi-arid regions of India, have an important and unique role to play." Such systems, feels Vyas, can provide water in a "sustainable and energy efficient manner". In spite of all these advantages the use of these systems have declined. Besides other reasons, one serious technical shortcoming is these systems are unreliable, being dependent on a meager and fluctuating rainfall. To seek a solution, this computer-based approach tries to meet the villagers' demand with as much as 95% confidence. Primary users of SimTalab and SimTanka are all individuals and organizations -- governmental and non-governmental -- involved in developing water resources for rural communities. The software SimTanka and SimTalab will also be useful to organization funding the development of traditional water harvesting systems. (Third World Network Features) -(End)- # *********************************************************** # frederick noronha, freelance journalist, fred@vsnl.com # near lourdes convent, saligao 403511 goa india ph 276190 or 278683 # *********************************************************** # News from Goa http://www.goacom.com/news/ # Photos from Goa http://www.goa-world.net/fotofolio/ # GoaResearchNet http://www.geocities.com/Athens/Forum/1503 # *********************************************************** From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Fri Mar 12 14:42:26 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id OAA16842; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 14:40:31 GMT Received: from MIT.EDU (PACIFIC-CARRIER-ANNEX.MIT.EDU [18.69.0.28]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with SMTP id OAA16835 for ; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 14:40:28 GMT Received: from MIT.MIT.EDU by MIT.EDU with SMTP id AA07338; Fri, 12 Mar 99 09:36:10 EST Received: from JSPITZER.MIT.EDU by MIT.MIT.EDU (5.61/4.7) id AA20763; Fri, 12 Mar 99 09:35:06 EST Message-Id: <2.2.32.19990312143902.00bfdc20@po10.mit.edu> X-Sender: kken@po10.mit.edu (Unverified) X-Mailer: Windows Eudora Pro Version 2.2 (32) Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 09:39:02 -0500 To: s-asia-it@apnic.net From: Kenneth Keniston Subject: Rajasthan Paramedic Software Cc: J.E.Millar@sussex.ac.uk Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Dear Jane: You might find interesting the report of three Apple software people who worked in Rajasthan to develop Newton software for local health care workers. The URL is http://www.acm.org/pubs/citations/proceedings/chi/258549/p471-grisedale/. Good luck with your search, Ken Keniston From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Fri Mar 12 16:59:42 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id QAA21550; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 16:56:36 GMT Received: from venus.webfusion.co.uk (venus.webfusion.co.uk [195.182.176.4]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id QAA21542 for ; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 16:56:32 GMT Received: from Enterprise.nll.co.uk ([195.224.182.235]) by venus.webfusion.co.uk (8.8.7/8.8.7) with SMTP id QAA32694 for ; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 16:54:51 GMT Message-Id: <199903121654.QAA32694@venus.webfusion.co.uk> X-Group: Educators From: NetLearn Languages To: Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 16:57:51 +0000 Subject: Certificate in On-Line Teaching of English (COLTE) Reply-To: Enquiries@nll.co.uk Organization: NetLearn Languages MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: multipart/mixed; boundary=XXD5EFD4AA-01CFD5EFXX Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit X-Priority: 3 Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk This is a Multipart MIME message. Since your mail reader does not understand this format, some or all of this message may not be legible. --XXD5EFD4AA-01CFD5EFXX Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Certificate in On-Line Teaching of English (COLTE) =20 We have a few places left on our COLTE course commencing the first weekend = in=20 April. It runs over four weekends. On the course we will cover how to teach= English=20 via the Internet, using synchronous (Internet based video-conferencing) as = well=20 as non-synchronous methods.=20 =20 One year's experience of post-qualification classroom teaching and some Int= ernet=20 literacy required. No special equipment is needed, just Internet connection= ,=20 some free downloads and regular email access. =20 Participate at a distance - the entire course is delivered by video-confere= ncing=20 (free download) and other Internet technologies. International pairs and gr= oup=20 work with other participants will be a main feature of the course. =20 The course is being run by NetLearn Languages, the world's first Internet-o= nly=20 language school, established 18 months ago. =20 For more information, please visit the course website at http://www.nll.co.= uk/colte=20 or send an e-mail to colteinfo@nll.co.uk ; this will automatically send you= details=20 of the course. =20 I look forward to hearing from you. =20 Eric Baber MA DTEFLA Director of Studies NetLearn Languages=20 Mailto:colte@nll.co.uk=20 Visit http://www.nll.co.uk and http://www.nll.co.uk/colte =20 Roman House 9/10 College Terrace London E3 5AN England Tel: +44-(0)181-981 1333; Fax: +44-(0)181-981 7333 --XXD5EFD4AA-01CFD5EFXX-- From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Fri Mar 12 19:15:35 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id TAA27469; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 19:13:22 GMT Received: from bom2.vsnl.net.in (bom2.vsnl.net.in [202.54.1.1]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id TAA27458 for ; Fri, 12 Mar 1999 19:13:14 GMT Received: from goanews ([202.54.17.37]) by bom2.vsnl.net.in (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id AAA21204; Sat, 13 Mar 1999 00:44:13 +0530 (IST) Message-Id: <3.0.5.32.19990312223836.007a24b0@bom2.vsnl.net.in> X-Sender: fred@bom2.vsnl.net.in (Unverified) X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.5 (32) Date: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 22:38:36 +0500 To: love@cptech.org From: Frederick Noronha Subject: Software for the poor... Cc: s-asia-it@apnic.net Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="us-ascii" Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk NOW, SOFTWARE TO QUENCH THIRST OF PARCHED INDIAN VILLAGERS In Rajasthan, voluntary agencies have worked out a new software program which will help villagers predict their drinking water supplies, and remind us of the receding dream of providing every human being with a reliable and safe source of water. By Frederick Noronha Rural India's developmental efforts could get an unexpected boost from the software field. To kick-off such attempts the first program of its kind has just been launched by public-spirited citizens, which offers to simulate the performance of rainwater collection tanks. Called SimTanka, this free computer software is meant at simulating performance of rainwater harvesting systems with covered water storage tanks under the influence of a fluctuating rainfall. Such systems are called Tanka in the western parts of Rajasthan. Western Rajasthan -- the region's inhospitable desert tract -- is known to have once had prosperity, wealth and habitability in medieval times. This is believed to have been based on the extremely sagacious use of its natural resource base, which has got badly eroded over time. Now, the search is on for a software fix which could help offer a solution. "Traditional water harvesting techniques have been severely eroded, thrown into disuse and even eliminated in most parts of the country," warned a citizens' report on the state of India's environment, brought out by the Centre for Science and Environment in New Delhi recently. Most desert-tract villages have small ponds, which gave them enough drinking water for upto eight months in a good season. Villages also have used 'tankas'. These are circular holes in the ground lined with fine polished lime ('chunam'), in which water was collected during rainfall and used only when other supplies failed. Using computer simulation, this software will predict the performance of this rainwater harvesting system, based on a mathematical model of the actual system. SimTanka simulates the fluctuating rainfall on which the water harvesting system relies. Rainwater harvesting system are often designed using some statistical indicator of the rainfall for a given place, like the average rainfall. When the rainfall is meager and shows large fluctuations -- as is the case in India's desert tracts -- then a design based on any single statistical indicator can be misleading. But SimTanka takes into account the fluctuations in the rainfall, giving each fluctuation its right importance for determining the size of the rainwater harvesting system. "The result of the simulation allows you to design a rainwater harvesting system that will meet your demands reliably. It lets you find the minimum catchment area and the smallest possible storage tank that will meet your demand with probability of 95% in spite of the fluctuations in the rainfall," says Vikram Vyas of The Ajit Foundation in Jaipur, which developed this software. You can even use SimTanka to find out what fraction of your total demand can be met reliably by your system. SimTanka uses the rainfall record of the immediate past, say last fifteen years, to obtain probabilities of the future rainfall. Simulation results give a guideline based on past rainfall record, not a definite prediction of future performance. SimTanka needs at least 15 years of rainfall record for the place where it's being used. If not available, then rainfall records from the nearest place which has the same pattern of rainfall can be used. It has an included utility, RainRecorder, to enter and updating the rainfall data. "SimTanka is free and is being developed by the Ajit Foundation in the spirit that it might be useful for meeting the water needs of small communities in a sustainable and reliable manner," added Vyas of The Ajit Foundation. SimTanka runs on Windows 95. Copies are available by simply sending in three 3-1/2 inch floppies to Vikram Vyas, The Ajit Foundation, 396 Vasundhara Colony, Tonk Road, Jaipur 302 018 India Vyas, announcing his plans this week to members of the not-for- development community, welcomed collaboration from those working on similar projects. His next model will aim to simulate rainwater harvesting systems with open storage tanks, and is tentatively named SimTalab. Vyas told this correspondent: "The dream of providing every human being with a reliable and safe source of water seems to be ever receding. In pursuit of this vision the traditional rainwater harvesting systems, as developed in the arid and semi-arid regions of India, have an important and unique role to play." Such systems, feels Vyas, can provide water in a "sustainable and energy efficient manner". In spite of all these advantages the use of these systems have declined. Besides other reasons, one serious technical shortcoming is these systems are unreliable, being dependent on a meager and fluctuating rainfall. To seek a solution, this computer-based approach tries to meet the villagers' demand with as much as 95% confidence. Primary users of SimTalab and SimTanka are all individuals and organizations -- governmental and non-governmental -- involved in developing water resources for rural communities. The software SimTanka and SimTalab will also be useful to organization funding the development of traditional water harvesting systems. (Third World Network Features) -(End)- From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Sat Mar 13 06:39:13 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id GAA27538; Sat, 13 Mar 1999 06:37:36 GMT Received: from isp.super.net.pk (isp.super.net.pk [203.130.2.4]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id GAA27529 for ; Sat, 13 Mar 1999 06:37:27 GMT Received: from excel586 (khi-line-008.super.net.pk [203.130.5.147]) by isp.super.net.pk (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id LAA29860 for ; Sat, 13 Mar 1999 11:48:44 +0500 (GMT+0500) Message-Id: <199903130648.LAA29860@isp.super.net.pk> From: "Irfan Khan" To: s-asia-it@apnic.net Date: Sat, 13 Mar 1999 11:42:04 +0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: Quoted-printable Subject: (Fwd) Article: Asian ISPs/content X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.01d) Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-printable Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-printable ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Wed, 10 Mar 1999 08:07:44 -0500 From: madanr@planetasia.com (Madanmohan Rao) To: sasianet@pan.idrc.org.sg Subject: Article: Asian ISPs/content Hello friends - An interview I recently conducted on Internet datacom/content imbalances between the U.S. and Asia appears in today's Economic Times: http://www.economictimes.com/today/11netw05.htm The full version appears below. Happy reading, and I look forward to your feedback - - madan [Madanmohan Rao, Principal Consultant, Planetasia.com; Columnist, The Economic Times; Bangalore, INDIA] "Distance does not die on the Internet: it is rewired" Madanmohan Rao interviews Bram Dov Abramson of Telegeography Inc. The old geography of countries and coast lines is being augmented by a new geography marked by telephone codes, satellite "foot prints" and Internet addresses. This expanding electronic terrain -- call it telegeography -- demands a new cartography. Washington-based Telegeography Inc. (TGI - www.telegeography.com) is the world's leading research organisation charting telecom links and Internet backbone maps for Europe, Asia, Africa, and the U.S. TGI's publications are used by leading communication companies, consultancies, governments and financial institutions in over 60 countries. Its 290-page yearbook "TeleGeography 1999" features a special section on Internet topography and its impact on ISPs and telcos. TGI analyst Bram Dov Abramson was previously a researcher at the Universit=E9 de Montr=E9al and a lecturer at the University of Ottawa. Q: What patterns and imbalances do you see in international Internet traffic flows and tariffs as the Net continues its global expansion? A: Most Internet statistics show that, born in the U.S.A., the Internet is becoming global. The Internet has been growing at an average rate of 90% per year between 1993 and 1997, including a 120% average growth rate in Asia. The Internet remains heavily tied to class and income, but it is becoming less U.S.-dependent and more global. But this is only half the story. The recent statement by Asian telecoms, charging that U.S. carriers are not paying their fair share of access costs of the global Internet, was another reminder of what most statistics miss. Usually, Internet globalisation is demonstrated by showing where content is created, how many people are online, or the number of Internet hosts per capita. These figures are important -- they represent the demographics of cyberspace. Cyberspace isn't separate from the physical world, though. Cables and routers, strung across the world's continents and through its oceans, mark the Internet's material infrastructure. That infrastructure is built around the U.S. Q: How is this traffic and connectivity imbalance growing? A: U.S. networks have always been central to the Internet, of course: but what's important is how that persists when the Internet reaches people everywhere. Data flows have been growing exponentially; most flow out of the U.S. Internet backbone operators responded by building more bandwidth to the U.S.; this, in turn, has reinforced the U.S.'s role as an infrastructure hub. The fastest route between two regions, even neighbouring countries, is often through the U.S. Maps of Asian or European backbones tell the story vividly: the Internet is spreading, but the U.S. remains its central switching office. The Internet is becoming more global, but it's still heavily centralised. Someone at a computer in Brazil, for example, can move data to the U.S. 850 times as fast as to neighbours in Argentina and Uruguay. In cyberspace, everyone is on America's doorstep. Q: How much revenue is being lost by Asia-Pacific ISPs each year, as a result of tariff imbalances with U.S. carriers? A: This is very hard to say, particularly given the secrecy surrounding many interconnect agreements. In 1997, I believe, Telstra claimed to losing in the region of $10 million a year. I've seen figures as high as $5 billion worldwide. But it depends on so many variables that it's quite murky. Q: What resulting asymmetries do you observe in hosting and viewing of content on the global Internet? A: 1997 was the first year since 1994 in which the U.S. share of the world's Internet hosts grew, not shrunk, increasing to 58 from 54 per cent. The Internet may have moved beyond U.S. users, but the cables wiring the U.S. continue to be the global Internet's major destination. The U.S. is home to 58% of the world's Internet hosts and more than 90 of the 100 most visited Web sites -- 40 in California alone. Officials of the Asia-Pacific ISPs claim that Americans viewing Asia- Pacific content make up 30 percent of their traffic, but the Asia- Pacific ISPs have to pay the entire cost of the lines -- allowing U.S. users, in effect, to "free-ride" on Asian Internet infrastructure for that 30 percent. U.S. service providers are able to do this because, as we've seen, the rest of the world needs their infrastructure more than they need everyone else's. Q: What are your estimates of how much worldwide Internet data is hosted in the U.S.? For instance, for India some analysts estimate that as much as 90 per cent of its WWW data is hosted in the U.S. A: There are a lot of different ways of measuring this, varying from host counts to top sites to terabytes. I think that the reversal of the globalisation trend in 1997, when U.S. hosts increased as a proportion of the world's hosts, is significant. But my feeling is that, however it is measured, the U.S. share of aggregate data is not what's important. What we need to look at is aggregate clickstreams -- that is, who goes where. That would tell us where the Internet is becoming a local medium, and where it's still a springboard to somewhere else. So far, that research data doesn't exist. It needs to. Q: What are some ways of reducing this imbalance in Internet traffic flows? Will increase in local relevance help? A: Outlining the problem in our yearbook "TeleGeography 1999," journalist Kenneth Neil Cukier suggests that part of the answer lies in local content. A substantial change in the Internet's physical architecture can only follow changes in clickstreams, the paths users follow in their travels from site to site. Asia must become a destination, and not just a starting point, both for Asians and others. With large overseas diasporas, there's no reason that this can't happen: portals, for instance, can be designed to serve as surfing hubs to quickly reorganise users around regional content. Concerted efforts must also be launched to provide access through community telecentres, and to ensure that content development is driven by real needs. Extending digital alphabets to common languages can also help the Internet take on a new identity -- not simply as a bridge to and through the U.S., but as a tool in solving local problems. Q: At the level of infrastructure, what role can ISPs and hosting companies play in this regard? A: As far back as November 1997 -- decades ago, in Internet time -- Andreas Evagora, international editor at the magazine Tele.com, wrote that "[t]his isn't just about U.S. domination: non-U.S. service providers are contributing greatly to the imbalance by hatching plans to add new capacity to the States rather than to other countries in their region." For this imbalance to be reduced, of course, content development and regional planning won't be enough. As the ISP sector in countries like India opens up to competition, service providers must keep in mind that they must cooperate if they are to foster the regional infrastructures which local content will demand, and which will in turn encourage the creation of such content. In Asia as everywhere, the only alternative to a U.S.-centric Internet is a polycentric global Internet made up of connected local networks: as in the Internet's earliest days, creativity will be needed to rethink what the Internet is for, and roll it out using an appropriate mix of resources. The success of such a global Internet will need to be judged, not only by user numbers, but by maps of the network. Q: What about setting up mirror sites for heavily-trafficked portals and destinations? How well have these mirrors worked in increasing local traffic? A: Mirroring and caching are good ways to reduce congestion. By making those sites more accessible, they increase local traffic to them. Ultimately, though, the WWW's content architecture -- how those sites link to others -- means that in many cases, and especially for portal-type sites, you're only bringing a small part of the global Internet closer; you've mirrored launching pads to elsewhere. The only sustainable solution to increasing local traffic is to decide that the Internet is a local tool. Too often, local implementation of the Internet is seen as merely a stepping stone to connection with others parts of the world, especially the U.S. It is that, but it must also be looked at in terms of what it can do locally. That is the most important lesson that the U.S. Internet experience has to offer: for most U.S. users, the Internet is largely a domestic medium. For all the talk about a global Internet, it can't be truly global until it becomes local -- when the Internet starts to function as a domestic medium for other regions, too, then it will have started to become more global. Mirroring sites can be useful, but in the long run, it's not much more than making Hollywood films available on videotape to save a trip to the local theatre. To some extent, of course, what I'm talking about is already happening. That's what fuels the accusations that U.S. ISPs are getting a free ride -- people are realising that U.S. Internet users are starting to surf to overseas sites, not just overseas users browsing U.S. content. That should continue. Q: How are ISPs in Asia and Europe dealing with such traffic and tariff imbalances? A: Asian ISPs pay for the entire leased line to the U.S. - in contrast to non-Internet leased lines, whose cost is equally shared between the U.S. and Asian parties. This is the problem pointed to in the 29 January joint statement by eight Asian telcos (Communications Authority of Thailand, Chunghwa, Indosat, KDD, Korea Telecom, Philippine Long Distance Telephone, Singapore Telecom, Telekom Malaysia). Their call for U.S. operators to share the costs of the international cables connecting the U.S. and the rest of the Internet was nothing new: Australian carrier Telstra, in particular, has for some years been pleading this cause at the U.S. Federal Communications Commission, the G-7, and in other fora. Asian ISPs have been the most visible in drawing attention to this problem of late, though European Internet carriers like Deutsche Telekom have certainly not been silent over the last few years. Regional players in Asia and elsewhere are beginning to react to the situation, building out their backbones and improving regional network-to-network links. The initiatives which have come together in Singapore this March -- including APRICOT (Asia Pacific Regional Internet Conference on Operational Technologies) and various Asia- Pacific networking group meetings -- are a good example. Q: Do you have specific regional publications targeting Asia? A: In addition to our yearbook "TeleGeography," we put out a directory of international Asian telecom carriers, titled "New International Carriers - Asia." The book includes coordinates and comments on each operator which carries international voice traffic in Asia. Q: How do you think voice and data convergence will change communications topography in the future? A: The move of voice traffic to data architectures will certainly be a broadband application that drives data backbone construction even faster, especially if it converges on interoperable IP platforms. Right now data infrastructures are heavily U.S.-centric; as voice migrates to these platforms, better-distributed network maps will make more and more sense. In Asia, where the race has been on for some time to act as a regional telecommunications hub, voice-data convergence sheds light on another aspect of the race, which is about who will be the region's "cyber-hub". While Hong Kong has licensed almost fifty leased-line international voice carriers in the last few months, Singapore -- which has only one international voice carrier, with a second due to come online in April 2000 -- has been hard at work trying to occupy that cyber-hub position. It's an interesting contrast. Q: How is telegeography going to complicate the issue of Internet taxation in e-commerce sales and purchases? A: Some Internet transactions deal with ordering material goods which have to separately transported between contracting parties, often across regional or national jurisdictions. Tax regimes already apply to those, just as they do when you shop from catalogue by mail or over the telephone. What's left is the transaction of nonmaterial goods and services, where the Internet not only puts the buyer and seller in touch, but provides most of the exchange infrastructure for electronic delivery. This appears to represent a growing proportion of transactions -- that's what's meant, in part, by a "knowledge economy". For this type of exchange, I don't think we'll see tariffs for cross-border transactions: any tax regime would have to be global. Now, the U.S.-led push to make the global Internet a tax-free zone for electronic transactions has been on for a while. But the U.S. government and, perhaps more importantly, the other jurisdictions whose governments have supported its position, haven't adequately responded to critics who say that this approach represents a massive transfer of public funds to the private sector and is anyway too vague. In the Netherlands, for example, Luc Soete has been active in promoting a "bit tax", and touched on it in a very interesting 1997 report for the European Union by an appointed High Level Group of Experts. A similar idea has been proposed by two Canadian economists, Andrew Cordell and the late Ran Ide. And in the French-speaking world, the "Tobin tax" proposal which would meter global financial flows has been generating a great deal of discussion. The future of those proposals will depend on the extent and breadth of public debate. Q: Any parting words of advice or suggestions for new ISPs in countries like India? A: One of the roadblocks to better overall tariff agreements is the secrecy that surrounds many interconnection agreements. As India's ISP sector grows, it will be important to make sure that institutional spaces be created for ISPs to cooperate on issues of common importance -- not just on policy advocacy and representation, but on actual infrastructure and content initiatives. The resources that will be necessary to create such an institutional space among Indian ISPs shouldn't be neglected, especially if smaller and remote ISPs are to have a voice within that kind of forum. Q: What kinds of Internet tariff regulatory challenges will we continue to face in the future? A: Wherever the Internet goes, Internet service providers (ISPs) need fast connections to U.S. ISPs if they are to exchange information without slowing to a crawl. This gives U.S. ISPs a competitive advantage, and makes international ISP interconnection an area of dispute. The recent spate of telecom mergers and acquisitions -- for instance, MCI-WorldCom -- has focussed attention on those disputes. More and more, the real-world regulatory status of Internet infrastructure is an open question. Cost sharing of communications infrastructure is a difficult issue -- the current round of disagreements over the telecom accounting rates regime is a good example, and that's for a set of relationships about which much more is known on how traffic is routed, how much of it is exchanged between whom, and so forth. Internet traffic exchange is that much more difficult to deal with; we need more publicly- available research and better tools to measure how traffic is routed, where it travels, and so on. Still, I think we can learn something from the accounting rates debate, even if it's not an exact parallel for ISP pricing issues. In the telecommunications world, fora like the ITU exist to work out the sticking points in the relationships between interconnecting carriers, even if those fora are currently under pressure as part of that debate. Governance in the Internet world has evolved without that kind of place. Were the different regions outside the U.S. to come together to talk about issues like this, it might help promote alternatives. As virtual topography merges with physical geography, and cyberspace with traditional institutions, understanding the Internet becomes impossible without understanding its architecture. Distance doesn't die. It's rewired. From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Sun Mar 14 18:37:39 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id SAA19183; Sun, 14 Mar 1999 18:32:59 GMT Received: from isp.super.net.pk (isp.super.net.pk [203.130.2.4]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id SAA19168 for ; Sun, 14 Mar 1999 18:32:44 GMT Received: from excel586 ([203.130.5.179]) by isp.super.net.pk (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id XAA20712 for ; Sun, 14 Mar 1999 23:44:10 +0500 (GMT+0500) Message-Id: <199903141844.XAA20712@isp.super.net.pk> From: "Irfan Khan" To: s-asia-it@apnic.net Date: Sun, 14 Mar 1999 23:37:38 +0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: Quoted-printable Subject: (Fwd) Fw: fwdg BI articles X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.01d) Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-printable Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-printable ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 18:29:28 -0800 (PST) From: "Arun Mehta" To: "Multiple recipients of list india-gii@cpsr.org" Subject: Fw: fwdg BI articles Arun Mehta, B-69, Lajpat Nagar-I, New Delhi-110024. Phone 6841172, 6849103 http://www.cerfnet.com/~amehta -----Original Message----- From: Vickram Crishna To: Arun Mehta Date: 12 March 1999 00:55 Subject: fwdg BI articles Four recent articles: the first two are editorials. Please forward to the india-gii and telecom groups, with the following rider. "This article is forwarded for information only and cannot be copied or reused without the express permission of the author and The Business India Group, India" In cyberino veritas Archaic old statutes are sought to be defused with a spanking new law to regulate and promote the spread of information technology in society The draft document known as the Information Technology Bill, 1998, is arguably the most important piece of legislation ever presented. This may appear a somewhat bombastic statement. However, its far-reaching impact is such that it will enable all future socio-economic changes that anyone, of whatever political leaning or learning, could hope to achieve for the good of this country=92s people. All the more reason that it be drafted with care. The draft Bill has partly been the outcome of a non-party based initiative, encouraged by the Prime Minister=92s office, known as the Task Force on Information Technology. However, it has reportedly been steered into the House (but not, regrettably, taken up in the last session) by the secretary, department of electronics. To what extent it has been studied by the law ministry, at the very least, needs a careful look. The scope of the bill is to define the use of computer technology (all-encompassing, but delineated nonetheless) as an enabler in everyday social intercourse. The nature of the electronic document is therefore made legally sacrosanct, so that any tampering can be identified and the tamperer liable to penalty, either civil or criminal, depending on the circumstance. Issues such as copyright, legal ownership, fraud, malicious damage and electronic commerce are thus made addressable. But not necessarily addressed. Putting this in perspective, the Bill seeks to place electronic interchange on a firm legal footing. In the future, therefore, a social system can be devised that will conceivably permit the disenfranchised to meaningfully participate in the social, economic and cultural fabric of this country. Unfortunately, in some respects, the technology that determines the nature of electronic documents is not so precise as to permit too perfect or absolute a definition. Take, as a deliberately minor instance, the definition of computer output as "accurately translated from a statement or representation so produced" (referring to something electronically emerging from a computer or displayed on its monitor). The very imprecision of different computer monitors and printers makes it impossible to create an "accurate" impression, whether on screen or otherwise. Legally speaking, this demands a lengthy explanation if the definition is to be made so clear that an unscrupulous person not take undue advantage. The draft falls short in more serious ways, however. A brief digression to a related legislation in the US, the Computer Decency Act, may be of signal relevance. When this worthy Act, framed with the intention to protect minors from unwanted access to pornography and sexual harassment on the Internet, was first introduced in the House of Representatives, it created a storm. The United States has become extremely sensitive to the issue of protecting its citizen=92s right to information (the First Amendment to the US Constitution), and a loosely worded Act won=92t do. Legislative protest should not be too much of a problem in India. Despite an expensive effort to persuade our legislators to become cyber-ready, many are more comfortable wielding microphones as clubs than mouses as pointing devices. Understanding the nuances of a cyber- Bill is a little further off yet. Hence the need for a closer look at its intent and its letter. Merely referring it to the law ministry is not good enough. This country has the world=92s largest population of educated and trained information technologists. It also survives as the Third World=92s most vibrant democracy. It is time that the government opened up an issue of this importance to a wider debate, before it reaches the last stage, a group of people who don't have the knowledge or expertise to give this serious matter the attention it demands. It must be, in addition to the existing posting on the Internet, made freely available in printed form, on demand, from the offices of all government publishing organs, opinions and comments invited, and this fact widely publicised. Here are just a few of the more thorny issues. Laws pertaining to negotiable instruments will not be affected by this legislation. Nor will documents of title or conveyance of immovable property, or contracts relating to its sale or other disposition. Thus issues relating to land records, one of the prime visions of the decade old National Informatics Council and its nation-wide computer network will probably remain infructuous. Heavy penalties have been prescribed for anyone (even people in and from other countries) who damages computer systems. Whether any police officer or other bureaucrat will feel emboldened to extract evidential data from a computer system, given the damages claimable, is moot, although they are supposed to be given access to "suspect" systems. Enforceability of such draconian provisions is unlikely to be effective, or even lawful. Finally, no reference has been made to the existing Copyright Act, which is itself a contentious enough issue. In a country where copyright piracy is legion, such an omission is arresting. It tolls not for thee The telecom minister achieves a Pyrrhic victory: Score 1 on 10, nearly As the poet said about the battlefield of Blenheim, "But =92twas a glorious war". The inglorious end to the tussle between the government and the private telecommunication operators over the tangled issue of licence fees is a bit more prosaic. These operators, who had bid openly for licences to provide basic and cellular services, variously, across the cities and states of this country, ending the government monopoly (or stranglehold) on electronic communications, advanced arguments for delaying or avoiding the necessary fees. Operation of both kinds of services needed a great deal of cooperation from the existing providers, Mahanagar Telephone Nigam Ltd and the Department of Electronics, which was not forthcoming, needless to say. The result is that, many years later, only two basic services (in Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh) have seen the light of day, and most have not even seen financial closure. Cellular services, much more expensive for the end-consumers, have faced immense resistance in the marketplace. The private providers banded together in the hope of getting the government to back down from its requirement of a minimum 20 per cent down payment and establishment of bank guarantees for the rest. The alternative for the government is encashment of the tender guarantee and forfeiture of whatever infrastructure is already in place. Telecom minister Jagmohan clearly thought that the service providers were on a very weak wicket, and moreover that the courts would not go easy on handing out stay orders against such punitive action. He was right, as the current Delhi High Court ruling on JT Mobiles has shown. But in taking a rigid stand, he has abandoned the Indian people, whose need for connectivity has been in queue since the invention of telephony. To be right is not necessarily to win. At issue is, in our opinion, not the collection of licence fees or winning brownie points in a standoff situation. The real issue is providing an enabling service that has proven in other countries to be a critical part of a growth trigger. In this country, its impact is likely to be far greater, since the greater part of the people presently exist outside the official economy. The government agencies have failed miserably in this task. 50 years into freedom, less than 5 per cent of the country=92s population can be reached by telephone. Even without counting the social benefit, failing to adequately connect the country together doesn=92t make business sense. Per capita usage of the existing networks is abysmally low, so much so that the service providers have evolved a peculiar system of inverse elasticity, where more usage ramps up the cost, instead of lowering it. Using fixed circuits costs the most, instead of the least. The result is that =91smart=92 businesses take far more lines than they actually need, preferring to distribute outgoing calls around them so that each one bills a small amount only. The natural result of this tactic is a further penalisation of the low-income telephone user, who is called upon to pay more and more for whatever pathetically low usage is made. Does the government really think that private investors still have their tongues hanging out to participate in the Indian telecom sector? The whole object of liberalising this infrastructure was to invite foreign money to jumpstart growth. Unfortunately, technology doesn=92t wait for greasy pockets to be filled: global telecom rates are dropping fast and accelerated digitisation has created a new paradigm (the =91free=92 long-distance - Internet - call), so that building traditional analogue infrastructure is beginning to look like an extemely shaky proposition. While one hand =91fixes=92 yesterday=92s private service providers, the other welcomes increased competition from cable TV, the railways and the electricity T&D services. Things are falling apart: the center cannot hold on to prehistoric ways. Fast track to oblivion The beleaguered IT hardware industry has been left out in the cold Information technology (IT) as a composite industry consists of three distinct businesses, namely, software, software services and hardware. Software is the development of computer code designed to execute practical applications or parts of applications. Software services are generally considered to include the gamut of services that employ the use of information technology. Hardware is the manufacture of computers, their components and their peripheral devices. Thus, the manufacture and assembly of all types of computers, printers and scanners are clearly part of this industry. Similarly, devices such as hard disk drives, tape drives, optical drives and card controllers are obviously also well understood to be part of the computer hardware industry. Such devices are, by their nature, industrial in both manufacturing and selling. The industrial IT hardware manufacturing industry in India is around thirty years old. It has had to tread a highly cobblestoned path. IT giant IBM used to have a manufacturing and service centre in India, which closed down in 1977 following a government diktat on technology transfer and equity holding. Since those days, the technology scene has been hugely transformed, and so has the environment for foreign investment in India. Unfortunately, for one reason and another, the flavour of the month for investment in Indian infotech is software and not hardware. Nearly all the Indian companies that set up manufacturing operations in the last twenty years have now either closed shop or converted themselves into purely software oriented organisations. Manufacturing volumes achieveable in India do not favour an industry geared only for Indian market conditions. Obviously, the solution is to build a powerful export industry. That is what the manufacturer=92s association lobbied for, and little wonder, since it is now peopled by =91former=92 manufacturers to such an extent that it could be renamed the vendor=92s association. The prime minister=92s task force for the promotion of hardware exports set an export target of $10 billion by the year 2008. To achieve this, it proposed an innovative restructuring of the export management sceanrio. Unfortunately, many of its recommendations have a short term negative impact on revenue collections, and the friction between the conflicting objectives of the prime minister=92s office and the finance minister may finally have resulted in the hardware industry falling between the cracks. Much could still be done. Countries such as The Philippines have successfully transformed themselves from non-existent to noticeable players in the high-technology manufacturing business. Other countries like China, despite a very poor record in labour and joint venture management are still chosen by manufacturers of microprocessor chips, the very highest technology products, where a chip foundry (called in industry jargon a fab, short for fabrication plant) can cost $2 billion to set up. India has not been so fortunate. In fact, luck has nothing to do with it. India has some very peculiar conditions governing the management of exports. For instance, air consignments have to be stored for 24 hours, a process called =91cooling off=92, something that was considered necessary because of the risk of sabotage. While the risk still can=92t be denied, the cost is simply that investments go elsewhere. Clearly, the misitries of commerce, industry and civil aviation (now transportation) have not been able to sit together long enough to work out a modality for dispensation of this onerous condition for high value exports. 24 hours is a long time when a consignment is valued upwards of several millions of dollars. Again, clearing goods for exports from designated export zones such as SEEPZ takes no less than seven separate verifications. There is no concept of self-verification, even for companies with hundreds of crores worth of investment to lose. Little wonder that such companies shy away from India. As it turns out, the finance minister=92s budget has raised effective excise duties and maintained the status quo on import duties. The overall duty structure, formerly favouring the import of finshed goods over that of components for assembly, has tilted a little further. Vendors of imported brand devices must be crowing with joy, since they are the main beneficiaries of this bounty. In less than three years, India will join the World Trade Organisation=92s zero-duty regime, and local industry will then need a miracle to survive. A curious turn of affairs for a government that swept to power on a self-proclaimed =91swadeshi=92 wave. Vickram Crishna The Object Game Resource conservation could be the next wave of computing, as component technology displays its multifarious advantages As anyone concerned with the upwardly spiralling real cost of computing technology discovers, the desktop computer revolution has spawned bloated desktop software and a rat race for computing power. Originally, desktops were designed to be simple general purpose devices, with very little of the collaborative or powerful functionality of mainframe or minicomputers. Although they are far more functional today, the real cost of ownership remains a serious problem. Some kinds of tasks can only be addressed by seriously powerful machines, namely workstations, minicomputers and mainframes. Traditionally, these products were designed to run on proprietary systems, optimised for superior performance. Thus, internetworking such systems has always been a headache, since they don=92t operate to an universal standard. This has, over the past ten to fifteen years, led to the conceptualisation of middleware, specialised applications that provide an efficient translation layer between alien systems. Middleware got a fillip from the early 1990s development of a standard known as CORBA, the common object request broker architecture. Promoted strongly by an alliance of vendors, including Digital (now Compaq) and IBM, it may have now spawned an interesting opportunity for software vendors from India. Middleware such as Corba implies the use of =91objects=92 which, in this context, are small standardised components that can be stored in one place and called over a network for execution from other applications. The advantages are that the other applications become leaner and their creation becomes considerably more efficient. Since Microsoft has also acceded to harmonise future developments in its own COM (common object model) and DCOM (distributed COM) to Corba, virtually the entire computing world has agreed to use a common layer for data interchange. No country has as yet become a significant =91manufacturer=92 of components. According to Sunil Dutt Jha, the founder promoter of the Component Management Group (CMG), this is a golden opportunity for India to stake a claim on the potentially huge market for components, and thus transit from projects and services to the products business. Components, by their very nature, do not need to be =91branded=92 and retailed, hence do not depend on massive marketing funds, the main bugbear of the Indian software product industry, which is so minuscule as to hardly exist yet. Dewang Mehta, president of the National Association of Software and Service Companies (Nasscom) believes that "moving up the value chain is essential for Indian software producers to attain global superpower status." At present, the domestic Indian software industry can only market home-grown financial software products locally, and has failed to build brands abroad in any category. Jha has proposed setting up software academies to impart training in component technology, with an emphasis on Corba, which is the de facto foundation today for object technology in middleware. CMG has signed an agreement with Kaashyap Radiant Systems Ltd, which has been running computer training schools in India since 1997, to implement the first academies. Thomas Mowbray, a senior scientist who has been responsible for setting the US government policy towards harmonised computing standards, began working in this area in 1991. He quickly found that the Corba standard had already addressed most of the contentious software factors (the US government also faces hardware mismatch problems with systems purchased by different departments). What was missing was a software language that could act as a bridge between diverse systems. Mowbray then wrote an Interface Definition Language which has become the standard. Sponsored by CMG with Software Technology Parks of India Ltd, Mowbray visited India recently to conduct workshops on component technology across the country. According to Leena Kamalpurkar, who works with IIS Infotech Ltd in Mumbai, their company has several projects that will extensively use Universal Modular Language, a technology that is closely related to the Corba concept. She feels that Corba has not been as popular as it should have been, but things have changed rapidly in the past six months or so. "In IIS, we are exploring the use of Corba to develop new business areas," she confirms. Imtiaz Bengali, a project manager in Rave Technologies Ltd agrees that Corba is the coming thing. However, he is not sure that it will be an opportunity in itself. "India may not be able to develop components themselves as a business area," he feels, "but definitely the business of using components to execute software development will be huge." Importantly, he opines that setting up high-level software academies to teach reusable technology will raise the standard of computer science education in the country. The shortage of teaching staff for imparting quality education in this field is raising concern, which shall hopefully be addressed by setting up more value- based institutes. Vickram Crishna A smile a day keeps the doctor wondering when to send for the men in white From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Mon Mar 15 03:22:19 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id DAA06091; Mon, 15 Mar 1999 03:20:51 GMT Received: from isp.super.net.pk (isp.super.net.pk [203.130.2.4]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id DAA06082 for ; Mon, 15 Mar 1999 03:20:42 GMT Received: from excel586 ([203.130.5.205]) by isp.super.net.pk (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id IAA32367 for ; Mon, 15 Mar 1999 08:32:11 +0500 (GMT+0500) Message-Id: <199903150332.IAA32367@isp.super.net.pk> From: "Irfan Khan" To: s-asia-it@apnic.net Date: Mon, 15 Mar 1999 08:25:29 +0500 MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1 Content-transfer-encoding: Quoted-printable Subject: (Fwd) Smart Communities on Diminished Budgets X-mailer: Pegasus Mail for Win32 (v3.01d) Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-printable Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: Quoted-printable Kelman's paper is available on http://www.telepathic.com/smarts ------- Forwarded Message Follows ------- Date sent: Fri, 12 Mar 1999 8:07 +0000 (GMT) From: A.Kelman@telepathic.com (Alistair Kelman) Subject: Smart Communities on Diminished Budgets To: linux-without-borders@tux.org Although this paper, including diagrams etc, is on my Web pages I have received a request to put it in plain ASCII in this discussion group. Smart Communities on Diminished Budgets A Strategy for Everyone Alistair Kelman - Telepathic Industries Ltd (Visiting Fellow at the LSE Computer Security Research Centre) Abstract This paper outlines a strategy for Malaysia (and other emerging economies) whereby it is able to proceed with a rapid transformation into an Information Society notwithstanding the global recession. The proposals suggested are scalable and further work is recommended with a pilot project during 1999. It is based upon lectures given in Kuala Lumpur and Penang in early December 1998 during a visit which was partly sponsored by the British Council. The lecture in KL was given in association with ISIS and the lecture in Penang in association with the Penang Association for Continuing Education. Background Universal Education "Time and Tide wait for no man". It has always been known that universal education is the key to creating an Information Society. Malaysia knows the importance of universal education and its Smart Schools project is a key part of Vision 2020. Yet much of its strategy has had to be put "on hold" owing to the economic constraints of the recession. But while bankers sit on their hands Malaysian children in rural communities, the future wealth of the nation, continue to grow older starved of the universal education they need. Today I want to show you that this need not be so and that there is a solution within our grasp which does not bankrupt the nation and is completely compatible with the more sophisticated Smart Schools programme. To explain my ideas I need first to discuss Information Empowerment Some simple truths: * People need information to enable them to improve their lives. * People need information to be available at the right time: Yesterday's weather report is only of historic interest. Timely information allows people to make informed decisions and be in control of their lives. * People need to have information at the right price. Two hundred years ago before the invention of the Penny Post families could write to each other but rarely did so because of the cost of sending a letter by commercial services. When it cost a week's wages to post a letter from London to Bath very few letters were sent by ordinary people. These two factors Timeliness and the Cost of Information are the real foundations of an Information Society. It is part of a two stage process * Make the Information available - Stage 1 * Teach people how to use the information - Stage 2 Only after information is available on time and at the right price can people be taught how to use it. Until now development has focused too much on the second stage by creating pockets of expertise in handling information (based around out of date and expensive textbooks in static schoolrooms) rather than a universal first stage of up to date correctly priced information. But properly applied technology presents an alternative to Conventional Personal Computers Conventional Personal Computers After about twenty years of personal computing we now have a vast number of computer available to use. In general the modern personal computer is a: * High Powered System * Capable of linking to a High Capacity Network * With Sophisticated Graphics * Sound * Colour Today's systems start at around =A3500 (Rm 3,100) and run up to =A32,500 (Rm 15,750). With a printer, modem and an Internet connection working systems for home use, found in middle class families though out the developed world, are available for a starting price of about =A3650 (Rm 4,000). But what do these systems actually do ? Most people do not use their personal computers to do software development or build Web sites. Most personal computers perform simple tasks: * Word Processing (and spell checking) * Spreadsheet * Database work * Complex E-mail and the Internet * Games How does this compare with the systems from a few years ago ? Well it is useful to look at The History of Personal Computing The History of Personal Computing The personal computer industry really started when IBM launched their PC in 1982. This then cost =A32,950 (about =A36,000 or Rm: 37,000 in today's money). It contained an Intel 8088 processor running at 4.77 or 8 MHz, 64 Kb of Memory and 160 Kb Floppy Drive. It did not have a hard disk. Manuals, operating system and cables were all extras. It was black and white and had no sound save for a tiny beep. What could this early machine do ? * Word Processing * Spreadsheet * Database work - in corporations * Simple E-mail (VT100 emulation) * Games Let us look at how this compares with last year's PC. I use as my reference point the quoted prices of new equipment on the UK high street (December 1998). E.g. a Siemens Nixdorf PII 266 - =A3650 (Rm:3,900) with an Intel Pentium II 266 MHz (33 to 56 times faster than the IBM PC)processor, 32 Mb of RAM (500 times the amount in the IBM PC), 4.3 Giga Byte Hard Disk, 1.4 Mb floppy disk (8.7 times the size of the IBM PC), 24x CD-ROM drive, sound and colour. The Simiens Nixdorf machine is a nice system but what can this machine do ? * Word Processing (and spell checking) * Spreadsheet * Database work * Complex E-mail and the Internet * Games It is clear to see that there has not been any real increase in functionality. Why this is the case and the consequences which follow requires analysis The first thing to notice is that, outside of big corporations, the PC is still a standalone system. The original uses of personal computers have not substantially changed. While there have been some new popular personal applications e.g. Quicken or Microsoft Money, these have really been variants on the core applications (word processing, spreadsheets and databases). The main difference is the modern machine can communicate and share large amounts of information with other machines if linked over a network. But looking further at this situation; the reality is rather different. Outside of the huge multinationals and mega- universities when networks of personal computers have been created the networks are actually small. The average commercial network size is only 35 seats. A network of this size cannot afford to have its own administrator since the cost of employing a person to administer a small network is an unacceptable overhead. This means that, outside of major multinationals and universities, Microsoft Exchange, Lotus Notes and the like are unsuitable environments for creating virtual communities through linking up PCs in networks since all of them require professional network administrators. A community school needs to find some other solution to enjoy the benefits of a networked environment. Finally looking back over the past twenty years of the personal computer industry two empirical "rules" can be seen. Colloquially expressed these are : * If it works it's obsolete * All new releases of software run slower and require more memory By the time a user has finally got his software working and is able to use it on a day to day basis without error he has to upgrade to the latest version. And that latest version is likely to require a hardware upgrade. This leads to the clear conclusion that the PC, as currently packaged, is not going to revolutionise emerging economies - it is the wrong approach to the problem. Instead what is needed is a flexible inexpensive solution. So let's go backward when forwards fails. Let us see what we've got If we look around at what is available we will find that there are Powerful 386 PCs (1992 vintage) which are being dumped at =A365 per ton. Unlike mechanical devices these are not worn out - there is very little in these systems to wear out. The units are workable and serviceable. Their technology is well understood. They could get Malaysia (or another emerging nation) to Stage 1. But to be something more than isolated pieces of computing power, to give poor people access to timely information these systems need to be linked up. And here is where we find the real problem - telecommunications. In the emerging economies telecommunications are expensive and they are only getting cheaper quite slowly. Outside of the major cities telecommunications are poor. Satellite and cellular phones can fill in the gaps but very big investment would be required and this is not likely in the present state of the world economy. Even if the investment were made the service costs would be prohibitive. One rule of networks applies to telephones. Telephones are only valuable when there are lots of them * One telephone is useless * Two telephones are barely useful * 100 telephones are slightly useful * 100,000 telephones - critical mass * 10 million telephones - cannot do without it It seems to me that Universal education with timely information at the right price is only possible if we have a Telecom Solution My suggested solution is to go cellular but to do so reusing obsolete technologies from the developed world. Cellular telephony means that there is no need for miles of copper wires or fibre optic cables. It can be rapidly deployed. But cellular telephony presents a new problem - bandwidth. A cellular telephone line cannot communicate faster than 9,600 bps while modern modems can communicate at 56,000 bps. Modern sophisticated network require wide band communications, something which cellular cannot provide . The solution here is to go backwards. Before we developed the technology to squirt wide band communications down telephone lines we made very efficient use of our narrow band communications by sending documents without graphics. Vast quantities of information could be sent in plain or formatted text. Error correction protocols ensured that the data got though without being corrupted enroute. Security and authentication for most purposes could be provided by means of simple encryption; not today's sophisticated PGP (Pretty Good Privacy) based technology but by using proprietary encryption within applications eg WordPerfect 5.1 allows the user to encrypt a document and password protect it. Similar features were contained in Lotus 1-2-3. (Yes the encryption was breakable but it gave a reasonable degree of security against the casual snooper.) Today those same systems which worked down slow land lines could be made to work using obsolete cellular technology. In the developed world old cellular telephones are being scrapped. A cellphone has become a fashion accessory and a phone which is too heavy, too bulky or simply of an older design is of no commercial value. These obsolete cellphones could find a new life if refurbished and re-engineered for the emerging economies. David Wade, Senior Lecturer in Space Vehicle Design at Kingston University, has a group design project drawing upon this mobile phone technology. The idea of his team is that the mobile phone represents a sophisticated communication device and instead of throwing it away it could be rewired with a larger keypad, an amplifier and larger handset and a new antenna. Doing this and forming it into a telephone booth along with a power supply (either ground wired or solar), would produce a low cost booth which could be established to serve a community. "To link the booths together would need a cellular based service. To set this up using ground based transmitters would be costly due to the limited coverage area of a single transmitter. Instead, the best solution developed by his team is to mount each transmitter on a tethered balloon flying at a few hundred metres. In so doing this would cover a much larger area and reduce the number needed. Once in place, the system could be available in either narrowcast mode to offer a communication link for medical personnel and one-to-one conversation, or in broadcast mode to deliver radio type services to a community, eg school children programmes, family planning education to mothers or farming information." David's group project team is evaluating this in a little more detail over the coming months. However, in my view, the ideas from his Kingston team are best applied in narrowcast mode as a data only service. Full voice telecommunications can come later from commercial services when the money is available. Here's how it could work: If you think of this in location terms imagine for a moment that tethered 600 metres above Flagstaff Hill in the Penang Hills on the Island of Penang is a balloon containing a cellular transmitter with the telephone cabling linking it to the conventional phone network running parallel to the funicular railway down to George Town. Such a system should be able to provide a "Community Cellular Data Network" for the entire island - albeit of limited capacity and subject to an agreement with the existing telecommunications suppliers. To ensure their cooperation the proposed network would be data only and highly regulated and hence not an alternative to the main telecommunications suppliers' products who would gain business through interfacing with it. In communities under the transmitter's footprint would be fixed cellphones set to communicate data at 9,600 bps. By fixing the Community cellphones there is no cell handover problem - in fact all the Community cellphones on the island would be within the footprint of the Flagstaff Hill transmitter and the location characteristics could be programmed into each Community cellphone unit for optimum communications. Fixed Community cellphones could be located in schools, community centres, medical facilities etc. They would provide these facilities with low capacity data links to the outside world. But these systems do not put the network communications facilities into every home. For that we need a further development - deployment of Off Line Readers Modern Pentium systems with conventional graphical browsers use telecommunications very wastefully - mainly because they were developed for use with Western land line telecommunications in countries where all local telephone calls were free. In the UK local telephone calls have never been free and for many years they remained very expensive. As a result, technologies were developed by British companies to make very effective use of expensive, intermittent telecommunications. These technologies are known as Off-Line Reading. Off-line Reading works a cyclical manner. Completing the cycle brings the user back to the beginning again. =81 Off-Line The user posts new messages or replies to messages which have already been posted. All these messages and replies are put into a script file which contains the batch of instructions to be executed by the Off-Line Reader. This all happens off-line. Telephone or connect time has not been used and the user can work without having a phone line available. =82 Connect At a time convenient to the user, he instructs the Off-Line Reader to dial up to his Internet Service Provider. If the unit has a permanent connection to the telephone network the Off-Line Reader's Scheduler can automatically perform this action at a predetermined time, or when a predetermined number of commands have been accumulated. On top of any of the previous instructions given, the Off-Line Reader will automatically download any new conference messages that may have appeared since the user last logged on. The Off-Line Reader will also execute any regular, scheduled instructions that the user might have asked it to perform. The Off-Line Reader handles the communications automatically and much faster than any human being could do if he/she went on-line manually to perform the same task. That speed reflects itself in reduced telephone and service connection charges. It also means that using the Off-Line Reader Scheduler it is possible for the user to make his connections at times when the Internet is not overloaded with traffic. When the Off-Line Reader has finished its work on the remote system, it disconnects the telephone line and:- =83 Off-Line When the connection is finished the Off-Line Reader imports all new conference messages ready for the user to read - sorting them into their correct threads and obeying any Mail Rules which may have been set - and puts downloaded files in the specified directory. The messages in stage =81 are now ready to read. The sequence has gone full circle. There are other steps available to refine this process and perform more sophisticated actions but these are not usually required for implementation in education and training. >From the above it should be clear that a user does not need to have a permanent connection to the Internet to enable him/her to be able to enjoy most of the benefits which can flow from it. All that is required is a short connection every day. This could be achieved by a Travelling Modem Man , the TMM The Travelling Modem Man (TMM) is the Internet version of the postman. Every day he would go around on his "walk" visiting each home that had a workstation. Using his cordless extension and modem he would connect the workstation to the Internet for sufficient time to enable the Off-Line Reader software to go through its cycle - about two minutes. During this time he would: * Download news and mail * Uploads individual citizens mail and messages A TMM's walk would always be within the transmission range of the cordless extension to the fixed cellphone. This would be likely to be around 500 metres as standard although in underdeveloped areas this could be increased by boosting the transmission power of the cordless transmitter in the fixed cellphone base station to produce a range of several miles. So what about the workstation ? What kinds of system could go into every home? Well here is an outline specification based around a refurbished 386 based system and a refurbished dot matrix printer. It would have as its underlying operating system PC-DOS or DR-DOS. And it would contain a number of clones of obsolete packages (to get around any copyright problems). A basic system might contain: Word Processing - WordPerfect 5.1 for DOS (or an equivalent product) Spreadsheet- Lotus 123 (or an equivalent product) Database - DBase III (or an equivalent product) E-mail Electronic Conferencing Games Total Cost (including printer) Ringit 250 ( about =A340) Such a system would not be a graphical Windows like system. But it would be completely workable, stable, reliable and easy to operate. By reengineering the units from redundant components using a standard fixed software image Year 2000 problems could be designed out of the workstation. An upgrade path to a graphical Windows-like systems is possible with the new workstation based on Linux. This for performance reasons would have to be based around a minimum of a 486 processor. The upgrade would be totally upward and downward compatible but more expensive than the 386 based minimum system. The minimum system would not be able to surf the Internet. That requires more bandwidth and more processor power. But with the minimum system the ordinary user could do a lot. Here are the Initial Benefits It is hard to overestimate the benefits which are likely to flow from the basic workstation - Community cellular network. The first change would be that everyone would have an e-mail address. No longer would communities be isolated since it would be possible to send messages from anywhere in the world - an instant near-free global mail service. A person who travelled away from their home would be able to send and receive e-mail from local workstations along the way- keeping in touch with home. The second change would arise from the timely information which would be available. Every workstation would have a free feed of local information - weather reports, latest prices for agricultural produce from all the major markets, News (regional, political, social), medical alerts etc. And, unlike radio or television, the information would be printable and reviewable. A person with a workstation would be able to enter into contracts to sell, buy or barter with anyone else. So, for example, if a person wanted to sell his green mangos he could agree a price with a dealer 100 miles away (basing their negotiations on the published daily prices) secure in the knowledge that the contract details are recorded by the network system as evidence of the agreement between the parties. A genuine accurate knowledge of market prices should rapidly increase incomes for rural people. A person could participate in off-line discussions and get advice and help. So if a child or a cow was unwell a question posted to the appropriate conference on the network would elicit replies and advice. If medical problems were serious, advice could be obtained from anywhere in the world. In poor communities villagers could discuss and prepare proposals for funding development - and get loans and help from anyone on the Internet with the various aid agencies able to act as honest brokers in the deals. Micro Lenders based around the principles of the Grameen Bank could be active throughout the world. Just because people are poor does not mean that they are stupid. Once a person realises the benefits which would flow from using his workstation, a firestorm of interest would develop as people would teach each other how to benefit from the new networked communication technology. I call this the Virtuous Circle Deploying old systems in this manner does not mean that poor people are limited by dead-end technology. But newer systems, sensibly configured, would be attractive buys for the rising poor. The first step up could be a 486 based Linux system with a graphical interface and CDROM drive. Configuring a number of these together in local networks with proxy servers could provide near full Internet Web access to rural schools and community centres. The local centres, running a script on a small server, could download overnight the Web pages required for the following day using the slow Community cellphone network. The fact that a call was taking several hours would not matter since the network would be under utilised when people were asleep. As demand and incomes increased local alternative cellular systems could be deployed, mapped onto the same areas with smaller cells. The Travelling Modem Man would pass into history as the state-of-the- art workstation came with its own built-in cellular phone. But aside from doing good by giving poor people "life chances", the integration of the poor into the world's network would create a vast new market for goods and services. It would be a major fillip to international trade. Digital books and literature would find new outlets. Support companies would spring up to help service and upgrade systems. Service companies would market add-on services and training courses. All reinforcing the desire to participate in the Information Society, to use computers in community networks to enhance each others lives. Conclusions None of what I have suggested is "rocket science", predicated upon inventions or developments. All it requires is the will to make it happen, a friendly government, a little seed money to build a pilot and some talented people. Over the coming months I intend to seek out interested companies and people who would be prepared to try to make this happen. I believe that within five years we could transform the emerging economies so that everyone could fully participate in the common weal. If you are interested and want to help please contact me. Alistair Kelman Telepathic Industries Limited Wednesday December 30 1998 ----------------------- From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Mon Mar 15 03:33:00 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id DAA06448; Mon, 15 Mar 1999 03:32:48 GMT Received: from garlic.negia.net (garlic.negia.net [206.61.0.14]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id DAA06442 for ; Mon, 15 Mar 1999 03:32:44 GMT Received: from idn.org (b2ppp72.negia.net [207.43.201.72]) by garlic.negia.net (8.8.5/8.8.5) with ESMTP id VAA01989; Sun, 14 Mar 1999 21:30:56 -0500 Message-ID: <36EC7D53.364433C3@idn.org> Date: Sun, 14 Mar 1999 22:24:03 -0500 From: Christopher Byrne Organization: International Development Network X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.04 [en] (Win95; U) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: info@idn.org Subject: This Week at the International Development Network Content-Type: text/plain; charset=iso-8859-1 Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Apologies for any cross-posting This week the International Development Network at http://www.idn.org/ continues to track agencies efforts to tell their stories and USAID still lags far behind (hopefully they will turn this around). You can see this information at the "Transparency: By the Numbers" Section of the IDN Home Page. Here is what else is new at the IDN Web Site this week: NEW MEMBERS The IDN is pleased to welcome as new members Mr. Milton Lawrence and Mr. Patrice Backer. Mr Lawrence, from Dominica, holds a BSc degree in Food Science and Management from the University of London and an MBA degree from the Cranfield School of Management in the UK. He spent nine years in senior management in a career spanning the public, non-profit and private sectors. He was Regional Director of the East Caribbean Organisation of Development Foundations (ECODEF), a regional NGO that fund-raised and advocated for, and providing institutional support to, its member National Development Foundations (NDFs) in the Eastern Caribbean. [NDFs are involved in the provision of credit, training and technical assistance to micro and small businesspersons]. Prior to that, he served as Executive Director of NDF Dominica. He also worked in the Ministry of Agriculture of Dominica for six years, first in the Produce Chemist Laboratory as a researcher and then later with the Pesticide Control Board and the Agricultural Extension Unit. He has served on various boards and committees at local and regional level, including the Roseau Cooperative Credit Union (largest in the OECS), The Dominica National Development Corporation, NDF Dominica and USAID Regional Advisory Committees for its Caribbean Policy and Small Enterprise Assistance Projects. Mr Lawrence is currently pursuing a career as a Business and Management consultant. Mr. Backer, from the USA, holds a bachelor's degree in Engineering Sciences from Harvard University. He also holds a joint MBA in International Finance and MA in International Studies from the University of Pennsylvania (Wharton School/Lauder Institute.) Mr. Backer's career in the private sector was spent mostly at J.P. Morgan & Co., a Wall Street investment bank. He was an investment banker and securities trader for the firm and focused on Emerging Markets (Latin America, Asia, Eastern Europe, and Africa.) He has extensive experience in the banking, oil and gas, and telecommunications sectors as well as an intimate knowledge of the financial markets of many developing countries. Mr. Backer currently works as an independent consultant, mostly for financial institutions in developing countries or for US organizations working in these countries. For example, he is an advisor to Banque Nationale de Crédit, Haiti's third-largest commercial bank, on the restructuring of their credit department (organizational structure, loan portfolio, etc.) On the development side, he has worked with the Cooperative Housing Foundation (Silver Spring, Maryland) on innovative USAID-funded micro-credit programs in Jordan and Lebanon as well on housing-related projects in Latin America and the Caribbean. His interest is to work with financial institutions, from small community-based micro-finance institutions to full-fledged commercial banks, in two areas: (1) restructuring or strengthening of their institutional and financial structures and (2) development of customized solutions to extend credit to disadvantaged entrepreneurs. Mr. Backer is fluent in French (native), English, Haitian Creole, and proficient in Spanish. Their CVs are available for download at http://www.idn.org/members/index.htm Information on how to become a sponsoring member of the IDN may be found at http://www.idn.org/membership/index.htm _______________________________________________________________________ TOOLS YOU CAN USE This week's tool is the web site for Business Opportunities with the New Zealand Official Development Assistance Program. Last week's tool was the web site for Microcredit Information on Brazil and WorldWide. The site includes texts on microcredit, in Brazil and in the world, in Portuguese and in English. _______________________________________________________________________ QUICK LINK OF THE WEEK This week's quick link is to the web site for the Fortieth Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Development Bank and Fourteenth Annual Meeting of the Board of Governors of the Inter-American Investment Corporation being held this week in Paris. The web site includes live and summary video feeds from the meetings. Last week's quick link was to web site for the AusAID Meeting on "Development Cooperation: Responding to the Asia Crisis", held this past March 5 in Sydney. _______________________________________________________________________ NEW LINKS American Jewish World Service - a non-profit organization dedicated to providing nonsectarian humanitarian assistance and emergency relief to disadvantaged people in Africa, Asia, Latin America, the Middle East, Russia and Ukraine. Asian Institute For Development Communication (Aidcom) - works towards furthering the knowledge of development issues through the promotion of effective communication. Aidcom was formed in 1986 with the mandate to strengthen the link between communication and development in Asia. Center for Citizen Initiatives (CCI) - is a San Francisco-based non-profit organization dedicated to empowering Russian citizens to take responsibility for their personal futures and assisting Russia in its transition to a market-based economy and a civil society. Committee for the Promotion and Advancement of Cooperatives - COPAC is a successful and on-going partnership between representatives of the cooperative movement together with farmers' and workers' organizations, and the United Nations and its agencies. East and Southeast Asia Regional Network for Better Local Governments - showcases individual successful projects and the general management approaches adopted by innovative local governments. Enterprise Development International - enabling the poor to free themselves from poverty through microenterprise -- small loans, business training and technical assistance provided to those with the ability and the desire to start or expand small income-producing businesses. German Foundation for World Population - supports the capacity-building of NGOs working in the area of reproductive health including HIV/AIDS-prevention and family planning work for adolescents and young women. (German/English) International Law Institute - Washington, DC and Kampala, Uganda - The ILI is a non-profit organization dedicated to finding practical solutions to developing county issues. Established in 1955, the ILI trains professionals from developing countries in issues of finance, management and law. New Zealand Official Development Assistance (NZODA) - provides support for economic and social development in developing countries, especially in the South Pacific and Asia Regions. It is managed by the Development Cooperation Division (DEV) of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Trade in conjunction with New Zealand's Diplomatic Posts. Organizzazione di Volontariato Internazionale Cristiano/Organization of Christian International Voluntary Service - service in the spirit of Christian Doctrine (Italian) Pan-African Civic Educators Network - 30 organisations from 12 countries involved in civic education in Africa who have formed a network as a necessary step towards enhancing their work in the continent. WORKAID - UK-based charity that gives tools and equipment to people in need at home and abroad so they can become self supporting. Second hand items are refurbished and given to groups running training projects, mainly in Africa, where they are used to teach practical skills. These links were added on March 7: Adventist Development and Relief Agency, Thailand - currently operates in eight of the poorest provinces in Thailand, which are situated primarily in the North and Northeast of the country. Africa Policy Information Center - primary objective is to widen the policy debate in the United States around African issues and the U.S. role in Africa, by concentrating on providing accessible policy-relevant information and analysis usable by a wide range of groups and individuals. AgBioForum - A quarterly magazine on the economics and management of agrobiotechnology. AgBioForum is intended for a wide audience including industry, government, media, farmers and academia. It is available free of charge. Alliance for United Nations Sustainable Development Programs - a network of U.S. organizations and individuals in support of United Nations programs that advance sustainable development globally. EarthVoice - mission is to work with others to create a humane society by protecting animals and ecosystems, fostering sustainable development, and instilling an earth ethic. Fulbright Economics Teaching Program in Vietnam - Applied Economics for provincial policymakers in Vietnam. Geneva International Centre for Humanitarian Demining - responsible for the development, introduction and maintenance of an Information Management System for Mine Action, focused on the needs of the UN. JMU Humanitarian Demining Information Center - humanitarian demining information from James Madison University. United Nations Association of the United States of America (UNA-USA) - is a nonprofit, nonpartisan national organization dedicated to enhancing U.S. participation in the United Nations system and to strengthening that system as it seeks to define and carry out its mission. UNA-USA Council of Organizations - These organizations share the common goals of making the American public more knowledgeable about global issues, for informing and educating the public about the United Nations, and for strengthening the U.N. system. Links with an (*) are modified links or link descriptions. _______________________________________________________________________ NEW PUBLICATIONS Improving the Quality of Reproductive Health and Family Planning Services Family Health International has made the Fall, 1998 Edition of Network, their quarterly health bulletin available on their web site. This edition contains stories on ways to improve the quality of family planning services include better staff training and client counseling, as well as offering clients a range of methods from which to choose. Also in this issue of Network, a contraceptive update reviews how different methods affect menstrual bleeding, an important consideration when selecting a method. Links to multi-language versions of this document are available at the IDN web site. _______________________________________________________________________ NGO/Project Profiles This week we feature "Now Software To Quench Thirst of Parched Indian Villages". In Rajasthan, voluntary agencies have worked out a new software program which will help villagers predict their drinking water supplies, and remind us of the receding dream of providing every human being with a reliable and safe source of water. Find out more in the NGO/Project Profiles section of the IDN Home Page and feel free to send us information on your projects or NGO for posting. _______________________________________________________________________ The IDN plans to continue our growth and to expand the depth and breadth of our information services. If you have not yet thought about a membership/sponsorship in the IDN, we encourage you to consider becoming a sponsor/member of the fastest growing, most comprehensive and current International Development Web Site on the Internet! Information is available at http://www.idn.org/membership/index.htm From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Mon Mar 22 05:23:31 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id FAA29497; Mon, 22 Mar 1999 05:15:46 GMT Received: from mail.wa.freei.net (Mail1.Wa.FreeI.Net [209.162.144.3]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id FAA29492 for ; Mon, 22 Mar 1999 05:15:44 GMT From: Silvia_Brown7@gte.net Received: from 209.162.145.21 (dial21.Block1.trm1.FreeI.Net [209.162.145.21]) by mail.wa.freei.net (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id UAA07032; Sun, 21 Mar 1999 20:56:48 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from Silvia_Brown7@gte.net) Message-Id: <199903220456.UAA07032@mail.wa.freei.net> Subject: Find Out What The Future Holds For You? Date: Sun, 21 Mar 99 20:17:30 Pacific Standard Time Reply-To: Silvia_Brown7@gte.net X-Priority: 3 X-MSMailPriority: Normal Importance: Normal Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk LIVE PERSONAL PSYCHIC! (as seen on T.V.) LEARN TODAY WHAT YOUR FUTURE HOLDS FOR LOVE, FAMILY, AND MONEY. ASTROLOGY CLAIRVOYANCY NUMBEROLOGY TAROT ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED IMMEDIATELY! REALIZE YOUR DESTINY! CALL RIGHT NOW! 1-900-226-4140 or 1-800-372-3384 for VISA, MC (These are not sex lines!) This message is intended for Psychic Readers, Psychic Users and people who are involved in the $1 Billion Dollar a year Psychic Industry. If this his message has reached you in error, please disregard it and accept our apoligies. To be removed from this list, please respond with the subject "remove". Thank You. Stop Unsolicited Commercial Email - join CAUCE (http://www.cauce.org) Support HR 1748, the anti-spam bill. LIVE PERSONAL PSYCHIC! (as seen on T.V.) From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Mon Mar 22 05:40:47 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id FAA00602; Mon, 22 Mar 1999 05:40:26 GMT Received: from mailhost.fit.unimas.my (reserved.fit.unimas.my [161.142.84.64] (may be forged)) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id FAA00597 for ; Mon, 22 Mar 1999 05:40:22 GMT Received: from roger.fit.unimas.my (al-farabi.fit.unimas.my [161.142.84.77]) by mailhost.fit.unimas.my (8.8.7/8.8.7) with SMTP id JAA25880 for ; Sun, 21 Mar 1999 09:51:05 -0800 Message-Id: <3.0.2.32.19990322134046.006ec850@mailhost.fit.unimas.my> X-Sender: roger@mailhost.fit.unimas.my X-Mailer: QUALCOMM Windows Eudora Light Version 3.0.2 (32) Date: Mon, 22 Mar 1999 13:40:46 +0800 To: s-asia-it@teckla.apnic.net From: Roger Harris Subject: Call for Papers Mime-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: quoted-printable Call for Papers Deadline June 1, 1999 Information Technology in Developing Countries Part of the Organisational Systems and Technology Track of the Thirty-third Annual Hawaii International Conference on Systems Sciences (HICSS) Hawaii, January 4 - 7, 2000 http://www.hawaii.edu/hicss This mini-track is one of the foremost international forums concerned with the design, development and implementation of information and communication technologies (ICTs) in developing countries. Whilst acknowledging the disparity in diffusion of such technologies between the developed and the underdeveloped worlds, and against a background of considerable technological, economical, educational, organisational, political and cultural variations, we take a wide view of ICT implementations so as to include those that are relevant to the countries concerned rather than to any accepted norms prevalent in developed countries. We welcome papers that offer original perspectives on the use of ICTs in developing countries. However, in conformity with the dominant themes currently surrounding ICTs inside many developing countries and in accordance with the prevailing enthusiasm among the development community for the application of ICT solutions to certain specific developmental problems, contributions are especially sought in the following areas: Internet usage =B7 Diffusing access =B7 Internet Service Provider management issues =B7 Maximising the use of limited resources =B7 Adapting technologies to local conditions Applications of IT in Rural Areas =B7 Spreading telecommunications to rural and remote communities =B7 Supporting rural economies =B7 Health care delivery in rural and remote areas=20 =B7 Distance education for rural learning =B7 Supporting rural commerce electronically =B7 Electronic governance for rural communities National Policies for IT =B7 Policy making processes for IT in the developing world =B7 IT to support policy decision-making =B7 National policy analyses=20 =B7 National policy comparisons IT in Development Practice =B7 Technology transfer in Development practice =B7 Sustainability in Development applications =B7 Measuring the social value of IT =B7 Understanding the relationship between IT spending and benefits =B7 Societal implications of IT implementation =B7 Implementation success/failure factors=20 =B7 Coping with resistance to change =B7 Y2K issues for developing countries Research Practice in IT in Development =B7 Theory building for IT in Development =B7 Bibliographic analyses of IT issues in Development =B7 Research relevance and impacts=20 =B7 Methodologies for IT research in Development; action research, ethnography, phenomenological and interpretative approaches. Education in IT =B7 Issues in teaching computing in developing countries =B7 Computer literacy for development =B7 Curriculum development for IT =B7 Distance learning and remote education =B7 Organisational capacity building Cultural Aspects of IT in Developing Countries =B7 Cross-cultural analyses=20 =B7 Cultural dimensions of IT implementations =B7 Cultural adaptation to IT =B7 Cultural barriers to IT diffusion Mini-track chairs: Roger Harris, Universiti Malaysia Sarawak Email: roger@fit.unimas.my Doug Vogel, City University of Hong Kong Email: isdoug@is.cityu.edu.hk Robert Davison, City University of Hong Kong Email: isrobert@is.cityu.edu.hk=20 Gert-Jan de Vreede, Delft University of Technology Email: devreede@sepa.tudelft.nl For additional information or to submit abstracts, please contact: Roger Harris Faculty of Information Technology Universiti Malaysia Sarawak 94300, Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia Tel: +60 082 671000 extn. 605 FAX: +60 082 672301 e-mail: roger@fit.unimas.my Deadlines March 31, 1999: 300-word abstract submitted to track chairs or minitrack chairs for guidance and indication of appropriate content. Lack of a pre-approved abstract does not preclude submitting a paper. This is a recommended deadline, but we will accept abstracts after that date. June 1, 1999: (Mandatory) Full papers submitted to the minitrack chair Aug. 31, 1999: Minitrack chair sends notice of accepted papers to authors. Oct. 1, 1999: Accepted manuscripts, camera-ready, sent to minitrack chair. Note: One author MUST register by this time. Nov. 1, 1999: Registration and payment for all others. Registrations received after this deadline may not be accepted due to space limitations. HICSS-33 consists of eight tracks: Collaboration Systems and Technology Track Decision Technologies for Management Digital Documents Track Emerging Technologies Track Information Technology in Health Care Track Internet and the Digital Economy Organizational Systems and Technology Track Software Technology Track For more information about these tracks and a list of minitracks each consist of, please check the HICSS web page for full listing of the minitracks: http://www.hicss.hawaii.edu Or contact the Track Administrator, Eileen Dennis: Eileen Dennis, CMP Tel: 706-613-7807 Fax: 706-613-5348 edennis@uga.edu Conference Venue: Outrigger Wailea Resort (formerly The Aston Wailea Resort) 3700 Wailea Alanui Drive Maui, Hawaii 96753, USA Phone: (808) 879-1922 or (800) 367-2960 Roger Harris Dr. Roger Harris Head of the Information Systems Core Group Programme Chair CITA99 Faculty of Information Technology UNIMAS - Universiti Malaysia Sarawak 94300 Kota Samarahan, Sarawak, Malaysia From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Mon Mar 22 06:54:32 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id GAA03498; Mon, 22 Mar 1999 06:53:52 GMT Received: from mail.wa.freei.net (Mail1.Wa.FreeI.Net [209.162.144.3]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id GAA03291; Mon, 22 Mar 1999 06:49:04 GMT From: Silvia_Brown4@gte.net Received: from 209.162.150.235 (dial235.Block3.trm2.FreeI.Net [209.162.150.235]) by mail.wa.freei.net (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id WAA33897; Sun, 21 Mar 1999 22:41:58 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from Silvia_Brown4@gte.net) Message-Id: <199903220641.WAA33897@mail.wa.freei.net> Subject: Find Out What The Future Holds For You? Date: Sun, 21 Mar 99 22:45:12 Pacific Standard Time Reply-To: Silvia_Brown2@gte.net X-Priority: 3 X-MSMailPriority: Normal Importance: Normal Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk LIVE PERSONAL PSYCHIC! (as seen on T.V.) LEARN TODAY WHAT YOUR FUTURE HOLDS FOR LOVE, FAMILY AND MONEY. ASTROLOGY CLAIRVOYANCY NUMEROLOGY TAROT ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED IMMEDIATELY! REALIZE YOUR OWN DESTINY! CALL RIGHT NOW! 1-900-226-4140 or 1-800-372-3384 for VISA, MC (These are not sex lines!) This message is intended for Psyhic Readers , Psychic Users and people who are involved in the $1 Billion Dollar a year Psychic Industry. If this message has reached you in error, please disregard it and accept our apoligies. To be removed from this list, please respond with the subject "remove". Thank you. Stop Unsolicited Commercial Email-join CAUCE (http://www.cauce.org) Support HR 1748, the anti-spam bill. LIVE PERSONAL PSYCHIC! (as seen on T.V.) LEARN TODAY WHAT YOUR FUTURE HOLDS OR LOVE, FAMILY AND MONEY. From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Tue Mar 23 05:54:59 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id FAA01330; Tue, 23 Mar 1999 05:50:03 GMT Received: from mail.wa.freei.net (Mail1.Wa.FreeI.Net [209.162.144.3]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id FAA01320 for ; Tue, 23 Mar 1999 05:49:56 GMT From: Silvia_Brown9@gte.net Received: from 209.162.148.140 (dial140.Block1.trm2.FreeI.Net [209.162.148.140]) by mail.wa.freei.net (8.9.1/8.9.1) with SMTP id VAA42025; Mon, 22 Mar 1999 21:43:04 -0800 (PST) (envelope-from Silvia_Brown9@gte.net) Message-Id: <199903230543.VAA42025@mail.wa.freei.net> Subject: Find Out What The Future Holds For You? Date: Mon, 22 Mar 99 21:55:19 Pacific Standard Time Reply-To: Silvia_Brown6@gte.net X-Priority: 3 X-MSMailPriority: Normal Importance: Normal Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk LIVE PERSONAL PSYCHIC! (as seen on T.V.) LEARN TODAY WHAT YOUR FUTURE HOLDS FOR LOVE, FAMILY AND MONEY. ASTROLOGY CLAIRVOYANCY NUMEROLOGY TAROT ALL QUESTIONS ANSWERED IMMEDIATELY! REALIZE YOUR OWN DESTINY! CALL RIGHT NOW! 1-900-226-4140 or 1-800-372-3384 for VISA, MC (These are not sex lines!) This message is intended for Psyhic Readers , Psychic Users and people who are involved in the $1 Billion Dollar a year Psychic Industry. If this message has reached you in error, please disregard it and accept our apoligies. To be removed from this list, please respond with the subject "remove". Thank you. Stop Unsolicited Commercial Email-join CAUCE (http://www.cauce.org) Support HR 1748, the anti-spam bill. LIVE PERSONAL PSYCHIC! (as seen on T.V.) LEARN TODAY WHAT YOUR FUTURE HOLDS From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Wed Mar 24 02:57:40 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id CAA19270; Wed, 24 Mar 1999 02:54:28 GMT Received: from internet.coretech.com.au ([203.37.176.100]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id CAA19266 for ; Wed, 24 Mar 1999 02:54:26 GMT Received: by INTERNET with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2232.9) id <1R2JCJ1F>; Wed, 24 Mar 1999 12:46:58 +1100 Message-ID: <01C7B107CFB4D211BA8900105A609B78096B12@INTERNET> From: Administrator To: Administrator Subject: **** CLASSROOMS - NETWORK TEACHING TOOLS **** Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 12:46:47 +1100 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2232.9) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk ____________________________________________________________ Classrooms is a revolutionary software solution to transform computer based teaching sessions into interactive learning experiences.____________________________________________________________ FEATURES INCLUDE: * Broadcast Teacher's Screen to Students * View Student Screens * Remotely Control Student Computers * Broadcast a Particular Student's Screen to other Students * Internet Monitoring * Lock Student Workstations * Discussion Forums * Develop & Administer Online Exams * Messaging and File Transferring Tools * Virtual Chalkboard * Remotely Edit Student Control Panel Settings * Remotely Shutdown, Log-Off or Reboot any Student Computer * Remotely Launch a Program * Collaborative Paint Program Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by CORETECH. DOWNLOAD A FREE DEMO TO ASSESS HOW CLASSROOMS CAN ENHANCE YOUR IT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. http://www.coretech.com.au/classrooms We also Distribute: PCOUNTER - http://www.coretech.com.au/products/pcounter/pcounter.htm WINGATE - http://www.coretech.com.au/wingate/ MDAEMON - http://www.coretech.com.au/mdaemon/index.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- Coretech - Education Sales Phone: + 61 7 3216 4111 EDP033 Contractor - GITC Q96 Fax: + 61 7 3216 4222 Mailto:education@coretech.com.au Brisbane, Queensland 4001 Australia ----- Check out our Site: http://www.coretech.com.au --------- From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Wed Mar 24 03:33:32 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id DAA20548; Wed, 24 Mar 1999 03:31:27 GMT Received: from internet.coretech.com.au ([203.37.176.100]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id DAA20543 for ; Wed, 24 Mar 1999 03:31:24 GMT Received: by INTERNET with Internet Mail Service (5.5.2232.9) id ; Wed, 24 Mar 1999 13:23:24 +1100 Message-ID: <01C7B107CFB4D211BA8900105A609B78096B13@INTERNET> From: Administrator To: Administrator Subject: *** CLASSROOMS - NETWORK TEACHING TOOLS *** Date: Wed, 24 Mar 1999 13:23:12 +1100 MIME-Version: 1.0 X-Mailer: Internet Mail Service (5.5.2232.9) Content-Type: text/plain; charset="iso-8859-1" Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk ____________________________________________________________ Classrooms is a revolutionary software solution to transform computer based teaching sessions into interactive learning experiences.____________________________________________________________ FEATURES INCLUDE: * Broadcast Teacher's Screen to Students * View Student Screens * Remotely Control Student Computers * Broadcast a Particular Student's Screen to other Students * Internet Monitoring * Lock Student Workstations * Discussion Forums * Develop & Administer Online Exams * Messaging and File Transferring Tools * Virtual Chalkboard * Remotely Edit Student Control Panel Settings * Remotely Shutdown, Log-Off or Reboot any Student Computer * Remotely Launch a Program * Collaborative Paint Program Distributed in Australia and New Zealand by CORETECH. DOWNLOAD A FREE DEMO TO ASSESS HOW CLASSROOMS CAN ENHANCE YOUR IT LEARNING ENVIRONMENT. http://www.coretech.com.au/classrooms We also Distribute: PCOUNTER - http://www.coretech.com.au/products/pcounter/pcounter.htm WINGATE - http://www.coretech.com.au/wingate/ MDAEMON - http://www.coretech.com.au/mdaemon/index.htm ---------------------------------------------------------------------------- ----------- Coretech - Education Sales Phone: + 61 7 3216 4111 EDP033 Contractor - GITC Q96 Fax: + 61 7 3216 4222 Mailto:education@coretech.com.au Brisbane, Queensland 4001 Australia ----- Check out our Site: http://www.coretech.com.au --------- From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Fri Mar 26 09:30:59 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id JAA22018; Fri, 26 Mar 1999 09:26:26 GMT Received: from giasdl01.vsnl.net.in (giasdl01.vsnl.net.in [202.54.15.1]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with ESMTP id JAA22008 for ; Fri, 26 Mar 1999 09:26:20 GMT Received: from dkagencies.com ([202.54.100.51]) by giasdl01.vsnl.net.in (8.8.8/8.8.8) with ESMTP id OAA01496; Fri, 26 Mar 1999 14:58:21 +0500 (GMT+0500) Message-ID: <36FB4DEB.25134E3C@dkagencies.com> Date: Fri, 26 Mar 1999 14:35:47 +0530 From: "D. K. Agencies (P) Ltd." Organization: D. K. Agencies (P) Ltd. X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.05 [en] (Win95; I) MIME-Version: 1.0 To: s-asia-it@teckla.apnic.net CC: Shalaj@usa.net Subject: Internet Services in India Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit On 23rd Mar, I read in Nav Bharat Times, a leading Hindi daily from New Delhi, that a new company named "Dishnet" (spellings may be incorrect as I saw the news in the Hindi newspaper) from Chennai has launched its Internet services @Rs. 1000.00 per 100 hours. That is, @Rs10/per hour. Does any one on the listserv know about this ? If yes, has the company launched its services in Delhi as well. Can someone give me their address (postal, street, phone, fax, email -- any of these) ? I tried locating this news in Indian Express, but could not succeed. Thanks Surya P. Mittal ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From: D.K. AGENCIES (P) LTD. Fax: (+91-11) 5647081, 5648053 A/15-17 Mohan Garden Phones: (011) 5648066, 5648067 Najafgarh Road E-mailto:custserv@dkagencies.com New Delhi - 110 059. Our Website : http://www.dkagencies.com Online Search : http://www.dkagencies.com/booksearch ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ From owner-s-asia-it@ns.apnic.net Tue Mar 30 05:10:18 1999 Return-Path: Received: (from majordom@localhost) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) id FAA00154; Tue, 30 Mar 1999 05:04:45 GMT Received: from manaslu.mos.com.np (manaslu.mos.com.np [202.52.255.3]) by ns.apnic.net (8.9.1a/8.9.1) with SMTP id FAA00140 for ; Tue, 30 Mar 1999 05:04:21 GMT Received: from pumori.mos.com.np (root@pumori.mos.com.np [202.52.255.2]) by manaslu.mos.com.np (8.6.9/8.6.9) with ESMTP id KAA19409; Tue, 30 Mar 1999 10:48:48 +0545 Received: from menris1.icimod.org.np (menris1.icimod.org.np [202.52.254.1]) by pumori.mos.com.np (8.8.5/KRG1.0) with SMTP id KAA24210; Tue, 30 Mar 1999 10:45:15 +0545 (NPT) Received: from [202.52.254.97] by menris1.icimod.org.np (AIX 4.2/UCB 5.64/4.03) id AA17256; Tue, 30 Mar 1999 10:56:01 +0500 Message-Id: <37005D57.FB82F710@icimod.org.np> Date: Tue, 30 Mar 1999 10:42:55 +0530 From: Sangeeta Pandey Reply-To: sangeeta@icimod.org.np Organization: ICIMOD X-Mailer: Mozilla 4.04 [en] (Win95; I) Mime-Version: 1.0 To: profall@menris1.icimod.org.np Cc: sangeeta@menris1.icimod.org.np Subject: Development information on India Content-Type: text/plain; charset=us-ascii Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Sender: owner-s-asia-it@apnic.net Precedence: bulk Content-Transfer-Encoding: 7bit Indev launched in India http://www.indev.org/ Indev is an initiative to use the Internet for making available development information on India to development managers. Indev is a web site that is a gateway to such information. The web site has four databases on development-related topics. These deal with NGOs, projects, documents and statistics. The aim is to have data on some 2,000 NGOs by the end of the year. This will make Indev one of the largest on-line databases on the voluntary sector in India. The databases, developed by OneWorld Online, allow visitors to search for information in any sector related to development from different parts of the country. This British Council initiative began with the premise was that quality information was the key to development; it was available but not readily accessible. Indev is a "one-stop shop" for development information on India, useful for project managers, policy planners, researchers and academics as well as students and the general public. The databases on the site have immensely extended its use and range. The Organisations database is a directory of reputed NGOs useful for organisations who like to build partnerships, share experience, find work and facilitate grant making process. The documents database has key documents for professionals in the development field to consult. The project database has current development projects in India to help NGOs learn from the experience of others and avoid duplication. The statistics database has key indicators from various organisations for analytical research. The daily newspaper will have inputs from over 1,000 organisations, journalists and the national press. It will be a sort of development digest for people looking for information on related topics. Indev also has an email digest aimed at those who do not have access to the Internet but want selective information. It will be available for individuals free of cost and will provide them the latest information from partners' sites. Indev will also train NGOs on the use of the Internet, web site creation and maintenance. It aims to cover 1,000 NGOs who do not have a web site. At the end of this period it is expected that these organisations will be able to independently design and host their web sites. Indev also offers free web site hosting for non-government organisations. It can also offer up to 10 email addresses to each NGO for communicating to their contacts around the world. This ambitious initiative also aims to build a partnership of NGOs in India that will be the first time such a thing is being attempted. Source: OneWorld