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NepaLinux 2.0 is out now

Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya has been developing NepaLinux 2.0, an open source operating system released under the GNU General Public License. Released on June 20, 2007, NepaLinux 2.0 is the follow up to the localised operating system NepaLinux developed by the team at Madan Puraskar Pustakalaya under the PAN Localisation project supported by the International Development Research Centre, Canada. The team aspires to make the system simpler and user-friendly with every new release. For more details about NepaLinux 2.0 and its release, visit the website http://nepalinux.org

Good Copy Bad Copy

Directors Andreas Johnsen, Ralf Christensen, and Henrik Moltke tackle a difficult subject in this short documentary available online. 'Who owns what?' is a topical question pertaining to copyright in the entertainment industry and the documentary attempts to answer that by going to all the subjects involved from music producers to industry experts (watch for Lawrence Lessig of Creative Commons). A little over 8 minutes long, Good Copy Bad Copy has been sold to Danish Broadcasting Corporation. The directors are looking for worldwide distribution of this compact but engaging film. Donations are welcome online and parties interested in airing it locally are invited to contact the directors via the website:
http://www.goodcopybadcopy.net.

Bangladesh Information Society watch group formed

Monjur Mahmud reports on the creation of Bangladesh Information Society Watch Group (BISWG) in Dhaka in a bid to review the progress of WSIS action plan in the country. The initiative was taken at a discussion meeting jointly organised by BNNRC, Bytesforall Bangladesh, and Monthly Computer Jagot at BNNRC office in Dhaka on June 23. AHM Bazlur Rahman, chief executive officer of Bangladesh NGOs Network for Radio Communication (BNNRC), was nominated convener of the newly formed body. The meeting was organised to share present status and create awareness on WSIS action plan. Stressing the need for increasing the number of Internet users in Bangladesh, Kafi said Internet users should go up to build a vibrant information society in the country. Referring to different global conferences on ICT, he said priority issues of the developed nations and least developed countries (LDCs) are different and that's why problems of the LDCs are not addressed at these meetings. Kafi emphasised on more participation from developing countries at the global level. For more information, visit: http://bangladeshictpolicy.bytesforall.net/?q=node/318.

Required reading: the next 10 years

Creative Commons founder Lawrence Lessig has announced he is moving from copyright to tackling corruption. He writes, "I have decided to shift my academic work, and soon, my activism, away from the issues that have consumed me for the last 10 years, towards a new set of issues: Namely, these. "Corruption" as I've defined it elsewhere will be the focus of my work. For at least the next 10 years, it is the problem I will try to help solve." To read his blog entry, visit:
http://www.lessig.org/blog/archives/003800.shtml.

Ekgaon, solutions for the poor

Ekgaon Technologies is a network of expatriates and Indian techies based around the world who believe in getting independent rural communities to run enterprises.Current ventures include a CAM Mobile Services Framework, Mahakalasm MIS, a medicinal plant portal and promoting the Indic-Computing Consortium, apart from commercial projects. Writes Frederick Noronha, by supporting 'community-owned and managed enterprises, cooperatives and financial institutions', ekgaon hopes it can contribute to a bottom-up, locally self-sufficient and environmentally sustainable model of rural and international development. 
http://www.ekgaon.com.

Notes on a WSIS round table

Shahidul Shuvra shared his analysis of the WSIS initiative after attending a recent round table meeting. He writes, "The World Summit on Information Society (WSIS) was a series of United Nations facilitated multi-featured rendezvous to bring hi-tech and cyber blessings to the grass roots level of all least developed countries. The core word of the summits was to bridge digital divide by giving many facilities to the poor countries possessing little or no info-tech. But we have already forgotten the essence of both summits. Virtually there is no government cell to follow up the declaration of the summits. In fact, those concerned in the administration forgot that Bangladesh is one of the signatories of the UN declaration in the summits." For the entire article, visit:
http://tech.groups.yahoo.com/group/bytesforall_readers/message/10522

Linux training in Vietnam

IOSN ASEAN+3 in cooperation with InWEnt Capacity Building International, Germany and NetNam Corporation of Vietnam are holding a training of trainers session in Hanoi, Vietnam for Vietnamese participants over 10 days (30th July-10th August). According to a press statement, this course prepares participants for Linux Professionals Institute (www.lpi.org or LPI) certification as well as to become Linux trainers in their own right. Application deadline is July 6, 2007. For more information, visit: http://www.iosn.net/asean-3/countries/vietnam/events/linux-training-of-trainers/

Monsoons online!

A team the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, India, has a useful web resource centre on Asia's summer rain fest: the Monsoons. Called Monsoon On Line (MOL), the website monitors and forecasts the monsoons. Visit their website at: http://www.tropmet.res.in/~kolli/MOL/

The Basebox: everyday tools for NGOs

Natasha Primo reports that Tactical Tech and Women'sNet have launched the latest edition of the BaseBox. The BaseBox is described as a collection of tools for the day to day running of small-to-medium sized NGOs such as activist and advocacy groups. The Box contains a set of peer-reviewed Free and Open Source Software tools, with associated guides and tutorials. The edition can be accessed online but it's primary form is as a physical box set of CDs. Some of the features the suite covers include word processing, volunteer management, web browsing and eMail, project management, finance and fundraising, surveys and anti-virus. Aside from the BaseBox CD the edition also includes a copy of Ubuntu, a GNU/Linux operating system, and SME Server. For more information about these CDs please visit this website:
http://base.ngoinabox.org

ShareIdeas.org to channel mobile revolution

Ridhi D'Cruz points out a budding project supported by Nokia and Vodafone. ShareIdeas.org is an online community and a wiki for exactly what the name suggests – sharing ideas on how to use mobile communications for social and environmental benefits. The websites states that it is a platform for people anywhere involved with mobile communications and development to collaborate. Ndidi Nwuneli, founder and CEO of LEAP Africa, a Nigerian NGO dedicated to nurturing a new generation of African leaders is behind the venture. "Groups like ours would really benefit from a resource that shows us how to use mobile technology to carry out our work more effectively," said Ndidi at a Nokia stakeholder event of NGO and corporate leaders.

Bihar goes the smart card ID way

The state of Bihar will be leading the way in smart cards through a new rural job scheme. According to Jaya Menon of the Indian Express, 170 men and women workers under the National Rural Employment Guarantee programme (NREG) in two villages would be the first to be registered as NREG members through a foolproof biometric verification device. 'The technology has been proven through a transparent system. Now we have to link it to our NREG process which will give every member a job card or a smart card and cover entire Bihar,'  Anup Mukherji, Commissioner of the Rural Development Department.

Call for peace award

The World Association for Christian Communication (WACC) will present a Communication for Peace Award during its 2008 Congress in Cape Town, South Africa, to a woman or man who has consistently, dynamically and creatively demonstrated the value of communication for peace in a particular context. The nominee will be a person of faith and be recognized as a public voice of conscience. Nominations should be sent to the WACC by September 1, 2007. For more information, visit:
http://www.waccglobal.org.

West Bengal women behind ICT enterprise

Change Initiatives is supporting women to set up and upgrade ICT-based Enterprises. The support includes skill training, entrepreneurship development, publicity, marketing and consultation. The latest addition to this range of activities is the establishment of Digital Graphics: an outlet for complete pre-press solution and digital photography in the district of South 24 Parganas, West Bengal. In February 2007, some twenty-two basic computer trained women participated in a workshop organized by Change Initiatives for aspiring women ICT entrepreneur. Fifteen women out of these 22 decided to take up basic DTP training and finally eight of them joined the professional DTP training course and the Entrepreneurship Development Programme organised by Change Initiatives. For more on this success story, visit:
http://grace.evergreen.edu/~majork/.