WCIT 2008: Cerf on surfing

KUALA LUMPUR: People will be living lives on the Internet in about three decades, said Google’s chief Internet evangelist Dr Vinton Cerf, who is also one of the Web’s founding fathers. He said that by 2035, about 5.7 billion people will have access to the Internet, accessing it from desktop devices and ultra portables.

Usage will go beyond surfing sites, communicating and online transactions, according to Cerf. Instead, we will have online lives, like how there are online communities now in Second Life, a virtual world that mirrors the real world and even has its own currency.

This will evolve further and bring much benefits. “The Internet of the future will enable school children to experience real-life science in virtual labs. They will be able to interact with scientific research objects remotely, such as a telescope at a planetarium,” he said.

“Children will be able to learn about the planets and constellations in a way that is better than any science book can deliver today.”

Cerf also forsees that the World Wide Web will become a repository of the knowledge of humankind, and will be a source of know-how that can be tapped by all.

“Many more people will be going to the Net for answers,” he said, adding that the trend would grow and allow countries to improve their industries, the environment, and the health of their communities.

“For example, authorities will be better able to predict disasters and keep epidemics from happening,” he said.

He was speaking at a press conference during the World Congress on Information Technology 2008 at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre on Wednesday.

Cerf tested the first Internet hookups in 1969 when he was a graduate student at UCLA. Then, as a professor at Stanford University in the 1970s, he led a team that invented the protocols, known as TCP/IP, which now serve as the Internet’s basic communication tools

WCIT 2008: children + technology = ideas

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia should consider setting up a think-tank comprising primary and secondary school students, said chipmaker Intel Corp.

The think-tank would introduce the children to working with technology, with the aim of generating ideas for using technology to better the lives of Malaysians and improve the country’s industries.

“Innovation is the backbone of the modern economy and technology education is one of the passports to success, said Intel Asia-Pacific general manager Navin Shenoy at the World Congress on Information Technology 2008 here this week.

Intel, he said, believes that students all over the world deserve to have the tools they need to be the next generation of innovators.

Shenoy said Malaysia has the potential to make such an initiative happen. “Encouraging children to experience technology and to generate ideas is something that every country can do,” he said.

“Already there are 10 classrooms each in 10 Malaysian schools that are using our Classmate PCs (since last year) to achieve (something like) this.”

There are still some hurdles to be overcome, such as broadband infrastructure issues, but the goal is attainable, he said.

According to Intel, a think-tank comprising students has been set up in Victoria, Australia.

Called the Ideas Lab, the facility is aimed at boosting the use of technology in the classroom.The lab(www.nmr.vic.edu.au/ideaslab) begins operations in August.

Intel will be sharing its best-practices on one-on-one e-learning with the Ideas Lab, which is a Victoria state government project.

WCIT 2008: Don’t go backwards, says ICT expert

KUALA LUMPUR: Governments need to think strategically if they want to encourage information technology adoption among the population, said an IT industry analyst.

Robert Atkinson, president of the Information Technology and Innovation Foundation, said some countries are even taking the wrong steps to increase IT adoption.

“Some policy makers think backwards and many don’t see how powerful ICT (information and communications technology) is,” he said during his keynote address at WCIT 2008 in Kuala Lumpur on Monday.

According to him, several nations still apply tax to ICT products, making them even more expensive to consumers. “Tarrifs on ICT products retard ICT consumption,” he said. “In fact, for every 1% price drop in ICT products, the usage increases by 1.5%,” Atkinson said. IT is vital to businesses and nations, Atkinson stressed. He said IT has been an economic driver since the mid 1990s and it goes beyond computers and the Internet.

“With the dropping prices of semiconductors, IT can even be applied to tractors,” he said.

Atkinson said businesses that invest in IT are often more profitable. He quoted a study done by MIT (Massachusetts Institute of Technology) which revealed that for every US$1 (RM3.30) a company invests in IT, it gets an increased market evaluation of US$10 (RM33).

ICT has also helped create new business models and the increased popularity of online retail is testimony to this claim. “Amazon.com, iTunes and even US discount store Walmart have all profited from ICT,” he said.

Governments can get everyone engaged in IT through properly scrutinised policies, Atkinson said. “Properly thought-out policies can be used as a tool to drive ICT transformation,” he added.

WCIT 2008: Pikom to set up community PC centres

KUALA LUMPUR: A nationwide network starting with 20 or 30 serviced community PC centres will be established soon under an initiative by the Association of the Computer and Multimedia Industry of Malaysia (Pikom).

The initiative, called Projek Menguasai Aplikasi Internet dan PC (or Projek Main PC), seeks to give all citizens access to ICT (information and communications technology), especially the lower income group which generally cannot afford PCs.

Pikom intends to start setting up these PC centres by December and the staff at the facilities will include instructors who will be around to guide users and newbies to computing.

It is hoped, this will help lessen the “digital divide,” that gap between the technology haves and have-nots that could contribute to further socio-economic disparity between the two groups if left unattended.

The move is a collaboration between Pikom and several partners, and will start with the conversion of 10 existing Economic Planning Unit (EPU) telecentres into community PC centres.

“There is a valid fear that the divide is getting bigger. Thus, Pikom sees a need to address this issue by bringing ICT capabilities to people in rural areas,” said David Wong, Pikom chairman.

He said this is only the first phase of Projek Main PC. If successful, the second phase — which is expected to kick off sometime next year — will see more of such centres mushrooming nationwide.

Projek Main PC’s long-term goal is to create 150 community PC centres, as well as integrate the 1,945 existing EPU telecentres by 2010.

With the centres and telecentres, Pikom aims to greatly increase both total learner-hours as well as new-learner coverage by that year.

The project’s partners include software giant Microsoft, volunteer organisation The Lions Club, computer maker Hewlett-Packard, chipmaker Intel, Telekom Malaysia and Cuscapi, a business management solutions vendor.

Projek Main PC has the support of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Innovation, and the Ministry of Rural and Regional Development.

WCIT 2008: Rebirth of the digital age

KUALA LUMPUR: ICT (information and communications technology) has the potential to bring about a rebirth of the digital age, according to Witsa secretary-general Dr Jim Poisant. But to actually deliver on that potential, he called on the ICT industry, governments and citizens to address what he said are four key issues and challenges.

In his keynote address at WCIT 2008 on Monday, Poisant said the first of these is maximising the efficient use of energy, which is at the heart of addressing the critical environmental challenges of global warming, resource degradation and pollution.

The ICT industry has made outstanding contributions to energy efficiency, he acknowledged. But it should keep working to make ICT products and services more efficient, such as by using smart building technology.

It should also work at reducing travelling and meeting requirements with teleworking and videoconferencing; make more use of alternative energy sources; expedite the development of energy efficient technology, practise recycling; and use renewable energy sources.

The second challenge is to open up more markets to ICT services as expeditiously as possible, which will enhance productivity and attract foreign direct investment.

“Witsa advocates eliminating tariffs and custom duties on ICT services because these services enable businesses and governments to take advantage of new technology quickly and cheaply for the benefit of all,” Poisant said.

“Witsa encourages WTO (World Trade Organisation) members to complete the Doha round of trade negotiations this year with a strong services component.

“In addition, Witsa encourages more WTO members to sign on to the Information Technology Agreement, and embrace an expansion of the product coverage under the current arrangement as soon as possible,” he said.

The third challenge is to keep encouraging the growth of the Internet by keeping it open and accessible to all; by encouraging industry participation in Internet governance; by promoting the changeover from the current IPv4 addressing system to the newer IPv6; and by putting in place public policy and governing systems that facilitate the use of ICT throughout society. The fourth and final challenge is providing relevant ICT education and employing technology to allow for the education of more of the world’s population.

“Witsa advocates the use of ICT in providing education to those who, for whatever reason, have not been provided with the opportunity to receive the education they need to improve their lives and contribute to their communities,” he said.

“If we protect our environment, open up our markets, provide for a safe and secure Internet, provide a relevant education for our citizens, and allow for the inclusion of more of the world’s population to share in the benefits of the digital age, we will have contributed greatly to the renaissance of our digital planet,“ Poisant said.