Gloriously Out-to-lunch Innovation

I wasn't quite sure where to post this, it's a bit off the wall, but maybe there's something in it? Maybe it could be adapted as a useful tool for very remote and very poor communities ? It would only require 1 phone line and a pair of loudspeakers, and maybe an answer machine for when no-one's around! ( I won't be offended if you think it's me that's out-to-lunch !)

http://www.unsworn.org/press/tel emegaphone_dale_july_28_2008.php

Last comment added: Tue, 29 Jul 2008 17:39:15 PDT

So You Think You're Connected?

I have a friend who lives 2 minute's walk away from me, close to the center of the village. He's lived here for at least 10 years. The Development Trust I work for has had a permanent presence here (an office and a cafe) for over 7 years, situated at the upper end of the High Street and opposite the Village Hall and Community Center. Until I started working there just over a year ago he had never heard of the Trust or the Cafe - the question is, why not? Two reasons - Firstly he doesn't need to walk that far (not far at all!) to do his shopping, or to visit friends ( by his own admission he is socially isolated, having been restricted by the demands of bringing up his severely autistic son who needs at least 2 carers with him wherever he goes, and not being a "native"); Secondly, the Trust has failed to make it's presence and the opportunities it offers known to him.

So how connected are we in this interconnected age? Are we becoming complacent and too dependent on telephones (my friend has 3), mass media (he has 2 TVs), the Internet (he has broadband) ? Are we losing our will and ability to interact with and within our own communities? Are we failing to develop our communication technologies to meet our community needs, or are we forgetting how to build and maintain social bonds by more traditional means ? I suspect both.

Then I look around at reports from struggling groups and communities in Africa and elsewhere and there too I see huge holes in the communication infrastructures - the girls at Project Mae Usu have no contact with their families; communities devastated by AIDS struggle to circulate vital health information; desperate people miss out on Aid because they didn't find out about it in time; local groups such as Kayiwa Fred and his Football Club make valuable connections across the Globe but struggle to get information about meetings and events to their members.

I wonder if we are connected in ways we do not realise - circumstances and environments differ hugely, but our basic human needs are the same. We would all benefit from better communication with our immediate neighbours - that's what makes a community a Community, and more than just the place where fate decrees you must live.

Edited to remove back ticks from failed links (please be patient!)

Please see the sample workspace I created, `QuarryVillages`_ , any suggestions on improving the format etc would be appreciated

Last comment added: Tue, 05 Aug 2008 16:36:53 PDT

Local Communications - Problems and Solutions Discussions

Gloriously Out-to-lunch Innovation

So You Think You're Connected?