Human being settle. Not settle, as in "contents may settle during shipping," although that does happen with age. I mean settle in the sense of "make do." When given a chance, we almost always pick the adequate option over the optimal solution. The cognitive psychology word for this quirk of human nature is "satisficing" -- a mashup of satisfy and suffice.
web tools
Technological security for activists
Okay, so we all get that we can surf the web and find amazing tools for organizing, collaborate and blog about our campaigns. But when it comes to creating secure searches, protecting our privacy and organizing online things get a little harder. Many activists brush aside these protective measures because they don't think they have the skills - this can be risky and unwarranted thanks to Hacktion Lab.
Apps4Russia
Apps4Russia is a competition for application developers to create projects, based on open government data, for public use. Most importantly, the contest stipulates that projects must be beneficial to Russian society, as well as encourage transparency and government accountability.
The Apps4Russia competition is non-commercial, non-governmental, and non-political. The contest will run from June 30, 2011, to October 1, 2011.
Blogging
Introduction
This guide is designed to introduce activists to blogging.
Overview
In 2002, few recognized the potential of blogs as a journalistic medium. In recent years, however, this mentality has shifted entirely. Today, bloggers command prominence and recognition as journalists. Moreover, in some regions, blogs are considered to be more credible information sources than state-run news agencies. In light of this, today’s blogosphere remains an invaluable forum for the activist community. Issue-based blogs unite like-mined individuals, and such connectivity helps to establish support networks for any given cause.
Considerations
Tactical Technology Collective
Founded in 2003, the Tactical Technology Collective remains an international non-governmental organization dedicated to the notion that technology and information management can be leveraged to bring about positive social change.
Digital activism
Digital activism refers to online participation in cause-related movements. In such campaigns, digital activists leverage networked technologies -- YouTube, Twitter, Facebook, blogs, SMS text messaging -- for social and political change campaigns.
As grassroots organizers take advantage of their digital tool belts, it is revolutionizing how activists rally. Via digital means, socially aware people can connect, and create change in a space that is free and global -- the World Wide Web. In addition, individuals can organize large scale events, to create awareness and engage others for their cause, at virtually no cost.
Corruption Fighters' Tool Kit
The Corruption Fighters' Tool Kit is a project of Transparency International (TI), a non-governmental organization dedicated to the fight against corruption.
In particular, TI's Corruption Fighters' Tool Kit aims to provide youth with anti-corruption education. By targeting young people, TI believes that ethical behaviour, and distaste for corrupt practices, can be ingrained at an early age.
FrontlineSMS
FrontlineSMS is a free, open source software that allows for instantaneous two-way communication via SMS text messaging.
FrontlineSMS is unique in that it does not require an Internet connection to function. Essentially, FrontlineSMS works by allowing users to connect an array of mobile devices to a computer. In doing so, FrontlineSMS effectively turns any computer and mobile phone, or modem, into a two-way communication hub from which SMS text messages can be sent and received.
FrontlineSMS attests that its software can be used to send SMS text messages to large groups of people anywhere there is a mobile signal.
http://www.frontlinesms.com/
Can social media save journalism?
What do you find more engaging: reading an article in a newspaper, or having a conversation about it with a friend afterwards? This is the question journalists, editors and media executives should be asking themselves as they try to navigate through the current crisis in journalism. If you're like me, you find the conversation about current events more interesting than the consumption of news.