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September 2003
August 2003
June 2003
May 2003
April 2003
March 2003
February 2003
January 2003

2007

UNESCO is organizing six consultation meetings
May 21-25, 2007, Geneva, Switzerland

In accordance with the Tunis Agenda for the Information Society adopted by the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) in Tunis in November 2005, and the results of the multi-stakeholder consultation meetings held in Geneva, Paris and Beijing last year, UNESCO has been designated as the facilitator for the implementation of the actions lines.

UNESCO invites all WSIS stakeholders to attend six multi-stakeholder consultation meetings from 21 to 25 May 2007 in Geneva, Switzerland.

For more information, click here.

Australian Information Industry Association opens best ICI industries awards 2007

iAwards is offering Australian ICT companies the chance to showcase their solutions and be acknowledged as an innovator in ICT. iAwards are presented for ICT products and solutions in 18 key industry categories, representing the importance of the ICT industry across the breadth of the Australian economy.

(Source : Australian Information Industry Association www.aiia.com.au )

AIMS

Seminar on the Podcasting (2007)

Association of Internet Marketing and Sales Canada (AIMS Canada), based in Toronto, Canada, organized on January 25, 2007 a seminar: Should Your Company Be Podcasting? The seminar discussed a new way of marketing Podcasting. According to the organizer, Podcasting is quickly becoming a great ally for Marketers. With a basic computer set-up and microphone, anyone has the ability to produce high-quality independent audio content for next to nothingand theyre doing it in droves. Podcast was chosen as the word of the year in 2005 by the New Oxford American Dictionary. In this interactive session, M. Mitch Joel, President of Twist Image, and one of the main speakers at the seminar, explained why this is such an important channel for Marketers, how it can impact your business, how to get started and, most importantly, why your company should be Podcasting. If your company has a brand, then it has a voice. If it has a voice, then Podcasting is ideal to get that voice heard.

(Fore more information, please visit www.aimscanada.com)

dima

Bridge Ratings Study: AOL, Yahoo!, Live365 among Top Internet Radio Sites

February 26, 2007 - The number of monthly Internet radio listeners jumped 26 percent last year bringing the average monthly listening audience to 72 million in 2006, up from 45 million in 2005 according to a Bridge Ratings study. The most popular Internet radio service was AOLs On-line radio network, with those surveyed spending 15.25 hours per week listening to the service. Yahoo! Music and Live 365 were the runners-up with 10.25 and 10.6 listening hours respectively.

The study found that most Internet Radio listening is primarily a work-hour phenomenon, with 75 percent of those listening doing so between the hours of 5 a.m. Pacific and 5 p.m. Pacific. 35 percent of listeners were between the ages of 25 and 34. The survey showed consistent growth of both Internet and satellite radio, with interest in satellite radio varying considerably at various points in 2006.

Read Full Report: Bridge Ratings Industry Update - Internet Radio

(Source: Digital Media Association (DiMA) www.digmedia.org)

Digital Media in Education and Entertainment

The Link to Creative Technology

Newmrique (Lympne Kent, UK) offers informed solutions for digital media publishers in Education, Arts and Entertainment.

Bob Auger, principal consultant at Newmrique, is a board member of the DVDA and is closely involved in the UK chapter of the Association. He contributes the technology report for HVE trade monthly Cue Entertainment.

Bob is currently working with Edutainment Resources Inc. on the European launch of Pencilbot, a unique DVD-based way to learn practical, natural English.

(Source: www.newmerique.com)

Anti-Piracy: Worldwide Anti-Piracy Program

The primary objective of ESA's Anti-Piracy Program is to attack and reduce global entertainment software piracy, estimated to cost the U.S. entertainment software industry billions of dollars every year. The program's primary components are enforcement, training, including education and enforcement programs in the U.S. and abroad. ESA members actively participate to shape the industry's anti-piracy priorities and ensure that available resources are properly allocated for the enforcement of their intellectual property rights. ESA's anti-piracy efforts on the Internet and in the U.S. and select foreign markets are directed towards the active protection of members' game products through online enforcement, criminal raids and prosecutions and civil litigation.

(For more information, please visit: www.theesa.com/ip/anti_piracy.php)

2005 - 2006

Software & Information Industry Association

SIIA 2006 AntiPiracy Actions Reported

The Software & Information Industry Association's Anti-Piracy Division conducts a comprehensive, industry-wide campaign to fight software and content piracy.

SIIA Anti-Piracy 2006 Year in Review: This report is a snapshot of the activities and profiles of SIIA's Anti-Piracy activities for 2006. It has been an extremely successful year in the fight against software piracy and we are proud to share our results and data with you.

(Click to read SIIA 2006 AntiPiracy Actions Report C pdf )
(Source: Software and Information Industry Association (SIIA) www.siia.net)

October 2004

Peer-to-peer enters the e-mail World

Jeftel is a small British company that seems to have found the ideal solution to fight Spam, viruses, e-mail delivery problems, while providing complete privacy against mail intruders, including… nosy employers.
And all of this is done without the use of a mail server!
Like all the great ideas, it is relatively simple, but one had to think about it.
By using peer-to-peer technology, the users don’t go through the traditional delivery path where their e-mail messages are relayed from one mail serve to another, with all the interception possibilities involved.
This paying service costs 25 pounds per year, which seems relatively cheap considering all those advantages, including the possibility of sending documents with sensitive or valuable information.

Furthermore, this service is compatible with most common e-mail software such as Outlook.
De plus, le service est compatible avec les logiciels de courrier conventionnels tels que le Outlook.
But there must be a disadvantage somewhere, and one might find that having to change e-mail for a new one with .safe suffix, and being able to communicate with correspondents using the same service. But with this obligation, you will never be bothered by Spammers again!
But time will tell If the advantages will win over the weaknesses.

June 2004

One American out of two prefers gaming to TV

According to a recent Ipsos-Insight study conducted for the Entertainment Software Association (ESA) (http://www.theesa.com), one American out of two prefers gaming to TV. The Study was conducted in 1400 american homes (owning a game console or PC used for games). 52% of participants said they prefer playing to watching TV, 47% said they view less movies at the theater and 41% said they watch less movies at home. According to Doug Loweinstein, ESA president, this study reveals that gaming is becoming the favorite entertainment activity for the consumers of the 21rst century.

However, details of the study also reveal the very particular profile of the the console players: 75% are men and 46% are younger than 18 years old. According to the study, 61% of the parents think games are positive for their children and 92% watch their children during this activity.

Canadian Delegation at the GITEX

After continuous success, and for the 8th consecutive year, Canada will again be organising a national pavilion at one of the World's most important Information & Technologies exhibition. The event will be held at the Dubai World Trade Centre from October 03-07, 2004, and organised by the Canadian Consulate-Dubai. The Gulf Information and Technology Exhibition (GITEX) has for many years been the preferred forum for the IT industry in the Gulf and the Middle East, and a platform for Canadian firms to promote their capabilities and expertise in the IT industry.

The exhibition has grown considerably over the years and over 70,000 visitors from across the globe attend the show, mainly from the Gulf Countries (Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Oman, Bahrain and Qatar), Middle East, Iran, CIS countries, Africa and the Indian sub-continent countries.

The country in general and especially Dubai is a regional leader and consultant in the e-government project among the Gulf countries, but this sector still needs improvement. U.A.E. is going through an exceptional period of growth in the IT industry (the software, hardware and telecommunications markets), especially after the inception of the Dubai Technology, Electronic Commerce and Media Zone Authority, (Free Zone) and the focus on the e-government and e-learning initiatives. Dubai is actively pursuing to establish itself as the IT hub for a market of 1.9 billion consumers.

Canadian participation in the last seven years has included Corel Corporation, Newbridge Networks, Allis, ITNets, Farabi, Bay Networks, Nortel, TX/Communications, IP Protus Solutions, SLM Soft, Zcom, Meta Group, Computron, Identicam, Entrust Technologies, Geac, Xplore Technologies, Hyperchip Inc., Pulse Softwares, Proxymedia, Plaintree Systems, Amanatech, QiiQ Communications, Redline Communications, NTG Clarity, Talafone, Wi-Lan, Visionaire, Worldsites, Atlas Micronet, ACD Systems, GSI Technologies, as well as the participation of the Quebec government. We are envisaging as many as 20 Canadian companies to sign up for this year’s event.

Multimedia, video conferencing systems, graphic processors, network equipment, multi-lingual applications, on-line information and services, portable computers, CAD systems, telecommunications, software and equipment etc. will be featured in this major IT event. Other on site activities include seminars and conferences and one hall (Computer Shopper) has been dedicated as a retail showcase specialising in home computer equipment and open to the public.
The Canadian Pavilion will consist of 300 square metres in total. The cost will be US$4,500 for a fully furnished nine sq. m. booth (3x3) although, of course, larger spaces can be arranged. GITEX offers the overseas manufacturer a unique opportunity to establish a foothold in this very affluent Gulf region, to develop existing business, or recruit agents across three Continents.

For further information please contact:
-The Canadian Consulate in Dubai / Mr. Fouad Soueid-Senior Commercial Officer,
Phone +971-4-314-5555, e-mail: fouad.soueid@dfait-maeci.gc.ca

-Department of Foreign Affairs and International Trade-
Arabian Peninsula and Maghreb Division- Ottawa
Mr.Paul Brettle, phone: 613-944-5984
e-mail: paul.brettle@dfait-maeci.gc.ca

- Mr. Venky Rao, Organisers’ representative in Canada
Tel : (905) 896-7815, e-mail: dwtc@rogers.com

March 2004

The Average American is a Web Content Creator

The predictions of the first observers have confirmed the fact: anyone can become a creator of Web content. In a broad survey conducted in the framework of the Pew Internet Project, 44% of Internet users in the United States, that is 54 million people, have published their own material on the net. The Internet is bustling with conversation, from the most simple exchange to discussions on complex issues.

Blogs–personal diaries posted on the Internet–have greatly retained the attention of the media. The fact remains that most of the exchanges on the net rest on simple gestures. The survey revealed, for example, that 21% of surfers have posted photographs to Web sites, 17% have posted written material, and 7% have Web cams that allow other Internet users to see live pictures of them and their surroundings.

The portion of the Internet devoted to blogs was linked to 2 to 7% of the users, which represents 3 to 9 million Web sites. The proportion of readers is greater, since 11% of Internet users declared to have read these personal Web sites. Though the blog trend can not yet be considered as enormous, it is now more than a superficial phenomenon. As to the gender factor, just as many men as women post personal material on the Internet.

Lastly, the study sets out three types of productive Internet users: The “power creators”–their average age is 25–use instant messaging, download music and play more games online than any other category. They are also the most likely to be blogging. “Older creators” have an average age of 58. Well educated and experienced Internet users, they like to exchange photos and information of a genealogical nature, and are more likely to have created their own Web site. Lastly, the “content omnivores” are around 40 years old, have broadband connections and spend more time online than anyone else, doing a variety of activities.

The complete version of the report is available at:
http://www.pewinternet.org/reports/toc.asp?Report=113

ICANN’s Role Called into Question

Who should monitor the allocation of domain names on the Internet? This question will be one of the main issues to be addressed in the framework of the lawsuit launched against ICANN by U.S.-based VeriSign, which holds the master database of net addresses that end in .com and .net. The lawsuit, announced at the end of February, may provide the U.S. Congress, maybe even the United Nations, with an excuse to takeover the Web.

ICANN (Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers) is a nonprofit company mandated by the U.S. government to regulate the allocation of domain names. VeriSign is a for-profit entreprise that has lost its luster: the number of “.com” registrations has increased by only 5.5% from 2001 to 2003, and the company reported US$250 million in net losses last year.

Seeking to regain profitability through new products, VeriSign launched the Site Finder service in the fall of 2003. The service redirected all requests for inexistent .com or .net addresses to a page run by the company. However, this service rested on a modification of the Internet structure that unexpectedly rendered ineffective a number of antispam filters. ICANN ordered that the plug be pulled on the service, a decision that would become the focus of a lawsuit under the American antitrust laws.

The possible conviction of ICANN could have unexpected consequences on the industry. The U.S. Congress is contemplating transforming ICANN into a federal advisory committee, while the United Nations envisages an ICANN takeover through the International Telecommunication Union. In both cases, the organisation’s role would be maintained, but at the price of heightened bureaucracy and more closed-door meetings. The solution could well do more harm than good.

Source: http://asia.cnet.com/newstech/systems/0,39001153,39170665,00.htm

At Last! Daily Information on the European Digital Markets

Since mid March, Digital Media Europe (http://www.dmeurope.com), a free online news service, offers daily European digital media news. Wishing to provide truly pan-European news, the service aims at filling the persistent information gap as regards Eastern Europe or other poorly covered countries such as Turkey and Iceland.

The Web site offers not only news, but also analysis and opinion. It covers digital media from a tech, business and policy perspective. Topics include the Internet, e-commerce, online publishing content, video online and mobile telephony.

Digital Media Europe and its daily news is designed for professionals in the media industry, more particularly for those who wish to establish themselves in Europe. The site is run by Leigh Philips, an experienced technology journalist whose work has been published namely in Wired, The New Statesman and europemedia.net. Contributors form a network of journalists and experts covering all of Europe.

Website: http://www.dmeurope.com

January-February 2004

EVD Competes with DVD in China

Manufacturers of electronic appliances must pay royalties to the consortiums that develop the compression standards used by electronic devices such as MPEG, CD and DVD players, to name a few. Since China is one of the largest manufacturers of this type of appliance in the world, and given the royalties it must pay to these consortiums, it fully intends to reduce its dependence on the West.

The Chinese authorities (State Trade and Economic Commission and the Ministry of Information Industry) therefore decided a few years ago to develop their own standards so as to diminish payments and their dependence on products from the West. The result? The recent development of the “Enhanced Video Disc” or EVD, intended as an alternative to the conventional DVDs. Strangely enough, this format was developed by Beijing E-World Technology Co. Ltd. using video-compression technologies licensed by On2 Technologies, an American company…
Since Chinese companies manufacture roughly 60% of the DVD players on the planet, we could be inclined to believe that the impact of the introduction of this new format would be enormous. However, until the new standard is endorsed by the industry and the DVD manufacturers, the new EVD devices will need to also play the conventional DVDs–which means that until then, they will have to continue to pay royalties...

http://www.eweek.com/article2/0,4149,1387987,00.asp

50% Drop in Online Music File Swapping: Myth or Reality?

A controversy is brewing as the year opens with the publication, by Pew Internet & American Life Project, of the results of a survey setting out a 50% decline in online music file (MP3) swapping during the last months of 2003. According to the authors of the report, this sharp decline is attributable to the fact that the Recording Industry Association of America (RIAA) filed roughly 400 suits against people who downloaded MP3 files. According to VDL2, a Montreal-based firm specializing in technology watch and market watch activities, there is no way that this practice could have dropped to this extent in so little time.

“The study targetted Americans aged 18 or over, while those under 18 account for close to 60% of all the music file swapping online. There is certainly a methodology problem here,” contends Philippe Leroux, associate of VDL2.
“Furthermore, the study was conducted by telephone, which impacts the results since people are less inclined to admit copyright infringement following all the media campaigns on the issue and the suits that have been filed,” he underlines.

http://www.pewinternet.org
http://www.comscore.com/press/release.asp?press=395
http://www.vdl2.com/fr_index.html

Native Language Internet Address a reality!

Many groups and organisations have advocated that the actual Domain Naming system used over the Internet was detrimental for other cultures using other languages than those based on Latin character sets.
At the ICT4D Exhibition held during the World Summit on the information Society in Geneva, I met with Jason Sohn, Manager for International Business Development for Netpia, a Seoul based Korean company, who explained to me how they finally came to develop an interesting solution for languages using other characters than the Latin alphabet.

Netpia has developed its unique Native Language Internet Address solution and domain name registration system. Such efforts have led to a network of partnerships with major ISPs in South Korea, opening a new era for both Korean and other global users.
As stated in the advertising, “Netpia enables you to have a distinct and unique cyber identity”. Now people can connect to your website by simply typing the address in their browser in their native language.

http://www.netpia.com

First verdict in China in favor of IP

Many software producers and Intellectual property owners fear to start or even think of getting involved into relations with China because they are afraid to see their products copied and their intellectual property stolen.

This situation might be on its way to get resolved as a Beijing court has ruled that a gaming company had to pay back to Li Hongchen, a 24 year old gamer, its gains that had been stolen by a hacker last year.

According to Chinese news service Xinhuanet, Li Hongchen's case is the "first virtual property rights dispute case" in China, but it appears to be a world first with a lack of precedent even in the litigious United States.

http://www.technewsworld.com/perl/story/32441.html

Miss Digital World Competition

Who would have thought it possible to launch a contest aiming at discovering the most beautiful Miss Digital in the world? No other than Franz Cerami, an Italian from Turin specializing in multimedia performances, who launched the project. The creators of three-dimensional pixelized Venuses can now farm their skills in transposing their idyllic vision of the woman of their dreams. The graphic design and 3D animation tools available today have proven that it is now possible to create virtual characters that are larger than life while endowing them with stunning emotional capacity.

The trend, launched by the dynamic Lara Croft (www.tombraider.com), who has since been replaced by real-life counterpart Angelina Jolie, and Ananova, a digital anchorwoman, has inspired several graphic artists and designers who will have the opportunity to make a name for themselves through this competition likely to give rise to a touch of controversy…

http://www.missdigitalworld.com

September 2003

The next time you switch from Verdana Light to Gothic Touch, make sure you’re in legal territory. In a recent article on fonts and IP, it was brought to our attention that you always have to check where the text fonts originate from. According to England-based Federation Against Software Theft (FAST), organizations and individuals have to have licences for using fonts that do not come pre-packaged in such word processing software as Office or Photoshop. FAST and font designer Agfa Monotype are attempting to tackle the issue of illegal use of unlicensed fonts which is depriving the UK font industry from 40% of its revenues. Interestingly, there are limited usage terms that apply to the use of fonts provided by such software applications: ‘these fonts are supplied under the terms of the software application licence with usually very limited usage terms. For instance, the right to use a particular font is curtailed to any one specific workstation or desktop’. According to Paul Brennan, general counsel at FAST, font software theft is a major issue and corporations are totally unaware of that. Font industry representatives argue that font producers in the UK are usually small enterprises (except for Agfa) who cannot protect their intellectual property as larger larger software producer do. Source: Out-law.news, Check your fonts are licensed and legal, 28/08/2003)

Flash and J2EE, a marriage of convenience: Web software developer Macromedia should soon be releasing a new web-related application code-named Royale, diversifying by the same token its line of Web authoring products. Royale will open up the use of Flash and add on to the already existing ‘foundation for delivering Internet applications and building interactive Web sites’. It also comes at the heels of the recently released Flash MX Professional 2004. According to Jeff Whatcott, senior director of product marketing for Macromedia, Royale will introduce a standard-based text format resembling that of Java developers, Java 2 Enterprise Edition applications in particular. Differences between the two standards are quite notable since Flash development tools, unlike J2EE, use a ‘timeline-based interface that reflects the format's roots as an animation and graphics vehicle’. Jeff Whatcott argues that the introduction of the Java standards will allow for innovative ways of producing rich web applications. Royale will also allow the use of Flash to create attractive, easy-to-navigate interfaces for using J2EE applications. It is therefore a real marriage of convenience that we are witnessing since Royale responds to the limitations of both web authoring software by coupling the robustness of the Java language and the nimbleness of Flash. (Source: CNET News, Sept 4, 2003, Macromedia to court J2EE developers)

The International Telecommunications Union (ITU) issued fresh data on Internet broadband uptake in the world and the numbers confirm the increasing popularity of this technology. 62 million individuals have taken up broadband in 2002, which amounts to a 72% increase from the preceding year. The ITU study entitled ‘the birth of Broadband’ considers that broadband adopters represent now over 10% of the total Internet users, compared with 7,4 % in 2002. One would not be surprised to find South Korea leading the pack of the country with the most high speed subscribers (21,3 per 100 inhabitants) followed by Hong Kong (14,9), Canada (11,2) and Taiwan (9,4). In Europe, Denmark is first with 8,6 subscribers per 100 inhabitants, followed by Belgium and Iceland. The United States are 11th (6,9) and France 24th (2,4). The study argues that access to high speed Internet has increased telecommunication usage and spending by private users. Yet, the cost of deploying broadband is still a deterrent in many countries of the world, slowing therefore users’ uptake. According to Tom Kelly, Head of the Strategies and Policies Unit at ITU, broadband does not seem to carry the same revolutionary potential people have associated with the introduction of Internet in the early days. (Source: AFP, September 16, 2003)

The challenges of the Cyberworld

Prepared under the Direction of Hervé Fischer, Les défis du cybermonde (The challenges of the Cyberworld) is a series of 28 articles published by as many authors in the daily newspaper Le Devoir. It is a large anthology of subjects covering many aspects of life such as science, economy, culture and arts, democracy, education, politics, private life, in the perspective of the overwhelming development of digital technologies.

Personalities such as Martin Freeth, Director of the Futurlab in Bristol, England, Kiran Karnik, President of Nasscom, the biggest ICT Association in India, Richard Delmas, Principal administrator at the Directorate General on Information Society at the European Commission, Derrick de Kerkhove, Director of the McLuhan Program on Culture and Technology at the University of Toronto, Michel Cartier, Professor at the Department of Communications of the Université du Québec in Montréal, Joël de Rosnay, Director of Prospective and Evaluation at the Cité des sciences et de l’industrie of La Villette in Paris, and many more.

This book is not only rich for the variety of its points of view, but also for the diversity of the cultural approaches and the interrogations suggested by the eclectic choice of the authors from diverse origins and spheres of influence.

Les défis du cybermonde is published by Les Presses de l’Université Laval (in French) with the support of the Daniel-Langlois Foundation.

August 2003

What goes around comes around: Considering the everlasting popularity of e-mails among individuals worldwide, one will not be surprised to learn that e-mails have only to be forwarded between five and seven times to reach almost any other e-mail user, confirming the adage that this is a small world indeed. This experiment follows on another test carried out in the late 60’s, by social psychologist Stanley Milgram who asked ‘randomly selected people in the US Mid-West to help get letters to a stockbroker friend in Boston on the East Coast’. This latter experiment established the famous idea that ‘almost everyone is only six friends or acquaintances distant from anyone else’. The above-mentioned e-mail experiment is the product of a research team headed by Peter Dodds and colleagues from the Institute for Social and Economic Research and Policy at the University of Columbia in New York. 61,168 individuals were asked to try to pass on messages to one of 18 target people in 13 countries. As in the Milgram experiment, the e-mail could not be sent directly and had to be forwarded to a friend they thought was closer. The Dodds researchers followed 24,163 distinct message chains with only ‘384 of which managed to get the message to the target’. The experiment demonstrated that messages had to be forwarded between five and seven times to get from a starting point to a target, which confirms Professor Milgram's result that ‘people are separated by only a small number of steps’. Other lessons gleaned from the test is that people act as ‘hubs’ for messages and that it was important to have enthusiastic participants, willing to push the message to its ultimate destination. (Source: E-mail shrinks the world, BBC NEWS, 2003/08/07)

Opening the doors to free software: By mid-August, prisons in New Zealand are going open-source following a decision by the Department of Corrections to provide an intranet for its 4500 staff. According to Corrections IT manager Derek Lyons, the new system (OpenCMS software) would be a step up form the current mix of static web pages and ordinary database systems, will improve acccess to internal information and allow for forums. The introduction of open-source in the penitentiary system follows discussions in Parliament and within various ministries as to its overall effectiveness. The Green Party was the main political backer for the non-proprietary system because it is ‘compatible with the Party’s principles thanks to its community, collaborative and non-proprietary nature and also because it is cost-effective, challenged monopoly control and made computing more accessible’. (Source: The Herald (NZ), Richard Wood, 29-07-2003)

Parting away, wirelessly…: that Malaysia is be the focus of a ‘peculiar’ use of wireless text messaging tells a lot about the ever popular use of cell phones and otherwireless gizmos in that part of the world and in that Muslim country in particular. Peculiar, it is, as the country’s Islamic court will be obliged to issue fines of 265 dollars US and more or six months emprisonment to husbands who divorce their wives outside of the Islamic court system and who do it through short messaging services (SMS). The Malaysian authorities have recently overturned the Islamic Sharia Court’s ruling that allows Malaysian Muslims to repudiate their spouses through mobile text messages. Divorce via impersonal channels like SMS, e-mails, letters, faxes and telephone calls will not be validated by the Muslim court. According to the government, these decisions ‘aim to protect Islam from ridicule, because allowing SMS break-ups could give the impression that divorce is a trivial matter in the religion’. Islamic law does inded allow a man to divorce his wife as long as ‘he states his intent clearly’. In practice, this means a face-to-face verbal exchange, but technology, never neutral as some want to believe, seems to have opened all possibilities. On average, one in three Malaysian subscribe to a mobile phone service. (Source: CNETAsia, 5/8/2003)

June 2003

Beam me up, Scotty! : Four major private and private sector organizations and companies have pooled their human, financial and technological resources in order to deliver Filipino schools, countrywide, e-learning multimedia content through various mobile technologies. The project entitled BridgeIT is sponsored by Nokia, the International Youth Foundation (IYF), Pearson and the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). BridgeIT is geared toward fifth and sixth grade teachers and is designed to ‘to expand the geographic reach and range of educational content’. More than 80 teaching science videos (also called Knowledge Box) produced by UK-based e-learning enterprise Pearson can be selected through Nokia cell phones, downloaded via satellite to Nokia digital video recorder connected to a television in a classroom. According to Jaime Ayala, President of the Ayala Group and a Board member of the International Youth Foundation, Bridgeit will improve the pedagogical opportunities for more than 13,000 elementary school children across the Philippines, right from its start. He expects teachers and youngsters, who are already conversant with mobile technologies, to rapidly adopt this new learning model. (Source: Center for digital government, (http://www.centerdigitalgov.com/international/story.php?docid=56338)

Will you be surfing this summer?
Not really if you paid attention to the conclusions of a recent study by US-based market research company, comScore Networks Inc. Internet traffic seems to ‘mimic people’s seasonal patterns’ says Vice-President Dan Hess, and slows down as we get busy discovering the outdoors. As a matter of fact, this tendency applies to other non-professional situations where net users do not have to be online, namely when they are on holidays or during long weekends. However, summer online traffic does pick-up for clothing, movies and real estate sites, a notable insight for those interested in consumers’ online behaviour. Data taken from the US market are quite revealing: more than 39.4 million net users visited TheHulk.com, Terminator3.com and other movie sites, up 14 per cent from 34.7 million in April. A similar trend was noted for ticket sites for concerts and movies, with more than 22.7 million unique visitors going to Ticketmaster.com, Moviefone.com and other ticket sites, another 14 per cent increase from April. Not surprisingly, more Americans decided to visit weight and fitness related sites as traffic in such sites as weightwatchers.com and trimlife.com increased by 23 per cent and 18 per cent, respectively, in May from April. The sites that did not fare as well at the start of the warm season dealt with humour, general news and politics. (Source: the Globe and Mail, Friday 13, 2003, Net traffic mirrors seasonal patterns)

Recognizing spam when it hit your mailbox until very recently was a fairly straightforward exercise for those receiving it. You either got rid of it yourself or asked your computer to do the job through filters and other content-blocking mechanisms. This will be harder to do as e-marketers drum up new ways and new buzzwords to catch you attention, fool your computer and make your digital life miserable. This was the subject of a number of workshops organized this month by the Digital Marketing Association in New York City (http://www.the-dma.org/dmadmd/). The event brought together digital marketers who evaluated the efficacy and pertinence of current marketing/spamming methods and see how such advertising tools could rid itself of its deserved unsavoury reputation. They shared tips on what works best in "events in e-mail inboxes" – i.e. sales pitches guaranteed to catch one’s attention. Among the don’ts were multiple exclamation points and terms that are very often blocked by anti-spam filters: Free. Opportunity. Exciting, Credit. Digital marketers looked at such issues as the appropriate day and time ‘to send out e-mail advertising pitches, the art and science of subject lines, the best way to handle complaints, and how to overcome customer scepticism’. A common complaint heard during the workshops was that anti-spam filters are blocking too many words and therefore diminishing the number of marketing-oriented concepts used to woo customers. Clearly e-mail campaigns aren't working and the online marketing industry is trying hard to counter this trend. New suggested approaches include the use of terms such as need to know, download, preview, trial and demo. (Source: Spam Is in Eye of the Beholder , June 4, 2003) http://www.wired.com/news/business/0,1367,59089,00.html

May 2003

Digital content development in developing countries
The city of Lugano (Switzerland) was host to an important Swiss Commission for UNESCO sponsored event (March 14-16) on digital content production in developing countries and Least Developed Countries (LDC). Scientists, journalists, teachers, librarians and archivists in Africa, Asia, Latin America, and the Caribbean presented the obstacles that impeded people’s capacity to create, process, disseminate and preserve online information. Obstacles include random connectivity, prohibitive telephone costs, high prices for access to online scientific data and very little vocational training opportunities. Furthermore, poor access to information and knowledge encountered by content professionals while working in poor countries prevent them from participating actively in international cooperation in their respective fields. This is obviously a digital divide issue, often cited in the discussions present at the World Summit on the Information Society. Participants at the Lugano conference are working in cooperation with such organizations as the Swiss Italian University in presenting studies and elaborating projects to counter the above-mentioned obstacles. Once finalized, these projects will be submitted to the participants at the WSIS Geneva Summit as concrete examples of what can be done in LDC to bridge the digital divide. For more information, please contact: Mr.Alain Modoux, Swiss Executive Secretariat for WSIS.

The bike moves into high-tech
Your legs and heart have been the brains behind your bicycle but that is about to change thanks to electronic technology. Computers are about to take charge of how you change your gears, ensure lighting or ease that suspension ride. Some call it a revolution as they await for Japanese bike component maker Shimano to start distributing the technology to the common of us. The technology consists of an electronic system that controls the automatic gear change and decides which one is most appropriate for you. The same applies to the suspension controlled by the computer, hard at first and smoother as you start getting tired. However, if you feel that you prefer to be in charge, you can always switch off the system. Early adopters can expect these electronic bikes for 2004 now that prototypes and practical tests are being implemented. Computers however are not new to bikes and bikers since professional athletes and serious amateurs have been using for a while watches that measure and show speed plus pedalling rate and the rider's heartbeat. All this technology however does not come cheap and this will determine their popularity and speed of adoption: a bicycle equipped with the new gear and suspension technology will cost you 3000 Euros or a bit less than 4000 $US. (Source: the Sidney Morning Herald, May 2, 2003)

What will I do without my Outlook!
After years of peddling all sorts of Web and digital communication applications for the business environment, email is still considered the more valuable tool for communicating. According to META Group Inc. 80% of businesspeople surveyed consider e-mail as more valuable than phone for business communications and would feel hardship if that were taken away from them. Three reasons explain this popularity: e-mail makes communication easy with various parties, e-mail is fast and e-mail leaves a written trail at the end. To quote Matt Cain, META Group official, email "best suits a changing business climate characterized by geographically distributed workgroups, extreme mobility, the need for rapid information dissemination, and a desire for reusable business records." The popularity of email does have its downside as businesses find themselves struggling with very large numbers of emails to respond to, hence the need to streamline and improve email management. Another issue is obviously spamming which adds another layer of inefficiency in the time people spend in sifting through their inboxes. (Source: e-customer service world, April 23, 2003)

Raffarin wants to help the French Gaming industry
And starts by distributing four million Euros to finance the early stages of production of 20 video games. This generosity is part of a technology innovation action plan presented by the Prime Minister at the inauguration of the ‘cité du Numérique’ of the city of Poitiers’ Futuroscope April 19th. The ten-point action plan includes tax credits and other industry related incentives. Each gaming project is to be awarded a 200,000 Euros loan fully reimbursed if the project is successful on the marketplace. The French government is also interested in insuring that the French video game industry continue to provide for research and development and companies applying for these grants have to spend a minimum of their spending (15%) on such activities. Finally and following on the recommendations of the ‘Association des producteurs d’oeuvres multimedia’ (APOM), the French government is considering the idea of setting up a European video gaming school in the Poitou-Charente region, which will act as a centre of excellence as well as attract multimedia talent. France does have a dynamic vide game industry with three major actors playing leading roles: Atari (ex. Infogrammes, UbiSoft and Vivendi Games). Source: ZDNet, April 23, 2003, Estelle Dumout

April 2003

Macromedia Inc. is launching this summer Macromedia Central, another web design and animation tool based on its wildly popular Flash software. Macromedia Central will allow up to date versions of all types of web content to be accessed online and offline. The company calls this ‘an application metaphor that tackles the new world of information by providing instant delivery of applications, a try/buy infrastructure, support for occasionally connected computing, cooperative applications, and open data formats’. In other words, you will be able to check Flash-embedded and always changing data and content (weather, your stocks or other information) without having to always be on: ‘Central has functionality to enable applications to work consistently offline, offer a persistent desktop presence, and provide notifications’. This new tool is geared to developers who will be able to create their own Macromedia-based applications. As for the users, they just have to download the Flash MX update to allow for such capability. Source: Macromedia

A recent study by Jupiter Research confirms the increasing demand for video on demand (VoD) for cable operators in general with subscription video on demand as the main source of revenue and profit in particular. According to the latest report entitled "The Impact of On-Demand Content on Cable Revenues in the U.S.", the VoD market will more than quadruple from 2003 to $1.4 billion in 2007, and that of subscription video on demand (SVoD) will reach $800 million, up from $56 million in 2003. SVoD will carry the market for cable operators and attract customers to new digital premium services: "subscription VoD services are predictable both in price and content and are marketed in a way that the consumer understands. Consumers are still driven toward programming first and foremost on the television platform, regardless of whether or not that platform is analog or digital," argues Lydia Loizides, Senior Analyst at Jupiter Research. The research firm maintains that SVoD services, as opposed to ‘à la carte’, will generate the most revenues and profits in the near term because consumers are used to that pricing scheme and prefer stable pricing structures. SVoD services are technology neutral, require little new capital expenditure. Cable operators can easily repackage content and bundle on-demand services with basic or premium cable offerings. For more information on the study, please see http://www.internet.com/corporate/releases/03.03.05-vodresearch.html

Swiss-based network of unions, Union Network International (UNI), participated in the convention of ITP Forums in Bangalore and Hyderabad (India), February 16-23. Both events conventions addressed issues of concern to IT professionals in India, such as working time, ethics, career development and skills certification. The ITP Forum Convention adopted as priorities for future work the development of a range of membership services, ranging form legal over social to financial services. The Conventions were addressed by several State Ministers for IT and Labour and in Bangalore by the IT Minister of the Indian Government. Other speakers represented the Indian Institutes of Management, Science and Technology. Company representatives also addressed the development of global outsourcing and IT enabled services. In both cases India hopes to attract a chunk of the outsourcing world market. After a brief dent, the demand for IT professionals in picking up again and in 2003 over 200'000 new jobs for highly skilled Software Engineers and Architects are expected to be created. Source: UNI newsletter, April 2003, http://www.union-network.org/

We have told you in a previous newsletter the existence of a website offering religious music ready to be downloaded on your hard disc or cell phone. Imagination having no boundary, we bring to your attention a new website for the busy pastors in need of a fast and furious Sunday sermon. This British website, www.lastminutesermon.com, comes to us thanks to the generosity of Bob Austin who thinks that today’s pastors are busy fellows with not enough time to the literary aspects of their sermons. Bob Austin knows his business since he is a professional writer who for nine years has also been a Church of England Reader, licensed to preach and teach in the diocese of Peterborough. He is also a novice oblate of Elmore Abbey, an Anglican Benedictine community near Newbury in Berkshire. Lastminutesermons take about ten to twelve minutes to deliver and come in handy in both RTF format and MSDos Text. Bob Austin states in his website that he maintains copyright on the original version but invites all users to feel free to amend, add or subtract as they need. You can download each of the 200 sermons for a God forsaken and modest 8 pounds. Source: Reuters, April, 4th, 2003.

March 2003

Czech artist Tom Drahos is the latest winner of the 10,000 Euro Arcimboldo Price for digital creation, awarded every year since 1998 by the French Association des gens d’images and Hewlett-Packard France in late February. Mr. Drahos is a graduate of the Academy of Czech cinema and of the Institute of Cinematographic Studies of Paris. The price was awarded for ‘Exit’, a film documentary in the traditional sense that juggles with virtual forms and structures suggesting an ‘indeterminate and anonymous mental space’. In the documentary, individuals from all walks of life are depicted in their quest to transform their suffering into positive environments. Tom Drahos uses virtual environments as a technological tool to show various states of mind and actions. Mr. Drahos is known for a wide and eclectic body of work in both photography and film. His foray into new media arts and technologies allowed him to borrow substantially from such traditional medium as film, video, theatre, danse and sculpture. From more information on the award, please see http://www.prix-arcimboldo.com/Laureats_fr.html

Are movie theatres going digital?
Yes but slowly seems to be saying John Fithian, President of the National Association of Theatre owners (NATO). Answering questions regarding the current state of digital cinema (late 2002) in the United States, Mr. Fithian considers the medium to be at the testing stage still. Out of 35,000 screens in the US, fewer than 150 have digital cinema capabilities. Efforts by major American studios to push toward increasing digitisation of theatres, the Digital Cinema Initiatives for example, have not born fruit, yet NATO believes it is just a matter of time and business reality before we see a move toward the adoption of new technologies. The obstacles are numerous though and Fithian does not mince word when describing them: ‘US cinema operators believe that digital cinema provides more benefits to studios than to exhibitors….Studios stand to save millions of dollars in film print costs and distribution costs….Secondly, we need technical standards to avoid systems that do not work together and to promote competition in equipment and delivery.’ Installing digital networks and acquiring digital movie projectors are expensive investments (150,000 to 250,000 dollars for the projectors alone). NATO agrees that theatre owners will have to go digital sometimes soon but want the Studios to pick up part of the tab and pay for the technological transition. Source: Survey of industry practices US, http://www.natoonline.org/UNIC-NATOSurveyUSAnswers.pdf

IPv6 is about to take hold in the United Arab Emirates as the Emiratee company UAEnic is set to deploy the worldwide yet to be tested new Internet Protocol. The implementation of IPv6 will increase the number of IP addresses available and by the same token increase the number of electronic devices and appliances that can be connected to the Internet. According to Mr. Abdullah Hashim, Manager at UAEnic, “In the future, new wireless and fixed devices needing a network connection will become abundant. Ensuring the U.A.E is ready for any future trends and technology is the key objective of UAEnic. As part of that commitment, we have been pursuing the new addresses vigorously.” UAEnic is only awaiting the setting up of the required technical and administrative structure before delivering the new addresses to the local community. Authorization to deploy IPv6 was given by the Regional IP Address European (RIPE), the global governing body for Internet Protocol (IP) who took into consideration two years of extensive testing within the country and an IPv6 forum held by telecommunications company Etisalat in 2002. For Mr. Hashim, implementing IPv6 “gives the country the flexibility to plan for new devices and applications to be ‘plugged' into interconnecting networks. Being the first in the region to achieve this status is testimony to UAEnic's commitment to bringing the latest technology to the U.A.E.” (Source: AME Info, March 12th, 2003)

February 2003

Sixty-one percent of Small and Medium size Irish businesses want a flat rate for accessing Internet. (february 2003)
This is one of the major conclusions of a 2002 report issued in November by the Chambers of Commerce of Ireland's on the state of e-business in the country. 600 businesses with less than 250 employees were interviewed. Overall, Irish SMEs are keen on joining the e-business bandwagon but find that the cost of doing so still high in terms of accessing the Net. Irish SMEs are more and more interacting with government revenue services online (25%) as well as doing their own banking (60%) or receiving online orders (40%). More than half of SMEs have their own website. However, one third of surveyed SMEs say they do not see the benefits of e-business. 61% of companies said they would use the Internet more if flat rate access were available. For the time being too many companies rely on ISDN as the most common access for Internet service, certainly not the greatest argument for competitiveness sake. (Source: TechCentral IE, Wednesday November 20 2002)

The buzzwords you must use to stay hip… and in business for 2003 (february 2003)
According to BBC journalist, Alfred Hermida, who spent a few days in January at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, 2003 will not be any different from the other years. The high-tech companies are always searching for the jargon that best expresses the zeitgeist of the day, especially if that jargon carries with it strong pecuniary underpinnings: Bill Gates kicked of the game with ‘smart living in the digital age’ (emphasis on smart…), followed by the fairly anaesthetic networked digital lifestyle and ubiquitous value network, elusive concepts if the number of gizmos jamming my desk in any indication. Those gizmos will also allow for glance-able information (weather or traffic) to be looked at.
Since this is the era of conscious living, the term DRM ecosystem (digital rights management) seems to have taken hold, always according to the journalist. And if that is not enough, you can still count on ultrawideband for receiving data without all the wires. (Source: BBC Online, Alfred Hermida, Tuesday, 14 January, 2003, Tech buzzwords fill the air)

The City of Paris warms up to digital technologies (february 2003)
by offering multimedia training to all interested Parisians in so-called Digital Public Spaces (DPS) and through students workshops during school recess. According to Mrs. Danièle Auffray, in charge of the City’s New Technologies and Research department, one Parisian in two uses a computer, at home or at the workplace, and that greater effort had to be done to lower the digital divide among people.
City Hall has therefore developed, in 2001, the concept of Digital Public Spaces in order to ensure a minimum knowledge of multimedia techniques to the users: Internet initiation, website creation as well as teaching software application and some programming. There are eight such Public Spaces in existence so far situated in community centres. The workshops (close to 20), on the other hand, function similarly to the Public Spaces but are situation in different animation centres. The service is free and open to people of all ages. (Source: Agence France Presse, February 4, 2003)

Online Gaming is doing well in Asia (february 2003)
The Asian market for Internet and digital entertainment products and applications is maturing and the latest numbers from IDC’s recent survey of over 3,600 Internet users in six Asian countries reinforces the trend. In both China and Malaysia, the number of online gamers outnumber shoppers two to one. The trend is also noted in countries such as Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong and India. While the Internet gaming surge has largely stemmed from the appeal of massive multiplayer online games, IDC said the industry is also moving towards easy-to-play family style games to engage users of different age groups. Males continue to dominate the regional online gaming scene, the firm added. However, the gender disparity is narrowing significantly in countries like Malaysia, Singapore and Korea. The female gaming population in these countries stands at 48 percent, 47 percent and 36.5 percent respectively. The spike in Internet games also spells a boon for broadband usage. "The study confirmed online gaming is and will be a main market driver for broadband adoption,” Chin said "In more mature markets such as Korea, Hong Kong, Taiwan and Singapore, broadband penetration is exceptionally high among online gamers." (Source: CNETAsia, 16/1/2003, article)

Measuring the Internet in Balmy Nice because ‘Internet is both a network and a human product’!(february 2003)
The French National Research Institute in Computers and Automation, INRIA (www.inria.fr) is organizing an international conference entitled ‘Measuring the Internet’, May 12-14, 2003, in cooperation with École normale supérieure and the Canadians Abroad Association. The purpose of the conference is to deepen the dialogue between experts for whom Internet is the subject of heated debate and study, irrespective of their methodological approaches (exact or liberal sciences). What is the Internet and what is being measured? Specialists in Internet usage and technologies will focus on the interrelationships between the issues at stake, the methods and the interpretations, always keeping an open mind on the needs to better understand this phenomenon from the industry, the political institutions, the media and the public at large. The deadline for submitting a paper for presentation is passed (February 10th) but you can still try you luck and hopefully enjoy beautiful South of France in mid-May. For more information, please see http://www-sop.inria.fr/axis/cmi/ or write to cmi@sophia.inria.fr.

Don’t Ditch That Thing! (february 2003)
We have been posting a few bulletin briefs on an issue that is gathering strong steam and the latest coming from the mobile industry in the area of recycling could not be ignored. Major cell phone producers in the world (Nokia, Motorola, Philips, Samsung, etc.) have agreed, in mid-December 2002, to recuperate and recycle (at the end of their life-cycle) the hundred of millions of handsets produced yearly. This agreement was signed with the United Nations Environment Program (www.unep.org) but cell phone producers are asking telecommunications operators in all countries to do their part by holding on to the handsets when customers are about to exchange or abandon them. Cell phones contain plastic and different kinds of metals and older models have nickel-cadmium batteries that are considered toxic. The agreement however is not very clear in terms of specific objectives and timeline for the recuperation and recycling effort. UNEP is also speaking of special aid and support to developing countries wanting to engage in recycling cell phones. (Source: Reuters, December 12, 2002) For more information on organizations recycling cell phones or computers here are two interesting sites: Action Aid Recycling and SVTC.

January 2003

How do you say @ in French (january 2003)
The French Terminology and Neology General Commission finally adopted early December the official word for the electronic symbol @, asking French nationals to call it either 'arrobe' or 'arobase' and to use only 'arrobe' when writing it. The origins of these words however are still a mystery. Both respected dictionaries Le Petit Larousse and Le Petit Robert include both terms but they mean different things. Le Petit Robert refers to Arobe or arrobase as an ancient Spanish and Portuguese measuring unit worth roughly 12,78 kg which the General Commission agrees with. This measuring unit derives itself from the Arabic word 'ar-roub' or a quarter. Both dictionaries are a bit more perplex as to how these words and the symbol @ ended up being used in the world of typewriters and electronic addresses. The subject certainly needs an airing over the Internet. (Source: AFP, Decembre 9, 2002)

Piracy over the Net (january 2003)
The Business Software Alliance (BSA) is confirming the high level of software piracy over the Net and argues that lack of information and vague laws are responsible for the trend. Global software piracy has risen close to 80 % over the past two years. BSA estimates lost revenue due to piracy to a total of $11 billion for the year 2001. Two regions of the world were most affected by software piracy, Asia/Pacific which accounts for half of the revenue loss in 2001 and Eastern Europe which witnessed the highest piracy percentage increase of all regions (67%) for the same year. Western Europe and North America accounts for 25% of revenue losses each with a total amounting to $4.6 billion. Latin America, Africa and the Middle East have in fact seen a decrease in their piracy rates due to lower economic activity according to BSA. Based on a GartnerG2 study that state that between 73 and 82% of U.S. consumers believe it is legal to back up software and pre-recorded music CDs, video games and pre-recorded DVDs and videotapes. According to Mike McGuire from GartnerG2, the laws regulating the use of software by consumers are vague and create an uncertainty regarding basic archiving and backup capabilities. The tug of war is therefore between consumers wanting to use acquired software as they want and content companies pushing for strict control over consumer copying behaviour. (Source: Jupiter Media, Decembre 9, 2002)

The Screen Ceiling (january 2003)
Catalyst, a research and advisory NGO working to advance women in business and the professions, issued a study claiming the slow but steady gains made by women in corporate leadership ranks. Between 1995 and 2001, female executives climbed from 8.7% of corporate officers positions at Fortune 500 companies to 15.7%. The poll study includes 16 of Silicon Valley's largest companies such as HP (headed by Carly Fiorina), ADM, Solectron, etc. Among other findings is that women make up today 5% of the top company earners from 1.2% in 1995. Industry areas with the highest percentage of female officers include temporary help, insurance, tobacco and entertainment, while construction, computer peripherals, automotive retailing/services and semiconductors/electronic components had the lowest. (Source: SiliconValley.com, Novembre 18, 2002)

Germans Farmers do the Web (january 2003)
You are a German farmer and you want to meet the love of your life, wait no more thanks to www.landflirt.de (rural flirt), the 'most famous agricultural dating service on the Internet', an initiative of the Agro-food company Raiffeisen and the Federation of Rural Youths. It is all about the power of the Internet to get people close together, hay or not. For $10 U.S. over two weeks, you can register online and hope your picture, measurements and intellect will strike a sensitive cord with the opposite sex which has decided to remain as urban as possible. Of the 229 females subscribers, a majority are women who come the city but who would like to move closer to nature. Forced celibacy seems to be the issue in the German countryside as one in three farmers is not married due to a lack of suitable partners. The main reason for this is the high rural exodus of women. This situation is worrisome for political authorities who wonder about the future of German family-owned farms forced to close down for lack of descendants. Landflirt is bearing fruits though as several marriages were celebrated as well as the birth of several newborns. (Source: ZdnetFrance, Novembre 19, 2002)

Africa wants to preserve its cultural heritage (january 2003)
and multimedia technology could well be a tool of choice in order to do so. This conclusion came at the outset of a UNESCO Regional consultation meeting on the preservation of Digital Heritage for Africa held in Addis Ababa (Ethiopia) in early December. The meeting brought together various African countries experts who assessed the use of such technologies in schools, libraries and museums. One major issue is certainly access to multimedia technologies but also the lack of skilled professionals in various African countries eager to start digital preservation programs. Another aspect raised by some is the issue of copyright that has to be resolved before letting individuals, organizations and companies handle cultural artefacts. (Source: All Africa, The Daily Monitor, December 11, 2002)