Subject: NetAction Notes No. 39
Audrie Krause (audrie@netaction.org)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 00:23:04 -0700 (PDT)
Date: Mon, 27 Jul 1998 00:23:04 -0700 (PDT) Message-Id: <2.2.16.19980727002535.2e7755ba@pop.igc.org> To: roundtable@cni.org From: Audrie Krause <audrie@netaction.org> Subject: NetAction Notes No. 39
NetAction Notes
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Published by NetAction Issue No. 39 July 27, 1998
Repost where appropriate. Copyright and subscription info at end of message.
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In This Issue:
Post That Protest
Cybercafes and Community
Africa Confronts the Millenium Bug
People-Friendly Software
About NetAction Notes
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Post That Protest
Planning a protest or a political action? Get the word out quickly --
and globally -- by posting an announcement on Protest.Net.
Evan Henshaw-Plath has put his programming skills to work for
progressive political causes by creating Protest.Net, a web site that
provides a clearinghouse for announcements about protests and other
political actions by progressive organizations. The site, which was
launched on June 1, is on the web at <http://www.protest.net/>.
According to Henshaw-Plath, Protest.Net was created because many
activists web sites have long or difficult URL's, which are hard for
people to remember. Henshaw-Plath is hoping that Protest.Net will help
solve that problem by giving activists an easy-to-remember central site
to bookmark and check for information about protests on a wide range of
progressive issues.
Henshaw-Plath can screen for inappropriate (non-progressive) content,
but so far he hasn't found it to be necessary to block any postings.
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Cybercafes and Community
Visit a cybercafe in almost any community and you can log into the
global community of cyberspace while sipping a cappuccino. But there's
a good chance that you won't be sharing the experience with the people
immediately around you. For although cybercafes offer convenient access
to the Internet, they don't necessarily promote a local sense of
community.
To rectify that, Christopher D. Frankonis of the Millennium Cafe has
launched a new list dedicated to discussing how cybercafes can position
themselves as hubs of community activity, and activism. List information
is on the web at <http://www.millennium-cafe.com/cybercafe-community/>,
and more generation information on the community-building potential of
cybercafes is at <http://www.millennium-cafe.com/>.
According to Frankonis, topics for discussion on the list will include:
* Can cybercafes play some of the roles of the more traditional
community computer networks, especially since cybercafes provide a
physical presence for any networked community, which traditional
community networks lack?
* Are cyber cafes valuable sites for local/neighborhood activism and
political activity?
* Does the identity of cybercafes as profit-making business ventures
negatively impact their ability to play an active social role in the
community which it serves?
Frankonis is especially interested in participation by interested
cybercafe owners, community network specialists, and
community/neighborhood activists, but the list is also open to others
with an interest in the topic.
To subscribe, send email to majordomo@millennium-cafe.com
In the message body type: subscribe cybercafe-community
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Africa Confronts the Millenium Bug
As readers may be recall from the article in NetAction Notes No. 38,
<http://www.netaction.org/notes/notes38.html#y2k> computer programmers
are in a race to solve the "Year 2000 Problem." If they fail, most of
the world's computers will "read" the year 2000 as 1900, potentially
creating horrendous problems for government agencies, banks, insurance
companies, and countless other large and small businesses. But the
problem isn't confined to technology-rich nations like the United
States. In fact, preparing for the "Millennium bug" is going to be a
much more daunting task in nations with a more limited technology
infrastructure.
On the African continent, efforts are underway to hold a "Y2K for AFRICA
Awareness DAY" on August 19, 1998. The date marks the 500-day countdown
to January 1, 2000. Some technology experts believe it will be too late
to fix the problem in time if efforts are not underway by that date.
According to Chris Anderson of the Y2K Cinderella Project, "The idea is
to hold a 'Virtual Hands Across Africa' to highlight the Y2K Problem and
to initiate action across the continent. The objective is to involve
all radio, TV and print media as well as public and private
organisations in every country in Africa."
The Y2K Cinderella Project is a clearinghouse for information on
zero-cost, minimal-impact solutions to the Year 2000 problem. More
information on the web at <http://www.cinderella.co.za/>.
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People-Friendly Software
If you're using a PC, you're probably using a computer that came with
Microsoft's Windows operating system already installed. You may not
even realize that there are other operating systems available -- some of
which are free and can be downloaded from the web.
Just what are the alternatives to Windows-based operating systems and
software applications? In a recent issue of NetAction's Micro$oft
Monitor, Project Director Nathan Newman looked at "open source"
software, also known as "freeware," and explained why it promises to be
the best choice for consumers and software developers seeking to avoid
Microsoft's monopolistic grasp. See:
<http://www.netaction.org/monitor/mon33.html#open>.
NetAction is planning a series of monthly Open Source brown-bag lunch
meetings in Silicon Valley, San Francisco, and the East Bay, to bring
together software developers, media representatives who cover the
software industry, and interested members of the public. The meetings
will provide a forum for exploring and discussing open source software
applications, introducing new features, and increasing support for the
use of open source code in personal and business settings.
Readers who are interested in being notified when the forum schedule is
established may write to: <opensource@netaction.org> to be put on a
mailing list which will be used to announce the forum schedule. For
additional information, see: <http://www.netaction.org/opensrc/>.
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About NetAction Notes
NetAction Notes is a free electronic newsletter, published by NetAction to
promote effective grassroots organizing on the Internet. NetAction is a
national, non-profit organization dedicated to educating the public, policy
makers, and the media about technology-based social and political issues,
and to teaching activists how to use the Internet for organizing, outreach,
and advocacy.
To subscribe to NetAction Notes, send a message to: <majordomo@netaction.org>
The body of the message should state: <subscribe netaction>
To unsubscribe at any time, send a message to: <majordomo@netaction.org>
The body of the message should state: <unsubscribe netaction>
NetAction is seeking sponsors to provide financial support for the continued
publication of NetAction Notes. Sponsors will be acknowledged in the
newsletter and on NetAction's Web site. NetAction is supported by individual
contributions, membership dues and grants.
For more information about contributing to NetAction, or sponsoring this
newsletter, contact Audrie Krause by phone at (415) 775-8674, by E-mail at
<mailto:audrie@netaction.org>, visit the NetAction Web site at
<http://www.netaction.org>, or write to:
NetAction * 601 Van Ness Ave., No. 631 * San Francisco, CA 94102
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Copyright 1998 by NetAction/The Tides Center. All rights reserved.
Material may be reposted or reproduced for non-commercial use provided
NetAction is cited as the source. NetAction is a project of The Tides
Center, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization.
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