Vacuum - Edward Vielmetti in Ann Arbor, Michigan 48104

CIDC 2006: Community Informatics in Developing Countries

CIDC 2006 Community Informatics for Developing Countries
The Information Society Institute, Cape Town, South Africa
31 Aug - 2 Sep 2006

Community Informatics concerns the social
appropriation of information and communications technologies.

The practice of Community Informatics has been evident in one form
or another for many years, but the delivery of real benefits to
communities is still elusive. A number of factors mitigate against
easy success, including the necessary involvement of many
stakeholders, the problems of establishing a real understanding of
community needs, and a tendency for interventions to be driven
exclusively by funders.

The conference is designed for researchers, policymakers, community
leaders, ICT project leaders, government officials and regional
community development groups who have interests, skills and
experience in Community Informatics for developing countries.

Topics are open within the general area of Community Informatics for
Developing Countries, but include

- the emergence of the Information Society and its impact on
communities,
- shared Knowledge between and within communities,
- the determination of community needs,
- planning for communities by communities,
- effective community participation in community-based projects
- evaluation of community-based projects,
- community empowerment,
- the impact of ICT on community 'belonging',
- failure of traditional top-down approach to community projects,
- mother language education as a platform for community identity,
- stakeholder interaction in community interventions
- government as a network partner of communities,
- e-service delivery

Security and software for cybercafes: call for chapters

as seen on ciresearchers:

CALL FOR CHAPTERS
Proposals Submission Deadline: 10/1/2006
Full Chapters Due: 1/31/2007

Security and Software for Cybercafes
A book edited by Dr. Esharenana E. Adomi, Delta State University, Abraka, Nigeria

Introduction
Cybercafes, which are places where Internet access is provided for a fee, provide the opportunity for people without access to the Internet, or who are traveling, to access web mail and instant messages, read newspapers and explore other resources of the Net. Due to the important role Internet cafes play in facilitating access to information, there is a need for their systems to have well-installed software in order to ensure smooth service delivery. A good understanding of security measures and software requirements is a sine qua non for efficient management of cybercafes.

The Overall Objective of the Book
In the field of information science, technology and management, there is dire need for an edited collection of articles in this area. The intent of the book is to provide relevant theoretical frameworks and current empirical research findings in the area. The book will be aimed toward professionals, scholars, researchers and teachers of information technology who want to improve their knowledge and understanding of security management and software requirements of cybercafes, both in industrialized and developing countries.

The Target Audience
The audience of the book will consist of professionals, scholars and researchers working in the field of information science, education, technology and management, as well as related disciplines. The text is also intended for all library and information sciences users. The book will particularly provide those working in cybercafes/cybercafe operators with insight into how to control the risks related to cybercafe networks.

Recommended topics includes, but are not limited to, the following:
# Cybercafe systems security
# Viruses and virus protection in cybercafes
# Network security devices
# Software requirements
# Cybercafe management software
# Information and security policies
# Cyber laws and cybercafes
# Government control of cybercafes
# Research in cybercafe security and software
# Cybercafes cybercrime, detection and prevention
# Case study on any of the topics

SUBMISSION PROCEDURE
Researchers and professionals are invited to submit on or before October 1, 2006 a 2-5 page manuscript proposal clearly explaining the mission and concerns of the proposed chapter. Authors of accepted proposals will be notified by November 1, 2006 about the status of their proposals and sent chapter organizational guidelines. Full chapters are expected to be submitted by January 31, 2007. All submitted chapters, will be reviewed on a double-blind review basis. The book is scheduled to be published by Idea Group, Inc., www.idea-group.com, publisher of the Idea Group Publishing, Information Science Publishing, IRM Press, CyberTech Publishing and Idea Group Reference imprints.

Inquiries and submissions can be forwarded electronically (Word document) or by mail to:

Dr. Esharenana E. Adomi
Department of Library and Information Science
Delta State University
Abraka, Nigeria
Tel: +234 802 (0) 842 9087
E-mail: esharenana.adomi@gmail.com

(add this to the "information security" category)

Technorati Tags: cybercafe, infosec

How to Rig an Election for Fun and Profit, New Orleans edition

As seen on Digg: Outsourcing Democracy - How to Rig an Election for Fun and Profit. New Orleans is picking city planners for rebuilding through an online poll accessible by anyone with an email address. This is wrong in so many ways. It's trivially easy to vote even if you're dead and live in Chicago, which is bad enough. More to the point of New Orleans, it's really hard to vote if all you have is a cell phone and a FEMA trailer, and that's too many people right now.

More details and commentary at Think New Orleans.

Technorati Tags: vote, election, neworleans

UgaBYTES, telecenter network support in Uganda

From the UgaBYTES site:

UgaBYTES Initiative is a nonprofit telecenter network organization that seeks to promote and nurture the effective use and integration of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) for sustainable rural development in East Africa. As a catalytic organization, UgaBYTES focus is towards rural and disadvantaged community groups through the provision of quality support services and mentoring.

Telecenters are the non-profit version of cybercafes - somewhere on the net I'm sure there's a global map of where they are and cost per hour in local terms for services. The world travelers I know depend on them; staffing and supporting them in far-flung parts of the global is a challenge.

Technorati Tags: uganda, telecenter