Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 28, 2014

He oversaw the development of numerous products and services that allow us to drive social empowerment through technology across all our programs. He also championed an open source ethos so that our work can be broadly shared (you can view all our open source projects on GitHub ).

Open Source 184

Open Source Literacy eBook Empowerment 184

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 24, 2018

When Calera’s board vetoed my idea of a new product: a reading machine for the blind, I was distraught. In late 1999, I had just seen the original Napster product, and I knew we had thousands of families scanning the same Harry Potter book on our reading machines for people who were blind or dyslexic.

Mentoring 167

Mentoring Copyright Law Photography 167

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 4, 2014

I describe the open source tools Benetech builds; clarify why it is important that cybersecurity tools in particular are open; explain how Benetech’s culture of “open” shapes its product development as well as broadly serves its social mission; and reflect on the reasons why the open source ethos is well suited for creating social impact.

Open Source 165

Open Source Open Social Interview 165

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 21, 2012

Our social enterprise partners not only deliver a high quality product or service at a fair price, they also are using the revenues to train disadvantaged people who otherwise wouldn't have these opportunities. We call this our social enterprise supply chain. We really love this approach, which we think of making our money work twice.

Laos 235

Laos Data Digital New York City 235

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 15, 2010

The big vendors of medical gear that sell into the developed world have no practical interest in deploying products at a third, a fifth or a tenth of their current price points. There are many brilliant people, both students and experienced professionals, who would love to do these kinds of products. And that's where things break down.

Global 178

Global Technology Marketing Kenya 178

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 19, 2013

One such idea I brought up is reshoring—that is, bringing well-paid factory jobs back home from overseas, and particularly to the South Bronx as a hub of local sourcing and production. open source design or DIY manufacturing) to create customized products in small batches and the global reach of the Internet to sell them.

Local 129

Local New York Culture Open Source 129

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 26, 2013

As someone who has been privileged to attend a handful of previews from Participant Media, Jeff Skoll's socially responsible film production company, I get that the way to truly reach society is through story telling and mass media. In the post-film Q&A, Iram said she aspired to do for Pakistan what Slum Dog Millionaire did for India.

Pakistan 237

Pakistan Virginia San Francisco India 237

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 1, 2016

In our quest to build better products and better meet the needs of the world for information, we built the most amazing system for effortless government surveillance as a byproduct. Forcing tech companies to weaken their products through compelling the creation of backdoors would be a massive step backwards.

Develop 100

Develop Government United States Africa 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 8, 2008

For high volume production, special metal plates are made. The products the Press designed were pretty impressive. The products the Press designed were pretty impressive. I'm definitely going to be spending time learning more about how these products could work with Bookshare.org!

China 113

China Press eBook Library 113

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 14, 2011

We use technology to create products and projects that serve humanity where the market will fail to go because they offer modest financial returns. To create these breakthrough solutions, our team uses its skills to build upon the incredible talents and productivity of the larger tech community.

Technology 150

Technology Change Social Literacy 150

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

FEBRUARY 8, 2013

National organizations of the blind, as well as WBU, need to keep the pressure on publishers to build accessibility into their products. We’re dedicated both to helping the commercial publishing industry create accessible content and distribute that as their primary product. What can we do today to build that accessible future?

Accessibility 155

Accessibility Global eBook Copyright 155

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 25, 2014

What if we invest philanthropic capital in creating products that are geared towards the underprivileged, in their customer-focused deployment, and in scaling those tools that prove to work best? As I previously described in a Huffington Post op-ed , it was then that the idea struck me.

Paraguay 144

Paraguay Problem Application Global 144

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 22, 2013

Two examples of this are: Bookshare permits the stripping of fingerprints out of its digital books when used to create master documents for Braille production. Hardcopy Braille is difficult to “pirate,” whereas digital versions can be more easily used to make unauthorized copies.

Measure 181

Measure Technology Audio eBook 181

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 27, 2011

Benetech gets the majority of its funding from revenues: from product and services sales paid for by our users (or third-party payers who buy our services for our users). Benetech has been expanding its impact rapidly over the last few years, and we need a dynamic executive to join our senior leadership team.

Open 140

Open Articulate Instruction Instructional 140

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 16, 2014

We build our tech-for-good products and reach dollar-by-dollar, and therefore every gift makes a difference for the people we serve. As toolmakers, our ultimate impact is measured by what our users create with our products. It’s not too late to pledge your support for our work.

Open Source 183

Open Source Africa Zimbabwe Malawi 183

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MAY 14, 2013

MIT economist Erik Brynjolfsson then countered this view with a talk that advanced the exact opposite argument: Income may be falling, but creative productivity and innovation are as strong as ever. Brynjolfsson countered with some poignant answers, but he, too, acknowledged that optimism has its limits.

Technology 129

Technology Pledge Music University 129

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 20, 2010

Making these files available as part of the mass market product, O'Reilly is ensuring that EVERYONE who can benefit from accessible materials can actually get them. Why is this a big deal? Because Bookshare is only available for people who qualify under a very narrow copyright exemption.

Accessibility 133

Accessibility Marketing eBook Files 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 29, 2008

The products and prices seemed similar to what I'd see in the United States. I mean, the Nike shop and the camera shop had the same products and same prices as I'd expect to pay at a mall in California. In addition to the products and brands I knew, there were quite a number of China-specific brands (like 361 degrees and Sept Wolves).

China 100

China San Francisco United States Europe 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JANUARY 1, 2011

Benetech has a record of success in securing funding, creating partnerships, and delivering products and services that are useful tools for the social sector. Benetech is a Silicon Valley nonprofit organization developing innovative technology solutions with a primary goal of positive social change rather than profit. 2 We get stuff done.

Literacy 145

Literacy Articulate Open Source International 145

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 6, 2010

With his long expertise in bringing products to this region, he's working to find connections with companies interested in expanding into this area. But, just companies that have social good as a crucial part of their DNA.

SWF 140

SWF Group Asia Europe 140

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

DECEMBER 1, 2014

This iterative method helps us focus on building products that are responsive to real needs Treat users as customers, not recipients of charity People in challenging situations must invest their time and limited resources to improve their lives.

Technology 192

Technology Open Source Data Exercise 192

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 24, 2007

Amazon.com: Kindle This is the first ebook product that gives me a vision of where the book is going to go. Of course, this is a tech product, and I expect the price of the device to steadily fall over time. In conclusion, I think that it's pretty good for a version 1 breakthrough product!

Ipod 100

Ipod eBook Flash New York 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 26, 2013

Silicon Valley has gotten very good at figuring out ways to make money while giving away the core product: these approaches have exciting analogs in the social sector. […] Intellectual property laws, at their best, can encourage technological advances, reward creativity and bring benefits to society.

Internet 142

Internet Copyright Law Open Source 142

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 18, 2014

Success in this position means you have built and delivered products that have scaled in the marketplace, understand the ins-and-outs of the technology sector, and are able to foster collaborative environments between diverse groups and organizations.

Challenge 180

Challenge Open Source Work Time 180

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

OCTOBER 27, 2014

We build our tech-for-good products and reach dollar-by-dollar, and therefore every gift makes a difference for the people we serve. We are competing against other participating organizations—and racing against the clock—to raise funds and secure matching funding from the Skoll Foundation.

Challenge 144

Challenge eBook Social Ohio 144

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 29, 2011

And, of course, it was that high quality work product that Samasource connected with us in the first place, and now has been sustained for several years. He notes that students with these backgrounds have already overcome great obstacles, and he sees that they have the skills and the motivation to do high quality data entry work.

Kenya 228

Kenya Student Africa University 228

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

MARCH 10, 2009

The Kindle2's text-to-speech feature wasn't something that actually worked for blind people, but you could imagine how a software update could make this into an incredible product. In the 1990s Benetech was the leading provider of reading systems to blind people and our product was actually named "An Open Book."]

Amazon 100

Amazon Accessibility eBook Problem 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 8, 2013

She wants to see every piece of content that is born digital be born accessible. We all want the same ebook that people without disabilities buy (sorry, I mean license) to work perfectly well for people who are blind, physically disabled or dyslexic.

Accessibility 133

Accessibility Amazon Library eBook 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 6, 2011

Born in the early 17 th century, Haiku as a literary form was a product of the game Renga in which poets wrote alternating stanzas to create poems with sound unit counts known as "on." I did not start to write poetry until my late thirties, though, when, finally, all the bottled up emotions began to emerge.

Japan 133

Japan Artist Alternative Sound 133

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 13, 2011

Rob has helped Benetech navigate important transitions over the years including providing critical legal advice during the sale of the Arkenstone product line in 2000, including expanding our charter from just working on disability issues to a wider range of social issues (now including human rights and the environment).

San Francisco 140

San Francisco Law Lecture Advice 140

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

AUGUST 19, 2013

With this new site, we hope to better share our story and the impact of our work in a clear and consistent way across our four program areas , which encompass a diverse set of initiatives, products and services. Look around—there’s a lot that’s new. We’ve updated our brand identity.

Site 158

Site Accessibility Press Ideas 158

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 3, 2008

The UK is probably the leading country in the world for consumption of fair trade products, mainly because fair trade has become a mainstream concept in supermarkets here. This social enterprise sells hand-made soaps, creating production and retail jobs. We then walked through Edinburgh on a lovely, sunny afternoon to the Soap Company.

San Francisco 100

San Francisco Social Government Conference 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JULY 3, 2013

And how will changing technology impact tactile design, production and use? Through intense collaboration, we are advancing open tools and standards so that accessibility is built into mainstream products. We are addressing key questions such as: When is a tactile required? How can we make tactiles easier to produce, use and share?

Literacy 208

Literacy eBook Images Accessibility 208

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

JUNE 23, 2014

I have disruptive approaches to social innovation in mind, with an increasingly connected society where the cost of prototyping and deploying new products is extremely low, and where innovation is no longer the sole purview of well-funded for-profit corporations. The time has never been better to think 10X bigger!

Literacy 158

Literacy eBook United Kingdom Accessibility 158

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

SEPTEMBER 21, 2011

The conditions for launching Bookaccess are on our side: technology convergence is making the production of accessible digital content simply a click of a button away; the federal government is pushing states to find methods to meet the special needs of all their students; and we already get tremendous support from publishers.

Student 173

Student Accessibility Copyright Library 173

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

APRIL 29, 2009

It's taking advantage of technology to make a more powerful discussion that I hope will be more productive and informative compared to the old, asynchronous comment mechanism. And, you can comment on comments, and rate comments (similar to slashdot).

Comment 100

Comment DC Government Policy 100

Beneblog: Technology Meets Society

NOVEMBER 20, 2008

What is even cooler is that Perseus Books, Patrick's publisher, reached out to us during the production process to make sure that the book was available to people with print disabilities.

Copyright 100

Copyright Alternative Student National 100