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Musings from TIG HQ
Musings from TIG HQ


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Digital Natives - television series
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

So for the past 2 days, we had a camera crew from NHK - the Japanese Broadcasting Corporation - doing a series of interviews with our founders, capturing the office in action, and basically documenting how TIG and our members are changing the world using technology...

This is for an episode of a documentary series on Digital Natives that is to air in Japan in September. In the meantime, you can see the website here: http://www.nhk.or.jp/digitalnative/en.html.

They're also asking if TIG members can submit their own videos on their opinions about technology, the Internet and how it can make a positive impact in the world - if you have something to say, record it and upload here!

July 23, 2008 | 5:28 PM Comments  0 comments



Now this is wireless technology....
Related to country: United States

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Woot!

Accessing internet in the back of a car on my way to Times Square in New York...heehee

I love technology!

July 16, 2008 | 1:53 PM Comments  0 comments

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Thoughts about Ljubljana & the OECD
Related to country: Slovenia

Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I've had some time now to digest my travels to Ljubljana, Slovenia; I was recently there for the OECD's International Workshop on Open & Inclusive Policy Making. TakingITGlobal conducted an e-consultation on Climate Change & Building Citizen Centred Policies & Services.

I want to thank all of the participants who gave their views and opinions on these 2 important themes - and especially Vidar and PJ who coordinated the consultations. When I presented your thoughts at the Workshop, all of the delegates were deeply interested and reacted positively to what you said. I found that there were a number of civil servants who already recognized that engaging young people is an important component of reaching out with their citizens. I also heard a lot of innovative ideas and projects that governments were experimenting with.

Still, there was a recognition that more political will and resources are needed to make sure that these efforts are supported. One of the main points that I stressed is that governments need to include young people at all levels of the public policy development process. Additionally, having youth civil servants is also a good step - and listening to your ideas will definitely help transform government.

I want to invite you to read the full report that I presented - you can download it here.

I also had a chance to take in some of the sights of Ljubljana and I must say, it was very pleasant to roam around the streets of a small, yet cosmopolitan city. I really appreciated the history that you can clearly see in the buildings and the layout of the city. The neat thing was the emphasis on dragons - St. George is the patron saint and you can see that everywhere.

Unfortunately, I didn't get a chance to head out to Bled lake or Skocjan caves, but hopefully I can make another trip in the future to check them out!!

July 3, 2008 | 10:38 AM Comments  0 comments



46,672 km and 5 weeks later...
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

I've just come back from my round the world, whirlwind tour. I've met TIG members, met OECD representatives and have also recharged my spiritual batteries....

I've also contributed to the climate crisis with my recent trip:
Toronto > Hong Kong > Bangkok > Phuket > Bangkok > Singapore > Kuala Lumpur > Bangkok > Hong Kong > Vancouver > Toronto > Paris > Ljubljana > Zagreb > Ljubljana > Paris > Toronto.

oh, and my suitcase is missing....


June 30, 2008 | 4:42 PM Comments  0 comments

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Well, Well, Well....
Translations available in: English (original) | French | Spanish | Italian | German | Portuguese | Swedish | Russian | Dutch | Arabic

Actually, it's only 2 "Wells" - Malcolm Gladwell and Mark Kingwell, who was speaking at the Well Well event (A Dialogue on Social Change) @ U of T that I just attended.

A few quick thoughts:

a) always bring a pen...I forgot mine and thus am relying on my memory...but a friend of mine took notes, so I'll be able to crib off her and provide more indepth analysis later this week.

b) Gladwell talked about putting action before awareness - that raising awareness amounts to advertising - sure we may get our message across, but if no-one is actually changing their behaviour, then what difference does all that energy expended make? He cited how forcing children under the age of 5 to wear seatbelts was a subversive way of getting adults to buckle up, raising the percentage of seatbelt use from 15% to 70%. On the flip side, he also talked how Al Gore - who could arguably have been the 2nd most powerful person in the world for 8 years - could have actually done something about climate change, but only after out of the power does he become a campaigner for the cause. What it boils down to is that awareness and talk only do so much, and that at the end of the day, social change comes with actions being taken.

c) Kingwell, on the other hand, took the stance that social change happens because we share a space of empathy between those who need help. He used the conversion story of Paul the Apostle as a way to illustrate that social change relies on the connection one can make with another being. Where the doctrine of "Love thy neighbour like thyself" should first and foremost be the driving force for change. Where caring about others is what compels you to reach out and help your fellow human being.

d) Watching the interplay between a journalist (Gladwell) and philosopher/journalist (Kingwell) can be entertaining. However, while both playfully threw barbs and derided their counterparts profession, I would suggest that journalists and philosophers both play the same role of describing the world, with different levels of language. One does so relying on facts, everyday occurrences and reportage; the other drills down and employs a "higher" plane of thinking, extrapolating from instances.

e) Couple of other topics thrown out - Bill Gates, the role of money, the role of journalists, changing governments...

A Marx quote used to kick start the whole evening serves as a great summation: “The philosophers have only interpreted the world, in various ways; the point, however, is to change it.” The point of TIG is to change the world - it's the actions that we all take together that allow more people to be aware of the problems in the world and the solutions that are being used to address them.

Hopefully I'll get more notes to share what else was discussed tonight!

May 13, 2008 | 10:42 PM Comments  0 comments



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