The Centre for Internet and Society
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Open Source Peluang tidak Terbatas Industri TIK (GCOS 2009)
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-source-peluang-tidak-terbatas-industri-tik-gcos-2009
<b>JAKARTA--MI: Perangkat lunak Open Source membuka peluang tak terbatas untuk mengembangkan industri di bidang teknologi informasi dan komunikasi (TIK) dalam negeri sekaligus sumber daya manusia di sektor TIK.
GCOS '09 was organized by AOSI (Asosiasi open Source Indonesia) and was supported by the State Ministry of Research and Technology and the Ministry Communication Information Technology. The Global Conference on Open Source was held on 26th and 27th of October, 2009 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia.</b>
<p>Hal itu dinyatakan Menteri Komunikasi dan Informatika Tifatul Sembiring saat memberi sambutan pada Global Conference on Open Source (GCOS) yang dihadiri sejumlah pakar open source dari berbagai negara di Jakarta, Senin (26/10).</p>
<p>Menurut Tifatul, Free Open Source Software (FOSS) diadopsi dan dimanfaatan pemerintah bukan saja karena model bisnis alami FOSS yang gratis untuk digunakan, bebas sumber kode-nya untuk dimodifikasi dan disebarkan tetapi juga karena kemandirian yang ditawarkan FOSS.</p>
<p>Bagi pemerintah, FOSS juga mengalihkan masyarakat Indonesia dari masalah pembajakan software (perangkat lunak) karena sifatnya yang gratis, sementara software berlisensi (proprietary) seringkali tak terjangkau masyarakat.</p>
<p>Ia menyatakan bangga bahwa perangkat lunak sumber kode terbuka ini tumbuh sangat cepat meskipun sempat mengalami banyak hambatan dalam implementasinya. Banyaknya pakar dari berbagai negara yang hadir dan bertukar pengalaman dalam GCOS ini, lanjut dia, diharapkan mampu menghilangkan segala hambatan dalam implementasi FOSS di Indonesia.</p>
<p>Sementara itu, Ketua Asosiasi Open Source Indonesia (AOSI) Betti Alisjahbana mengharapkan FOSS bisa sukses diimplementasikan di Indonesia dengan memperkuat komunitas open source.</p>
<p>"Kami berharap Indonesia bisa mengambil manfaat maksimum dari FOSS yang semakin berkembang di dunia untuk kemajuan TIK Indonesia dan pertumbuhan ekonomi umumnya," kata Betti. Menurutnya, sejak Indonesia Go Open Source (IGOS) dideklarasikan pada 30 Juni 2004 Indonesia sudah muncul menjadi pemimpin dalam gerakan open source.</p>
<p>Sejumlah pakar dan praktisi dunia TIK khususnya open source yang hadir dalam konferensi ini antara lain: <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/staff/staff#sunil-abraham" class="internal-link" title="Staff">Sunil Abraham</a> dari India, Krich Nasingkun dari Thailand, Muh Rosli bin Abd Razak dari Malaysia, Ko Hong Eng dari Sun Micro System, Ray Davies dari IBM, Matthias Merkle dari IntWEnt hingga Campbell O Webb dari Harvard University.</p>
<p>Selain itu sejumlah pakar open source Indonesia juga hadir seperti Onno W Purbo, I Made Wiryana, juga Indra Utoyo dari Telkom, Dr Aswin Sasongko dari Depkominfo.(Ant/OL-04)</p>
<p><a class="external-link" href="http://www.mediaindonesia.com/read/2009/10/26/102234/45/7/Open-Source-Peluang-Tak-Terbatas-Industri-TIK">Link to original article</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-source-peluang-tidak-terbatas-industri-tik-gcos-2009'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-source-peluang-tidak-terbatas-industri-tik-gcos-2009</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaOpenness2011-04-02T14:45:13ZNews ItemGCOS 2009
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/gcos-2009
<b>The Global Conference on Open Source, held on 26th and 27th of October, 2009 at the Shangri-La Hotel, Jakarta, Indonesia was organized by AOSI (Asosiasi open Source Indonesia) and was supported by the State Ministry of Research and Technology and the Ministry Communication Information Technology.</b>
<p>Open Source Cegah Pembajakan Dorong Kemandirian</p>
<p>KabarIndonesia - Free Open Source Sofware-FOSS akan menghapus jejak Indonesia dari ranah pembajakan software propriety yang dari pengguna komputer di Indonesia diperkirakan hanya 4% menggunakan software legal. </p>
<p>"Dari kreatifitas para pengembang software, tak hanya kebutuhan office dan grafis saja, namun kedepan akan sangat memungkinkan bahwa hanya dengan FOSS keseluruhan pekerjaan bidang multimedia dan animasi bisa dikerjakan dengan berkualitas" kata Andi S. Boediman, pendiri International Design School sambil memberikan contoh bahwa film animasi<br />Big Bug Bunny adalah salah satu animasi yang dibuat dengan software open source blender.</p>
<p>Senada dengan Andi S. Boediman, adalah Gustaff Hariman Iskandar, pendiri komunitas kreatif Commonroom Bandung, Open source adalah solusi bagi pembajakan software propriety. Meskipun Gustaff juga memberikan catatan, bahwa jika open source mau jadi tuan rumah di Indonesia, maka harus ada peningkatan kecepatan akses internet, karena dalam pemakaian software open source, dibutuhkan koneksi internet yang stabil untuk mengupdate program yang dipakai.</p>
<p>Gustaff memberikan pandangan, bahwa di kalangan komunitas kreatif di Bandung, pemakaian software bajakan sudah lumrah terjadi meskipun kini sudah banyak yang menggunakan sofware asli ataupun memanfaatkan FOSS. Dan ajang global Conference on Open Source-GCOS adalah salah satu program yang menurutnya harus menjadi momentum untuk 'membebaskan' masyarakat dari 'penjajahan' dominasi software berlicensi yang tentunya mahal bagi UKM. </p>
<p>GCOS-Global Conference on Open Source yang digelar 26-27 Oktober lalu, mendapat apresiasi laur biasa dengan mendatangkan tamu dan pembicara dari berbagai negara. <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about/people/staff/staff#sunil-abraham" class="internal-link" title="Staff">Sunil Abraham</a> misalnya, pembicara pada asal India untuk sesi Making Opensource The Driver for Development, merasa terkesan dengan sambutan masyarakat dan pemerintah Indonesia yang luar biasa, bahkan telah terbentuk komunitas open source di Indonesia yang cukup besar sehingga dapat menyelenggarakan GCOS. Sunil, juga bangga dapat berbicara di forum internasional bersama pembicara lain yang menurutnya seperti berbicara di India, karena disini juga berhadapan dengan problem dan karakteristik masyarakat yang hampir sama, butuh software murah untuk saving cost. </p>
<p>Open Source adalah sebuah fenomena, yang menurut Direktur Aptel ICT Depkominfo, Amalia Abdulah, bukan lagi alternative tapi pilihan. Dan kepentingan pemerintah adalah memfasilitasi, mendorong pemakaian software legal yang sesuai kemampuan daya beli masyarakat, bahkan gratis seperti free opensource software-FOSS.</p>
<p>Pasca surat edaran Menpan bulan maret 2009 lalu, sudah ada sekitar 100 lebih pemerintah daerah yang mengajukan permohonan untuk menggunakan open source dan Depkominfo Bersama KNRT [Kementerian Negara Riset dan<br />Teknologi] mengadakan pelatihan SDM mulai dari mengoperasikan software untuk perkantoran, sesuai kebutuhan administrative pemerintahan. </p>
<p>Apa yang dilakukan dalam sinergi Depkominfo, KNRT, Depdiknas, Men PAN adalah sebuah komitmen, bahkan tertuang dalam program dimana pada Desember 2011 ditargetkan pengaplikasian open source di seluruh jajaran instansi dapat terwujud. Keinginan pemerintah tersebut bukan pula tanpa dasar, dengan isu utama dalam open source adalah low cost, mencegah<br />terjadinya pembajakan software, dan mampu memberikan keuntungan bagi Negara. KNRT misalnya yang secara bertahap mengaplikasikan open source sejak 2005, telah menghemat biaya pembelian licensi sebesar 40% dan bisa ditingkatkan menjadi 60%. </p>
<p>Ternyata tak hanya menjawab kebutuhan kalangan UKM yang ingin berhemat memangkas biaya operasional namun tetap berada pada jalur legal, ternyata juga memberikan kontribusi penghematan anggaran bagi pemerintah Negara berkembang seperti Indonesia. </p>
<p>Dengan memanfaatkan software open source yang bersifat terbuka dan bebas untuk dikembangkan, seharusnya juga menjadi motivasi bagi bangsa indonesia untuk menjadi pemain utama dalam pengembangan software yang dibutuhkan dunia teknologi informasi, yang apada akhirnya dapat mencerdaskan kehidupan bangsa. </p>
<p>Pemerintah yang telah memulai aplikasi open source meski hanya berbekal surat edaran Men PAN, mungkin perlu meningkatkan komitmen dan dedikasinya dengan penerbitan regulasi lebih mengikat dan ’memaksa’ yang didalamnya tak hanya berisi himbauan, namun juga proteksi. </p>
<p>Dan jika Depkominfo dan Depdiknas dapat bersinergi melalui program pendidikan open source, akan menjadi awal yang baik memperkenalkan dan mengajarkan open source sebagai sebuah wujud kemandirian bangsa yang tak lagi terjajah secara teknologi. </p>
<p>Betty Alisjahbana dari AOSI [Asosisi Open Source Indonesia] dan Lolly Amalia selaku Direktur Sistem Informasi Ditjen Aptel Depkominfo, kedua belah pihak telah saling bertemu visi dengan 'keroyokan' melaksanakan GCOS secara bersama-sama, diantara kedua pihak telah ada kesepakatan saling membantu aplikasi Open Source di seluruh Indonesia. </p>
<p>Untuk mengatasi kendala profesionalitas AOSI dalam memberikan layanan sebagaimana tuntutan kebutuhan saat ini, Betty bahkan sedang dalam proses mengorganisir kekuatan-kekuatan di dalam AOSI untuk bernaung didalam sebuah payung badan usaha profesional, jadi bukan lagi komunitas penghobi open source saja. </p>
<p>Lebih jauh pandangan Onno W Purbo, penggiat open source, free open source software [FOSS] harus menjadikan Indonesia sebagai 'Knowledge Based Society', menggunakan pengetahuannya untuk bisa berkarya. Dari pihak pemerintah, telah dicontohkan oleh Kementrian Riset dan Teknologi (KNRT) dalam penerapan eGovernment secara menyeluruh dalam rangka<br />meningkatkan kualitas layanan publik secara efektif dan efisien untuk meminimalisir korupsi di lingkungan pemerintahan. </p>
<p>Dalam bincang-bincang dengan Ditjen Aplikasi dan Telematika Depkominfo Ashwin Sasongko, ia mengandaikan Free Open Source Software seperti air mineral yang bisa diambil gratis dari pegunungan, tapi distribusi dan pengemasannya bayar.</p>
<p>Sun Microsystems melaporkan perkembangan potensi pengguna FOSS, sejak tahun 2008 telah terjaring komunitas OSS dari Java dengan lebih dari 15.000 pengguna dan hampir 10.000 pengadopsi pemula penggunaan OSS dari 150 perguruan tinggi serta 70 sekolah menengah. Tampaknya, aktifitas AOSI yang menyebarkan ribuan komputer dengan aplikasi FOSS ke<br />sekolah-sekolah mulai terlihat hasilnya. </p>
<p>FOSS hadir menjadi solusi di tengah upaya menekan pembajakan software proprietary dengan memasyarakatkan software legal ,di sisi lain juga membangun susasana kompetitif di tengah usaha untuk membangun kemandirian bangsa. </p>
<p><a class="external-link" href="http://www.kabarindonesia.com/berita.php?pil=11&jd=Open+Source+Cegah +Pembajakan+Dorong+Kemandirian&dn=20091029153013">Link to original article</a></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/gcos-2009'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/gcos-2009</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaOpenness2011-04-02T14:44:10ZNews ItemQuantifying India's research output - Public Lecture by Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/quantifying-indias-research-output-public-lecture-by-prof.-subbiah-arunachalam
<b>International Strategic and Security Studies Programme, IISc. Bangalore, is organizing a Public lecture by Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam on Friday, Sept 25th, on Quantifying India's research output.</b>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><strong><br /></strong></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><strong>International Strategic and Security Studies Programme</strong></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><strong>National Institute of Advanced Studies</strong></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Indian Institute of Science Campus,Bangalore -12</strong></p>
<div align="center"><strong></strong><strong><br /></strong></div>
<p><strong>Public Lecture</strong></p>
<p><strong>Date</strong>: Friday, September
25, 2009</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Speaker: Prof.
Subbiah Arunachalam</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> Distinguished Fellow, Center For Internet & Society, Bangalore</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> Visiting Professor, Institute of Mathematical Sciences, Chennai</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"> Email: <a href="mailto:subbiah.arunachalam@gmail.com" target="_blank">subbiah.arunachalam@gmail.com</a></p>
<p><strong>Chairperson</strong>: Dr .Lalitha Sundareshan</p>
<p>
Visiting Professor</p>
<p style="text-align: justify;"><strong>Title</strong>: <strong>Quantifying India's
research output</strong><strong><br />
Time:</strong> 11:30 am<br /><strong>Venue</strong>: Conference Hall 2<br /><strong><br />Abstract:<em> </em></strong>Science policy makers around the world are keen to assess the research performed by different countries, institutions and even individuals. Much of such work is based on databases and is based on the premise that the literature of science is a mirror of science. A number of scientometricists have used Science Citation Index (Web of Science) and other (subject-based) databases for such studies. Often they depend on publication and citation counts. Unfortunately, many of them are not aware of the nuances involved in such studies. In this talk we will look at science indicators with special reference to India and the developing countries.<br /><br />All are invited to attend</p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><strong> </strong></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/quantifying-indias-research-output-public-lecture-by-prof.-subbiah-arunachalam'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/quantifying-indias-research-output-public-lecture-by-prof.-subbiah-arunachalam</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaOpenness2011-04-02T14:54:51ZNews ItemManglore: State-level 'Wiki Academy' Daylong Seminar at St Aloysius
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/manglore-state-level-wiki-academy-daylong-seminar-at-st-aloysius
<b>Daijiworld Media Network - Mangalore (RS/SB) </b>
<p><strong>Mangalore, Aug 22:</strong> For the first time in India, Wiki Academy, a workshop based on usage of Indian languages, editing and its applications in academics of Wikipedia- the free online encyclopedia was held at Eric Mathias hall in St Aloysius College here on Saturday, August 22. <br />The daylong seminar based on talks and presentation was inaugurated by representatives from Wikipedia, Dr Prashanth and Hariprasad Nadig. Speaking after the inaugural, Dr Prashanth said that main feature of the Wikipedia is that the control is in the ends of end user and not seller. It is popular among the users for its style presenting information and accessibility that is user-friendly, he said. <br />The Wikipedia that started with a few hundred articles, now has over 13 million articles in over 100 languages including three million articles in English written voluntarily by college students, doctors and various professionals, he said. The Wikipedia also includes articles in Indian regional languages such Kannada, Tamil, Malayalam and Telugu among others, he added. <br />Fr Swebert D Silva, principal, St Aloysius College said that Wikipedia plays a role that is very similar to the library which is that giving detailed information on the topic required. Students’ involvement with the Wikipedia helps improve their writing skills. The era of internet and blogging has helped students and youth express themselves more clearly, he said and called on students to improve their writing skill contributing to Wikipedia. <br />Fr Richard Rego, head, Journalism department, St Aloysius College said that it is a golden opportunity for students, professionals, teachers, scholars and librarians to be able to participate in the academy and also contribute and get information from Wikipedia. <br />Department of Mass Communication, Al-Madhyam, the media forum of St Aloysius College in association with Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore organized the workshop. </p>
<p class="MsoPlainText"><a href="http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=64564&n_tit=Manglore%25"><u>http://www.daijiworld.com/news/news_disp.asp?n_id=64564&n_tit=Manglore%</u></a></p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/manglore-state-level-wiki-academy-daylong-seminar-at-st-aloysius'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/manglore-state-level-wiki-academy-daylong-seminar-at-st-aloysius</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaOpenness2011-04-02T14:58:06ZNews ItemHighest wiki taker
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/highest-wiki-taker
<b>Bangaloreans are beginning to debate if Wikipedia is a reliable source of info, reports Shweta Taneja.
TimeOut Bangalore, published an article on the upcoming WikiWars event that the Centre for Internet and Society is organising in January 2010. Nishant Shah, Director Research, was interviewed for his views and ideas about the event and the rise of Wikipedia as a global knowledge production system.
</b>
<p><a class="external-link" href="http://www.timeoutbengaluru.net/aroundtown/aroundtown_preview_details.asp?code=31">Link to the original article on the Time Out site</a>.</p>
<p>“When we use the term Wikipedia, most of us mean the English version of it,” said Hari Prasad Nadig, a 26-year-old software professional. “It’s only in the last couple of years that even editors [of the popular online encyclopaedia] have started working on regional languages.” Nadig is one of several wiki editors who, much like the encyclopaedists in Isaac Asimov’s Foundation series, are dedicated to putting together unbiased and objective information about India in English and other languages. Authenticity and accuracy of information being a subject of serious contention, Wikipedia flags dubious-sounding articles and invites editors from across the world to ‘cleanup the article to meet its quality standards’. </p>
<p> Nadig started as an editor for English Wiki on topics related to Kannada and Karnataka five years ago, but soon saw the need for articles and pages in regional languages. While the new Kannada and Sanskrit Wikipedias have been online for a few months now, Nadig also found himself making note of several problems that they had begun to face – the biggest being an affair commonly referred to as “WikiWars”, fought over the need to keep information accurate. To discuss such issues, and to present problems being faced by regional language Wiki groups like Nadig’s, the city’s Centre for Internet and Society, which has become a centre for Wikipedians to meet every month, has announced plans to host a conference called WikiWars in January 2010 (in association with the Institute of Network Cultures, Amsterdam), for which the registrations open this fortnight.</p>
<p> “The open structure of Wikipedia has led to warring factions when it comes to the content on important issues,” explained Nishant Shah, Director-Research at CIS. For example, when Bangalore was renamed Bengaluru, there was a quick succession of edit-wars, he said, where the proponents and critiques of the move constantly kept editing and changing the information provided by other parties. “In the absence of an editorial board, these wars create the neutral point of view that assures objectivity in content,” he said. </p>
<p> The event WikiWars will aim to bring together perspectives, approaches, experiences and stories on such concerns, he added. “The platform is not only for active Wikipedians, but also for people who have the ability to critically examine Wikipedia.”</p>
<p> Nadig explained that several writers and administrators work to protect the Wiki pages, so that no unauthorised changes can be made. But many of these writers are yet closed to the ideas of online communities and concepts of user-generated content. “The subject should be open to changes by others – that is the democratic way,” he said. Like in any open system, there is a pressing need to look at Wikipedia holistically, and what it means for different groups of people. Shah agreed, “On one hand, people swear by this peer-to-peer system of knowledge production and sharing, looking at it as a symbol of the information revolution. On the other hand, people question the validity and authority of the Wikipedia to serve as a global system of referencing, questioning the lack of structure in the system.” </p>
<p>Nadig further explained that the concerns are most relevant to new initiatives like the regional language Wikis. “The numbers of articles on the Kannada Wiki have now crossed 6,000 pages,” he observed. But most of the problems that Nadig’s facing are because most regional language editors tend to treat the Wikipedia as a print medium rather than a dynamic online one. “People still do not understand how the Wikipedia works, and tend to treat a page like traditional media – where once printed, it cannot be changed, edited or questioned,” he explained. He added that there is a shortage of good editors as well, who can actively question and participate in projects: “Many people need the technological ability to edit, and understand how Kannada functions online.” To improve the technical skills of editors, Nadig also works offline, conducting hands-on training sessions. He now holds sessions for newbie Wikipedians, and trains them to use programs for editing and writing in regional languages.</p>
<p> But the main impediment for regional Wikis is that the community is broken into sub-groups, said Nadig. “If you want to work with the government and other organisations, you need a formal setup for Wikipedia, which can approach and actively engage them,” he said. Shah is hoping that the WikiWars conference will address this concern, including other issues like economic practices based around Wikipedia, the nature of freedom in usage, for instance in oral histories and unconfirmed information sources, and the space for dissent in the medium. He added that the event will aim to build a “knowledge network” that will start larger discussions, and also work to create public awareness. </p>
<p></p>
<p>Registrations for WikiWars are now open.</p>
<p><img class="image-inline" src="images/wikiwars/image_preview" alt="Highest Wiki Taker" height="400" width="312" /></p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/highest-wiki-taker'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/highest-wiki-taker</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaOpenness2011-04-02T15:04:18ZNews ItemWikipedia Academy in Mangalore
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wikipedia-academy-in-mangalore
<b>The one-day workshop will focus on the use of Indian languages in Wikipedia, editing and its application in academics.
</b>
<p>Department of Mass Communications and Al Madhyam of the St. Aloysius College, Mangalore in collaboration with Centre for Internet and<br />Society, Bangalore are holding a State-level Wiki-Academy in Mangalore on 22nd August, 2009. The one-day workshop will focus on the use of<br />Indian languages in Wikipedia, editing and its application in academics.</p>
<p>Registration is free. Register before 21st August for the workshop.Registration is open on the day of the event, as well.</p>
<p>Wikipedia editors will speak about the history of Wikipedia and its role in making information freely available to people in several languages.<br />They will also provide hands-on training on editing and improving articles on Wikipedia.</p>
<p>The talks for this edition will be presented by:<br />Prashanth N S (editor, English Wikipedia)<br />Hari Prasad Nadig (sysop, Kannada Wikipedia)</p>
<p>More details on the program is at:</p>
<p><a href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Prashanthns/Wikiconference">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/User:Prashanthns/Wikiconference</a></p>
<p><a href="http://hpnadig.net/sites/hpnadig.net/files/WikiAcademy.pdf">http://hpnadig.net/sites/hpnadig.net/files/WikiAcademy.pdf</a></p>
<p>(Feel free to pass this on to your friends in Mangalore)</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wikipedia-academy-in-mangalore'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/wikipedia-academy-in-mangalore</a>
</p>
No publisherradhaOpenness2011-04-02T15:20:23ZNews ItemIs NASSCOM anti-Open Standards?
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/is-nasscom-anti-open-standards
<b>Article by Shalini Singh on techgoss.com, 10 July 2009</b>
<p align="justify">NASSCOM has been set up to consolidate and promote
the interests of the booming IT-BPO industries in India. NASSCOM
members account for 95 percent of the industry revenues in India and
employ more than 2.5 million professionals. While NASSCOM is credited
for doing a great job for the Indian IT-BPO sector, some of its actions
are hard to understand. </p>
<p align="justify">While most are in agreement that Open Standards are
good for the world and especially developing countries like India,
NASSCOM has been quite half hearted in supporting it.</p>
<p align="justify">Bangalore-based The Centre for Internet and Society
is dedicated to ensuring digital pluralism, public accountability and
pedagogic practices in India and the region. This public interest
organization is staffed by many highly qualified, idealistic people who
have given up lucrative careers in the private sector to work for the
betterment of society.</p>
<p align="justify">When the Indian Government proposed a draft National
Policy on Open Standards for e-Governance, most key players in India
sent in their views. These would be multi-billion dollars contracts
and would affect the lives of hundreds of millions of Indians.</p>
<p align="justify">The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) is pushing
for more open standards. It is an accepted fact that such a system
ensures lower cost and higher quality. On the other hand, you have
large software companies who want to lock in Indians into proprietary
software.</p>
<p align="justify">NASSCOM has succumbed to the lobbying of some tech
companies, and has become reluctant to whole heartedly support Open
Standards.</p>
<p align="justify">The Centre for Internet and Society (CIS) has <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/advocacy/standards/blog/second-response-to-draft-policy" target="_blank">told</a> the public:</p>
<blockquote>
<p align="justify">“Second Response to Draft National Policy on Open Standards for e-Governance <br />By Pranesh Prakash</p>
<p align="justify">The government is in the process of drafting a
national policy on open standards for e-governance. The National
Informatics Centre recently released draft version 2 of the policy, and
CIS sent in its comments on the draft.</p>
<p align="justify">CIS has been following the drafting of the national
policy on open standards for e-governance with much interest. Last
year, we offered our comments on the first draft of the policy. The
policy has since gone through two more iterations (copies of which are
kept on the Fosscomm site), labelled versions 1.15 and 2, and we have
again offered comments on the latest version. The evolution the draft
policy has been mired in controversy, as documented by Venkatesh
Hariharan of Red Hat. It seems that the National Association of
Software and Services Companies (NASSCOM) has been trying to nullify
the effect of the policy by pushing for recognition of proprietary
standards within the policy, and that too without consultation with its
members.</p>
<p align="justify">We believe that proprietary standards go against the
interests the government, which as the primary consumer of the
standards would have to pay royalties and would face vendor lock-in, of
small and medium enterprises, which provide direct and indirect
services to the government, since they would be required to invest in
those closed standards to service the government, and most of all, of
the citizens of India."</p>
</blockquote>
<p align="justify">Techgoss had learnt that the NASSCOM committee which
drafted their opinion did not consult IBM India, Sun and Red Hat - all
of whom are strong proponents of Open Standards.</p>
<p align="justify">-----</p>
<p align="justify">To read the original article at the techgoss.com website, please click <a class="external-link" href="http://www.techgoss.com/Story/49S13-Is-NASSCOM-anti-Open-Standards-.aspx">here</a>.</p>
<p align="justify"> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/is-nasscom-anti-open-standards'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/is-nasscom-anti-open-standards</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T15:43:31ZNews ItemTactical Media 3.0--FOSS: The Dynamics of Freedom
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/tactical-media-3.0-foss-the-dynamics-of-freedom
<b>CIS Executive Director Sunil Abraham will speak at 'Tactical Media 3.0--Foss: The Dynamics of Freedom', a workshop on techniques and philosophy of Free and Open Source Software, 27 July to 1 August, Jadavpur University, Kolkata. </b>
<p> <img class="image-inline image-inline" src="../advocacy/openness/Tactical_Media3.jpg/image_preview" alt="tactical" height="421" width="635" /></p>
<p>The Media Lab, Jadavpur University presents Tactical Media 3.0--FOSS: The Dynamics of Freedom, a workshop on techniques and philosophy of Free and Open Source Software<br /> July 27 – Aug 1, 2009, 3-30 to 7-30 pm, Vivekananda Hall</p>
<p><br />Free and Open Source software is one of the greatest tools in the hands of those who wish to challenge the notions of intellectual property (IP) and market-driven logics of human exchange. The Internet has opened up the space for a world-wide collective that believes in enriching each other’s lives through art and knowledge free from narrow conceptions of ownership and privilege. It has given rise to a new creativity on a global scale, from globally shared alternatives to profit-driven initiatives, towards a hope of re-inventing the commons in the 21st century.</p>
<p><br />Tactical Media 3.0 is the third chapter in the workshop series on Tactical Media. It will be dedicated to training in Linux-based tools and discussion on the philosophy, economics and politics of FOSS. The resource persons will be Prof. Nandinee Mukherjee and her colleagues from the (JU-FOSS Resource Centre), Jadavpur University, Sunil Abraham, (Director-Policy), Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, and Sri Dipankar Das, (Senior Lecturer, Jaipuria College), University of Calcutta.</p>
<p><br />For participation please send a CV and covering letter by July 23 to:</p>
<p><br />The Media Lab office (ph: 033-2414-6222), Subarna Jayanti Bhavan,</p>
<p>Jadavpur University (main campus)</p>
<p>or email <a class="moz-txt-link-abbreviated" href="mailto:medialabju@gmail.com">medialabju@gmail.com</a></p>
<p><br />Seats are limited. Selected candidates shall be charged a nominal fee of Rs. 300.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/tactical-media-3.0-foss-the-dynamics-of-freedom'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/tactical-media-3.0-foss-the-dynamics-of-freedom</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T15:42:29ZNews ItemPresentation at TIFR: 'Scholarly Communication in the Age of the Commons'
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/presentation-at-tifr-scholarly-communication-in-the-age-of-the-commons
<b>CIS Distinguished Fellow Dr. Subbiah Arunachalam will give a talk titled 'Scholarly Communication in the Age of the Commons' at TIFR, Mumbai, on Friday, 24 July 2009. </b>
<p>Dr. Subbiah Arunachalam, Distinguished Fellow, Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore, Scholarly communication in the age of the commons, 24/07/09, 1600Hrs, AG-66</p>
<h3>Abstract <br /></h3>
<p>Scholarly communication plays a
central role in the creation and assimilation of new knowledge, especially
in the sciences. In its turn scholarly communication depends on
developments in technology. Unfortunately, scientists who do cutting edge
science often follow communication practices of a bygone era and are
therefore holding back the development of knowledge. In this talk we will
look at state-of-the-art developments in scholarly communication and
literature-based evaluation of science and see how we in India can benefit
by adopting them.</p>
<h3> About <strong>Dr.Subbiah Arunachalam</strong> </h3>
<br />
<p> Subbiah Arunachalam is an information scientist. He has been an editor of
scientific journals, teacher of information science, librarian, and a
science writer. As Secretary and Editor of publications of the Indian
Academy of Sciences, Bangalore, during 1973-75, he reorganised the
publications of the Academy and helped enlarge its Fellowship. Currently he
is actively promoting open access to science and scholarship. His interests
include scientometrics, science journalism and ICT-enabled rural
development. <br /></p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>See the original posting at the TIFR website <a class="external-link" href="http://www.tifr.res.in/~aset/talk072409.html">here</a>. <br />
</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/presentation-at-tifr-scholarly-communication-in-the-age-of-the-commons'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/presentation-at-tifr-scholarly-communication-in-the-age-of-the-commons</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T15:42:49ZNews ItemPresentation at IDRC: ‘Scholarly Communication in the Age of the Commons -- A Southern Perspective’
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/idrc-scholarly-communication
<b>Prof. Subbiah Arunachalam, CIS Distinguished Fellow, will give a talk titled 'Scholarly Communication in the Age of the Commons -- A Southern Perspective' at IDRC, Ottawa, Canada, on 13 July 2009. </b>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span">
</span></p>
<div>Brown
Bag Presentation: ‘Scholarly communication in the age of the commons -
A southern perspective’ by Subbiah Arunachalam, Distinguished Fellow,
Centre for Internet and Society,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Bangalore, India</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Date: July 13, 2009</div>
<div>Time: 1400 hr</div>
<div>Location: IDRC</div>
<div>150 Kent Street</div>
<div>Ottawa,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>ON,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Canada</div>
<div>Room 950</div>
<div>RSVP:<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Nicole Leguerrier <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span><a href="mailto:nleguerrier@idrc.ca">nleguerrier@idrc.ca</a></div>
<div> </div>
<div>The
toll-access journal system that was set up some 350 years ago and which
has served well till a few decades ago evolved, for historical reasons,
largely to serve the needs of North-North knowledge exchange and has
failed to take cognizance of the aspirations of the South. The need for
science to be performed everywhere and take roots in all countries is
now well recognized. If OA is so very important to the South, why is
the progress slow? While computers, internet access and bandwidths
continue to pose problems in a number of southern countries, in general
the situation is improving. The more important factor is scientists'
apathy. Scientists in the South, by and large, do not exercise their
rights to the full; often they give away on a platter copyright to
their research papers to journal publishers. The publishers themselves
indulge in practices that would entice publishing scientists and
librarians to act in ways that would benefit the publishers. Funding
agencies and governments of southern countries are not as proactive as
they should be. </div>
<div> </div>
<div>Focused
advocacy on the advantages of the public commons approach can bring
about some revolutionary changes. Such advocacy should be aimed at all
levels of stakeholders. Some examples of what is being done in<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>India<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>will be presented.</div>
<div> </div>
<p> </p>
<h3><span class="Apple-style-span">
<div>Biography</div>
</span></h3>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span">
</span></p>
<div>Subbiah Arunachalam (Arun) is a Distinguished Fellow with the Centre for Internet and Society (CIS),<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Bangalore,
a research and advocacy organization that was founded in August 2008.
Before then, he was a volunteer for 12 years with the M S Swaminathan
Research Foundation, a Chennai-based NGO, promoting the use of
information and communication technologies to empower the poor and the
marginalized and bring about holistic rural development.</div>
<div>Arun
is an advocate of open access to scientific and scholarly literature
and has conducted several workshops on knowledge management, electronic
publishing, open access archiving, science communication, and
South-South Exchange for sharing knowledge among development workers
from Asia, Africa and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Latin America. Arun has been a Visiting Professor at the Indian Institute of Technology, Chennai,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>University<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Calcutta, Annamalai University, National Institute of Advanced Study,<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Bangalore, and<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Asian<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Collegeof Journalism, Chennai. Immediately after returning to India Arun will join the<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Institute<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>of<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Mathematical
Sciences, Chennai, as a visiting scientist. Arun has been a member of
the Executive Committee of Global Knowledge Partnership (GKP) for two
terms, and is currently a member of the International Advisory Board of
IICD, The Hague, and a Trustee of both the Voicing the Voiceless
Foundation, New Delhi, and the Electronic Publishing Trust for
Development, UK.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>---------------------------------------------------------------------------</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Causerie-midi:
La communication scientifique à l’ère des biens communs – perspectives
du Sud, par Subbiah Arunachalam, chercheur associé de marque au Centre
for Internet and Society, Bangalore (Inde)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Date: le 13 juillet 2009</div>
<div>Heure: 14 h</div>
<div>Lieu: CRDI</div>
<div>150, rue Kent</div>
<div>Ottawa (Ont.) Canada</div>
<div>pièce 950</div>
<div>RSVP: <span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>Nicole Leguerrier<span class="Apple-converted-space"> </span>(<a href="mailto:nleguerrier@idrc.ca">nleguerrier@idrc.ca</a>)</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Pour
des raisons historiques, le système des publications scientifiques
payantes mis en place il y a trois siècles et demi et qui a produit des
résultats satisfaisants jusqu’aux dernières décennies sert maintenant,
en grande partie, l’échange de connaissances Nord-Nord et ne prend pas
en compte les aspirations du Sud. La nécessité de favoriser partout
l’activité scientifique et de conforter son enracinement dans tous les
pays est aujourd’hui généralement admise. Si le libre accès revêt une
telle importance pour le Sud, pourquoi les progrès sont-ils si lents ?
Bien que les ordinateurs, l’accès Internet et la bande passante
continuent de poser problème dans un grand nombre de pays du Sud, la
situation a somme toute tendance à s’améliorer. Le facteur qui joue le
plus est dès lors l’apathie des chercheurs. De façon générale, les
scientifiques du Sud n’exercent pas pleinement leurs droits : ils
cèdent les droits d’auteur sur leur article à l’éditeur de la revue. Et
les éditeurs se livrent à des pratiques qui incitent les auteurs et les
bibliothécaires à agir à leur avantage. Les bailleurs de fonds et les
gouvernements des pays du Sud, quant à eux, ne sont pas aussi proactifs
qu’ils le devraient.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Un
plaidoyer axé sur les avantages des biens communs pourrait produire des
changements révolutionnaires. Ce plaidoyer doit viser toutes les
parties prenantes. M. Subbiah Arunachalam livrera des exemples
d’initiatives en cours en Inde.</div>
<div> </div>
<p> </p>
<h3><span class="Apple-style-span">
<div>Notice biographique</div>
</span></h3>
<p><span class="Apple-style-span">
</span></p>
<div>Subbiah
Arunachalam (Arun) est chercheur associé de marque au Centre for
Internet and Society (CIS) de Bangalore, un organisme de recherche et
de plaidoyer fondé en août 2008. Il a été auparavant bénévole, pendant
12 ans, à la Fondation de recherche M.S.Swaminathan, une ONG de Chennai
ayant pour vocation d’encourager le recours aux technologies de
l’information et de la communication afin de rendre les populations
pauvres et marginalisées plus autonomes et de favoriser un
développement rural global.</div>
<div> </div>
<div>Arun
est partisan du libre accès aux publications scientifiques et savantes
et a animé plusieurs ateliers sur la gestion des connaissances,
l’édition électronique, l’auto-archivage, les communications
scientifiques et les échanges Sud-Sud afin de favoriser la mise en
commun des connaissances parmi les professionnels du développement
d’Asie, d’Afrique et d’Amérique latine. Il a été professeur invité à
l’Institut indien de technologie de Chennai, à l’Université de
Calcutta, à l’Université Annamalai et au National Institute of Advanced
Studies de Bangalore. Il a siégé au comité exécutif de l’Alliance
mondiale pour le savoir (GKP) pendant deux mandats et siège
actuellement au comité consultatif international de l’Institut
international pour la communication et le développement (IICD), à La
Haye, ainsi qu’aux conseils d’administration de la fondation Voicing
the Voiceless de New Delhi et de l’Electronic Publishing Trust for
Development, au Royaume-Uni.</div>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/idrc-scholarly-communication'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/idrc-scholarly-communication</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T15:59:03ZNews ItemLetter to Education Secretary, Government of Karnataka, Advocating Adoption of FOSS in State IT Academies
http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/letter-to-education-secretary-may-2009
<b>The Centre for Internet and Society is a signatory to a letter being sent to the Education Secretary, Government of Karnataka, advocating the adoption of FOSS at state IT academies. </b>
<p>
The state of Karnataka has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with
Microsoft under which three IT academies have been established in
the state, in Bangalore, Dharwad and Gulbarga, in 2004-05. Government school teachers are being trained at these academies. As
per the MOU, only Microsoft decides the curriculum at these
academies, and only Microsoft software applications are being taught
to the teachers. This MOU will expire in the coming academic year. Therefore, Gurumurthy Kasinathan and members of the FOSS community in India are sending a letter to the Education Secretary for the state of Karnataka, advocating the adoption of a FOSS-based curriculum in these IT academies, and explaining why this would be a useful move.</p>
<p>The Centre for Internet and Society is one of the signatories to this letter, which is reproduced below.</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>To</p>
<p>The
Education Secretary</p>
<p>Government
of Karnataka</p>
<p>MS
Building</p>
<p>Bangalore,
Karnataka.</p>
<p><u><strong>Sub
– Microsoft IT Academies in Karnataka</strong></u></p>
<p>
Dear Sri Nadadur,</p>
<p>
Karnataka has a MOU with
Microsoft under which three 'IT Academies' have been established in
the State, in Bangalore, Dharwad and Gulbarga during 2004-05.
Government school teachers are being trained in these academies. As
per the MOU, only Microsoft decides the curriculum in these
academies, and only Microsoft software applications are being taught
to the teachers.</p>
<p>
There are a couple of issues
with this program.</p>
<p>
Firstly Microsoft does not allow
the teaching of software other than their own proprietary products.
This deprives the teachers from learning alternative Free and Open
Source Software (FOSS) platforms. There are compelling pedagogical,
economic, social and political reasons why the education system
needs to adopt and promote FOSS. Free software is software which
gives the users the <strong>freedom </strong>to <strong>use, study, modify and
share, </strong>while in the case of proprietary software, the vendor
prevents the study, modification and distribution of the software.
The freedoms of FOSS provide users and the rest of society with
several important advantages, which are briefly listed below:</p>
<p>
a. With proprietary software,
the teachers only learn be superficial 'users'. This is because,
proprietary software companies prevent access to the “source
code” that goes into the creation of software. With FOSS, students
can learn not only how to use software, but also how create and
modify the software applications. Hence with FOSS, students will not
just be passive users but will actually construct knowledge. As we
know, 'Constructivism' is a key feature of the National Curriculum
Framework 2005.</p>
<p>
b. FOSS supports the creation of
local language versions of the software. For example, Kerala has
locally created software in Malayalam for its IT@School program.
Similarly the Kannada community <em>Sampada
</em>has created a
complete Kannada distribution by customising existing FOSS software.</p>
<p>
Though Microsoft has provided
Windows and Microsoft Office gratis at these academies, it does not
provide the same software to the teachers who are trained at the
centre. Hence the teachers who intend to purchase computers would
need to shell out considerable amounts for the software which they
have become used to in the schools. However, if the teachers are
trained on FOSS alternatives to Windows and Office, at at negligible
price (the cost of a CD which is around Rupees ten), each teacher can
be a given a copy of the software. The training can also cover the
installation of the software, if required. In this way, the teacher
training can lead to the actual use of computers in the schools and
teachers homes and make the training meaningful and lead to the
greater dispersion of ICTs. Currently, most teachers learn to use
these products but have no continuity of learning which makes the
training futile.</p>
<p>Of course, the issue of FOSS is
not only one of cost. Even if proprietary software were offered free
of cost, our nation will eventually have economic losses, due to
permanent dependency on software monopoly.</p>
<p>
These are some of the reasons
why <strong>Karnataka has chosen FOSS in its own ICT@Schools program. The
computers in Karnataka schools run on GNU/Linux platform under this
program. We would like to submit that the teacher training in the IT
Academies at Bangalore, Dharwad and Gulbarga also need to be aligned
to the IT@School program, and hence teachers should be taught on the
same FOSS software platforms as well.</strong></p>
<p>
We had a meeting with Ms Vandita
Sharma last November, along with Dr Richard Stallman, the founder of
the global Free Software movement, and explained these issues. She
was sympathetic to these arguments on the public benefits from FOSS
and mentioned that the department would take appropriate action in
this regard as is consistent with the public interest and those of
the teachers and children in our government schools. She mentioned
that the MOU with Microsoft is expiring in the coming academic year
and and requested us to formally write to her in this regard, hence
this letter.</p>
<p>
We request that the Government
take a firm stance in favor of adopting and promoting FOSS and chose
FOSS in its software procurement to align the department to the
government schools.</p>
<p>A few months back, organisations that
are working to promote FOSS came together to establish a <strong>'Coalition
of the FOSS Community in India</strong>' whose goal is to collaborate with
governments and other organisations to promote the adoption of FOSS,
specially in the public sector. Several of the member of this
coalition are based in Bangalore, including the Centre for Internet
and Society, Sampada, Swatantra Malayalam Computing, Deeproot Linux,
IT for Change etc. Faculty from IIM-B, Bangalore University as well
as other academic institutions are also members of this coalition.
<strong>Members of this coalition are willing to provide any technical
support or guidance that the government may require in this regard</strong>.
For eg, FOSS curriculum for both schools and for teacher training is
available in Kerala and can be adapted to Karnataka schools. It
should be noted that FOSS is already being used in many institutions
in Karnataka, including IISC, IIIT-B, IIIT-H, IITK and many
engineering colleges.</p>
<p>We hope our submission will be
considered by the education department as well as by the government
and we look forward to working with you to help bring these ideals
into reality. If you think it would be useful, we could plan a small
workshop / interaction, or even a series of workshops for different
stakeholders, to discuss the issue in more detail and look at the
implications of the choice of the software platforms for the ICT
programs in the department.</p>
<p>We look forward to your response.</p>
<p>
Yours truly</p>
<p>
Gurumurthy Kasinathan and
members of the FOSS community in India (list of signatories is
provided overleaf)</p>
<p>
May 9<sup>th</sup> 2009.</p>
<p>
Copy - Commissioner for Public
Instruction, Sri Kumar Naik</p>
<p>Copy - State
Project Director, Sarva Shiksha Abhiyaan, Sri Selva Kumar</p>
<p>
Copy - Principal Secretary,
DPAR (Dept of Personnel and Administrative Reforms) e-Governance</p>
<p>
Copy - Principal Secretary,
Department of IT</p>
<p>
enclosed:</p>
<p>
Why Government of Karnataka
should adopt and promote FOSS</p>
<p>
Kerala IT@Schools project</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/letter-to-education-secretary-may-2009'>http://editors.cis-india.org/openness/blog-old/letter-to-education-secretary-may-2009</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpennessFLOSS2011-08-23T02:55:16ZBlog EntryInternational School at the Digital Media program of the University of Texas at Austin - Portugal Collaboratory (CoLab)
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/international-school-at-the-digital-media-program-of-the-university-of-texas-at-austin-portugal-collaboratory-colab-1
<b>Applications are now open for the first International School on Digital Transformation, to be held July 19-24, 2009, at the University of Porto in Porto, Portugal. The School is accepting applications from advanced students and recent graduates from around the world with an interest in how digital technologies are changing societies and the world as a whole. </b>
<p><a href="http://colab.ic2.utexas.edu/dm/international-school/isdt-student-registration-page/">Applications are now open for the first International School on Digital Transformation</a>,
to be held July 19-24, 2009, at the University of Porto in Porto,
Portugal. The School is accepting applications from advanced students
and recent graduates from around the world with an interest in how
digital technologies are changing societies and the world as a whole.</p>
<p><a href="http://colab.ic2.utexas.edu/dm/international-school/isdt-student-registration-page/"><img title="Application" class="aligncenter size-full wp-image-248" src="http://colab.ic2.utexas.edu/dm/wp-content/uploads/2009/01/app_button.jpg" alt="Application" height="35" width="150" /></a></p>
<p>The International School on Digital Transformation will be an
intensive six-day residential program, conducted in English and
bringing together emerging and established scholars and professionals
from around the world. During the week-long session, innovators in
digital communications will serve as teachers and mentors, presenting
their current projects and research and participating in discussions
with advanced students and professionals beginning careers in the
field. Presenters and students will be regarded as peers during the
School.</p>
<p>The School will focus on these themes:</p>
<p>• Democratic transformations of society through digital media<br />
• Innovations in transparency and political participation using new online tools<br />
• Grassroots civic activities using digital technologies<br />
• Building effective communities with the Internet<br />
• Reaching out to new users with mobile and online technologies<br />
• Prospects for digital communication in developing regions<br />
• Digital arts and culture in a globalized, online world</p>
<p>The goals of the International School include:</p>
<ul><li>Combining lectures on current research and innovation with practical experience, using accessible, low-cost digital technologies</li><li>Providing an informal venue for sharing expertise, perspectives, and best practices and for mentoring advanced students</li><li>Fostering a sustainable network of scholars and activists in the field of digital technology, communication and social change</li></ul>
<p><strong>Program</strong></p>
<p>The basic daily schedule will consist of one 90-minute session of
lecture and discussion in the morning: free time for teachers and
students to interact, converse and explore the city in the afternoon;
and two more 90-minute lecture and discussion sessions in the evening,
folowed by a communal meal.</p>
<p>The confirmed speakers for the International School on Digital Transformation include:</p>
<ul><li>Sunil Abraham<br />
Director of Policy at the Center for Internet and Society, Bangalore, India; and current board member of Mahiti Infotech</li><li>Patricia Aufderheide<br />
Professor, School of Communication, American University; director,<br />
Center for Social Media at American University</li><li>Warigia Bowman<br />
Assistant Professor, Department of Public Policy Leadership,<br />
University of Mississippi</li><li>Fiorella De Cindio<br />
Associate Professor, Computer and Information Science Department,<br />
University of Milan</li><li>Martha Fuentes-Bautista<br />
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication, University of<br />
Massachusetts at Amherst</li><li>Stephanie Hankey/Marek Tuszynski (tentative)<br />
Co-founders and directors, Tactical Technology Collective</li><li>Lisa Nakamura (associate faculty)<br />
Professor, Institute of Communication Research; Director, Asian<br />
American Studies Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</li><li>Tapan Parikh<br />
Assistant Professor, School of Information, University of California<br />
at Berkeley</li><li>Tiago Peixoto<br />
Researcher, European University Institute, Florence, Italy</li><li>Alison Powell<br />
SSHRC Postdoctoral Fellow, Oxford Internet Institute, Oxford University</li><li>Andrew Rasiej<br />
Founder of Personal Democracy Forum and techPresident</li><li>Nicholas Reville<br />
Executive director, Participatory Culture Foundation</li><li>Scott Robinson<br />
Professor, Department of Anthropology, Universidad Autónoma Metropolitana</li><li>Jorge Martins Rosa<br />
Assistant Professor, Department of Communication Sciences; Faculty of Social Sciences and Humanities, New University of Lisbon</li><li>Christian Sandvig<br />
Associate Professor, Department of Communication; faculty member,<br />
Project on Public Policy and Advanced Communication Technology,<br />
University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign</li><li>Doug Schuler<br />
Program Director, Public Sphere Project, an initiative of Computer<br />
Professionals for Social Responsibility</li><li>Leslie Regan Shade<br />
Associate Professor, Department of Communication Studies, Concordia University</li><li>Maripaz Silva (associate faculty)</li><li>Laura Stein<br />
Assistant Professor, Radio-Television-Film Department, University of<br />
Texas at Austin</li><li>Siva Vaidhyanathan<br />
Associate Professor, University of Virginia, Media Studies and Law;<br />
Fellow, Institute for the Future of the Book</li><li>Katrin Verclas<br />
Co-founder and editor of Mobileactive.org</li></ul>
<p>The International School on Digital Transformation is a program of
the University of Texas Austin-Portugal Colaboratory, or CoLab. The
co-directors of the School are Drs. Sharon Strover and Karen Gustafson,
and Gary Chapman, of the University of Texas at Austin.</p>
<p>The School will be held at the Rectory, a building of the University
of Porto in the center of the city. Student housing will consist of
nearby hotels, and the cost of the School will include a shared hotel
room, two meals per day (breakfast and dinner) and the program itself.
The week will also include a cultural activity offered to all School
participants.</p>
<p>The estimated cost of the International School on Digital
Transformation will be between €300 and €400. Travel to Porto,
Portugal, is not supported; students must find and pay for their own
travel to Porto.</p>
<p>The student application, and more specific information for students, are available at this link.</p>
<p><strong>Porto, Portugal</strong></p>
<p>Recognized as a UNESCO World Heritage site in 1996, Porto is known
for its spectacular architecture and medieval alleyways, and it is also
compact, allowing visitors to easily explore the central city on foot.
Porto is on the Douro River and also near the Atlantic Ocean. It is
famous for its port wine from the inland Portuguese wine region along
the Douro River valley.</p>
<p>During the free afternoons, students and teachers may explore the
sidewalk café culture on Santa Catarina Street, a nearby pedestrian
shopping area, or walk across the Dom Luís I Bridge spanning the Douro
River to the promenade, restaurants, and port houses in Vila Nova de
Gaia, directly opposite central Porto. Short river cruises may be taken
in barcos rabelos, flat-bottomed boats traditionally used to ferry
shipments of port wine.</p>
<p>While Porto is famous for its ancient Roman ramparts and Gothic
churches, it is also home to the Casa da Música concert hall, a superb
example of modern architecture, finished in 2005, that has become an
icon of the city. The Serralves Museum is a major cultural institution
which hosts rotating exhibitions of contemporary art and which features
a world-class garden.</p>
<p>In the late evenings, Porto hosts a thriving clubbing culture, and the city’s nightspots attract DJs from around the world.</p>
<p>Porto has an international airport and is also served by trains from
Lisbon and from Spain. By train, Porto is approximately three and a
half hours north of Lisbon.</p>
<p>Please direct questions regarding the program to Karen Gustafson, at <a href="mailto:kegustafson@mail.utexas.edu.">kegustafson@mail.utexas.edu</a>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/international-school-at-the-digital-media-program-of-the-university-of-texas-at-austin-portugal-collaboratory-colab-1'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/international-school-at-the-digital-media-program-of-the-university-of-texas-at-austin-portugal-collaboratory-colab-1</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T16:08:59ZNews ItemCluster in collaboration with the Architects Association of Turin (FOAT) participates at the Democracy Biennial
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/cluster-in-collaboration-with-the-architects-association-of-turin-foat-participates-at-the-democracy-biennial-1
<b>Sunil Abraham to speak at the conference 'Housing the Democratic City' in Turin, Italy</b>
<div id="parent-fieldname-text" class="kssattr-atfieldname-text kssattr-templateId-widgets/rich kssattr-macro-rich-field-view inlineEditable">
<p>The first edition of the <a href="http://www.biennaledemocrazia.it/" target="_blank">Biennale Democrazia</a>,
will take place in Turin the 22 – 26 April 2009, it is an international
cultural event entirely dedicated to the ethical and political project
of democracy a political system which, by definition, is in constant
evolution and development, continually facing new challenges to be
overcome. The Democracy Biennial is organized by the City of Turin, the
Italia Committee and the Piedmont Regional government. It forms part of
a series of programmes and public events called <a href="http://www.italia150.it/" target="_blank">Esperienza Italia</a>
organized to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the Unification of
Italy in 1861. The Democracy Biennial takes its inspiration from the
profound studies on democracy carried out by Norberto Bobbio and it is
intended to function as a tool for spreading a culture of Democracy
that can also be put into practice in everyday life. It aims to create
a permanent, ongoing workshop, open to the public, that explores and
debates, from both a local and international point of view, the
fundamental values of democracy, the forms it has adopted and the
challenges it faces today. The event will consist of different
preparatory activities (workshops, debates, readings, international
forums, in-depth seminars and events actively involving citizens (as
well as films, theatre and music events).</p>
<p>In partnership with the Biennale Democrazia the Architects Association of Turin (<a href="http://www.to.archiworld.it/" target="_blank">FOAT</a>),
has curated a section, within the event program, entitled “Housing the
Democratic City”. The section offers a series of sessions: a workshop,
conferences and a call for paper that aim to stimulate reflections on
issues related to housing the city, for a future of urban democracy.</p>
<p>In occasion of this important event Cluster, in collaboration with
the Architects Association (FOAT), has invited a collaborator from
Bangalore, India, <a href="http://www.cluster.eu/v2/profiles/sunil-abraham/" target="_blank">Sunil Abraham</a>
to speak at the conference “Housing the Democratic City” at Teatro
Gobetti on Sunday 26th April. Other participating speakers are <a href="http://www.zedfactory.com/" target="_blank">Bill Dunster</a> (UK), <a href="http://www.zucchiarchitetti.com/" target="_blank">Cino Zucchi</a> (Italy).</p>
<p>Sunil Abraham is an industrial and production engineer from Bangalore in India. In 1998 he founded <a href="http://www.mahiti.org/" target="_blank">Mahiti</a>,
an association dedicated to reducing the cost and complexity of
information and communication technology for the voluntary sector. In
August 2008 he co-founded <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/../" target="_blank">The Centre for Internet and Society</a>,
that brings together a team of practitioners, theoreticians,
researchers and artists to work on the emerging field of Internet and
Society to critically engage with concerns of digital pluralism, public
accountability and pedagogic practices, with particular emphasis on
South-South dialogues and exchange. Sunil contributed to the last issue
of Cluster, Transmitting Architecture in a dual interview and
discussion entitled “Design in Urban democracy:a question of survival?”
PDF downloadable <a href="http://www.cluster.eu/v2/editions/thackara/" target="_blank">here</a>.</p>
<p>Sunil Abraham will also be speaking in two other sections of the
Biennial on April 25 ‘Democracy and India’ with Prof. Federico
Squarcini, professor of History of Indian Religions, University of
Florence and ‘Democracy and Technology’ with the Politecnico of Turin.
More details on the programme coming soon.</p>
<p>For info. please visit: <a href="http://biennaledemocrazia.it/" target="_blank">Biennale Democrazia</a> Order of the Architects of Turin (<a href="http://www.to.archiworld.it/" target="_blank">FOAT</a>)</p>
</div>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/cluster-in-collaboration-with-the-architects-association-of-turin-foat-participates-at-the-democracy-biennial-1'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/cluster-in-collaboration-with-the-architects-association-of-turin-foat-participates-at-the-democracy-biennial-1</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T16:09:12ZNews ItemOpen access conference seeks to free research
http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-access-conference-seeks-to-free-research
<b>Article by Amulya Gopalakrishnan in the Indian Express (New Delhi), 26 March 2009</b>
<p>When Newton famously remarked that if he had seen further than others, it was by “standing on the shoulders of giants”, he wasn’t just being modest. He was stating the simple fact that knowledge builds on previous knowledge, that the back and forth of ideas is vital for scientific achievement. Though the current proprietory publishing model is stacked against scholars, an emerging open access movement across the world aims to free scientific content - and India has big stakes in it.</p>
<p>A conference in New Delhi brought together open access evangelists including Prof. John Willinsky of Stanford University, Prof Leslie Chan of the University of Toronto, Prof Surendra Prasad of IIT Delhi, Dr D K Sahu of MedKnow Publications, and Narendra Kumar of CSIR.</p>
<p>Now, all research papers published from CSIR labs will be made open access, either by putting the full text on freely available institutional repositories or publishing directly in open access journals. Meanwhile, across the world, MIT has become the first university to throw open all its research papers through the online repository software DSpace.</p>
<p>Globally, academic tenure and promotion is traditionally linked to research published in reputed, peer-reviewed journals. These journals are owned by commercial behemoths like Springer and Reed Elsevier, who own stables of journals in various disciplines, and dictate terms to university libraries. But in recent years, journal prices have shot through the roof. </p>
<p>Now, after years of weary negotiation, and empowered by new digital infrastructure, universities are teaming up via free institutional repository systems, to pool and circulate their collective research. In India, institutes like NIT Rourkela have adopted super-archives like DSpace for another reason — to showcase their scientific output to global peers. “NIT doesn’t have the research legacy of IIT or IISC — they needed the visibility,” says NIT director Sunil Kumar Sarangi.</p>
<p>Such a knowledge commons is especially valuable to developing countries — for instance, in agricultural research or public health, it is inexcusable that countries which could benefit most from the scientific debate are left out of the loop, simply because of prohibitive pricing (some journals cost up to 20,000 dollars, annually). This only widens the gulf between the state of research here and the US or Europe.</p>
<p>Even research produced in India with our taxpayer money is sent to big-name commercial journals and all copyright signed away, putting it out of reach for the Indian scholarly community. But all that could change if open access journals become the norm. S K Sahu, who runs MedKnow publications (over 80 open access journals), also busted claims that content on such journals tends to vanish into the ether after a few years online.</p>
<p>-----</p>
<p>To read the article at the Indian Express website, click <a class="external-link" href="http://www.indianexpress.com/news/open-access-conference-seeks-to-free-research/439228/">here</a>.</p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-access-conference-seeks-to-free-research'>http://editors.cis-india.org/news/open-access-conference-seeks-to-free-research</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-02T16:10:58ZNews ItemOpen Access to Science Publications--Policy Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges
http://editors.cis-india.org/events/oasp
<b>One-day conference on Open Access</b>
<p>Open Access to scientific literature means the removal of barriers, including price and legal barriers, from accessing scholarly work. With the advent of the internet, widespread and easy access to scientific information is facilitating research and innovation, crucial in today‘s knowledge based society. Open Access is not only changing the nature of scholarly communication but even that of scientific work.</p>
<p>To take stock of the current developments as regards Open Access and to highlight some of the issues that would need to be addressed to enable a wider access to scientific information, the Council of Scientific & Industrial Research (CSIR) is organizing a Conference on 'Open Access to Science Publications: Policy Perspective, Opportunities and Challenges' on 24 March 2009 at the India Habitat Centre, New Delhi.</p>
<p>The conference will cover the emerging global trends in Open Access and focus on what needs to be done in India. This event would be of interest to scientists, social scientists, policy makers, funding agencies, heads and senior managers of academic and research institutions, editors of research journals, etc.</p>
<p>The Conference will have sessions focused on:</p>
<ul><li>Open source and changing research</li><li>Research Impact through Open Access</li><li>Open Access around the World</li><li>The Economics of Open Access</li></ul>
<h3><strong>Date and Time</strong><br /></h3>
<strong></strong>
<p>24 March 2009; 9.00 am - 5.30 pm</p>
<h3>Venue </h3>
<p>India Habitat Centre, Lodhi Road, New Delhi - 110003 </p>
<h3>
Speakers</h3>
<p>Speakers at the event include:</p>
<ul><li>
Leslie Chan, University of Toronto and Bioline International <a href="http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/%7Echan/" rel="nofollow" target="_blank">http://www.utsc.utoronto.ca/~chan/</a> </li><li>John Willinsky, Stanford University and Public Knowledge Project <a class="external-link" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Willinsky">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_Willinsky</a></li><li>Samir K Brahmachari, CSIR <a class="external-link" href="http://www.csir.res.in/External/Heads/aboutcsir/leaders/DG/igib/bio1.pdf">http://www.csir.res.in/External/Heads/aboutcsir/leaders/DG/igib/bio1.pdf</a></li><li>Subbiah Arunachalam, Centre for Internet and Society, Bangalore <a href="http://editors.cis-india.org/about-us/people/distinguished-fellows" class="external-link">http://cis-india.org/about-us/people/distinguished-fellows</a></li></ul>
<p>Please see the programme below for names of the other speakers.</p>
<h3>Contact <br /></h3>
<p>Dr Naresh Kumar</p>
<p>Head, R&D Planning Division</p>
<p>Council of Scientific & Industrial Research</p>
<p>2 Rafi Marg, New Delhi - 110 001</p>
<p>Fax: (+91) 11 23710340, 23713011</p>
<p>Phone: (+91) 11 23710453, 23713011</p>
Email: headrdpd@csir.res.in
<h3>Programme <br /></h3>
<div>
<a name="0.1_table01"></a>
<div align="left">
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><a name="0.1_graphic02"></a></td>
<td><br /></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
<a name="0.1_table02"></a>
<div align="left">
<table>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><strong>0900
– 1000 </strong></td>
<td><strong>Registration</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1000 - 1100</strong></td>
<td><strong>Inaugural Session</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1000
– 1005</strong></td>
<td>Lighting of Lamp</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1005 - 1010</strong></td>
<td>Welcome: <strong>Naresh Kumar</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1010 - 1025 </strong></td>
<td>Inaugural address: <strong>Open Source
& changing research</strong>
<p align="justify"><strong>Prof.
Samir K. Brahmachari, DG,CSIR and Secretary DSIR</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1025 - 1100</strong></td>
<td>Keynote address 1: <strong>Global
and Local Support for Making Research and Scholarship Publicly Available:</strong>
<p align="justify"><strong>Prof. John
Willinsky, Stanford University, USA</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1100 - 1130</strong></td>
<td><strong>Tea</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1130 - 1300</strong></td>
<td><strong>Plenary Session I : </strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Chair:
Prof. Surendra Prasad </strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1130 - 1205</strong></td>
<td>Keynote address 2: <strong>From
Institutional Repositories to a Global Knowledge Commons:</strong>
<p align="justify"><strong>Prof. Leslie
Chan, University of Toronto, Canada</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td>Presentations:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1205 -
1225</strong></td>
<td><strong>Eight facts and myths about
open access journals: An experience of eight years and eighty journals: </strong>
<p align="justify"><strong>Dr. D. K. Sahu,
Medknow Publications</strong></p>
</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1225 - 1240</strong></td>
<td><strong>Prof. Sunil Kumar Sarangi,
Director, National Institute Technology-Rourkela :</strong> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1240 - 1300</strong></td>
<td><strong>Chair</strong> & <strong>Q&A</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1300
– 1400</strong></td>
<td><strong>Lunch</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1400
– 1530</strong></td>
<td><strong>Plenary Session II :</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Chair: Dr. Gangan Prathap</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td>Presentations:</td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1400 -
1420</strong></td>
<td><strong>Prof. V. N. Rajasekaran Pillai,
VC , IGNOU</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1420 - 1440</strong></td>
<td><strong>Prof. Mangala Sunder Krishnan,
(NPTEL), IITM</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1440 - 1500</strong></td>
<td><strong>S. Arunachalam:</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1500 - 1530</strong></td>
<td><strong>Chair</strong> & <strong>Q&A</strong> </td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1530
– 1600</strong></td>
<td><strong>Tea</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td colspan="2"> <br /></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1600 - 1700</strong></td>
<td><strong>Panel Discussion on
“Open Access to Science and Scholarship”</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Moderator:
Prof. Leslie Chan </strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Prof. John Willinsky </strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Prof.
K L Chopra</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Prof. A S Kolaskar</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td> <br /></td>
<td><strong>Dr.
RR Hirwani</strong></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><strong>1700
– 1730</strong></td>
<td><strong>Valedictory : Dr. Naresh Kumar
/ Dr. R. R. Hirwani </strong></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</table>
</div>
</div>
<p> </p>
<h3>Video<br /></h3>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZD9dQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZD%2BcQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZD_EQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGALgA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGAfQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGCGwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGCQAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGCfgA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGiDQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZGmLwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZHDfAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZHEJAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZHEcAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZK2YAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLTUAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLUMAA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLVFQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLVWwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLXBQA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZLbEwA"></embed>
<embed height="250" width="250" allowfullscreen="true" allowscriptaccess="always" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" src="http://blip.tv/play/g_dIgZOXQgA"></embed>
<p> </p>
<p> </p>
<p>
For more details visit <a href='http://editors.cis-india.org/events/oasp'>http://editors.cis-india.org/events/oasp</a>
</p>
No publishersachiaOpenness2011-04-05T04:39:39ZEvent