[Philly] Internet for Everyone[

suggested by Bryan, re-posted from MediaMobilizing.org

The Internet for Everyone: Digital Philadelphia
by Todd Wolfson and Hannah Sassaman, 07/08/09

PHILADELPHIA is lining up for a race with a big prize - tens of millions in stimulus money to expand Internet access. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act has authorized $7.2 billion for broadband programs, with everything from tricking out community centers with high-speed lines to mapping broadband availability already on the table as fundable programs.

The other day in Erie, Vice President Biden announced the guidelines, and set a 45-day window for the first round of applications, closing Aug. 14. That's especially exciting for us, since only about 50 percent of Philadelphians have daily Internet access and even fewer have access at home.

With all the economic problems the city and the country face, why has the administration prioritized the Internet? As Biden said, these grants are "a first step toward realizing President Obama's vision of a nationwide 21st century communications infrastructure - one that encourages economic growth, enhances America's global competitiveness and helps address many of America's most pressing challenges."

With Internet access, low-income families can access jobs, young people can create media about their lives and neighborhoods, small businesses can innovate and develop, and communities can take greater part in government. Access to broadband communication gives poor people power that they need more than ever.

It's great that we have a chance at money to build a communications system that serves everyone. But the feds are being very careful about how that money gets used. "Service" can't just mean that Verizon will come to your home and install a line for a monthly fee many can't afford. It will mean training, hardware and the leadership to get people online in real ways.

That's why the National Telecommunications and Information Administration is looking hard at the applications. It isn't just big corporations or shiny ideas that will walk away with these dollars - the more community engagement the NTIA sees, the better the chances of getting the cash.

But Philly is ready. Our chief information officer, Allan Frank, deserves credit for leading the most open process in the country when it comes to designing the city's application for broadband stimulus. A series of conversations with community groups and institutional leaders, launched with an all-day meeting on June 23, will lead to an application designed by everyone from high school students to shelter managers and community organizers.

The results from that meeting will be used by the city and a partner coalition of digital-inclusion specialists to design a winning bid. The communities who need the broadband connectivity are working with the city to design the plan to get it - this is bold thinking Mayor Nutter should fully support.

Only a few things can trip up the city now. Philly is standing at the starting line with other national competitors for this money: city and county governments, tech companies, community groups. The city will win big if it keeps its plan to solve the problem of the digital divide for low-income and disenfranchised communities.

To do that, the city must keep community groups at the table in a real way and the grantwriting process transparent. Other cities (San Francisco, Seattle, Boston) are building networks to conduct major city services and business, to provide public safety and help poor people get online. Now it's our turn.

We have a chance to build a city where everyone has Internet access. If we keep communities at the table and support our CIO, we can change how Philadelphians communicate, for good.

Todd Wolfson represents the Media Mobilizing Project and Hannah Sassaman the Digital Justice Coalition.

[Cornwall] Youtube Helps Man Deliver Baby

suggested by Lewis, re-posted from BBC News

Youtube Helps Man Deliver Baby, 05/01/09

An engineer in Cornwall delivered his baby son after watching a instructional video on YouTube.

Marc Stephens watched the videos as a precaution when his wife Jo started to feel some discomfort.

Four hours later, his wife went into labour and started giving birth before an ambulance could arrive at their home in Redruth.

"I Googled how to deliver a baby, watched a few videos and basically swotted up," Mr Stephens told the BBC.

Jo Stephens said they had planned a home birth, but not quite in this manner.

"I woke up and realised I was having contractions every five minutes," Mrs Stephens said.

"I woke Marc up and we phoned the midwife, but they were all so busy they couldn't come round to our house and told us to call an ambulance. But before it arrived, it all started."

A few hours earlier, Mr Stephens has been reading up on home births and how to cope with anything unexpected.

"The videos gave me peace of mind. I think I would have coped, but watching videos made things much easier."

Mr Stephens said his wife was on all fours when he saw the head starting to come out.

"This is our fourth child now and while for our first I spent most of the time at my wife's head, now I'm not afraid to go down to the business end.

"I was still on the phone to the midwife and told her that 'this is it'," he said.

Mr Stephens said he felt no panic, putting his ability to stay calm down to his Royal Navy training.

After delivering the 5lbs 5oz boy, Gabriel, the Stephens went to the Royal Cornwall Hospital at Treliske, where both mother and baby got a clean bill of health.

[internet] Day Zero: Home of the 1001 Day Project

This website, Day Zero, encourages people to make a list of 101 things that they want to accomplish in 1001 days (roughly 2.75 years). The mission statement of Day Zero is "A unique meme that challenges and inspires you to set and complete realistic goals in life." The project encourages you to ask yourself:

"1. Who do I love, and what am I doing about it?
2. Am I pursuing my dream, or is fear* stopping me?
3. Am I doing something that matters?
4. What am I doing to help others?
5. Am I as good a person as I want to be?
6. What am I doing to live life with passion, health and energy?"

*We could problematize this question. Regardless, I think the project is quite worthwhile. I hope you check it out and maybe even give it a whirl.

Visit Day Zero here: www.dayzeroproject.com

[NC] Small town of Wilson tells Time Warner to Suck It

re-posted from Consumerist.com

Time Warner Cable Cannot Possibly Compete With the Small City of Wilson, NC
By Meg Macro, 04/23/09

The city of Wilson, NC was tired of high internet, cable, and telephone prices, so they decided to do something about it. They started their own, city-owned, ISP. Now Time Warner Cable and Embarq have teamed up to convince North Carolina's legislature to propose bills outlawing community owned ISPs because the big guys cannot possibly compete.

We can see why they are worried. Wilson's ISP sounds great. It's an all fiber optic network that has 81 basic cable channels, 10 Mbps (download and upload), and a digital phone plan with unlimited long distance to the U.S. and Canada, all for $99.95, says Daily Tech. A comparable TWC package would cost $137.95, for an introductory rate.

Now Wilson's ISP, which calls itself "Greenlight" has started a blog to protest the legislation. Here's an excerpt:

"My name is Brian Bowman. I'm the Public Affairs Manager for the City of Wilson, NC, and I'll bet my broadband is faster than yours. I have a 10Mbps up/down connection at my house. Can't get half that from the cable company. I buy it directly from the City of Wilson. After less than a year of residential service, almost 3,000 Wilson citizens are subscribing to Wilson's fiber optic network. Local businesses can get up to one Gbps. Local homes get up to 100 Mbps. We call it Greenlight. NC Senate Bill 1004 and House Bill 1252 would change the law to stop cities from providing broadband. The bills say they "Level the Playing Field" but they are designed to protect cable monopolies in our state. The cable company told me Wilson would be exempt, but it's still wrong for NC."

[Maryland] Rare Jewish Sun Blessing

re-posted from NPR: All Things Considered

With Rare Sun Blessing, Jews Marvel At Creation
by Barbara Bradley Hagerty, 04/08/09

Passover, or the annual celebration of Jews' exodus from Egypt, began Wednesday. This year, it's a once-in-a-generation event.

It coincides with the Birkat Hachamah — the "Blessing of the Sun" — a celebration that occurs every 28 years, when the sun is in a precise location in the sky.

To mark the occasion, a group of religious Jews gathered for a 7 a.m. standing-room-only service at the Chabad Lubavitch house in Gaithersburg, Md. Men wearing prayer shawls chanted from the Talmud before moving outside into the soft early light. It was time for a special blessing.

"Raise your hand if you did this either in 1953 or 1981. Anybody?" asked Rabbi Sholom Raichik.

Raichik surveyed the crowd of 100 men and women, and only a half-dozen hands went up. It's not surprising, since the blessing of the sun is so infrequent. He directed them to face east, punctuating the Psalms with explanations.

According to Talmudic tradition, on Wednesday morning the sun was at the exact position in the skies as it was the moment the Earth was created — 5,769 years ago. It's a complicated calculation. And after some description, the rabbi defaulted to modern technology.

"If you want to know what that means, our Web site has an audio of the class that explains that," he said.

Of course, at the last Blessing of the Sun, there were no Web sites, no cell phones, no text messages. It's a remarkable shift for Meir Shamoulian, who passed the previous blessing in Iran.

"Everything changing — but still sun is there, and universe is there, everything is as same as a long time ago, million years ago," Shamoulian said. "The nation is same thing. They make something new — Internet, telephone or something else. But still you're in the same world. God cannot be changed, and also the universe cannot be changed."

Shamoulian's 21-year-old-son, Moshe, says technology highlights the astounding precision of God's creation.

"And like, there are so many pictures that the Hubble telescope can capture — it's just miraculous," Moshe Shamoulian said. "So we say the blessing not only on the sun but on everything, really, like the entire universe. That God made such a beautiful universe."

Back in 1981, Rabbi Raichik was a 17-year-old yeshiva student. Today, he has a wife and eight children. He notes that the last time around, the Soviet Union, or what he calls the "evil empire," was America's major rival. President Ronald Reagan had just been shot. And word of the sun blessing ceremony got out by letter and word of mouth. But today, it's a different mode of communication.

"How did I get the word out? I didn't mail a piece of information out for this at all," Raichik says. "There was no mailing; there was e-mails and notifications and e-mail templates. One person creates it and another person posts it and you share your ideas. The world is obviously a much smaller place than it was back then."

And, he thinks, a safer place. As for his wife, Hanna, she looks forward to the next Blessing of the Sun in 2037.

"God willing, we'll all be in Jerusalem," Hanna says. "God willing, we should have total peace in the world, and the Messiah should be here and there should be total peace in the world. And life will be very good for everybody."

In the meantime, they'll immortalize the occasion with a photo — which they are posting online.

[U.S.] Obama to Reverse Ban on Stem Cell Research

re-posted from NPR

Obama To Reverse Funding Ban On Stem Cell Work
by The Associated Press, 03-06-09

President Barack Obama is expected to sign an executive order on Monday reversing restrictions on federal funding of embryonic stem cell research.

The long-expected move is likely to stir up not only the promise of scientific breakthrough, but also the controversy over where government crosses a moral line.

Obama will hold an event at the White House to announce the move, a senior administration official said Friday. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because the policy had not yet been publicly announced.

Under President George W. Bush, federal money for research on human embryonic stems cells was limited to those stem cell lines that were created before Aug. 9, 2001. No federal dollars could be used on research with cell lines from embryos destroyed from that point forward.

Obama's move is expected to lift that restriction. The official said the aim of the policy is to restore "scientific integrity" to the process.

Embryonic stem cells are master cells that can morph into any cell of the body. Scientists hope to harness them so they can create replacement tissues to treat a variety of diseases — such as new insulin-producing cells for diabetics or new nerve connections to restore movement after spinal injury.

"I feel vindicated after eight years of struggle, and I know it's going to energize my research team," said Dr. George Daley of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Children's Hospital of Boston, a leading stem cell researcher.

Such research is controversial because embryos must be destroyed to obtain the cells; they typically are culled from fertility-clinic leftovers otherwise destined to be thrown away.

Once a group of stem cells is culled, it can be kept alive and propagating in lab dishes for years.

There are different types of stem cells, and critics say the nation should pursue alternatives to embryonic ones such as adult stem cells, or those found floating in amniotic fluid or the placenta. But leading researchers consider embryonic stem cells the most flexible, and thus most promising, form; they say that science, not politics, should ultimately judge.

"Science works best and patients are served best by having all the tools at our disposal," Daley said.

Obama made it clear during the campaign he would overturn Bush's directive.

During the campaign, Obama said, "I strongly support expanding research on stem cells. I believe that the restrictions that President Bush has placed on funding of human embryonic stem cell research have handcuffed our scientists and hindered our ability to compete with other nations."

He said he would lift Bush's ban and "ensure that all research on stem cells is conducted ethically and with rigorous oversight."

"Patients and people who've been patient advocates are going to be really happy," said Amy Comstock Rick of the Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research.

The ruling will bring one immediate change: As of Monday, scientists who've had to meticulously keep separate their federally funded research and their privately funded stem cell work — from buying separate microscopes to even setting up labs in different buildings — won't have that expensive hurdle anymore.

Next, scientists can start applying for research grants from the National Institutes of Health. The NIH already has begun writing guidelines for what embryonic stem cell lines will qualify under Obama's ruling. Among other things, the guidelines are expected to demand that the cells were derived with proper informed consent from the woman or couple who donated the original embryo.

[U.S.] Typewriters Endure In The Digital Age

re-posted from NPR: Morning Edition

QWERTY Love: Typewriters Endure In The Digital Age, 03/02/09
by Susan Stamberg

Long ago, before the advent of cell phones and texting, typing was done with all 10 fingers — not just two thumbs. Those were the days of clackety machines of communication called typewriters. Those days aren't totally gone. In the heart of California's Silicon Valley, business is still clacking.

John Sansone's shop on State Street in Los Altos is officially called Los Altos Typewriter and Business Machines. But you won't see the word "Typewriter" in the name on the front window. Sansone took it off to make the business sound more contemporary, and because some customers were giving him a hard time.

Even though he mostly fixes fax machines and printers nowadays, typewriters still need his attention.

Offices continue to use typewriters for certain things, Sansone says. If you want to address an envelope or create a label in triplicate, it's sometimes faster and easier on a typewriter. But you have to hunt and peck just to find the machines.

"They used to be on everyone's desk, but now they're next to the microwave, or they're in a little corner," he says.

Sansone also has regular customers who use typewriters. One of them arrives on a walker, with her white hair neatly permed and her typewriter carried by a friend. When asked what's wrong with it, she replies, "Everything."

Esther Johnson, 103, lives in an assisted living facility nearby. There aren't many places left where she can take her electric typewriter, which she bought from her son when he purchased a computer.

"I've always liked the typewriter, always," Johnson says. "I've been typing since I'm 14 years old."

Sansone can't find anything wrong with her typewriter except that it's out of correction paper. He replaces it, no charge, and Johnson leaves the shop a happy customer.

Sansone also fixes up typewriters that people find in their parents' and grandparents' garages. "Nobody ever threw them away, and they want to keep it in the family," Sansone says. He also repairs quite a few old typewriters that people bought on eBay and arrive in bad shape or broken from shipping.

The shop also sells typewriters that Sansone finds and refurbishes. They're mostly old manuals, "preferably cute, interesting looking," he says. "Seriously, that's more important than how they function." Sansone says the manual models have become very attractive to young people who want to be writers.

The bulk of these typewriters are bought by high school and college students. "Most of the feedback I get is, on a computer you have the screen staring back at you, and it inhibits their creative process," he says. "Two people said, on a computer it's too easy to delete things. And a lot of times, you change something and you can't get it back."

Sansone has a few portable Corona No. 3s, circa the 1920s, with flip-down carriages for easy carrying; these were popular with reporters of the day. There's also an Oliver No. 9, circa 1920, with its crazy looking U-shaped, upright typebars, as well as old Underwoods, Royals and Remingtons.

One of Sansone's customers, Alok Arora, bought a 1930 gleaming red Remington portable for his daughter last December for her 16th birthday. "My wife said, 'Look on eBay,' but I am a person who needs to feel the typewriter," says Arora.

His daughter, Ish, loves her Remington: "It's nice to write in silence, and the only thing I hear is the sound of the keys." It was difficult getting used to writing on the typewriter, Ish says, "because obviously you have to press the keys a bit harder. But now I've gotten used to it."

She named her typewriter Pasha, after a character in one of her favorite novels, Doctor Zhivago. Although Ish admits the character is quite despicable, the name intrigues her. She keeps Pasha on a plain wooden desk in a quiet room.

"I feel like when I step into this room and I start to type on Pasha, it's kind of escaping my everyday life, and I can immerse myself in the words," she says.

Ish, a high school sophomore, does all her homework on a laptop but writes poetry on her Remington. She's also used it to write letters to her friends. "They were ecstatic to actually receive a letter in the mail from a typewriter."

Arora, who works for a computer data storage company called NetApp, says he's contemplating buying an old manual for himself. He's inspecting an old Royal and another Remington. "It's a paradox being in the forefront of technology, and here I am working with the typewriter, which was made about 90 years ago."

It might be a paradox, but a number of Silicon Valley computer folks have bought typewriters from Sansone. Sure, they miss the spell-check and save keys, but they like seeing how machines work. They like the sounds. They even like X-ing out words instead of hitting a delete key. And, Arora says, there's something else.

"It shows you the journey, how you arrived. That is where we miss with the latest technology — you miss the process," he says. "To me, the journey is more important than the destination."

Sansone says he doesn't know how long this fascination with the old manuals will last. But the business has had a good, long ride. His father, John Sr., bought it in 1967 when there was high demand for people who could fix typewriters. His father had three mechanics working for him, and other part-timers.

Sansone and his sister Peggy inherited the business from their father in the 1980s and ran it together for 20 years. She moved to Seattle in September, leaving Sansone the sole owner and sole employee of Los Altos (Typewriter And) Business Machines.

How does he feel? Maybe a bit like the lonely Maytag repairman.

[Indiana] Bloomington Security Camera Map Launched

re-posted from AnarchistNews.Org

Bloomington Security Camera Map Launched, 02-24-09

We're excited to announce the launching of the Bloomington Security Camera Map. It can be found at http://bloomingtonsecuritycameras.com . We hope there will be a number of print versions in various locations in Bloomington within in the next couple of weeks.

This project is intended to bring into the public consciousness the level to which we are observed and monitored, to help those who don't want to be seen stay hidden, and to inspire action to dismantle the policing and surveillance mechanisms that are ruining our communities.....

Please send any questions, comments, critiques or other such comments to admin@bloomingtonsecuritycameras.com.

[TX] Hackers Crack Road Sign, Warn of Zombies Ahead

Apologies for not updating in so long, I had a rough start back at school.

suggested by Corey, re-posted from FoxNews, 01/29/09

Transportation officials in Texas are scrambling to prevent hackers from changing messages on digital road signs after one sign in Austin was altered to read, "Zombies Ahead."

Chris Lippincott, director of media relations for the Texas Department of Transportation, confirmed that a portable traffic sign at Lamar Boulevard and West 15th Street, near the University of Texas at Austin, was hacked into during the early hours of Jan. 19.

"It was clever, kind of cute, but not what it was intended for," said Lippincott, who saw the sign during his morning commute. "Those signs are deployed for a reason — to improve traffic conditions, let folks know there's a road closure."

"It's sort of amusing, but not at all helpful," he told FOXNews.com.

Tampering with portable road signs is illegal and potentially dangerous to drivers. It is a misdemeanor in Texas, with penalties ranging from fines to potential jail time.

Lippincott said the hacked sign — manufactured by IMAGO — is owned and operated by the city of Austin. Texas Department of Transportation signs have not been affected, he said.

"It is always possible that it could occur, but we attempt to prevent hacking incidents," Lippincott wrote in an e-mail. He declined to comment on security measures to protect the state's signs from hackers.

Austin Public Works spokeswoman Sara Hartley said the incident was not initially reported to police, but will be shortly. The sign was reverted back to its original message within hours, according to Hartley, who insisted the signs are tamper-resistant and equipped with external locks.

"This sign was broken into, it was not just a 'walk up and change the sign' kind of thing," Hartley told FOXNews.com. "This is a new one for us, we've never had it happen before."

She said she did not know whether any other signs in the area had been altered.

According to the blog i-hacked.com, some commercial road signs, including those manufactured by IMAGO's ADDCO division, can be easily altered because their instrument panels are frequently left unlocked and their default passwords are not changed.

"Programming is as simple as scrolling down the menu selection," i-hacked.com reports. "Type whatever you want to display … In all likelihood, the crew will not have changed [the password]."

I-hacked.com warns readers not to try to alter the signs, which cost roughly $15,000.

ADDCO Chief Operating Officer Brian Nicholson told FOXNews.com that the company is sending out notices to customers on the potentially dangerous security flaw.

"It's incumbent upon users to change the default password and secure the sign with a padlock," Nicholson said. "We're having our engineers review this information."

In the meantime, if you're driving in Austin, you can rest assured: There are no zombies ahead.