Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 24, 2011

I occasionally get invited to small group brainstorms of key leaders in fields where we’re active (and we’re active in a lot of fields!). I’m on the plane home from one such weekend in Providence, Rhode Island, held at Brown University.

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Rhode Island Learning Roles Course 145

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 27, 2013

Delivering Benetech''s statement to the WIPO diplomatic conference That’s why I’ve been actively advocating for a global copyright exception modeled after the great exception in the United States that made Bookshare possible. In June, with the help of Stevie Wonder , we got a treaty that did just that: the Treaty of Marrakesh.

India 142

India Literacy Global Accessibility 142

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 16, 2011

We had a Bookshare all-hands meeting this week, where our entire team gets together and talks about the latest activities and news about the Bookshare project. One piece of news struck me as being particularly poignant. Melanie Sorensen, who had recently joined the Bookshare Advisory Board, suddenly passed away last month.

News 133

News Student Model Roles 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 15, 2011

However, I was thrilled with the incredible range of activities I heard about during our dinner together. I dropped in on them because Kipp had been trained on our Martus human rights software years ago and had been helping human rights groups in the region with using Martus.

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Africa Kenya Tanzania Ghana 151

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 9, 2014

With additional education girls earn more, contribute to higher rates of economic growth on the national level, delay the onset of sexual activity, are less likely to contract HIV, have smaller and healthier families, and survive childbirth at higher rates, he noted.

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Education Philanthropy Africa Foundation 164

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 29, 2012

Each of these partners has established deployments, an active community and a demonstrated history of creating transformative impact.

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International San Francisco Open Source Global 209

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

While our activities often creates jobs beyond the core high technology jobs around software development and user support, we don't see it as our core competency. Benetech is a tech social enterprise.

Laos 235

Laos Digital Data New York City 235

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

It is supremely ironic that they have been systematically locked out of that content over the last decade through: collateral damage: technology designed to defeat piracy stopping accessibility technology, rights confusion: publishers turning off text-to-speech access because of authors'' claims (which I think are pretty bogus) that these are covered (..)

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Accessibility Amazon Library eBook 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 20, 2009

Bookshare actively cooperates with the Library of Congress in the provision of Bookshare’s services to people with disabilities, through its National Library Service for the Blind and Physically Handicapped of the Library of Congress (NLS).

Authoring 100

Authoring Copyright Library Award 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 27, 2012

Many library users are active book purchasers, and we want to encourage blind people who can afford accessible books to purchase them, without denying them access to a library for that content.

eBook 193

eBook Library Alternative Authoring 193

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 19, 2014

The stakeholders were able to come to an agreement on establishing the Accessible Book Consortium: its structure and activities. WIPO has allocated some money to this effort, and is expecting to start approaching donors to raise money for the ABC, now that it’s clear what the structure and activities will be.

Accessibility 247

Accessibility License Copyright Library 247

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 8, 2015

The Vice President of Global Literacy leads Benetech’s biggest program, standing at the confluence of some of the most active and rapidly evolving fields: digital content, EdTech, domestic and international education, and user-centered design. We must help ensure that every report of abuse is a tool for justice.

Technology 100

Technology Literacy Social Uganda 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 1, 2016

Whatever the power of search engines or social networks, it’s really the smartphone that is the most incredible tool for tracking our every move and activity. Forcing tech companies to weaken their products through compelling the creation of backdoors would be a massive step backwards. Who they love. What religion they profess.

Develop 100

Develop Government United States Africa 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 5, 2013

I’ve been actively advocating for an international copyright exception model that would greatly benefit people with disabilities, as anyone who has read my blog over the years can attest!

Morocco 127

Morocco United States Copyright Library 127

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 15, 2012

Succeeding through partnerships is a recurring theme that runs through all of Benetech’s programs and that informs our activities as we work to deliver the next generation of innovative software solutions for social good.

Library 164

Library Student eBook Accessibility 164

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 25, 2012

Fuentes says archivists have found more than 900,000 personal dossiers containing names, photographs and fingerprints of individuals, as well as notes about their political activities.

National 206

National Guatemala Online Texas 206

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 17, 2013

His activities with the World Economic Forum include participation on the Education Global Agenda Council and he is a university professor of social entrepreneurship in the U.S. and Africa.

Paraguay 142

Paraguay Award Africa Conservancy 142

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 20, 2009

IISE is getting ready for their second year and are actively looking for catalysts who want to be role models and discussion partners for the participants, inspiring them to be the force of positive social change in our world. Sabriye and Paul never cease to amaze me with their innovative ideas and high energy.

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International India Social Student 129

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 5, 2008

We developed it in what's called an agile way, where we do frequent releases and actively engage users in shaping the software. I'm excited because it's another example of top-quality software created by our technical team in partnership with the conservation movement.

Conservancy 100

Conservancy Press Software Environment 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 20, 2010

CSR offices should go beyond donations and include actively finding the socially beneficial uses of corporate assets. For example, European and American governments, publishers and entertainment industries should actively support the proposed Treaty for Access for the Visually Impaired under current consideration at WIPO.

Proposal 100

Proposal Government University Switzerland 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 22, 2009

It’s an impressive web-based application for helping multi-national corporations engage their employees and customers in social sector activities such as volunteering or donating. I recently had a great meeting with Terry Farris and Alan Keliipuleole of the newly launched ammado web platform.

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Platform Singapore Asia Social 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 28, 2014

We’ve been actively engaging in discussions about how to use our Martus software for whistle-blowing and confidential information gathering. Charmian wants to fight anonymous shell corporations, which are often used for corrupt and socially damaging purposes. This time, I jumped up!

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Ideas Kenya Brain Software 223

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 28, 2011

In these contexts, the perpetrators will be actively trying to suppress reporting, and so the SMS streams will not just measure where the cell phones are, they'll measure where the cell phones that perpetrators can't suppress are. The problems will be much worse if SMS streams are used to try to measure public violence.

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Issue Data Haiti Stream 160

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 8, 2005

Our human rights group is active all over the place right now. And all this is on top of Martus work we're actively engaged with in Kenya, Nigeria and Egypt. Patrick Ball is in Colombia for most of the next three months teaching the techniques of human rights statistics and information processing at the National University there.

Colombia 100

Colombia Nigeria Uganda Africa 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 8, 2010

I had multiple chances to plug my ideas around a more open approach in Davos, and found a sympathetic hearing, given some exciting activity in the same area. Nike launched the GreenXchange , and the Young Global Leaders had a humanitarian patent licensing concept that seemed promising.

License 100

License Hints University Research 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 12, 2007

Not only is it the school my son Andy attends (beam, beam), but it is also a hotbed of activity around advancing people with disabilities. I just got back from a short jaunt to the University of Washington in Seattle.

Washington 100

Washington University Student Seattle 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 27, 2008

Every facility I saw had boards noting the daily activity. Aravind has a plan to quadruple their activities in India over the next few years, and I am not skeptical at all about their ability to meet those objectives. They are data-driven in a way that it is transparent to patients and staff alike.

India 100

India Hype United States Europe 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 15, 2010

I’m sure this is true of a lot of other groups with national or international activities. Benetech will give me $50 a night in lieu of staying in an expensive hotel. After personnel, travel costs are one of our biggest expenses. What’s your travel tip? Do you have an example of penny-wise, pound foolish travel ideas that backfired?

Tips 124

Tips Social New York City New York 124

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 7, 2012

The money is "lightly restricted," which means that it can only go to new and innovative activities. Gary and Chevenee decided to create a $10 million Innovation Fund for Water.org, where each donor who participates needs to give $1 million (or more) toward the fund.

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Fund Social Liberia Money 154

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 12, 2014

Now, a year later, the Court of Appeals agreed: the HathiTrust creates immense public value and its core activities entirely comply with copyright law. You can read more about our position in the Amicus Brief , which we filed jointly with our peer organization, Learning Ally.

Accessibility 205

Accessibility Copyright Law Library 205

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 30, 2009

Through her contribution we were able to give our most active volunteers (those who have directly contributed to adding 150 books or more to the library) a chance to request a book -- any book that they wanted to see in Bookshare’s Collection. Submitting books for bookshare has been a favorite volunteer activity of mine for years.

Gift 100

Gift Accessibility Giving Volunteer 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 30, 2009

Because of this commitment, the disability advocacy groups I know about are actively supporting the settlement as a victory for disability rights. And yes, it actually is a camp. The lawn outside the buildings (and the orchard behind the lawn) is covered with tents.

Afghanistan 133

Afghanistan Mashup Amazon Michigan 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 22, 2013

Unfortunately, these TPMs create collateral damage in the form of disabling or hindering activities that are generally permitted.

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Measure Technology Audio eBook 181

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 18, 2007

The opening paragraphs are excerpted below: As technology races ahead at an ever-increasing pace, more and more of society's activities are moving into an online digital world that requires unfettered access. It's something within our power, and it will bring out the best in our community.

Sacramento 100

Sacramento Raise California Sound 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 27, 2006

The other thing is that I'm almost exclusively talking to people with an active interest in social entrepreneurship or a particular social cause. Serving society actively engages the great majority of people who are attending Davos.

India 100

India Open Source Advice Issue 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 15, 2006

The opening episode, two hours, of Extreme Makeover, Home Edition, features the home and family of one of our bookshare members and active volunteers, Vic Llanes. Cindy, one of our volunteers, shared the following on our volunteer listserv (and she said it better than I could!): The show is this Sunday, from 8-10 p.m.

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Listserv Sound Volunteer Google 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 14, 2009

They are our active partners in changing the world, in changing society. We have political leaders with an active interest in changing the status quo— for finding innovative and scalable solutions to the challenges facing our cities, states, nation and the world. That, I think, is at the core of all social enterprise.

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Business Government North Carolina Charity 100