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Sunday, September 22, 2002
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An interesting trove of abstracts from a conference on "Electronic Networks - Building Community, 2002" in Australia this summer. Here's one of particular note:
Wired High Rise: Constructing a virtual community in an inner city public housing estate
Liza Hopkins, Julian Thomas, Institute for Social Research, Swinburne University of Technology
The paper describes the development, construction and consequences to date of a 'wired community' being created in Atherton Gardens, a low-income inner city public housing estate in Melbourne, Australia. This wired community, which will comprise almost 800 households, is the result of a complex partnership between a non-profit Internet Service Provider, government agencies, and charitable organisations. It aspires to improve the welfare of residents by creating new community interests, fostering local enterprise, and co-ordinating more effectively social services and support systems. Proponents of the network see computer access and connectivity as an important means of enhancing social and economic participation and self-help.
While a great deal has been written about the beneficial effects of electronic service delivery, detailed empirical research on the use and consequences of computer networks remains patchy. This paper presents initial findings from a three-year research project looking at this new network and how it is used, its complex genesis, and its impact on the culturally diverse population of the wired high rise.
11:13:02 PM 
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Frank Catalano deconstructs Wi-Fi [may required Yahoo login; permanent URL coming next week]: Segment by segment, veteran tech reporter Frank Catalano deconstructs Wi-Fi's current state and potential. This article is a model of conciseness, without losing any of the most important details. One dispute: none of the conferences that I know about on Wi-Fi are pushing public hot spots as a profitable idea, but are rather examining whether they could be profitable by themselves or as part of larger plans. The other point: none of the conferences are making anybody rich (yet), as they're all still ramping up. [80211b News]
4:38:50 PM
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Streaming media could be the "killer app" of ubiquitous wireless internet (if we succeed in creating that potentially world-changing "universal information amenity")
And its starting already. In my role as "wireless evangelist" I was interviewed about prospects for wireless internet in public places on What The Tech! on Rochester's Public Radio station last Saturday. The show also included an interesting interview with the CEO of a new 80211g spinoff company called Appairant.
WXXI archives the shows a week later, so even though you missed the show, and even if you are not located in Rochester, you can listen here (and now) thanks to the miracle of MP3 and the wisdom of WXXI: Streamed | Downloadable .
As you can see below, my segment starts at Minute 20.
Program Rundown
13:00 Billboard
13:01 NPR News
13:06 News Roundup: Wireless Internet Access in Starbucks and the Zodiac CafÈ in Rochester.
13:11 Technobabble: A listener in Fairport asks "What do I need to know to buy a Cell Phone?" We hear from Bruce Hartpence, Assistant Professor of Information Technology at RIT.
13:15 Gray Matters: Norm Abramson invents Wireless Networking
13:20 Bleeding Edge: Jon Schull, an "evangelist" for the creation of wireless community networks in Rochester.
13:35 Nerd Word: War Driving
13:38 Gadget Boy Reviews: Actiontec Wireless Internet Gateway and RIM Blackberry Wireless e-mail reader.
13:47 Elevator Pitch: Appairent Technology and their Wireless Networking solution for home Consumer Audio and Video Devices.
13:51 Tech o' the Future: Universal Wireless Access
13:57 Program Close
4:31:23 PM
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© Copyright
2003
Jon Schull.
Last update:
11/10/03; 6:37:02 PM.
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