Message-ID: <199609211018.AA10501@mail.crl.com> Date: Sat, 21 Sep 1996 03:16:46 -0800 From: Gary Berlind <mailto:gberlind@CRL.COM> Subject: Re: Internet to save the world To: Multiple recipients of list DEVEL-L <mailto:DEVEL-L@AMERICAN.EDU>
Joaquim Moura writes:> Sorry, dear Dick, but Internet is the first opportunity to link
> goodwill and skilled people and their ideas together, worldwide,
> ever. From this fact we understand that now Earth has a nervous
> system, and its intelligence may now circulate, becoming more
> aware about itself than never before. The neurons are we, net
> users... This is very new and it is our last and only chance to
> change some current trends that menace to take us all to an
> increasing succession of disasters after disasters...
***I couldn't agree more. Everytime I get myself really upset about how much of our world's problems seem to be caused by the price we've had to pay to develop our technological toys (I've become a confirmed Jerry Manderite lately), I placate myself more than a bit by realizing that all this technology stuff has at least led to the Internet's capabilities to bring a lot of good-intentioned, and [sometimes] skillful people together to address the problems in a thoughtful way. Many of us wouldn't have been likely to have found each other without it. True, there's a lot of miscommunication, and the road to correction may not be a simple one, if it's even possible at this late date. But my ocean-polluting and mercilessly time-sucking computer appears finally to be good for one thing that I'm not ashamed of, i.e., letting like-minded souls find each other so that efforts and thoughts may proceed towards solutions. Of course, it might have been better if problems that were caused by our technological and earth-plundering societies had never occurred, so that we didn't need to network together to solve the problems, but I guess c'est la vie...
>
> But will we be able to use this potential to carry on completely
> new projects - taking full advantage of this potential? After
> one year trying to get objective information on solutions for the
> main community problems. I could not. Many times I brought issues
> very important for us, community development leaders, but I could
> not get a suite for them. For example: issues relating nutrition,
> health, body energy and social development; or relating "culture"
> and social development (maybe I should write "relating commercial
> culture of TV, ads and sex-violence and social decaying").
>
> However, the three attempts I did were not followed by anybody.
> Maybe because these issues are more urgent for us, voluntary
> leaders here in Brazil - with our huge social and environmental
> problems - than for you, working in the academy world or with
> big NGOs and international agencies.
>
> But I think these issues will be soon concerning the developed
> countries as well... And I hope that the dominant attitude of
> using Internet just as a mean to exchange resource information or
> job opportunities will soon change to some kind of interactive
> interchange between us, promoting this "quantic leap" we and our
> children need so much!
*** I think this quantic leap is happening as we speak. And it's happening on more levels than just the Internet. But the Internet may really be key, because it has the potential of being the communications glue that holds it all together, at the grass roots level, i.e., the people. >
> Yours, Joaquim
> P.S.: did you read Riaz Khan's STANDARD DEVELOPMENT TOOLS? Whauu!
>________________________________________________________________________
>
>At 12:42 20/09/96 BST, you wrote:
>
>>I'll sum up the value of the Internet - slightly less than the
>>change I carry round in my pocket. Still, if anyone else insists on
>>being yet another victim to the "Internet to save the world" cult, you
>>could read:
>>
>>"Information Technology and National Trade Facilitation", which
>>comes as two World Bank Technical Papers (nos. 317 and 318),
>>published in 1995, and written by Rob Schware and Paul Kimberley, and
>>which, as usual for Schware's stuff are well-researched and thought
>>out.
>>
>>You should also consult Cliff Stoll's "Silicon Snake Oil", which helps
>>put most of the drivel talked about the Internet and IT in general in
>>perspective.
>>
>>Richard Heeks
>>
>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>Dr Richard Heeks
>>Lecturer, Information Systems & Development
>>Institute for Development Policy & Management
>>University of Manchester
>>Precinct Centre
>>Manchester M13 9GH
>>U.K.
>>Phone: +44-161-275-2870
>>Fax: +44-161-273-8829
>>Email: mailto:Richard.Heeks@man.ac.uk
>>IDPM Web: http:/www.man.ac.uk/idpm
>>---------------------------------------------------------------------
>>
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>Youth and Citizenship Development Commission
>SHCGN 713 - Bloco I - apt. 202 - Brasilia DF - 70760-739 - Brasil
>
>visit our site and meet us, our efforts and results:
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---------------------------------------------------------------- Gary Berlind (Berkeley, CA) mailto:gberlind@crl.com Q: "Why was the Creator able to build the Universe in only six days?" A: "Because he didn't have an installed base." ----------------------------------------------------------------