This short interview of Egyptian Blogger Alaa Abd El-Fatah clearly shows how important the internet has become in mobilising for political change.
"What we need now is a transition government anyway, not one that is going to last forever. Whoever comes after that is going to rule in mortal fear of the people. They are going to remember these scenes forever. So I don't think anyone is worried about who will rule. If we don't like them we will change them, if not through elections then through another revolt." - Alaa Abd El-Fatah
Showing posts with label Tech. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tech. Show all posts
Monday, January 31, 2011
Wednesday, December 08, 2010
Wikileaks - leaking power in the 21st century?
Power in the olden days was constituted by those who had the ability to muster means to make people comply to their wishes. The ability to hold life and death in one's hands, i.e. military might, was power. The acquisition of military power, in turn, meant being able to organise society in ways so as to extract economic surplus to fund war machines, which can then be deployed to engage in wars of expansion and the amassing of more wealth to fortify power-holders.
Naked displays of power are still apparent today. However, overt displays of violence and coercive force are now frowned upon, unless you are the preponderant hegemon (the United States). It is perhaps no accident that Julian Assange and the entire motive force animating Wikileaks have targetted the US in their 'exposes'. The 'US' is not so much a territorial entity here as an ideational construct representing who and how power is wielded in the world. Since entities such as Wikileaks cannot contest the 'US' in terms of the old definition of power, they find ways to diminish newer ways in which power is exercised today.
Naked displays of power are still apparent today. However, overt displays of violence and coercive force are now frowned upon, unless you are the preponderant hegemon (the United States). It is perhaps no accident that Julian Assange and the entire motive force animating Wikileaks have targetted the US in their 'exposes'. The 'US' is not so much a territorial entity here as an ideational construct representing who and how power is wielded in the world. Since entities such as Wikileaks cannot contest the 'US' in terms of the old definition of power, they find ways to diminish newer ways in which power is exercised today.
Tuesday, June 23, 2009
The De-politicizing Tendencies of the Hyperreal
As we spend many of our conscious hours in virtuality, there is a temptation to overstate the importance of goings-on in cyberspace. I say yes, swim in the text, but keep your head above the liquidity and the unmoored relativity of language.
Marocharim, in his posts The Slacker Effect and Mona Lisa Overdrive, questions the triumphalist tendencies of social media over the realm of the real. In a nutshell, he does not think that ‘cyberactivism’ is a substitute for agency in the real world. I will be the first to agree with him, but I do not think that agency in either world need be mutually exclusive. Isn’t the divide between the real and representation artificial? And do they not mutually bleed into each other?
But do let us acknowledge the de-politicizing tendencies Marocharim has pointed out. Here the battle is drawn between the Word and the Flesh - the materiality of modernity and the fluidity of postmodernity.
The debate between structuralists (modernists) and post-structuralists (postmodernists) is not new. The first rests on the certitude that there is truth to be known and all knowledge builds foundations to seek truth. Politics then proceeds from this quest. For example, it is true that that Democracy is a good way of governing a self-ascribed community. It is ‘good’ because it rests on principles of equality and justice. Equality and Justice are truths that rest on the material. They are universal values that must be sought and upheld by all humankind.
The second school has attempted to unravel many of the claims of the modern era. Post-structuralists argue that there is no truth – at least no single version of it. Democracy, at least the dominant version of it, they will argue, is a construct unique to the history of a specific place and time. The specificity which lays claim to universality is a dominating and destructive act. While the work of post-structuralists is useful in revealing the heretofore hidden modes of control and domination in knowledge, the uncertainty this has unleashed has destroyed many of the bases from which we as subjects act. If we are unsure about the values ‘equality’ and ‘justice’, whether it is good or bad given the specificity of this place, time and context, what would motivate us to act? What makes us political?
Another triumph of modernity is placing history in a linear continuum, thus the belief in ‘progress.’ One progresses from point A to point B to point C and so on. Implicit in progression is an assumption that point B, is ‘better’ than point A. Thus we can conclude that progress has eliminated slavery. Slavery is bad. Equality is good.
These are some controversies, for decades still unresolved, between the modern and the postmodern, between the Flesh and the Word.
So let us go back to the earlier problematic posed. Is agency or conscious action in the ocean of texts, that is, the cyberworld, a substitute for conscious action in the real world? Obviously not. It is good (see, I’m making a modernist argument here) to acknowledge the limits of cyberactivism. It is good to acknowledge that the Word will not, by itself, transform the world. A simple reality check will alert us to the fact (again a modern invention) that there are still places in this country with no electricity!
Before we become dispirited about the inherent limits of the Word, let us not forget those who read and write it. To read and write constitute conscious acts. To read and write about politics are political acts. But it is important to note that these are beginnings, not ends in themselves.
Marocharim, in his posts The Slacker Effect and Mona Lisa Overdrive, questions the triumphalist tendencies of social media over the realm of the real. In a nutshell, he does not think that ‘cyberactivism’ is a substitute for agency in the real world. I will be the first to agree with him, but I do not think that agency in either world need be mutually exclusive. Isn’t the divide between the real and representation artificial? And do they not mutually bleed into each other?
But do let us acknowledge the de-politicizing tendencies Marocharim has pointed out. Here the battle is drawn between the Word and the Flesh - the materiality of modernity and the fluidity of postmodernity.
The debate between structuralists (modernists) and post-structuralists (postmodernists) is not new. The first rests on the certitude that there is truth to be known and all knowledge builds foundations to seek truth. Politics then proceeds from this quest. For example, it is true that that Democracy is a good way of governing a self-ascribed community. It is ‘good’ because it rests on principles of equality and justice. Equality and Justice are truths that rest on the material. They are universal values that must be sought and upheld by all humankind.
The second school has attempted to unravel many of the claims of the modern era. Post-structuralists argue that there is no truth – at least no single version of it. Democracy, at least the dominant version of it, they will argue, is a construct unique to the history of a specific place and time. The specificity which lays claim to universality is a dominating and destructive act. While the work of post-structuralists is useful in revealing the heretofore hidden modes of control and domination in knowledge, the uncertainty this has unleashed has destroyed many of the bases from which we as subjects act. If we are unsure about the values ‘equality’ and ‘justice’, whether it is good or bad given the specificity of this place, time and context, what would motivate us to act? What makes us political?
Another triumph of modernity is placing history in a linear continuum, thus the belief in ‘progress.’ One progresses from point A to point B to point C and so on. Implicit in progression is an assumption that point B, is ‘better’ than point A. Thus we can conclude that progress has eliminated slavery. Slavery is bad. Equality is good.
These are some controversies, for decades still unresolved, between the modern and the postmodern, between the Flesh and the Word.
So let us go back to the earlier problematic posed. Is agency or conscious action in the ocean of texts, that is, the cyberworld, a substitute for conscious action in the real world? Obviously not. It is good (see, I’m making a modernist argument here) to acknowledge the limits of cyberactivism. It is good to acknowledge that the Word will not, by itself, transform the world. A simple reality check will alert us to the fact (again a modern invention) that there are still places in this country with no electricity!
Before we become dispirited about the inherent limits of the Word, let us not forget those who read and write it. To read and write constitute conscious acts. To read and write about politics are political acts. But it is important to note that these are beginnings, not ends in themselves.
Friday, February 06, 2009
Here Comes Everybody
Clay Shirky doesn't really say anything new in this LSE public lecture, but he neatly ties everything together in a bright red bow that will have you thinking, WOW.
EVERYBODY needs to hear this. You, your parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends, enemies, pets, pests, colleagues, everybody. And listen up to the very end. More interesting stuff in the Q&A.
From the event announcement:
"Clay Shirky, one of the new culture’s wisest observers, steer us through the online social explosion and ask what happens when people are given the tools to work together, without needing traditional organisational structures. As online communication becomes ubiquitous, Shirky unpicks fundamental issues that are increasingly the source of much debate in particular in the media, in business, and in government, all of whom are grappling to make sense of the new social revolution. He argues that the conundrum is not whether the spread of these social tools is good or bad, but rather what the impact will be, for better or for worse."
Ok, pass on.
EVERYBODY needs to hear this. You, your parents, siblings, aunts, uncles, cousins, neighbors, friends, enemies, pets, pests, colleagues, everybody. And listen up to the very end. More interesting stuff in the Q&A.
From the event announcement:
"Clay Shirky, one of the new culture’s wisest observers, steer us through the online social explosion and ask what happens when people are given the tools to work together, without needing traditional organisational structures. As online communication becomes ubiquitous, Shirky unpicks fundamental issues that are increasingly the source of much debate in particular in the media, in business, and in government, all of whom are grappling to make sense of the new social revolution. He argues that the conundrum is not whether the spread of these social tools is good or bad, but rather what the impact will be, for better or for worse."
Ok, pass on.
Friday, December 26, 2008
Vicious Cycles of Technological Underdevelopment
As some of you may know, I am currently scanning as many documents as possible. Uncluttering my home has lead to unearthing some nifty stuff - like my STS readings! I present the first entry under my 'fun with a scanner' label.
To help explain the diagram above, please refer to The Uncertain Quest: Science, Technology and Development.
To help explain the diagram above, please refer to The Uncertain Quest: Science, Technology and Development.
Thursday, August 21, 2008
philippines pussy - Hanapin sa Google
It has been over a year since my "Philippines as Open Pussy Country" post. My google search rank has been fluctuating, but as of today I am number two. Still no de-throning the "World Sex Guide" page. Lookie that. 2.5 million hits. Aside from my main page, the pussy post is the most popular of my pages.Hala sige. Methinks I will direct these foreign germs to Yvette Tan's short story (Seek Ye Whore - for those who read Rogue magazine) that so wonderfully captured the dynamics of modern sex slavery (among other masalimuot issues).
Monday, July 21, 2008
Infinitube
Highly recommended, mad genuis Luis' new webtoy - Infinitube. For those of us who have not watched TV in a looong time, and who would like background noise in the house. Infinitube plays continuous YouTube vids. Just enter a search word - and presto!
Tuesday, July 15, 2008
Is Google Making Us Stupid?
Yes Butch. In a way it is. Reading, unlike watching television, requires active engagement. It is difficult. It takes work. Back in the day, when people only had books, they probably took their time reading. Absorbing each turn of phrase, each idea. They had plenty more time to reflect.
Admittedly the ubiquity of information these days- terabytes of it - on the internet is making us concentrate less on reading one article or one website even. Probably because we know there's so much more information to be had out there. We want instant gratification. We want it. We need it now.
So, is the machine dumbing us down for that revolution which will take place some time in the future - humans versus artificial intelligence? Haha. Maybe so. Guy Billout of the Atlantic writes:
According to my library records, I took out 255 books last year. I find that if I only read PDFs, it is quite difficult to concentrate. But when I have a book on hand, it calls to me - it is warm and solid - unlike the coldness of my computer screen. For worrywarts who think they are getting dumber because of the net - just have a real book nearby. Your talisman to ward off the devil.
Admittedly the ubiquity of information these days- terabytes of it - on the internet is making us concentrate less on reading one article or one website even. Probably because we know there's so much more information to be had out there. We want instant gratification. We want it. We need it now.
So, is the machine dumbing us down for that revolution which will take place some time in the future - humans versus artificial intelligence? Haha. Maybe so. Guy Billout of the Atlantic writes:
The author admits to not having read a book in a while. Read the rest of the article - longish - and see if you can stick to it.But a recently published study of online research habits, conducted by scholars from University College London, suggests that we may well be in the midst of a sea change in the way we read and think. As part of the five-year research program, the scholars examined computer logs documenting the behavior of visitors to two popular research sites, one operated by the British Library and one by a U.K. educational consortium, that provide access to journal articles, e-books, and other sources of written information.
They found that people using the sites exhibited “a form of skimming activity,” hopping from one source to another and rarely returning to any source they’d already visited. They typically read no more than one or two pages of an article or book before they would “bounce” out to another site. Sometimes they’d save a long article, but there’s no evidence that they ever went back and actually read it.
According to my library records, I took out 255 books last year. I find that if I only read PDFs, it is quite difficult to concentrate. But when I have a book on hand, it calls to me - it is warm and solid - unlike the coldness of my computer screen. For worrywarts who think they are getting dumber because of the net - just have a real book nearby. Your talisman to ward off the devil.
Blog Readability
This might explain why there's only a couple of dozen of you who are regulars. Wahehe. Via Jego, apparently you need to be a genius to fully appreciate what I waste my time writing about. :)
What think you? Maybe I should start writing about celebrities...
Here are the results for some of my regular haunts.
Filipino Voices
Manolo Quezon
Aaaand. Apparently you need to be a genius to read Celebrity Gossip
What think you? Maybe I should start writing about celebrities...
Here are the results for some of my regular haunts.
Filipino Voices
Manolo Quezon
These results are probably not surprising, however keying in Resty's blog, this came up:
If you read Resty, I think you need to have graduated from high school and then some.
Jessica Zafra probably needs to start really blogging soon.
Aaaand. Apparently you need to be a genius to read Celebrity Gossip
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
Haloscan Gedemmit
I have solved the mystery of my missing header whenever I try to install haloscan on this new blogger system. I have my 1,415 comments of the past five years back! Apologies to those whose comments were lost in the past five months. Now the only problem is I can't seem to fix the damn header image - it keeps on spilling out of the damn border on the right. Any ideas?
ETA:
Nevermind. I fixed it. Yay!
ETA:
Nevermind. I fixed it. Yay!
Sunday, June 08, 2008
Weird Wired World
Over coffee and cake, my little brother's eyes light up as he waxes poetic about his internet shop and gaming. There is a real underworld of zombie players, from little babies to full grown adults, who answer to the siren call of joints like his. For the life of me I still cannot quite understand the attraction. I was never into gaming, the closest I got to addiction was playing the Sims, and I didn't really even play - I just liked building, designing and decorating houses.
Apparently this little underworld is a lifestyle of sorts. He jokingly talks about the cult which often congregates in the shop across his. The players who come to his place come in groups. It is a social thing - this gaming. Where before boys congregate in the plazas to play basketball, socialise and test their mettle as young men, these days they battle it out in front of flickering screens.
I have been witness to this ritualistic behaviour. It is rarely ever quiet, with a lot of good-natured heckling. There is an entire generation of young people out there whose idea of leisure involve hand-eye coordination and tremendous cognitive mapping skills. The popularity of online gaming is such that it has spawned a real industry. I still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that the virtual economies of games like DotA have spilled into reality. The fact that someone will actually shell out real money to purchase a virtual sword to be used in a virtual world is mind-boggling. I noted the same bizarre thing when I tried to send a virtual gift to a friend the other day on Facebook. The pink birthday cake cost $1 dollar. I thought the price tag was just there for kicks. Imagine my surprise when, upon clicking on the image, I am prompted for my credit card details.
Like the fuzzy world of high finance, there is real value created in the virtual. In the case of Facebook, the $1 dollar birthday cake's value rests not on its utility but on its representation. It carries with it symbolic value - a code that lets the receiver of the gift know that the sender values their friendship. The difference between 'real' gifts and the Facebook cake is that the entire set of friends networked around the two also know of this symbolic gesture. Oddly these kinds of symbolic exchanges mirror pre-modern practices. For example Papua New Guinean tribes' highly ritualistic pig festivals - from the animal's slaughter, preparation, cooking and finally how it is eaten - communicate to the entire tribe a multitude of things. It serves to emphasise hierarchy by apportioning the best parts to the perceived most powerful member of the tribe and worst bits to the least important. It serves to reaffirm kinship ties between and among members - kinships which are almost always based on real economic ties. In today's weird wired world, the same principles still operate. Symbolic exchange is still embedded in real economic losses and gains.
Apparently betting is quite popular in gaming. Throughout the years my little brother has invested quite a lot of his lunch money (and I suspect a number of his "lost" cellphones) in practice playing and bets. The Philippine gaming industry is not yet as developed as South Korea's - which can actually support professional gamers. I have heard of cases where there are actual fights and fatal injuries where players are unable to cough up the money.
My brother talked about hackers inflitrating RF online and infecting its entire virtual economy. When he launched into technobabble (something about .dlls and .tlls or some such thingamajiggy), I was obviously lost in translation. Apparently this hacker (or hackers) opened up a discussion board somewhere and leaked the holes in the game. He said he suspects this guy (or guys) may be seeking employment in the same company that runs the game as a security person. How anyone can secure employment by keying in codes is almost mystical to me.
I suppose just as mystical is achieving rockstardom via YouTube (hat tip to Butch). First was Charice Pempengco. Now here is Arnel Pineda's 'journey' told on CBS' morning news:
On the way home from our jog this morning we saw a bright bold sign on one of the corner stores. Along with the requisite tingi-tingi goods sold in the sari-sari, they now sell mp3s at 2 Pesos per song.
Apparently this little underworld is a lifestyle of sorts. He jokingly talks about the cult which often congregates in the shop across his. The players who come to his place come in groups. It is a social thing - this gaming. Where before boys congregate in the plazas to play basketball, socialise and test their mettle as young men, these days they battle it out in front of flickering screens.
I have been witness to this ritualistic behaviour. It is rarely ever quiet, with a lot of good-natured heckling. There is an entire generation of young people out there whose idea of leisure involve hand-eye coordination and tremendous cognitive mapping skills. The popularity of online gaming is such that it has spawned a real industry. I still can't quite wrap my head around the fact that the virtual economies of games like DotA have spilled into reality. The fact that someone will actually shell out real money to purchase a virtual sword to be used in a virtual world is mind-boggling. I noted the same bizarre thing when I tried to send a virtual gift to a friend the other day on Facebook. The pink birthday cake cost $1 dollar. I thought the price tag was just there for kicks. Imagine my surprise when, upon clicking on the image, I am prompted for my credit card details.
Like the fuzzy world of high finance, there is real value created in the virtual. In the case of Facebook, the $1 dollar birthday cake's value rests not on its utility but on its representation. It carries with it symbolic value - a code that lets the receiver of the gift know that the sender values their friendship. The difference between 'real' gifts and the Facebook cake is that the entire set of friends networked around the two also know of this symbolic gesture. Oddly these kinds of symbolic exchanges mirror pre-modern practices. For example Papua New Guinean tribes' highly ritualistic pig festivals - from the animal's slaughter, preparation, cooking and finally how it is eaten - communicate to the entire tribe a multitude of things. It serves to emphasise hierarchy by apportioning the best parts to the perceived most powerful member of the tribe and worst bits to the least important. It serves to reaffirm kinship ties between and among members - kinships which are almost always based on real economic ties. In today's weird wired world, the same principles still operate. Symbolic exchange is still embedded in real economic losses and gains.
Apparently betting is quite popular in gaming. Throughout the years my little brother has invested quite a lot of his lunch money (and I suspect a number of his "lost" cellphones) in practice playing and bets. The Philippine gaming industry is not yet as developed as South Korea's - which can actually support professional gamers. I have heard of cases where there are actual fights and fatal injuries where players are unable to cough up the money.
My brother talked about hackers inflitrating RF online and infecting its entire virtual economy. When he launched into technobabble (something about .dlls and .tlls or some such thingamajiggy), I was obviously lost in translation. Apparently this hacker (or hackers) opened up a discussion board somewhere and leaked the holes in the game. He said he suspects this guy (or guys) may be seeking employment in the same company that runs the game as a security person. How anyone can secure employment by keying in codes is almost mystical to me.
I suppose just as mystical is achieving rockstardom via YouTube (hat tip to Butch). First was Charice Pempengco. Now here is Arnel Pineda's 'journey' told on CBS' morning news:
On the way home from our jog this morning we saw a bright bold sign on one of the corner stores. Along with the requisite tingi-tingi goods sold in the sari-sari, they now sell mp3s at 2 Pesos per song.
Saturday, May 17, 2008
Wired
Because I have been gone for a while, I see everything with new eyes. Every day is a re-discovery, some things have surprised me, some continue to disgust. The other day, while waiting for my mom's friend (at Starmall on Shaw), a few things struck me. One, that Filipinas are really a good-looking lot. Maybe I have been around too many Caucasians that the 'novelty' of their exoticness has worn off. Filipinas are gorgeous. And we come in different hues and shapes. Damn. I think I'd been hanging out with a few too many lesbians on campus. Haha.
My first four days were partially spent in four different malls. Imagine that. They are inescapable. They are there so we have no choice but go to them. Life in this city revolve around going to them, for various purposes - to relax, to get the necessities, to meet people. Which drives home the point that whatever economic growth this megalopolis is probably consumption driven. Jesus. One only need look at the urban landscape, the billbaords, the glossy magazines and newspapers that all we are here for is to work and then consume. Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast, supposedly Queensland's largest shopping centre, is probably as large as Powerplant Mall and a lot uglier. And only 2 floors! Remember this conversation I had with a British cabbie back on the Gold Coast? SM Mall of Asia drove them nuts. Our shopping culture is unparalleled, and our malls...I never saw anything comparable in Melbourne or Sydney. Probably the closest in terms of 'chicness' is Southgate (in Melbourne), but it was tiny. One would think we had lots and lots of money. All those people milling around in malls....is there nothing else to do? Nowhere else to go?
Ah basta. From next week, I will stick to the once-a-week in a mall rule. Today and tomorrow don't count because I need to do some 'getting back home' shopping for myself, my mom and our home.
Another mind-boggling thing is the SPEED with which my wifi connection was installed. I went to SM North to apply for the service. All I needed was P999 and my driver's license. I went to the Smart Centre around 3h30. The whole business was completed in 30 minutes. I got a call around 5h saying the installers would come the day after from 3h-5hpm. The day after, they actually came earlier at 10h30. Imagine that!! A wifi connection in less than 24 hours! I remember a decade and a half ago, we waited years(!) to get a PLDT landline. Jesus. Is this a sign of the times?
This country is wired. The latest in gadgets - mobile phones, computing, anything tech-related, we probably have it. I was afraid the wifi speeds would be incredibly slow. But it isn't so bad. The same as my uni during peak weeks. I compare these little tech shops in the shopping centres on the GC to the labyrinthine 'cyberzones' of our malls. Absolutely incomparable. And our internet cafes and shops.....they are peppered all around the metro. Butch was also saying that during their shoot in this far-flung town in Samar, their American crew was surprised that they had an internet shop...which was always full.
We have had a brief sampling of the ramifications of new media in our social lives. My communications professor back in Bond mentioned the "text-power" unleashed during Erap's time. But that was seven years ago. This is now. 24 million internet users in this year alone. A nation young and wired to the teeth. Imagine the possibilities.
My first four days were partially spent in four different malls. Imagine that. They are inescapable. They are there so we have no choice but go to them. Life in this city revolve around going to them, for various purposes - to relax, to get the necessities, to meet people. Which drives home the point that whatever economic growth this megalopolis is probably consumption driven. Jesus. One only need look at the urban landscape, the billbaords, the glossy magazines and newspapers that all we are here for is to work and then consume. Pacific Fair on the Gold Coast, supposedly Queensland's largest shopping centre, is probably as large as Powerplant Mall and a lot uglier. And only 2 floors! Remember this conversation I had with a British cabbie back on the Gold Coast? SM Mall of Asia drove them nuts. Our shopping culture is unparalleled, and our malls...I never saw anything comparable in Melbourne or Sydney. Probably the closest in terms of 'chicness' is Southgate (in Melbourne), but it was tiny. One would think we had lots and lots of money. All those people milling around in malls....is there nothing else to do? Nowhere else to go?
Ah basta. From next week, I will stick to the once-a-week in a mall rule. Today and tomorrow don't count because I need to do some 'getting back home' shopping for myself, my mom and our home.
Another mind-boggling thing is the SPEED with which my wifi connection was installed. I went to SM North to apply for the service. All I needed was P999 and my driver's license. I went to the Smart Centre around 3h30. The whole business was completed in 30 minutes. I got a call around 5h saying the installers would come the day after from 3h-5hpm. The day after, they actually came earlier at 10h30. Imagine that!! A wifi connection in less than 24 hours! I remember a decade and a half ago, we waited years(!) to get a PLDT landline. Jesus. Is this a sign of the times?
This country is wired. The latest in gadgets - mobile phones, computing, anything tech-related, we probably have it. I was afraid the wifi speeds would be incredibly slow. But it isn't so bad. The same as my uni during peak weeks. I compare these little tech shops in the shopping centres on the GC to the labyrinthine 'cyberzones' of our malls. Absolutely incomparable. And our internet cafes and shops.....they are peppered all around the metro. Butch was also saying that during their shoot in this far-flung town in Samar, their American crew was surprised that they had an internet shop...which was always full.
We have had a brief sampling of the ramifications of new media in our social lives. My communications professor back in Bond mentioned the "text-power" unleashed during Erap's time. But that was seven years ago. This is now. 24 million internet users in this year alone. A nation young and wired to the teeth. Imagine the possibilities.
Friday, March 14, 2008
I Support the Campaign for the Freedom of Access to Information Law
Via Manolo, please support Team RP's advocacy.
Please go over to Team RP's blog and find instructions on how you can support the passage of this bill.
Here's to vital public information made more accessible to civil society. Here's to our democracy. And here's to more PDFs for download! :)
Read also:
Information, What do with Information?
Philipping Blogging Class Consciousness
Civilising Philippine Politics
From the de Venecia-Lozada expose, the Hello Garci scandal, and the Spratlys mind-boggler to the North and South Rail questions, events of the recent past clearly highlight how very little we know about the workings of our government, how much difficulty is involved in getting truth to come out and how, albeit fundamental in any republican and democratic state that the government is accountable to the public, we Filipinos are in reality denied direct access to our government institutions and our public servants. As a country that prides itself with democracy, it strikes us with a disquieting reality that we Filipinos have no real access to information to empower us to properly and actively participate in governance.
We in TEAM RP believe that in order for there to be a responsible citizenry that can actively and meaningfully craft the future of the country, there is a need to give teeth to the policy of full public disclosure and the right of the people to be informed as contained in the fundamental law of the land. Moreover, we are aware that if people, especially those who have been bypassed by development, are unaware of laws and procedures for availing themselves of their entitlements or of mechanisms they can use to remedy their plight, then they will always remain poor.
Please go over to Team RP's blog and find instructions on how you can support the passage of this bill.
Here's to vital public information made more accessible to civil society. Here's to our democracy. And here's to more PDFs for download! :)
Read also:
Information, What do with Information?
Philipping Blogging Class Consciousness
Civilising Philippine Politics
Wednesday, March 05, 2008
Information, What to do with Information?
For the first time in my life I have access to a 54Mbps internet connection everyday. Can you imagine how much information I have at the tips of my fingers? How much information I have to process every time I log on? I am supposed to be working on 3 separate papers right now. My brain goes off on tangents because of the abundance of information available - and the abundance of information I need to filter and process. I seriously feel my brain is going on overload. Either that or my neurons are depreciating. Probably both.
Before I came here, I may have had at most 300 PDFs on my computer. Now I probably have 3,000, if not more. Each time I do research, I log on and if you know where to look, you can have access to anything you need. The European Union alone has hundreds upon hundreds of policy documents freely downloadable online for the whole world to peruse.
Our government site has links to the different branches and offices. The POEA has a decent collection of official data online. The PIDS has also been an invaluable source. Congress also has a nifty website, and you can search bills passed by topic or who authored them. This was information not readily available to just anyone 10 years ago. Now anyone who cares to go to an internet cafe and cough up P20/hour will be able to access them. When you look up information and you're not sure about a word or concept, you just go to Wikipedia!
There will be 24 million internet users in the Philippines this year. Up by ten million from two years ago. How many will there be by 2010? 34 million? More? We Filipinos certainly love our media. We are wired to the teeth. And because most of us are Anglophone, we can manage to wade through cyberspace. Now, if only we would devote some of our net time not playing online games. Imagine the possibilities.
Read also:
Social (Cyber)spaces
Before I came here, I may have had at most 300 PDFs on my computer. Now I probably have 3,000, if not more. Each time I do research, I log on and if you know where to look, you can have access to anything you need. The European Union alone has hundreds upon hundreds of policy documents freely downloadable online for the whole world to peruse.
Our government site has links to the different branches and offices. The POEA has a decent collection of official data online. The PIDS has also been an invaluable source. Congress also has a nifty website, and you can search bills passed by topic or who authored them. This was information not readily available to just anyone 10 years ago. Now anyone who cares to go to an internet cafe and cough up P20/hour will be able to access them. When you look up information and you're not sure about a word or concept, you just go to Wikipedia!
There will be 24 million internet users in the Philippines this year. Up by ten million from two years ago. How many will there be by 2010? 34 million? More? We Filipinos certainly love our media. We are wired to the teeth. And because most of us are Anglophone, we can manage to wade through cyberspace. Now, if only we would devote some of our net time not playing online games. Imagine the possibilities.
Read also:
Social (Cyber)spaces
Monday, February 18, 2008
Bye Bye Haloscan
I have valiantly tried to re-install Haloscan to this new Blogger system to no avail. For someone who knows diddly squat about computer languages, I am at a loss as to how to fix the thing. I was with Blogger pre-Google days, and like most of us, had to make do with a third party for commenting. Hence, I have been with Haloscan since the very beginning and I have literally hundreds of comments archived. Since I am a free member, I cannot export my comments to Blogger. There are ways and means I know, but I am too lazy to fight the system. A system telling me I need to switch to Blogger's commenting system now. Damn you Google, for running the world.
Saturday, February 02, 2008
Under Construction
My blog celebrates her fifth birthday this month and I haven't fiddled with my layout in a while. She's begging for a makeover, so you'll be seeing some changes these coming days. I've been reluctant to switch to Blogger's new template system...but I'm finally taking a leap. Wish me luck!
ETA:
I cannot figure out how to put haloscan back in, so until I do, I'm making do with Blogger's own commenting system. Anywho, I'd appreciate some feedback. :)
ETA:
I cannot figure out how to put haloscan back in, so until I do, I'm making do with Blogger's own commenting system. Anywho, I'd appreciate some feedback. :)
Tuesday, August 07, 2007
GMA's NBN: White Elephant?
The editorial of Inquirer today questions whether GMA's National Broadband Network project is another white elephant.
Dave Llorito writes:
The questions over the lack of transparency now makes me re-think the debate over Australia's similarly named National Broadband Network. The infrastructure project is aimed at linking the hinterlands to the coastal cities and the world. I remember how I found it quaint how the Australian parliament's debate was broadcast live on national TV. I remember how I found it funny that these law makers were literally debating over the nuts and bolts, adapters, cables, routers - and of course which company gets the deal. Well, I don't find it funny now.
The intention may be good, but the means being used to carry out the two projects are questionable. In the first place, is there need for them? Two professors of the University of the Philippines (UP) School of Economics -- Dean Raul V. Fabella and Prof. Emmanuel S. de Dios -- have answered no. They say that the government does not need to own a broadband backbone, much less two, because two are already in existence and are being operated by private firms: one by Philippine Long Distance Telephone Co., the other by its competitors.Economists Fabella and De Dios's position paper can be read here.
Dave Llorito writes:
We agree with the professors’ call, especially in the case of the NBN. It was apparently negotiated in utmost secrecy with the Chinese government; and, with the subsequent “loss” of the signed contracts in a hotel room in China, the hush-hush deal seems to have the makings of another scam that could push this country into another cycle of economically destructive political spasms.
The questions over the lack of transparency now makes me re-think the debate over Australia's similarly named National Broadband Network. The infrastructure project is aimed at linking the hinterlands to the coastal cities and the world. I remember how I found it quaint how the Australian parliament's debate was broadcast live on national TV. I remember how I found it funny that these law makers were literally debating over the nuts and bolts, adapters, cables, routers - and of course which company gets the deal. Well, I don't find it funny now.
Monday, August 06, 2007
The Blogging Class Consciousness
Arbet mulls over political blogs and how they were under-represented in the top lists. I think the hullabaloo over blogging "top lists" and "awards" is a good thing. It's a sign that the Pinoy blogosphere is not only growing but acknowledging each other as part of a community. We're probably a teeny-weeny minority of the Filipino people, but the ideas I've read out there are outstanding. I know I've been both inspired and encouraged by other bloggers. I suppose a sort of synergy is happening.
I've been blogging for quite a while, and like most early blogs, I did so for personal reasons. I suppose my archives reflect the evolution of my interests and persuasions. I don't think young bloggers are apolitical, I think they are concerned, but Philippine politics really can be exhausting. Its depressing having to think and write about how bad things are all the time.
I agree with Arbet, on just how influential Manolo's blog is. Most of my links, I found over at The Daily Dose. The other thing I like about the Pinoy blogosphere is how it is completely democratic. It doesn't matter who or what bloggers are, it doesn't matter their age. It doesn't even matter where they are! All that matters are their words and ideas. And we're all doing this (mostly) for free!
The blogging class consciousness is being borne out of this new social (cybers)space. 10 years from now, who knows what we can do out of this?
I've been blogging for quite a while, and like most early blogs, I did so for personal reasons. I suppose my archives reflect the evolution of my interests and persuasions. I don't think young bloggers are apolitical, I think they are concerned, but Philippine politics really can be exhausting. Its depressing having to think and write about how bad things are all the time.
I agree with Arbet, on just how influential Manolo's blog is. Most of my links, I found over at The Daily Dose. The other thing I like about the Pinoy blogosphere is how it is completely democratic. It doesn't matter who or what bloggers are, it doesn't matter their age. It doesn't even matter where they are! All that matters are their words and ideas. And we're all doing this (mostly) for free!
The blogging class consciousness is being borne out of this new social (cybers)space. 10 years from now, who knows what we can do out of this?
Thursday, July 26, 2007
Bloggers Unite!
I'd like to thank Jego for recommending me on his blog. To pay it forward, I'd like to recommend Philippines Without Borders (Dave Llorito) if you haven't discovered him already. I think I found him at Mlq3. Many thanks to Manolo, for always being on the look out for great reads.
Also, I'm a recent convert to Google Reader!!! It makes it so much easier to keep track of new posts from blogs. We must link. We must network. Pinoy bloggers unite!
Also, I'm a recent convert to Google Reader!!! It makes it so much easier to keep track of new posts from blogs. We must link. We must network. Pinoy bloggers unite!
Thursday, April 19, 2007
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)