Re: [AYF-News> FW: Radios and TV sets, instead of Computers]

[Kenida Brown <kenida@xxxxxxx>]

That is true Kristof,

I think We are now living in the information age.
Even radio and TV sets are being
revolutionized to feature access to the
internet. With a keyboard built into the
furniture in the living room, one can
navigate the web and send/receive emails via
the TV by the touch of a button.

No one should be left behind.



kristof.van.der.cruysse@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx wrote:

Dear Kenida,

there needn't necessarily be an conflict of "cannibalism" against TV/Radio
and Internet. A zealous advocate of Internet in developpment myself, I can
also understand why radio is so much easier: it does not need a telephone
line, (which is often disturbed),  so no subscription and telecommunication
costs  , it requires limited investment (min. 10 $ US for a radio),  no
hardware investment, no software, no extra hardware knowledge, is portable,
can be shared by many at the same time etc....

As I have mentioned in my article, the combination of radio and internet is
a prime solution for globalization: have an internet post in a professional
organisatiion (farmer's union f.i.) and let queries for information (on
harvest f.i.) be adressed at this information-point. Information can then
trickle down trough traditional canals, by mail, in meetings etc.. but also
by a local radio, or in National f.i. farmers'  radio (or TV-) broadcasts.
An excellent example is provided by a Sri Lanka project, where a local
radiostation researches information on the net, required by the listening
audience, and spreads topics of interest through radio.

In this, the radio becomes a tool of dissemination of specific information
for communities: farmers, fishers, health professionals.... . There is also
an element of interaction, since listeners can use mail, phone, whatever to
request information. Most information is recurrent , and therefore stored
in "libraries" ( real or electronic) and ready-to-use so research costs
(time and telephone time) can be saved.  Sharing information becomes more
efficient and cheap, and overcomes thus many of the drawbacks of individual
internet use.

Hope this helps,

Kristof Van der Cruysse,
PricewaterhouseCoopers, Brussels, Belgium
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
                                                                            
 kristofdude@xxxxxxxxx                                                      
                                                                            
                                                                            








Tobias Eigen <kabissa@xxxxxxxxxxx>@kabissa.org on 08/06/2001 15:36:19


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-----Original Message-----
From: Kenida Brown [mailto:kenida@xxxxxxx]
Sent: Friday, June 08, 2001 6:30 AM
To: ayfnews@xxxxxxxxxxx
Subject: Radios and TV sets, instead of Computers


Dear all,

At the past symposium, there was this discussion of Africans rather
listening
to radios than thinking of computers and the internet. The reason being,
the
infrastructure in some of these countries were not convenient for the
internet
and secondly, power supply was a major problem.

I was not content with this suggestion and would be happy if anyone could
convince me of why Africans should concentrate on radios as a source of
globalisation and not the internet? Should power supply be the problem,
what
about the radios and TV sets? Were they not also going to use electricity?

Comments please!

Thanks

Kenida


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