Recycled Green Tech News
Sorting truly sustainable tech from greenwash
Monday 26 November 2007, 3:15 PM
Definition of irony? A teleconference conference
A couple of years ago, I was invited to an IBM press junket to Germany. Nothing wrong with that – press junkets are what journalists get to make up for being paid a salary roughly equivalent to that of a short, low-achieving supermarket shelf-stacker – with one arm. And I have nothing against Germany either (apart from the T-shirt/Speedo combinations they insist on wearing on the beach – which makes them look naked from the waste down).
The problem with this junket was that is was painfully and ironically pointless. IBM wanted to fly us to Germany and back in a day (no swanky night in a mini-bar equipped hotel) to see – a teleconferencing system.
This was in the days before the marketing drones had latched onto the environmental angle as way to flog just about anything going – including video conferencing -- so the idea of churning out a couple of tonnes of carbon to go and see a system designed to reduce the need to fly hadn’t occurred to anyone.
In this more green-enlightened times, imagine my surprise when this invite plopped into my in-box: Telepresence World 2008 London News Release http://www.telepresenceworld.net.
Yep, why not expel some carbon, and cash and spend a day or two at a conference in London’s Excel centre next year learning about technologies to help you reduce your environmental footprint, cut travel costs and improve productivity.
I couldn’t help a cheeky email to the PR, pointing out this irony (I know full well that no-one is going to spend money on a telepresence system worth tens of thousand of pounds without playing with a physical device but the question needed asking).
This was the reply
Thanks--I know it may seem ironic but we will have some speakers and attendees participating via telepresence, cutting down on travel and expense. In addition, in order to gain acceptance of this technology and promote adoption for future use, people need to see it at some point and we think that having many vendors demonstrate their products in one place and at one time is advantageous and efficient for the consumer. We are planning a US-based event in the fall so we are hoping that many attendees will come from localized areas for each event, cutting down on flying time and carbon footprint.
There you go - the answer makes sense I guess - but it still seems slightly daft. I hope they invite me to the US conference - US junkets are the best!
Wednesday 7 November 2007, 11:34 PM
NeoOffice- another Leopard bug!
Just trying to shut down my machine at the end of a very long day and I have found out that not only does NeoOffice - the open office alternative for the Mac - not work on Leopard - it won't let me shut down. Selecting the shut-down tab in NeoOffice - does nothing but the system won't let me shut-down the machine without closing the app first. Brilliant. Not sure if NeoOffice has been updated for Leopard yet - but the version that I was using on Tiger that got transfered during my upgrade - sure doesn't work!
Tuesday 6 November 2007, 9:13 AM
More on the Mandriva vs Microsoft in Nigeria issue
Our colleagues in the new world at ZDNet US have managed to bag an interview with Mandriva chief executive Francois Bancilhon to talk about the Linux distro being gazumped by Microsoft in Nigeria. Some 17,000 Intel Classmate machines were sold to Nigeria running Mandriva but at the 11th Hour - the government decided it wanted to run
Windows on the machines.
For his part, Bancilhon admits that Microsoft had been in the running from the beginning but the decision to swap providers at the last minute was a real shock. There may be a chance that the deal can still be saved - but no one is holding their breath.
The interesting angle explored by ZDNet blogger Christopher Dawson is that of localisation:
I asked Mr. Bancilhon specifically how he addresses OSS detractors, many of whom say that kids should be using Windows anyway to prepare for what they are likely to see in the “real world”. His answer surprised me, but actually made a lot of sense. He reminded me that there are currently 8000 languages spoken on Earth. If, as predicted, by the end of the century, 6000 of these will disappear, there will still be 2000 languages spoken worldwide; Windows is currently available in about 50 languages. The solution, therefore, as he sees it, is not to have 1 software manufacturer, but to offer open solutions so that local people can be involved and do their own localizations and distribution. His final statement on the matter reads like a company slogan, but certainly isn’t a bad banner behind which OSS supporters can stand. His solution is to “replace monopoly with choice.”
When I asked him about the future of OSS in developing markets and potential segmentation (e.g., education vs. private sector), he reiterated that the value of Linux is in its suitability for extensive local customization. Different segments of each market obviously have different needs, which can be met by local partners. As he noted, the right way to enter this market is through education. “People are smart enough to move from one system to another,” he said. Clearly, whatever platform they start on, appropriate education should allow them to be effective users of technology. He drew a parallel to learning multiple languages and the advantage that offers for students.
Monday 5 November 2007, 11:05 AM
Tech disaster relief comes to Dominican Republic
This just in: The tech world’s equivalent of Thunderbirds International Rescue – Telecoms Sans Frontieres -- has been deployed to the aftermath of Tropical Storm Noel in the Dominican Republic. (The only thing worse than losing your house in a storm has got to be losing your house to a storm called Noel).
TSF are working in cooperation with the United Nations Foundation and The Vodafone Group.
Here’s the rest of the press release:
“Communications are vital to international relief workers’ ability to act quickly to provide on-the-ground assistance and help save lives. Without effective communications, the life-saving work of those providing food, water, medicines, and shelter could be seriously compromised. As it has done time after time, TSF is answering the call in emergencies. We are proud to be a partner in these efforts,” said Kathy Calvin, chief operating officer of the United Nations Foundation.
The TSF team deployed within 24 hours at the request of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Assistance (OCHA). The TSF team arrived Thursday evening in the Dominican Republic capital Santo Domingo, carrying IT and satellite communications equipment to set up emergency communication centres that will benefit humanitarian relief organisations and affected civilians. The TSF team will support a six-member UN Disaster Assessment and Coordination agency team dispatched by OCHA.
“Through our partnership, we are committed to helping TSF use communications to facilitate international response and recovery. By bringing improved telecommunications access to relief workers, TSF enables the recovery effort to work more quickly and effectively. In situations like these, time is absolutely critical and every moment saved in an emergency operation can mean the difference between life and death,” said Andrew Dunnett, director of the Vodafone Group Foundation.
The mission to the Dominican Republic is the 12th rapid response deployment supported by the United Nations Foundation and The Vodafone Group Foundation Partnership in the past 18 months. Since the first mission to respond to flooding in Suriname in May 2006, TSF has deployed at the UN’s request to support emergency humanitarian relief efforts after earthquakes in Indonesia and Peru; floods in Mozambique, Uruguay, and Ghana; the April 2007 tsunami in the Solomon Islands; and in the aftermath of Hurricane Felix in Nicaragua in September 2007. TSF has also deployed at the UN’s request to conflict zones in Darfur, Sudan; in the eastern Democratic Republic of Congo; and in southern Lebanon.
“The past 18 months of successful TSF deployments with the United Nations demonstrate the importance and the impact of the United Nations Foundation and The Vodafone Group Foundation Partnership in providing rapid and reliable communications to the humanitarian community in emergencies. Thanks to this support, in the last two months alone, TSF was able to respond to five emergencies worldwide to the benefit of over a dozen aid agencies and thousands of affected civilians,” said Jean-François Cazenave, director of TSF.
Since May 2006, when TSF signed an agreement with the United Nations to become the first NGO formally partnering with the UN in emergency response telecommunications work, the United Nations Foundation and The Vodafone Group Foundation Partnership has funded the deployment of TSF teams that can respond to disasters anywhere in the world within 48 hours. TSF teams deploy from centres in France, Thailand, and Nicaragua to provide emergency communications to UN agencies and other emergency responders and establish call centres for refugees and disaster victims.
Wednesday 31 October 2007, 11:26 AM
New green site launches today: Smartplanet
It's only a soft-launch, no fan-fares or dancing girls, but the latest website to launch from ZDNet.co.uk's parent company CNET Networks is dedicated to all things green.
It goes by the name of Smartplanet and already has some really interesting content including an interview with environmental guru Jonathan Porritt.
SP: Sure, but in the UK, is it the case that greener living is something only the middle classes can afford and have the time to think about -- or do the middle classes just getter richer as they consume more?
JP: Well, yes, you can think of it like the latter. I've always resisted this notion that environmentalism is a sad elitist middle class phenomenon of Guardian-reading muesli-eating twats. Better-off people can always buy their way out of degraded environments. The people who suffer most from degraded environments are not middle class people -- it's those who are born into or end up in them that are stuck with them.
Porritt is supposed to be green but he's actually quite blue - the interview is littered with profanity - creative profanity but profanity none the less.
Swearing environmentalists (mentalists?) aside - the site is looking great and should provide a lot of useful resources for anyone struggling to make their life-style more sustainable - tune in and check it out.
