While the big dogs of the G-20 roll into Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, to woof and sniff each other, the grunts and gearheads in the trenches are doing the hard work of creating technology and products for the masses. Political and biz leaders get the glory and talk-show guest shots. But let's not forget the visionaries in think tanks, research labs and NGOs (non-governmental organizations) who sweat in anonymity, and who bear the true risk of the growth economy. They build the world, so our leaders can trot in later to commoditize their ideas and claim credit. All hail the innovators, the unsung heroes of the global economy.
To wit, check out an ongoing forum on tech, global markets and culture by Canada's International Development Research Centre and Harvard's Berkman Center for Internet and Society. Here's a post on the conference by Ethan Zuckerman (below left), co-founder of the Global Voices international blogging site and a Harvard research fellow at the Berkman Center. He and writer/photographer Jennifer Brea are live-blogging the event and highlighting overseas trends. This one addresses the digital divide and the democratization of the Net: the 90,000 "LAN houses," or cybercafes, that are revolutionizing social and political debate and education in Brazil. In a paper on LAN houses (below), Ronaldo Lemos, director of the Center for Technology and Society at the Fundação Getúlio Vargas (FGV) School of Law in Rio de Janeiro, and Paula Martini write that there's a huge demand for the cybercafes, especially in poor areas. One large favela, or slum, in Brazil has 130 LAN houses filled with people using the Web and play online games for 40 cents to $1.50 an hour. Readings below, including the White House's recent report on innovation, which echos several recent reports from the private sector and academia:
Ronaldo Lemos and Paula Martini, "LAN Houses: A New Wave of Digital Inclusion in Brazil." Paula Goes, Global Voices, "Social Digital Inclusion Through the LAN House Revolution." Journal of Information Technology and International Development, "Open ICT Systems Transforming the Developing World." Craig Newmark, "Decision-making in a Culture of Participation." National Economic Council, "A Strategy for American Innovation." Secretary-General Angel Gurria of the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, "Making Innovation Strategy Succeed in a Globalised World."
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