<P>Dear Michael,</P>
<P>I think some of your dots (I don´t really like bullits) are interesting to develop further.</P>
<P>Ann-Kristin<BR><BR>----Ursprungligt meddelande----<BR>Från: gurstein@gmail.com<BR>Datum: Mar 6, 2007 9:19:28 PM<BR>Till: governance@lists.cpsr.org, gta@vancouvercommunity.net, sylvia.caras@gmail.com, wsis@ngocongo.org<BR>Ärende: RE: [governance] RE: GAID<BR><BR></P><COMMENT>
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<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Hi Sylvia and all,</FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>I agree that Ann-Kristin's suggestion</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us> <FONT face=Arial size=2>of partnering between CS and Silicon Valley</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca> <FONT face=Arial size=2>is a good one although I would want to ensure that the partnering was done in such a way that it allowed for effective participation by and resourcing of the grassroots and community based practitioners--in that way, I think the benefits from such partnering would be most likely to flow in both directions.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Before there can be useful partnering at the grassroots level there is I think, a lot of preliminary work that would need to be done in finding mutually agreeable strategies, a common language, mutually respectful working and decision making practices and so on. Not a lot of that currently exists but these are necessary pre-conditions for effective working relationships (and have been largely absent from ICT4D initiatives to this point...</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Most appropriately the development of working relationships would be seen as emergent and iterative processes with appropriate assessment, feedback and jointly agreed upon frameworks for planning and implementation. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Areas where I could see partnering and piloting</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us> <FONT face=Arial size=2>between ICT4D practiioners and silicon valley folks</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca> <FONT face=Arial size=2>quite immediately and practically would be in</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>:</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2> </FONT></SPAN></P>
<UL>
<LI><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>user based (including gender and assistive sensitive) applications design for bottom up processes</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2> (Intel is doing that right now)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>; </FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>software (linguistic) localization</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2> (as MS and Linux/Ubuntu are currently doing)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>; </FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>strategy development for joint field testing of community based applications, training programs, implmentations etc.; </FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>the design of collaborative user (community) based evaluation/assessment systems for applications and implementations</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2> (some discussion going on in India)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>;</FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>the joint development of organizational processes and structures for system and application scaling-up; </FONT></SPAN></LI>
<LI><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>the development of strategies for responding to linguistic, cultural, geographical diversity/complexity in widely dispersed system applications</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>;</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2> and so on.</FONT></SPAN></LI><BR></UL>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>There are enormous challenges (and opportunities) in responding to the complexity, variety and sheer scale of dispersed but integrated bottom-up applications. It is these challenges (and opportunities) that are likely to drive the next round of system and applications development, certainly in LDC's but also I suspect in the OECD's as well, and it was the sensing of these openings that I think underlies Intel (and other)'s interest and the interest of those other folks in Silicon Valley who came along to the GAID meeting.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>There has been a lot of discussion of the "bottom of the pyramid" hypothesis but I think that it is pretty well now accepted</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us> <FONT face=Arial size=2>(as someone articulated at the GAID meeting)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca> <FONT face=Arial size=2>that Prahalad's approach of focussing on the grassroots simply as "markets" doesn't work</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>Rather</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca> <FONT face=Arial size=2>the potential is there if</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-us> <FONT face=Arial size=2>(and oly if)</FONT></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><SPAN lang=en-ca> <FONT face=Arial size=2>the right kind of products, systems, applications, training, implementation strategies and so on can be developed that make sense and are useful for the next billion or two potential ICT users. </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>(I'm also sorry I didn't have a chance to meet up with you and other of the CS folks attending particularly those attending only the second day... </FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Best to all,</FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>MG</FONT></SPAN> </P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael Gurstein, Ph.D.</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-us><FONT face=Arial size=2>gurstein@gmail.com</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Centre for Community Informatics Research, Development and Training </FONT></SPAN><BR><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Vancouver, BC CANADA v6z 2s1</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>tel: +1-604-602-0624</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>fax: +1-604-602-0624</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN><A href="http://www.communityinformatics.net/"><SPAN lang=en-ca><U><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>http://www.communityinformatics.net</FONT></U></SPAN></A><SPAN lang=en-ca></SPAN> </P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>-----Original Message-----</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>From: Sylvia Caras [</FONT></SPAN><A href="mailto:sylvia.caras@gmail.com"><SPAN lang=en-ca><U><FONT face=Arial color=#0000ff size=2>mailto:sylvia.caras@gmail.com</FONT></U></SPAN></A><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>] </FONT></SPAN><BR><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Sent: March 5, 2007 11:10 AM</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>To: governance@lists.cpsr.org</FONT></SPAN> <BR><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Subject: Re: [governance] RE: GAID</FONT></SPAN> </P><BR>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>I think Ann-Kristin's idea is the direction I would also suggest, that civil society partner with business/Silicon Valley. My own sense is that global business interests are trumping States as actors and that GAID is a recognition of that 'multi-stakeholder' restructuring, as well as a cost-shifting attempt.</FONT></SPAN></P>
<P><SPAN lang=en-ca><FONT face=Arial size=2>Michael, I'm sorry we didn't get to talk when we were both in the same place.</FONT></SPAN> </P>
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