Perhaps the question is quickly answered by many with a scoffing “YES”, but I’ve been using a dial up connection (56kps) for the last 2 weeks and must say I have been pleasantly surprised by how few problems I’ve had with it. Granted I have only been using it in the evenings for recreational purposes and not for work, but it makes me wonder why so many other recreational surfers get caught up in the ADSL worries that comes with living in Joburg, having to deal with Telkom and having to pay what they do for ADSL.
When my husband Brett and I first knew we would be coming to Johannesburg from Grahamstown (where I used the Internet for about 8 hours a day at work and didn’t want it at home) we found out about getting ADSL for the few months we’d be in Joburg (until we moved to Leeds). I did some research (using the Internet at work) on local ISP’s to find the most reliable, but reasonably priced. Once I found one I was happy with, I phoned to find out about costs, conditions and the small print associated with any contract. After being pleasantly surprised by the price (about R100 for the contract) I was told I would have to phone Telkom (the fixed network operator – the ONLY one in SA – hopefully not for long) to install an ADSL line – here is where the confusion began.
After telling me about the great packages associated with getting ADSL and choosing Telkom as my ISP I was told that it would take at least 4 weeks to get someone to phone me back who would then put me on a list for a line to be installed – who knows how long this could have taken, though I’ve known people who live in busy areas who have waited 6 months for their ADSL line to be installed. I decided it wasn’t worth the wait – plus I couldn’t imagine even a week without being able to surf the net, check my email and MSN some friends. The problems (so I’ve heard) don’t stop once you get the line installed. The service is flaky at best and I’ve decided definitely not worth the installation fee.
Instead, I’m comforted each evening by the bleeps and burps of my modem connecting and although I’ve had to learn the art of patience, organization (I’ve got to plan each trip online so that I don’t waste time and money) and being quite ‘Scrooge-like’ with my time and the sites I visit – no more frivolous, aimless wandering – I get on with a purpose and am always impressed with how quickly I accomplish it.
Even as I read through this (which I’ve typed before hand to save time online!) I realize how lucky I am. I’m still a tech minority in South Africa where less than 10% of the population have access to the Internet – most at work and most not representative of the country (not even close).
Monday, February 26, 2007
Thursday, February 22, 2007
The funding phenomenon
I’m in the process of getting ready to move to Leeds from South Africa to undertake a PhD in communication studies. I’ll be researching the ICT policy development process in Kenya and the role of the media in that process. It’s been quite surprising to someone like me, who has an immense interest and enthusiasm for ICT policy and research, that it has been so difficult to secure full funding to pay for the tuition of the first year of study (which for a South African is practically unaffordable).
Perhaps the hype around ICT policy in the developed world has died down and there is a lack of vision for what still needs to be done in developing countries. Despite the apparent success of the World Summit on the Information Society and the Principles adopted by countries that attended, there is much to do in the developing world and especially in Africa (where my interest lies). While there is a need for practical policy processes at different levels, there is also a serious need for research in the area of ICT policy development – which is something that I hope to undertake in my research.
Many developed countries today have well established ICT policies (despite certain issues which arise from time to time such as intellectual property rights and security) and too many people take it for granted that this is the trend across the global village – it isn’t! Too many African countries are currently grappling with (or are still to grapple with) establishing their own ICT policy, while having to deal with other important policy issues (which usually means ICT policy is last in the line of priorities). Not enough research is being done in the area to ensure that ICT policy is made a top priority for developing countries and for international organizations which need to mentor and provide assistance where possible – though the challenge is to ensure that African countries don’t adopt international norms without adapting them to their unique circumstances.
There are so many issues (as the previous paragraph attests to) and so much information that should be disseminated and shared between those with the practical experience and those without. But, without the support of funders (who seem to have less of a focus on ICT policy than a few years ago) developing countries are going to have to learn from their mistakes (very costly mistakes) before getting things right – rather than learning from the mistakes and successes of others which have been researched and then adapting those lessons to their ICT, development, political and social environments.
Perhaps the hype around ICT policy in the developed world has died down and there is a lack of vision for what still needs to be done in developing countries. Despite the apparent success of the World Summit on the Information Society and the Principles adopted by countries that attended, there is much to do in the developing world and especially in Africa (where my interest lies). While there is a need for practical policy processes at different levels, there is also a serious need for research in the area of ICT policy development – which is something that I hope to undertake in my research.
Many developed countries today have well established ICT policies (despite certain issues which arise from time to time such as intellectual property rights and security) and too many people take it for granted that this is the trend across the global village – it isn’t! Too many African countries are currently grappling with (or are still to grapple with) establishing their own ICT policy, while having to deal with other important policy issues (which usually means ICT policy is last in the line of priorities). Not enough research is being done in the area to ensure that ICT policy is made a top priority for developing countries and for international organizations which need to mentor and provide assistance where possible – though the challenge is to ensure that African countries don’t adopt international norms without adapting them to their unique circumstances.
There are so many issues (as the previous paragraph attests to) and so much information that should be disseminated and shared between those with the practical experience and those without. But, without the support of funders (who seem to have less of a focus on ICT policy than a few years ago) developing countries are going to have to learn from their mistakes (very costly mistakes) before getting things right – rather than learning from the mistakes and successes of others which have been researched and then adapting those lessons to their ICT, development, political and social environments.
Wednesday, January 10, 2007
Pics of Christmas
These are the ladies who had cooked for about two days and made a delicious lunch for the entire village and all friends and family. The most impressive thing was the perfect rice cooked on the fire in the black pot!
This was the view from our tent. It is a really beautiful part of the South African Transkei and although the services are basic, the people there are friendly and tend not to complain about the situation they are in - something I am going to do on my next posting: things to complain about (roads, water, sewerage, clinics etc)
Our tent pitched in the garden of a friend's small holding. The rondaval ('rondie') next to it is where the bridal couple slept and will be their home anytime they visit the family.
Monday, January 08, 2007
Christmas in the Transkei
My husband and I spent some wonderful days just before and after Xmas in the rural Transkei - it was a great experience, truly unforgettable. We were invited to attend a friends traditional Xhosa wedding which took place on the 21st of December, but was a three day affair. It was extremely interesting to watch the traditions, protocol and social networking that went on during the events. Although I understood very little of the language, I felt very welcome and at home with the family and friends who were also there.
There were too many interesting experiences to list them all, but some of the highlights included watching the slaughtering of the sheep which was quite an affair and I was fortunate to be allowed to watch (it is exclusively male dominated), the actual ceremony where alders of the community spoke to the couple about their roles and responsiblities, and the cooking which took place over a couple of days and fed the entire village and all the family that travelled for the event too - at least 100 people - and all done by the women of the family and the surrounding houses. It was all quite an adventure for a city girl like me.
Brett (my husband) and I pitched our tent in the family's garden. We were treated like honoured guests at the wedding and were welcomed into their home for xmas and each evening for supper. Generally the trip taught me about being grateful for everything I have, the little things like running water, a flush toilet, good roads and access to the shops in a two minute drive (not a 20minute harrowing drive in a taxi).
I'll post some photo's tomorrow and hopefully they will convey the beauty of the surrounds and the people we were with!
There were too many interesting experiences to list them all, but some of the highlights included watching the slaughtering of the sheep which was quite an affair and I was fortunate to be allowed to watch (it is exclusively male dominated), the actual ceremony where alders of the community spoke to the couple about their roles and responsiblities, and the cooking which took place over a couple of days and fed the entire village and all the family that travelled for the event too - at least 100 people - and all done by the women of the family and the surrounding houses. It was all quite an adventure for a city girl like me.
Brett (my husband) and I pitched our tent in the family's garden. We were treated like honoured guests at the wedding and were welcomed into their home for xmas and each evening for supper. Generally the trip taught me about being grateful for everything I have, the little things like running water, a flush toilet, good roads and access to the shops in a two minute drive (not a 20minute harrowing drive in a taxi).
I'll post some photo's tomorrow and hopefully they will convey the beauty of the surrounds and the people we were with!
Thursday, October 26, 2006
New Media problems
I've never been one of those people who has felt attached at the hip to their cellphone, felt completely lost when its not within reach or feels the need to show it off at every opportunity. But today I do feel at a bit of a loss, my cellphone (which I've really enjoyed using over the last year and a half) has died on me: the joystick doesnt respond to anything (not even offers of R1million), and the phone switches itself off everytime I close the slider. So its pretty much useless to me at the moment.
The even more frustrating part is that I have been phoning back and forth between the manufacturer (Siemens) and my service provider (CellC) with little joy. I am actually just really frustrated with both of them and generally hating having the phone - which I've loved up to this point. Its a Siemens SL65, it's small, good looking, great battery life, great features - but that all means sqwat at the moment!
Its a major problem when we become dependant on technology and things that we lived perfectly without before we got hooked!
The even more frustrating part is that I have been phoning back and forth between the manufacturer (Siemens) and my service provider (CellC) with little joy. I am actually just really frustrated with both of them and generally hating having the phone - which I've loved up to this point. Its a Siemens SL65, it's small, good looking, great battery life, great features - but that all means sqwat at the moment!
Its a major problem when we become dependant on technology and things that we lived perfectly without before we got hooked!
Tuesday, October 10, 2006
The future of ICT Policy in Africa
I have returned from a workshop on ICT Policy and Regulation Visioning in Africa - trying to figure out what the priorities are in terms of ICT policy and what the next step is. What I found particularly refreshing and exciting about this workshop was that it was African perspectives and ideas about an African problem/issue. Although funding for the projects will come from Europe or America, the ideas for how we deal with our own issues is coming from us - Africans and we are (I hope) not willing to settle for being told how to deal with our problems from people who have no idea.
While it was exciting to see the progress that has and is being made across the continent, it also made me realise how much is still to be done. There were many important issues which came out of the two-day workshop, but the most important one is that this is a process which is on-going, so even in countries that have well-estblished ICT policies, there are areas of concern, areas of learning and developments which need to be undertaken.
I came back to Grahamstown in RSA with a renewed sense of what the needs are and faith in the fact that highly-skilled and committed Africans are dealing with them.
While it was exciting to see the progress that has and is being made across the continent, it also made me realise how much is still to be done. There were many important issues which came out of the two-day workshop, but the most important one is that this is a process which is on-going, so even in countries that have well-estblished ICT policies, there are areas of concern, areas of learning and developments which need to be undertaken.
I came back to Grahamstown in RSA with a renewed sense of what the needs are and faith in the fact that highly-skilled and committed Africans are dealing with them.
Wednesday, October 04, 2006
Unexpected Findings, New Media and Nairobi Airport!
I've been meaning to get back into blogging after our server (which housed my previous blog) was stolen in January this year - I found the perfect setting today at 06h00am in a grotty lounge at the Jomo Kenyatta International Airport in Nairobi, Kenya! I discovered, much to my amazement and delight, that this small and hidden away lounge has a wifi hotspot. I took a chance connecting to the wireless network, had to play around with my firewall properties but am online - in the most unexpected place.
This is what I love about ICTs and New Media - the fact that you can be surprised almost everyday by something new. Whether its something you find on the Internet, or someone; whether its figuring out a technical problem on your pc/cellphone/laptop - whatever it is, the fact is that there are so many possibilities that you are bound to come across something unexpected.
I really wouldn't have thought coming into this lounge that it would allow me to check my email, surf the net in preparation for the workshop I'm attending and be able to give an account of all of this in real time to people across the world.
New Media really is about interacting and although I'm not engaging with anyone in this lounge, I'm definately interacting with them by interacting with the information that I share on this blog - and so is everyone who reads it.
This is what I love about ICTs and New Media - the fact that you can be surprised almost everyday by something new. Whether its something you find on the Internet, or someone; whether its figuring out a technical problem on your pc/cellphone/laptop - whatever it is, the fact is that there are so many possibilities that you are bound to come across something unexpected.
I really wouldn't have thought coming into this lounge that it would allow me to check my email, surf the net in preparation for the workshop I'm attending and be able to give an account of all of this in real time to people across the world.
New Media really is about interacting and although I'm not engaging with anyone in this lounge, I'm definately interacting with them by interacting with the information that I share on this blog - and so is everyone who reads it.
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