Kiran Jonnalagadda’s Blog

My friends at the Tactical Technology Collective are organising Info-Activism Camp in February 2009. From their description:

The Info-Activism camp will bring together 120 rights advocates from the global South with technologists, designers and activists for a week long hands-on workshop to share skills, tools and tactics in digital advocacy.

Info-Activism is an approach to advocacy that recognises the artful use of information and communications as a primary tactic in successful campaigns.

The camp provides a space for intensive learning and doing, a structured 'skill-share' environment for experienced advocates that will give them the confidence and know-how to leverage the limited resources they have to create greater impact. During the week, participants will learn how to creatively integrate new technologies in to their advocacy and create long lasting connections with other advocates and tech-activists.

The camp will give rights advocates the practical skills, tools and techniques to use technology to:

• Gather and analyse information and facilitate evidence-based campaigning
• Create and disseminate targeted, accessible and engaging information for advocacy efforts that have impact on targets and mobilise support
• Increase participation from affected communities
• Enable cooperation and coordination with allies
• Minimise security and privacy vulnerabilities

If you’ve been to any of TTC’s earlier Source camps, you’ll know them to be true camps, held away from urbanity in a full time week-long camp, technology driven, and yet focused on practical applications for the activist. These events are great places to meet folks who care about changing society for the better.

The venue is yet to be decided. It is likely to be near Bangalore. Application forms will be available later this month. More information here: Info-Activism Camp - February 2009, India.

Within the space of just a week, no doubt owing to the Acer Aspire One and MSI Wind becoming available. But for its weight, the Eee PC 1000H is a very compelling selection, with a comfortably sized screen, large keyboard, excellent trackpad and high quality speakers. Staples is selling with the full capacity 6-cell 6600 mAh battery. Earlier Eee PCs including my 701 were sold with a lower spec battery than elsewhere in the world.

... is hard after years with a Mac.

I’m using Windows as a way to detox, as a way to get away from dependence on the computer’s storage as data hub and move towards the cloud. I’m tired of lugging a laptop around everywhere and don’t see a solution in a lighter device. My digital life will have to be distributed across multiple special purpose devices with overlapping functions, with my data accessible across them.

Using Windows makes this migration so much easier.