Cross Roads

.  A IP as public policy.  A pice of public policy not an end in itself.  Ownership, authorship and invention. Patents Governing the introduction of technology into new territories.  Temporary monopoly privileges.  Counterfeiting as theft or a tool for growth...and development. 1. Public Policy: the refusal to recognize foreign copyright laws. In the interest of public good (literacy) 2. To develop the land and to help feed a growing population.  3. Jobs  4. Health  5. Innovation  1970s and 80s TRIPS WOrld Trade Organization. US businesses redefine IP as a trade issue.  DIsney, Microsoft and Pharmaceuticals (defining it as a trade issue).  Twin Deficits and Budget Deficit.  Export surpluses....firms that were based in IP. Collective action situation...small groups with similar interests Manser Olson B Form shifting. CAT and MOUSE Fair use? Tom and Jerry TOM CAT Industry association, trade representatives offices, IP Organizatio...

South Korea  Industrial machine to creative economy. John  Hawkins Media Consultant 2000  Written during the first dot com boom.  What do people do with data? TV and Film was also being done in other sectors.  An economy based on people's ideas.  100 years of manufacturing  1750 industrial revolution...transformed cities and changed the way people lived.  Post 1945 knowledge economy. Management was a skill and consisted on knowing things and how that knowledge is use. A new relationship between the individual and the work that they do.  Peter Drucker Creative versus Repetitive Economy.  Changes everything about business and the way it is done.  What they do  How they do it Company structure  Looser more organic relationships  Web 1.0 dot com boom. The first Iteration of the concept of the creative economy.  Volatility. Intense competitiveness. Potential for great failure. Moving at warp speed: because minds are c...

Education 2.0 ? A few interesting but seemingly unrelated events are taking place as we speak. The internet is changing the way we think about education and the manner in which we communicate (socialize). At the centre of this dramatic change, groups like google realized a quite a while back that someone had to put all this new information in order for others to utilize. And so they invaded search and in some sense are attempting to monopolize it.  Universities and educational institutions chose not to be left behind and began initiatives in which they explored extensively the area of online education. As they sensed the push toward open source models they went on to create platforms in their institutions where information could be shared and some lectures provided at no cost. While core aspects of their learning materials were retained, students and learning enthusiasts were free to engage in intensive learning experiences with top level schools in the U.S and in the U.K wh...

Linux Ubuntu Update  I run a system that has actual boot of Ubuntu and XP.  The updates are normally a little easier when you have faster internet connections. If you chose to update basic software, my suggestion is to find the smallest files first especially if you are struggling with the speed of your connection.  What this means is that you are at least guaranteed that the basic functions of your device will be running fine. Larger files like Linux group files often can be a little of a challenge. Others like office and mailing programs are also too much of a challenge.  These are best reserved for the time when you get faster wireless access.  The advantage of Linux (Ubuntu) is that it allows you to get specific updates much like, XP except that you can monitor the progress of individual files and control the flow of these files. M suggestion if you are going to upgrade the system from say 10.04 LTS to the latest is to make sure that you...

Its been about three weeks since i attended a meeting put together by ACODE Best know for its local government councils score card. To discuss amongst other things best practice in procurement and governance in general. The venue was Victoria Hall at the Serena Hotel in Kampala Uganda. In attendance were representatives from the Office Of the Prime Minister , National Planning Authority and Ministry of Finance Planning and Economic Development , Public Procurement and Disposal of Public Assets Authority .   as well as Ministry of Energy and Mineral Development . In addition to these ministries there were representative from Uganda Association of Building and Civil Engineers and the Association of Chief Administrative Officers. Because much of the discourse focused on procurement. The idea was to present the perspectives of the largest budget holder (in this case Ministry of Energy Mineral Development) and suggest methods of improvement for other ministries around ch...

Last week or thereabouts, i ventured out of my hideout to explore some fresh opportunities for sales and also for work space. The smell of freshly baked goods safely tucked away in my blue branded Manchester United bag along with my Arsenal branded Helmet. A contrast of sorts in an age of sports betting. The first meeting (Kanjokya Rd.) went well...managed a little bit of activity on the sales front as well as well as some fresh blogs. The choice pieces of chocolate cake safely tucked away by the enterprising youth. As i prepared to leave, something about the darkness in the corridor led me to use the stairs instead of the elevator or lift if you have a leaning towards England. When i got to the ground floor there was a mixture of humor (common in these circles) and distress as one employee struggled to get out of an elevator stuck half-way between two floors. Another quick attempt to market my merchandise and then a mad dash towards yet another event slated for Ham Towers.  A few ...

Today in an act of what some refer to as serendipity, I attended an event that was supposed to be an information session for women. The event is designed to women to get involved with technology and is put together in collaboration with google. Like other similar drives such as the ones that were organized by the Makerere University, and sponsored by the Carnegie Mellon Trust, this push is an attempt to get more young women involved in technology related fields. Back in the day when I was part of the Cisco Academy, I remember that Young Women were offered scholarships to study technology related fields. Th bulk of the information regarding this internship or training is available on the OutBox Hub Page. The Lead Richard Zulu talked about various aspects of the program and was keen to extract as much information from the young ladies as to what hinders them from participating in similar technology driven encounters. As one of the only guys in attendance, I had two major questio...