Save the Net - Why Net Neutrality is really important

http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/net/neutrality.html

"One estimate is that 60% of the content on the Internet is produced by people, not corporations. You look at commercial TV - zero, Radio - 5% - talk radio, newspapers - an occassional op-ed maybe, or a letter to the editor. 99% of the content of those three traditional media are from corporations - the internet has turned that on its head."
Mark Cooper (from PBS's Bill Moyers on America)


"When I invented the Web, I didn't have to ask anyone's permission. Now, hundreds of millions of people are using it freely. I am worried that that is going end"

Sir Tim Berners Lee

Save the Net - Why Net Neutrality is really important.

When people pool their information, expertise, and resources together – you often get amazing results. And that’s essentially what the Internet is – the world’s most amazing source of information. The web is democratic – it’s all about equality of access – it’s available to anybody with Internet access and no one is supposed to get preferential treatment. Unfortunately, some very powerful companies are trying to change all that.

Net Neutrality doesn’t sound very sexy – but at its core – it’s about Saving the Internet. Net Neutrality in Canada is the principle that consumers should be in control of what content, services and applications they use on the public Internet. It's a pretty simple concept and it’s been working pretty well so far.
I love how the Internet works. Whether it’s a corporate retail site, a celebrity gossip site, or a Norwegian Folk Singer’s blog – all the pages are sent to my computer with equal speed. It’s democracy at its finest.

But what happens if ISP’s - Internet service providers like telcos and cable companies - start slowing down some traffic and speeding up others to make more money? What happens if they decide they don’t like what someone is saying and prevent people from getting to it? What if - suddenly, you can’t go where you want on the Internet and you have to pay extra to go in the fast lane with the big guys?

Well, if the Service Providers have their way and we lose net neutrality - surfing the Internet will be very different experience that it is today. These companies want to ability to slow down some Internet sites and block access to others. As Canadians – do we want to have less access to information than other countries? Do we want to make sure we give our kids, our businesses, and our entrepreneurs the tools they need to succeed in the digital age?

It doesn’t matter if you’re politics are left, right, or centre - we all love the Internet and we need to save it. Ottawa professor Michael Geist has great information on his website and there’s a campaign called netneutrality.ca gaining steam – just type in – savethenet.ca The CRTC has only given us till June 11 to make our voices heard.

This sort of discrimination would really hinder future innovations. A lot of really popular sites, like Google, eBay, and YouTube wouldn’t even exist if there hadn’t been net neutrality. And democracy is all about free speech – and the other frightening thing about this is that I.S.P.’s could censor speech they don’t like — in fact, we’ve already had examples of it.

In September 2007 in the States, Verizon Wireless refused to allow a Pro-Choice organization from sending text messages over its network. In 2005, Telus blocked access to voices-for-change.ca, a website supporting the company's labour union during a worker’s dispute. Right now, Bell Canada is throttling (or slowing down) third party Internet service providers (ISPs).

The Internet should continue to offer equal access to everyone. Cable and telecos shouldn’t be allowed to say who gets the fast lane, who gets the slow lane, and where we’re allowed to go on the Internet.

Net Neutrality is about giving equal access to everybody – the net has become an integral part of the way we share ideas and information and has been an instrumental factor in digital innovation. We’ve got to fight to keep it that way. We’ve got to savethenet Canada.

You can learn more about net neutrality and make your voice heard at savethenet.ca and netneutrality.ca. And also please check out Michael Geist.ca - he has a really informative website with lots of excellent information.

I’m Bradley Shende - until next week, keep clicking and stay connected.











































































































































http://www.pbs.org/moyers/moyersonamerica/net/index.html

The Rise of the Smart Phone

A recent report shows that 16% of US households use only cell phones. Stats Canada reports that we’re slowly moving in the same direction – we’re currently sitting at 6.4%. Convenience is probably the largest single factor influencing the cell-only trend, but the rise in popularity of 3rd Generation Networks and smart phones will create even more converts.

A smart phone is a next-generation, multifunctional cell phone that can handle voice communication, text-messaging, and data processing as well as enhanced wireless connectivity. They’re like a supped-up cell phone – and when you combine a smart phone with a decent 3G network – your cell phone starts to work like a home computer.

Smart phones have:

• Enhanced wireless capability like Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, and the ability to synchronize with computers.


• A large RAM and ROM memory and storage (memory cards or built-in hard disk).


• And operating systems with advanced applications like media players, browsing capability, and games. A lot of smart phones also have high end camera lenses and video sharing capability.

As Canadian cell companies continue to expand their 3G (3rd Generation) networks, more and more consumers will make the switch to smart phones. Early adopters are already using smart phones to send and receive video, check websites in real time, and make video conference calls.

And if you thought Facebook was addictive on your computer – wait til you start playing with it on your smart phone. You can update photos immediately – watch videos, instantly message back and forth with friends – and constantly update your Facebook status or check the status of your friends.

Of course, before you start playing with any web sites on your cell phones - contact your network provider and make sure you know what kind of data package you have. A friend of mine got a new phone and started playing on websites like Facebook and got a bill that could have payed his mortgage for the month.

If you really want to keep all your friends up to date about your activities – you can also Twitter them – your friends register as part of your network and you’re able to update them whenever you like. Some of my friends use it all the time – Sandra is doing her laundry – John is going for drinks with the gang – there’s a pick-up basketball game tonight at wherever. It is really handy when doing business at conferences. You can let people know you’ve updated your website with new video – or you’ve posted a new blog.

Another interesting site to check out is called Kyte. You can download the Kyte video player to your cell and effectively – the site is like a youtube for your cell.

The iPhone and other smart phones make surfing the net much more accessible and user-friendly. Lots of Canadians simply bought US iPhones and hacked them to work in Canada – but we are officially supposed to get the iPhone from Rogers before the end of this year. Rumor has it that the new 3G iPhones will be announced in June; hopefully Canada will be part of that rollout.

One of the reasons people hold on to their landlines is cheap long distance calls – but the cell phone manufacturers are slowly creeping into that market too.

The Nokia 6301 can connect to a Wifi router and lets you make cheap or free long distance calls anywhere in Canada– heavy long distance users will really like this. As long as your phone is connected via Wifi – you can technically call anywhere in Canada for free. What’s more, if you start the call from home using the Wifi – you could leave your house and drive all the way to the airport while still talking and the whole call is free.

With all the amazing smart phones out there – it’s no surprise that the number of cell phone only houses in Canada is on the rise.

Until next time - keep clicking and stay Connected.

Digital Philanthropy

Technology helps break down borders – and the web acts as a simple tool that makes exchanging information easy. People can now access information and business tools that they previously couldn’t – and sharing information is exactly what the internet was originally created for. Essentially, professors needed a way to share information quickly across great distances. Necessity breeds invention.

Today I’d like to talk about some amazing Digital Philanthropic activities that have been made possible through the advent of the web. Are we becoming a more compassionate culture?

There’s a great quote from Margaret Mead – “Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it’s the only thing that ever has.”

Small changes can make big differences – and when people come together they can make big change. When people throw their weight behind a good cause – they can really make a difference – five bucks alone doesn’t mean much – but when thousands of people throw in five bucks it really adds up. The web gives access to millions of people – if you can get your message out there – you have access to millions of people.

These websites make it easy to give to a worthy cause – but the idea of micro-loans is really interesting because they also empower the beneficiaries – they use the money to start a small business and then turn around and repay the loans so that others can also benefit. This is the 2006 Nobel Prize winning idea that micro-loan pioneer Muhammad Yunus and his Grameen Bank use. A few hundred dollars might not mean much to a North American business – but it means life and death to someone in the third world. The program has enabled millions of Bangladeshis, almost all women, to buy everything from cows to cell phones in order to start and run their own businesses.
Some of the amazing websites out there are givemeaning.com – they host fundraising pages on behalf of charities, non-profits and grassroots projects.

Designcanchange.org – it’s tackling climate change and issues about the environment by providing information and resources to businesses who want to make positive change.

Kiva.org is one of these micro-loan sites – lets you lend whatever amount you would like to a entrepreneur of your choosing in the developing world – empowering them to help themselves. You could be helping them built a bridge, expand a small retail business, or start a brand new one.

Freerice is a website that gives rice through the UN when you go and play a word game. For each word you get right – they donate 20 grains of rice to the United Nations World Food Program. The rice is paid for by the advertisers whose names you see on the bottom of your vocabulary screen. So you get smarter and hungry people get rice – it’s a definite win-win. Add it to your morning reading.

So whether you want to give to an entrepreneur in a developing country or help out a valuable resource closer to home – it’s just a click away.

EOL.org is the Encyclopedia of Life – it is an amazing site that lets you explore virtually all the species of plants and animals on Earth. It’s wonderful – kids and adults will love it. The Encyclopedia of Life is an ecosystem of websites that makes all key information about all life on Earth accessible to anyone, anywhere in the world. It’s a global effort by Natural History museums, teachers, botanical gardens, resource centers – and soon, you’ll even be able to contribute by adding photos, drawings and videos. It’s growing and evolving all the time – just like us.

That’s it for today – you can learn more about the Encyclopedia of Life by watching ConnectedLife’s free video pod cast on iTunes. I’m Bradley Shende - until next week, keep clicking and stay connected.

Bradley Shende Global TV: Video Games & Social Networking

Video Games and Social Networking

Video games are making big money and big news – some good – some bad - we’ve all probably seen the media blitz for Grand Theft Auto 4 – Mother’s Against Drunk Drivers wants the game to be reclassified as Adults Only. I’m not much for violent video games – but from a business perspective – the game adds another layer to the social networking aspect – the game itself becomes a selling platform.

The game is like a virtual shopping mall – if you like a song you hear on the radio in the game – you can tag it – if you thought stand-up comedian Ricky Gervais ((of Office and Extras fame) who is in the game) is funny, you can tag him – everything you do in the game is recorded - later when you log into the GTA4 Social Club – you’re presented with more information about the things you tagged and you’re even given info on how to buy it from online vendors like Amazon.com. Violence and In-game marketing – what will they think of next?

On a more positive side – games like Mario Kart for the Nintendo Wii – or Guitar Hero or Rock band – are also taking social networking to a new level. On the Nintendo Wii - there’s the option of installing the Mario Kart Channel to the Wii menu – it posts local and international player rankings and lets you know about racing competitions that anyone with the game can compete in for prizes.


Guitar Hero and Rock Band are taking things even further – people are having so much fun with these games – they’re actually interacting with friends. Games like Guitar Hero and Rock Band are not only bringing people together in homes – but in social arenas as well - friends are getting together and challenging other gamers in pubs and nightclubs all over Canada. Even locally, here in Vancouver - clubs like Celebrities and the Cellar have nights where people play against one another – it’s like Karaoke with a backing band! And – like the GTA4 – you can also buy the songs you play in the game as mp3s or ringtones.

Gaming – which was once thought of as a semi - anti-social behaviour – geeks in their basement – is now a viable social activity - meet-ups of guild or team members for certain games, and gaming tournaments. Another interesting phenomenon is that sales of actual guitars and lessons have started to spike – of course doctor visits for people with repetitive strain injuries may be going up too. Whatever your taste - gaming is really going to the next level.

You can learn more about trends in gaming, technology, and science on our free iTunes video podcast – just search for Connected Life. And if you haven’t grown tired of Facebook yet, we’ve got a Connected Life group there as well. I’m Bradley Shende for Connected Life – until next week – keep clicking and stay connected.