- change - Mailing Lists

Fwd: NSDR 2012 Call for Papers
by Gaetano Borriello 26 Feb '12

26 Feb '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Lakshminarayanan Subramanian <lakshmi(a)cs.nyu.edu> Date: Sun, Feb 26, 2012 at 1:53 AM Subject: NSDR 2012 Call for Papers To: sig-dev(a)googlegroups.com, tier(a)tier.cs.berkeley.edu, change(a)cs.washington.edu, ict4dev(a)csail.mit.edu, cater-dev(a)cs.nyu.edu Apologies if you get multiple copies. Attached is the CFP of NSDR 2012. Please consider submitting. --Lakshmi *NSDR '12 Call for Papers* 6th USENIX/ACM Workshop on Networked Systems for Developing Regions (NSDR '12) June 15, 2012 Boston, MA *Sponsored by USENIX <http://static.usenix.org/>, the Advanced Computing Systems Association, and ACM* NSDR '12 will take place during USENIX Federated Conferences Week<http://www.usenix.org/events/#fcw12>, June 12–15, 2012. Important Dates - Submissions due: *March 27, 2012, 11:59 p.m. PDT* (firm deadline) - Notification to authors: *April 26, 2012* - Electronic files of final papers due: *May 14, 2012* Workshop Organizers *Program Co-Chairs* Kameswari Chebrolu, *Indian Institute of Technology, Bombay* Brian Noble, *University of Michigan* *Program Committee* Muneeb Ali, *Princeton University* Elizabeth Belding, *University of California, Santa Barbara* Gaetano Borrielo, *University of Washington* Eric Brewer, *University of California, Berkeley* Jay Chen, *NYU Abu Dhabi* Saurabh Panjwani, *Bell Labs, India* Tapan Parikh, *University of California, Berkeley* Bhaskar Raman, *IIT Bombay* Saquib Razak, *Carnegie Mellon Qatar* Aaditeshwar Seth, *IIT Delhi* Sam Shah, *LinkedIN* Lakshmi Subramanian, *NYU* Bill Thies, *Microsoft* Background The 6th USENIX/ACM Workshop on Networked Systems for Developing Regions (NSDR '12) will provide a venue for researchers to propose and discuss ideas concerning the design, implementation, and evaluation of new computing and communications technologies to support the sustainable development of developing regions. NSDR specifically focuses on the technical networking and systems research challenges that arise in the design, implementation, and deployment of new computing solutions appropriate for developing regions. In these settings, conventional solutions are often inappropriate and new research approaches and innovative designs and techniques are often required. NSDR solicits papers that either highlight important networking and systems challenges in this space or describe the deployment and evaluation of novel technologies or applications that address a specific need. Papers, Topics of Interest We encourage the submission of position papers or the results of preliminary work describing interesting, original, previously unpublished ideas or results pertaining to the design, implementation, and/or evaluation of networks and systems for developing regions. Accepted papers will: - Propose new research directions; - Target a specific application; - Inform design and/or deployment; and/or - Generate lively debate at the workshop. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to: - Low-cost wireless connectivity - Intermittent and delay-tolerant systems - Rural network planning - Spectrum management protocols and techniques - Mechanisms for emergency and urgent communications - Location-aware systems - Power-efficient systems - Low-cost computing devices - Mobile systems and applications - Middleware and mechanisms for minimizing energy, latency, and storage (caching, etc.) - Adapting content and applications for local languages - User interfaces for low-literacy populations - Shared access devices and infrastructure, including personalization and privacy concerns - Design and evaluation of applications and in-depth case studies in the areas of public health, microfinance, agriculture, e-governance, education, monitoring, disaster management, etc. Submission Instructions Submissions must be no greater than 6 pages in length (including figures and references) and must follow the USENIX formatting guidelines: 10 point type on 12 point (single-spaced) leading, with the text block being no more than 6.5" wide by 9" deep. Submissions must also follow the formatting guidelines and instructions<http://static.usenix.org/events/nsdr12/cfp/requirements.html>, must be in the form of a PDF file, and must be submitted via the Web form<https://papers.usenix.org/hotcrp/nsdr12/>. Submissions that deviate from these guidelines will be rejected without consideration. Reviews will be *single-blind*: authors' names and affiliations should be included in the submission. Authors of accepted papers are expected to present their papers at the workshop. Simultaneous submission of the same work to multiple venues, submission of previously published work, or plagiarism constitutes dishonesty or fraud. USENIX, like other scientific and technical conferences and journals, prohibits these practices and may take action against authors who have committed them. See the USENIX Conference Submissions Policy<http://www.usenix.org/events/submissionspolicy.html>for details. Questions? Contact your program co-chairs, nsdr12chairs(a)usenix.org, or the USENIX office, submissionspolicy(a)usenix.org. Papers accompanied by nondisclosure agreement forms will not be considered. Accepted submissions will be treated as confidential prior to publication on the USENIX NSDR '12 Web site; rejected submissions will be permanently treated as confidential. All papers will be available online to registered attendees before the workshop. If your accepted paper should not be published prior to the event, please notify production(a)usenix.org. The papers will be available online to everyone beginning on the day of the workshop, June 15, 2012. -- "Have a dream, pursue it!" -- Anonymous

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Alison Powell -- Darknets and super-encryption: The new face of Internet activism?
by Christine Prefontaine 24 Feb '12

24 Feb '12

Must-read post from the brillant and lovely Alison Powell, now based at the London School of Economics. Darknets and super-encryption: The new face of Internet activism?<http://www.alisonpowell.ca/?p=487> February 23, 2012 at 11:06 AM The ‘open’ internet was supposed to give us a worldwide ‘network society’ where our communications would move from being controlled from above through broadcast models, and towards more horizontal ‘mass-self-communication’. The excitement about the use of social media in the Arab Spring and even the furore over Anonymous’ (temporary) disruptions of some minor engines of capitalism suggest that we are still tantalized by the potential that technology appears to bring. At the same time, we become worried about exploits of the networked power of the internet – that come in the form of cybercrime and widespread breach of existing laws and norms like copyright. Increasingly, the negative and disruptive aspects of the ‘open’ internet seem to be getting more attention than the potentially positive ones. Governments are concerned about the rise of cybercrime, the threat of filesharing to industries that depend on the control of intellectual property, and the control of dissenting speech. Along with industries and police, they strengthen intellectual property laws, prosecute and shut down file-sharing servers, track individual activists through social networks, and arrange with Internet Service Providers to block and filter problematic internet content. So now we are in a situation where law, policy, and architecture combine to close down aspects of the ‘open’ internet. This has the paradoxical result of driving underground some of the practices that used to take place out in the open – beginning with some of the more unsavoury actions that happen on the internet, like file-sharing, but also extending to the kind of activism celebrated as an example of the democratic potential of the ‘open’ internet. On one hand the move away from the ‘open’ internet has inspired innovation in technologies like encryption, file-sharing and and community wireless mesh networks, but on the other, it could have longstanding impacts on our communication environment. Yesterday, the Guardian reported<http://www.guardian.co.uk/technology/2012/feb/21/pirate-bay-defy-crackdown-…> that Pirate Bay, in an effort to resist a High Court decision that file-sharing sites should be blocked, has moved to a new system for filesharing, using magnet links instead of displaying torrent files on its website. Magnet files are links with no files associated with them, which avoid tracking by containing very little information apart from an indication of the content they are associated with. The attraction of magnet links, according to SoftPedia<http://news.softpedia.com/news/BitTorrent-Magnet-Links-Explained-132536.sht…>, is that they make it easier for file-sharing sites to avoid accusations of wrong-doing in court. Other file-sharers use ‘cyberlocker’ technology where users pay for passwords to third-party file servers (often supported by advertising) where they can leave files they wish to share with others. Unlike torrents, cyberlockers (as well as magnet links) are difficult to monitor. They are also incredibly useful for benign purposes like sharing files between work and home, or collaborating with other people – the popular file storage system Dropbox is a form of cyberlocker. These changes in practice are part of a move where some of the more unsavoury and disruptive products of the ‘open’ internet shift to dark corners where it is more difficult for governments and courts to get a clear picture of what is happening. They may respond by passing laws or enacting policies that attempt to address illegal behavior but in doing so may overreact to actions that are not illegal. For example, the UK’s Serious Organized Crime Agency (SOCA) recently took over a music sharing domain after suspecting its operator of conspiracy to defraud – but not without initially posting a message implying that people who downloaded from the site may have conducted criminal offense. SOCA eventally changed the message, but the implication was that the use of ANY music site could be a criminal offence – which might well limit the number of people who want to use legitimate music-sharing sites, and push the less legitimate ones further underground. Activism too is moving into the dark shadows. One of the consequences of the Arab Spring has been a greater attention by governments to the communications of its citizens – and in parallel greater attention from activists to securing or encrypting their activities. The New America Foundation’s Open Technology Initiative<http://oti.newamerica.net/dashboard> has been working on various prototype technologies meant to help activists avoid blocking, filtering, or internet outages. These include Commotion<http://oti.newamerica.net/commotion_wireless_0>, a project that promises to use networked devices (mobile phones, laptops) as the points of connection in a mesh network that could grow to ‘metro-scale’. Designed to be decentralized and to link devices together in ad-hoc formations when and where required, the project promises to create an alternative network as an when needed. The New York Times reported<http://www.nytimes.com/2011/06/12/world/12internet.html?pagewanted=all>on the project, which was supported by US government funds, calling it part of a ‘stealth internet’. My old community wireless networking co-conspirator Sascha Meinrath <http://saschameinrath.com/> is quoted as saying “we’re going to build a separate infrastructure where the technology is impossible to shut down”. Other veterans of community wireless networking have moved away from creating networks that help to share internet access towards networks that are designed for secure communications – especially the FunkFeur wireless networking project <http://www.funkfeuer.at/index.php?id=42&L=1> in Austria, which has started to focus its attention not on providing connectivity but in ensuring security across an alternative network separate from the existing internet. Other projects go even further: ArsTechnica reports<http://arstechnica.com/open-source/news/2011/11/the-darknet-plan-netroots-a…> on The Darknet Project, another proposal for a worldwide meshed network, and Serval <http://www.servalproject.org/>, a project to create ad-hot wireless mesh networks using regular smartphones. At one level, these projects feel like reinventions of the internet, which a collective burst of imagination framed as a platform for horizontal, networked communications. But now that the centralization and control of that platform is becoming evident, we need something else to imagine. The problem is that in creating darknets and super-encrypted dropboxes, all of the other benefits to speech that the internet has supported can get lost. One open internet, as compared to numerous separate and encrypted darknets, suggests the opportunity for global interconnection and communication. Already, social pressure and the habits of millions of internet users conspire to create ‘echo chambers’ <http://www.alisonpowell.ca/?p=263>online. What remains is a shared imaginary of openness, of a resource to be governed by its users. The rise of super-encryption and darknets suggests that this imagined unitary resource is fracturing. As more of the unsavoury action goes underground, so might the kinds of communication we think of as ‘open’ and democratic. What do we risk when the activists go underground?

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Links from today's discussion
by Nicola Dell 23 Feb '12

23 Feb '12

Here's the link to the Critical Development Forum: http://students.washington.edu/cdfuw/ I want to make it clear that we are not actually involved in the CDF (at least not yet), just participants in a class. The CDF is a lot more organized and so if anyone is interested in these issues I guarantee that their events will be much better than our scattered attempt to lead a discussion today! There are a lot of folks in the global health scene involved, so I think they would love to see more engineers. Also if anyone is interested here's a link to our presentation: https://docs.google.com/present/edit?id=0AXvF6tWWIFQUZG02OHhnOF8yY242bnhiaGg Thanks! Dylan

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NYT article on health monitoring with mobile devices
by ashish makani 23 Feb '12

23 Feb '12

Hi Friends A very interesting article with a good survey of health monitoring tools & services using mobile devices. http://www.nytimes.com/2012/02/23/technology/personaltech/monitoring-your-h… The article also talked about a full body mobile wireless diadnostic 'Star Trek style tricorder' like device for which Qualcomm has launched a $10million XPrize. http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/technology-16518171 http://www.qualcommtricorderxprize.org/competition-details/overview What do you guys think ? cheers ashish

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Job: Senior Project Manager for Inveneo
by Yaw Anokwa 23 Feb '12

23 Feb '12

>From http://www.inveneo.org/newsfeed/senior-project-manager Inveneo is a 501c3 nonprofit social enterprise, which means that we operate like a business with a social mission. Our mission is to get the tools of technology, through computing and regional networking, to organizations operating in rural and highly underserved communities of the developing world. Our model is built on development, not aid. We operate in a number of countries. We work with local partners to develop homegrown ability to deliver quality communications technology and alternative power solutions. The organizations we serve address some of the most pressing problems in their communities: health care, education, economic opportunity and infrastructure. The Senior Project Manager will be responsible for launching, leading and completing large scale implementation projects with our local Inveneo Certified ICT Partners (ICIPs) in-country that will result in regional broadband network implementations and/or computing and local area networking installations for 100s of schools or clinics. The preferred Senior Project Manager will have experience leading multi-year, large-scale technical implementation projects (up to 100 locations), and can lead 1-2 projects at time in countries like Uganda, Kenya, Tanzania and Rwanda. The position will be based in San Francisco, CA, and will require significant travel in austere locations.

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Job: Java Dev for FrontlineSMS in Kenya
by Yaw Anokwa 21 Feb '12

21 Feb '12

import java.* import groovy.* import css import javascript.jQuery if(!candidate.ambitious) throw new InterviewFailedException() def requirements = new TestRunner(Requirements).run() if(!requirements.passed) throw new InterviewFailedException() println "Suitable candidate identified. (Bonus points: ${calculateBonusPoints})" println "Please apply for job immediately." class Requirements { @Test void "candidate should have programming experience"() { assert programming in candidate.experience } @Test void "candidate should like writing good code"() { assert [OOP, TDD, "clean code"].every { it in candidate.interests } } @Test void "candidate should be interested in JVM languages"() { assert [groovy, scala, jruby].inject(0) { language, totalInterest -> totalInterest + candidate.interests.language } } } class FrontlineSMS { def about = ''' FrontlineSMS is a desktop program that allows you to use your modem to send, receive and manage SMS over a mobile network. We are a global team of 15 with offices in the US, UK, and Kenya. Our software is free and open source and used by non-profits and others worldwide to communicate with people via SMS. We are looking to expand our developer team for new projects working on mobile payments, cloud based versions of the software and a variety of other applications from education to media to open government. ''' def methodology = agile * xp * scrum def sourceControl = git def frameworks = grails, jQuery def devTeam = ['Alex', 'David', 'Geoffrey', 'Roy'] def location = 'Nairobi' def contact = [ email: 'dev-jobs(a)frontlinesms.com', web: 'http://www.frontlinesms.com' ] } def calculateBonusPoints() { def bonusPoints // front-end experience desirable [css, javascript, jQuery].each { if(candidate.experience.contains(it)) ++bonusPoints } // interest in ICT4D desirable if('ICT4D' in candidate.interests) ++bonusPoints }

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FW: Ghana Exploration Seminar - Application deadline approaching
by Chris Rothschild 21 Feb '12

21 Feb '12

Hi folks, This is a friendly reminder that the application deadline for the Ghana Exploration Seminar is March 1. The year is flying by! I'm happy to answer questions on the program or application process (chriskr(a)uw.edu<mailto:chriskr@uw.edu>). Thanks! Chris _______________________________________________________________ http://studyabroad.washington.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram… Access to information and communication technologies (ICTs) in Ghana ranges from no access in many rural areas to access comparable to some major US cities. What strategies do people with low incomes use to connect to others and get the information they need? How does this impact their lives? We can get answers to these questions through research and direct experience. Whether you are interested in the uses and impacts of ICTs on the lives of people in developing countries or more generally in learning about how to do field research, this seminar is an opportunity to explore researched-based learning through immersion in the people and culture of Ghana. In this seminar students will examine how people in different types of communities (urban and rural) use ICTs in their daily activities and how they feel about the impacts on their well-being. In contrast to historical notions of development where outside agencies determine goals with little input from the target populations, we will focus on development from the perspective of low-income populations. Students can apply the experience to their individual areas of interest, whether they be information systems, health, education, or other fields. The program will provide instruction and practical experience on using field research methods to investigate the role of ICTs in the livelihoods of low and middle-income populations. If you are interested in ICTs, development, or just want to learn more about conducting field research, weencourage you to apply! If you have any questions about the program, feel free to email us. The course satisfies the research methods requirement for MLIS students (LIS 570) and Informatics Students (INFO 470).

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Low Vision and Assistive Tech Lab Tour
by dharma dailey 21 Feb '12

21 Feb '12

---------- Forwarded message ---------- From: Burke, Delia <Delia.Burke(a)seattle.gov> Date: Tue, Feb 21, 2012 at 10:21 AM Subject: [COMMUNITYTECH] Low Vision and Assistive Tech Lab Tour To: COMMUNITYTECH(a)talk2.seattle.gov Hi, **** ** ** Check out this opportunity on March 28th to take a tour of a Low Vision and Assistive Technology lab and try out the equipment. Please see details below.**** ** ** Best,**** Delia **** ** ** *From:* wash-at-bounces(a)mailman2.u.washington.edu [mailto: wash-at-bounces(a)mailman2.u.washington.edu] *On Behalf Of *Washington Assistive Technology Act Program *Sent:* Monday, February 20, 2012 9:03 AM *To:* wash-at(a)u.washington.edu *Subject:* [Wash-at] [Washington Assistive Technology Act Program Blog] Tour Day at DSB**** ** ** ** ** <http://1.bp.blogspot.com/-937YFRLiR88/Tzr2OzvLchI/AAAAAAAAAFU/ZGIggYx5EWA/s…> **** *TOUR DAY AT DSB!!***** ** ** We are opening the doors to our Low Vision and Assistive Technology labs for hands on experience with our equipment. Please come and visit us!**** ** ** *WHEN:***** Wednesday, March 28th, 2010**** >From 8:00 AM TO 5:00 PM (last tour at 4 PM)**** ** ** *WHERE:***** Department of Service for the Blind, Seattle Office**** 3411 South Alaska Street, Seattle 98118**** ** ** *WHO SHOULD ATTEND?***** Anyone with an interest in Low Vision equipment and Assistive Technology devices for blind and low vision users. This includes schools, non-profit organziations, families, etc. Please feel free to forward this to anyone you know who may be interested in participating. **** ** ** *IF YOU ARE INTERESTED ***** Please contact* Elisa O’Neal *at **** *206-906-5500* or *info@dsb.wa.gov***** by March 22nd to schedule a tour.**** ** ** -- Posted By Washington Assistive Technology Act Program to Washington Assistive Technology Act Program Blog<http://blog.watap.org/2012/02/tour-day-at-dsb.html>at 2/20/2012 09:03:00 AM **** Privacy and Mailing List Policy <http://www.seattle.gov/pan/> List-Unsubscribe <communitytech-unsubscribe-request(a)talk2.seattle.gov> | List-Subscribe <communitytech-subscribe-request(a)talk2.seattle.gov> | List-Owner <communitytech-request(a)talk2.seattle.gov>

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Grant opportunity: Rising Stars in Global Health
by Rohit Chaudhri 21 Feb '12

21 Feb '12

Grant opportunity for innovators working in the global health space in developing countries. http://www.grandchallenges.ca/grand-challenges/gc1-stars/rising-stars-in-gl…

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Meg Coyne, Dylan Price, and Mark Ullery on Beyond Good Intentions: Evaluating Global “Development” Work Critically.
by Nicola Dell 20 Feb '12

20 Feb '12

This Thursday at Change Meg Coyne, Dylan Price, and Mark Ullery will be leading a discussion on good intentions in global development as part of an outreach project for another seminar, *GEOG 499B - Beyond Good Intentions: Evaluating Global “Development” Work Critically*. We hope to bring some of the key ideas of that seminar to Change and discuss them in the context of ICT4D. Specifically, when are good intentions not enough? When are they harmful? How can we best use our good intentions to make a difference in issues of poverty, injustice, and inequality? You can find out more about the seminar here: http://cdfseminar.tumblr.com/about. What : Meg Coyne, Dylan Price, and Mark Ullery on Beyond Good Intentions: Evaluating Global “Development” Work Critically. Where: Allen Center, CSE 203 When: Thursday, February 23 at noon.

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