"While Russian computer scientists are notorious for their interference in the 2016 US presidential election, they are ubiquitous on Wall Street and coveted by international IT firms and often perceive themselves as the present manifestation of the past glory of Soviet scientific prowess. Drawing on
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over three hundred in-depth interviews, the contributors to From Russia with Code trace the practices, education, careers, networks, migrations, and lives of Russian IT professionals at home and abroad, showing how they function as key figures in the tense political and ideological environment of technological innovation in post-Soviet Russia. Among other topics, they analyze coders' creation of both transnational communities and local networks of political activists; Moscow's use of IT funding to control peripheral regions; brain drain and the experiences of coders living abroad in the United Kingdom, United States, Israel, and Finland; and the possible meanings of Russian computing systems in a heterogeneous nation and industry. Highlighting the centrality of computer scientists to post-Soviet economic mobilization in Russia, the contributors offer new insights into the difficulties through which a new entrepreneurial culture emerges in a rapidly changing world." (Publisher description)
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"The last 25 years have seen a small revolution in our approach to the understanding of new technology and information systems. It has become a founding assumption of computer-supported cooperative work and human–computer interaction that in the future, if not already, most computer applications w
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ill be socially embedded in the sense that they will become infrastructures (in some sense) for the development of the social practices which they are designed to support. Assuming that IT artifacts have to be understood in this sociotechnical way, traditional criteria for good design in computer science, such as performance, reliability, stability or usability, arguably need to be supplemented by methods and perspectives which illuminate the way in which technology and social practice are mutually elaborating. This book concerns the philosophy, conceptual apparatus, and methodological concerns which will inform the development of a systematic and long-term human-centered approach to the IT-product life cycle, addressing issues concerned with appropriation and infrastructuring. This entails an orientation to “practice-based computing.” The book contains a number of chapters which examine both the conceptual foundations of such an approach, and a number of empirical case studies that exemplify it." (Publisher description)
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"This practical guide to sustainable IT offers a detailed, hands-on introduction to thinking about sustainable computing holistically; starting with the choices you make when buying technology, the software and peripherals you use, through to how you store and work with information, manage your secu
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rity, save power, and maintain and dispose of your old hardware. Suggestions and advice for policy makers are also included, along with some practical tips for internet service providers. Written by IT expert and environmentalist Paul Mobbs, the purpose of the guide is to encourage ICT-for-development (ICTD) practitioners to begin using technology in an environmentally sound way. But its usefulness extends beyond this to everyday consumers of technology, whether in the home or office environment. We can all play our part, and the practice of sustainable computing will go a long way in helping to tackle the environmental crisis facing our planet." (Back cover)
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"This book is the result of several years of observation, analysis, consultation and synthesis of the adaptation of ict s to local languages in Africa. The goal of the Pan Africa Localization project led by Don Osborn was to closely track the progress of ict s in African languages and clearly identi
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fy the priorities that the Pan African Network for Localization (anloc) will pursue in its work plan. This book is a revised version of the project’s final report. By collecting and compiling all the data presented in this book, Don has helped establish anloc’s research network and has provided an accurate picture of ict localisation in Africa. This publication will thus be useful for decision-makers intending to develop a language policy, developers working on language processing, researchers in the area of languages and information technologies, donor agencies that fund projects to support local languages, and ict users wanting to use these technologies in their local language." (Foreword, page x)
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"Volume 1 looks at the introduction, adoption, and utilization of ICTs at the community level. In various contexts – geographical, technological, socioeconomic, cultural, and institutional – the book explores the questions of community participation. It looks at how communities in sub-Saharan Af
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rica have reacted to the changes brought about by the introduction of these new ICTs and, in detail, presents both the opportunities and the challenges that ICTs present for community development. The book will be useful for both researchers and development practitioners active, or just embarking upon, an “ICT for development” program. It will also be a very useful reference tool not only for academics but also for policymakers, decision-makers, and development professionals interested in the issue." (Publisher description)
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"Emblematique du processus de mondialisation, le developpement des nouvelles technologies de l'information et de la communication a bouleverse la configuration du paysage mediatique dans le monde arabe. Ce phenomene manifeste de maniere exemplaire une articulation inedite des espaces national, trans
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national et mondial dans un ensemble arabe tiraille entre multiples cadres de reference identitaire melant differentes versions du panarabisme et du panislamisme aux diverses allegeances communautaires et nationalistes. Aux politiques etablies differenciees de cloture et d'ouverture des territoires nationaux face a l'accroissement des flux informationnels repondent des pratiques sociales visant a contourner les contraintes de la censure et a construire de nouveaux modes de communication et de sociabilite qui contribuent a redefinir les echelles de la mondialite. Apres la proliferation des antennes paraboliques qui, au milieu des annees 1980, herissent les toits des habitations, c'est aujourd'hui la multiplication des cafes-internet qui constitue le principal marqueur spatial de la recomposition des horizons de reception. Des televisions satellitaires a internet, en passant par la communication publicitaire et les nouveaux modes de diffusion de l'ecrit, les etudes presentees dans cet ouvrage explorent les strategies economiques et politiques, les reglementations juridiques, les savoirs professionnels, les formes et les contenus mediatiques que suscitent ces nouveaux espaces de communication. Ce travail, fruit d'une recherche collective ayant reuni des chercheurs arabes et europeens, constitue le premier ouvrage en francais sur les evolutions recentes de la scene mediatique arabe." (Résumé)
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"This guide considers the role of media in conflict and crisis areas, examines media projects established to provide information to affected populations in conflict situations, either during crisis or in the post-conflict period. Its four main sections discuss: Designing programmes for populations i
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n crisis; Humanitarian information programmes; Media projects for peace-building; Measuring impact: The difficult field of impact evaluation. Produced with the support of the European Commission Humanitarian Aid Office (ECHO), the guide originated from a conference in 1998 entitled Strengthening Lifeline Media in Regions of Conflict, which brought together media professionals and experts in conflict resolution to examine how media could impact on peace-building in conflict situations." (https://reliefweb.int)
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