Configurational Technology

This refers to how the supplier offerings may be matched to local user requirements. This understanding provides a solution and reconciliation between developments that are going on globally, and the need and demand locally.

Particular users and certain firms need computers specifically configured to their requirements to support their specific activities. In most cases, standardised components and applications do not meet these requirements unless these components from different suppliers are integrated. These components are linked together in a specific complex configuration so as to customise them for the respective individual or firm.

The local knowledge of the firm, its markets, its production and administration processes, its information practices therefore becomes highly important. This results in the need to cater for specific user situations and the advantages of using cheap standardised solutions being addressed. No individual user or company wishes to spend a lot of money in hardware and software.

Read more:
http://www.rcss.ed.ac.uk/SLIM/public/phase1/SSICT.html

E-conomy

E-conomy is not about stock-exchange, economic transformation, interest rates or inflation. It is about the economic transformation that is driven by the development and diffusion of modern electronics-based information technology.

Information technology is the dominant source of economic development. It builds tools to manipulate, organize, transmit, and store information in digital form. It builds the tools for thought, it builds thinking.
E-conomy is driven by user-friendly yet complicated software, computer chips, lasers and broadband Internet. E-conomy has emerged faster, diffused more rapidly and more widely throughout the economy than previous technological revolutions. Yet a shortage of technologically educated talent exists. The number is rapidly growing with the ever greater technological demands for talent, and a well-trained team is needed to sustain this demand.

Changes in business organization and practice are the driving of this transformation. And the growth of the network is transforming business organization and business competition. E-conomy touches everything, even individual’s life.

Read more about E-conomy:
http://www.j-bradford-delong.net/OpEd/virtual/technet/Tools_for_Thought.html

3G for Africa

Africa is set to enjoy the benefits of 3G mobile telephony technology next year. The city of Tunis (Tunisia) will be hosting the World Summit on the Information Society (WSIS) on
November 16-18, 2005 (http://www.smsitunis2005.org/). Tunis and Sousse plan to receive the Wideband Code Division Multiple Access (WCDMA) (http://www.ericsson.com/technology/tech_articles/WCDMA.shtml) equipment which is necessary for the functioning of 3G. Delegates from all over the world are going to enjoy 3G services such as high-speed internet access, streaming media, video telephony, MMS, JAVA, WAP, data, full-motion video and CD-quality music.
3G network provide access to a wide range of telecommunications services at a speed of to up to 2 Megabits per second (MB/s).

Vodacom and MTN, the major mobile service providers in Africa, are also vying for 3G technology (http://www.itweb.co.za/sections/telecoms/2004/0406081229.asp?S=Cellular&A=CEL&O=FRGN#2 ). These service providers have a 3G test licence that was issued by the Independent Communications Authority of South Africa (ICASA) in May this year. They are both looking forward to the super-speed and super-connectivity possibilities of the broadband generation.

Cableless but Connected

Do not be surprised when you open some of new devices only to find out that cables are not included. The future of communication lies in wireless connectivity. These are network devices to traverse multiple kinds of different networks. And they will help you maintain connectivity irrespective of where you are.

Handheld devices (such as mobile Notebook PCs, cellular phones, and Palmtops) are the future of this technological trend. They provide a critical access point for information and service, making life more convenient.

With WLANs (wireless local area networks) users are able to build a wireless network of computers, either at work or home, using Wi-Fi. WLANs have enable hotspots to develop and grow (a hotspot is any public location with readily accessible wireless networks, such as libraries, airports, shopping malls, conference centres or hotels).
And, with Intel’s enhanced data GSM environment (EDGE), if you have been downloading but run of time, this system enables you to move to your next hotspot whilst it completes where you have left.


Links:
http://www.intel.com/techtrends/index.htm?iid=TechTrends+portal_trends&

http://www.mindbranch.com/catalog/print_product_page.jsp?code=R152-128

Paint Shop Pro8 brings out creativity

JASC Paint Shop Pro8
Have you ever wondered how to add a professional look and value to your amateurish photo? Try the user-friendly Paint Shop Pro8. This will help you to make photo enhancements, and image and photo editing. It supports a wide range of file types.

There are five important feautures:

* Background Eraser - picks up and erase everything that is not the same colour as the main
picture.

* Warp Brush - allows you to create funny new looks, or creative images, by stretching,
pulling, and twisting images with a paintbrush.

* Magnifier – gives you that closer look for minute detail. Just click-and-drag Magnifier to magnify the area you want work by up to 500%.

* Straighten - align photos that are a little crooked.

* Softness - adds a soft-light effect to a selected area or the entire picture.

For help and practical assistance, use Product Tour, Quick Guide or the normal help.


http://www.pugh.co.uk/Products/digitalw/Paint%20Shop%20Pro8.htm

Your Home Professional Photographic Lab

The EPSON Stylus PHOTO RX600

EPSON has revolutionalised the printing industry to the benefit of a digital camera photographer. The Stylus Photo RX600 is the home photo-centre that should suffice for virtually all of your photographic printing requirements.

It takes six separate ink cartridges (see manual) that add the exact tones for perfect prints.

It also includes a USB cable to connect to your computer, a scanner (to scan both
35 mm negatives and slides) and you can use this it as a copier. There is a built-in card reader that fits any memory card currently available, to copy photos directly to the printer, or onto your computer. An interesting feature is its 2.5-inch LCD. With it you can use the printer without connecting it to a computer, view your pictures and make basic image adjustments to them.

The device is a fast high-quality home professional photographic lab (It takes 80 seconds to print high-resolution photograph, at its highest quality setting).

The device looks handy and is beautifully designed to suite any desktop.

http://www.sacm.co.za/review.asp?NewsID=7974

Moblog and share photos over the net

You have that cellphone that you have been dreaming about. It has so many features that you feel are under utilised. And you have been taking picture that you not only want to show family and friends, but the world. Well, moblogging is the answer.
Upload pictures (up to 3.2 megapixel) from your camera phone and begin mobile picture blogging today and have fun. This could also include text and video.

All you need to do is to register with any of the popular moblogs such as Textamerica (http://www.textamerica.com) or http://www.friendsurfer.com/. Once you are done, you can then create your own moblog. The pictures must be sent to your moblog via your e-mail address. They will appear immediately on your moblog. You can then update your personal or a community website with daily photographs.

Blogging is growing dramatically. Do not be left behind. It is easy and it is free.

Wiki What?

This not about a cricket game, falling wickets or wicket-keeper, but a software that enables you to create and edit Web pages. With Wiki you can use any web browser to read and edit websites.

It is simple, quick and easy. You do not have to learn html tags. All you have to do is to write your text in plain form, and the Wiki will easily convert it into HyperText Markup Language (html). It is also easy to create a link and new pages.

If you are a new Wiki user, try http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?WikiWikiWeb and learn all the basics. This site is written by its users, and you are also welcomed as user too.

Another very informative and successful Wiki is the http://www.wikipedia.com. Interestingly about the Wikipedia is that users can do formatting in their own languages. It takes you throughout the process and enables you to keep in constant contact with other users of other languages.

Wishlist of features for OSS CMS

Send email messages to audience members who have are interested to receive news in a particular area.
Forums
Images
Photos
Videos
Audio
People and their addresses and contacts
Websites
Calendars
Feedback
I have checked out the photos in http://openphoto.net/. Also, in http://commoncontent.org/ I was able to look at the images, text, audio movies and websites.

Get hold of "We the Media"

O'Reilly Media released Dan Gillmor’s book, We The Media yesterday. Gillmor is a renowned author and journalist. The book is available free from the website http://www.oreilly.com/catalog/wemedia/book/index.csp. Anyone interested in it can make any derivative works, copy, share, or display it. This has been made possible by a Creative Commons attribution, non-commercial, share-alike license condition which specifies three important things:
* You must give the original author credit.
* You may not use this work for commercial purposes.
* And that, if you alter, transforms, or builds upon this work, you may distribute the resulting work only under a license identical to this one, and also make others aware of these license conditions.
This is a valuable book for all journalists and writers. Gillmor gives the history of journalism and tells the role that the internet and the World Wide Web plays, especially blogging which is influencing and changing news by letting ordinary people to participate in newsmaking.