Archive for October, 2007
For the seven.1 people in the world- you know who you are- who are super interested in the fascinating but small vanguard we call Community Networks– I bring you an interview with Bill Comisky. Bill is an antenna designer in Chicago who moonlights as a volunteer on two community based networks in Chicago. When I* interviewed him in March, one network was “dark” — that is turned off- and the other network was humming along. He gave me his take why both projects chose open source software, the appeal to volunteer on community technology projects, asset building from the ground up, and the struggle to keep one net going and get another back up. (*A chipmunk named Betty actually conducted the interview.)
Bill Comisky on Chicago Community Networks [21:01m]:
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October 17 2007 | sound & image and on communication | No Comments »
“I’m hoping a series of feminist interventions will erupt from shesgeeky like a labia majora in all its glory.”
On a nearly daily basis, I feel the disconnect between the very arbitrary and abstract places that my work takes me and the larger questions that tug at my heart. How in the world is municipal broadband infrastructure remotely related to questions of economic empowerment or social justice - never mind Gender Equity! continue reading »
October 16 2007 | feminist interventions in geek culture and on communication | 1 Comment »
I have to credit my angry teenage daughter for helping me realize that when gender and technology mix, *disempowered* is often interpreted as *disinterested.* She also gets major credit for solving her own problems with a bit of active resistance.
When my daughter Manda was a freshman in high-school she came home excited because her technology class was about to spend several weeks playing with cool programmable robots. But before I explain the ensuing disappointment she suffered, the agony, soul searching and eventual victory– let me take a self-congratulating minute to give myself props for having raised a girl who likes to play with robots. How did I do it? continue reading »
October 14 2007 | feminist interventions in geek culture and on communication | 1 Comment »
