Juan Carreón

Medellín, Colombia – Un sistema de localización vehicular por satélite desarrollado por jóvenes mexicanos resultó ganador en la competencia TIC Americas 2008 realizada en esta ciudad del 29 al 30 de mayo, en paralelo con la celebración de la XXXVIII Asamblea General de la OEA.

El sistema permite localizar la posición de vehículos o personas con una precisión de metros a partir de información transmitida por satélites GPS (Geographical Positioning System, por sus siglas en inglés) y se puede utilizar en la administración de flotillas de vehículos, así como en la prevención de robos, al tener la capacidad de transmitir la posición y otras variables del vehículo por vía celular e Internet. Esto permite monitorear el vehículo en cualquier parte del mundo y se traduce en un mejor control de las flotillas y en ahorros significativos en los gastos de operación que se reflejan en aumentos considerables en la competitividad de las empresas que utilizan el sistema.

El sistema fue desarrollado por la empresa Virta, S.A. de C.V., una compañía integrada por jóvenes investigadores mexicanos que se dedica a desarrollar soluciones de seguridad utilizando la más alta tecnología de hardware y software a nivel mundial.

De acuerdo a Eduardo Ruiz Duarte, uno de los diseñadores del sistema que participó en el concurso, existen muchos jóvenes mexicanos con talento capaces de hacer desarrollos tecnológicos a nivel de cualquier país avanzado, por lo que es importante que los inversionistas mexicanos empiecen a tomar esto en cuenta al hacer sus decisiones de inversión y así inviertan más en tecnología mexicana.

En la competencia resultaron ganadores 7 proyectos de un total de 807 participantes de toda América. El proyecto de Virta y los otros 6 proyectos ganadores irán posteriormente a la final mundial Global TIC, que se celebrará en Taipei, el próximo mes de agosto.

TIC Américas es un concurso anual en el que participan jóvenes emprendedores menores de 36 años de edad, provenientes de los países de las Américas y la comunidad internacional. El concurso está organizado por el Young Americas Business Trust (YABT), una entidad sin fines de lucro que trabaja en cooperación con la Secretaría General de la Organización de los Estados Americanos (OEA) y actúa como catalizador para fomentar el desarrollo de jóvenes emprendedores a través de entrenamiento en habilidades empresariales, establecimiento de alianzas, liderazgo y tecnología.

Mientras los cubanos esperaban novedades sobre el estado de su presidente, Fidel Castro, el mundo cibernético fuera de isla estallaba, con especulaciones sobre su operación, su salud y el ambiente que se vive en el país.

Un rumor señaló que un testigo ocular había visto morir a Castro. Otros aseguran que su abdicación temporal es una táctica para alejar a los miembros poco fiables del partido.

“Existen rumores y más rumores”, dijo Valentín Prieto, creador de un blog, y afirmó que el acceso a Internet dentro de Cuba era limitado debido al control del gobierno.

Esto obliga a los exiliados y otros cubanos en el extranjero a depender de la escasa información que reciben a través de llamadas telefónicas, foros de discusión, páginas y blogs en la red.

Los relatos son variados: el Ejército cubano ha sido desplegado para controlar los disturbios, que ha habido un golpe de Estado a manos de altos oficiales militares y que se mantiene a la prensa lejos de las oficinas del gobierno.

Un blog afirmó que seguidores de Castro recorrieron las calles con barras de metal mientras gritaban “Abajo Fidel”.

En general, los blogs cuestionan la veracidad del anuncio que el gobierno hizo el lunes, en el que se decía que Castro había cedido el poder temporalmente a su hermano Raúl, mientras se sometía a una operación intestinal y se recuperaba.

“Él ya está muerto. De otra manera, no hubiera habido ningún traspaso de poderes”, escribió Charlie Bravo en un blog cubano titulado “Killcastro”.

Otros aseguran que Castro ya ha sido objeto de rumores similares.

“La verdad es que (Castro) ha muerto varias veces”, dijo Luis García en su blog “Niño de la revolución”, donde recordó una noticia reciente sobre un ataque al corazón que habría sufrido el presidente cubano.

“Esa sensación de no saber nunca lo que está pasando en los altos escalafones del régimen ha sido una constante de la vida de los cubanos durante casi medio siglo”, añadió García.

Manuel Mandujano escribe desde 1987 sobre los mercados de las tecnologías de información y comunicaciones (TIC). Ahora, desde febrero de 2006 edita Compuchannel, revista mensual centrada en el negocio de los canales de distribución de América Central y el Caribe. De ahí la oportunidad de analizar los mercados de esas regiones. En México, creó y dirigió durante 12 años la Sección de Computación del diario Excelsior, la primera de ese país en un periódico de circulación nacional.

From around the region, nearly every major newspaper picked up on this list of polls from Consulta Mitofsky. Every few months the polling firm collects presidential approval numbers from around Latin America and arranges them in a list from top to bottom. Being that the polls were all done by different firms with different methodologies, the list is not completely accurate. However, people like lists and the media likes to say "President Bachelet is the tenth most popular president in the region," even though that ranking really means nothing. This list received more coverage than most polls and despite my criticisms is worth reading.

In Mexico, a poll from Reforma (English info here and here) said 60% believe that a full recount is not necessary. In the "never going to happen" hypothetical second round, Calderon leads AMLO 46-33. A poll from Cronica de Hoy says 56% of Mexicans believe Calderon won and about the same number believe there should be no full recount.

In Nicaragua, a poll from Investigaciones Centroamericanas has the race Ortega 40, Rizo 21, Pastora 19, Montealegre 8. One question I thought was interesting: when asked who is the most honest candidate the results were Pastora 40, Ortega 27, Rizo 24, Montealegre 6. Pastora was polling 1% two months ago. This election still has plenty of time to tip a variety of different ways.

In Ecuador, former President Gutierrez will not be allowed to run and businessman Noboa dropped out of the race, shaping up the presidential field a bit. A new poll with the reduced number of candidates has Roldos 31%, Viteri 21%, Correa 13%.

In Venezuela, a poll from Hinterlaces has Chavez winning 55% of the vote. However, the same poll says that nearly half the population refuses to place themselves in the pro-Chavez or pro-opposition camp.

In Brazil, Datafohla has the race Lula 44, Alkmin 28. Vox Populi has the race Lula 42, Alkmin 32. Randy has a Brazilian friend give some analysis of the race here.

Finally, in the final Apoyo poll in Peru during his term, President Toledo ends with 33% popularity. For someone who spent most of his term fighting to stay in double digits, that's not too bad.

Jorge Dominguez, the Executive VP of Atina Chile, a website that is, according to its mission statement, "a community that explores and directs society in [today's technological] revolutions... an entrepreneurial nucleus that monitors opportunities in order to create new initiatives and personal and social projects." In short, Atina Chile is the clearinghouse for internet-based activism in Chile.

Since its recent birth in 2004, Atina Chile has pursued two goals, to transform grievance into action and to navigate the new wave of technology currently engulfing the country. The site has 25,000 visitors a day and 31,000 members, some of whom write the blogs which Atina Chile hosts. The site also publishes guides on how to blog, podcast, and use internet technologies like Flickr.com. It is also spearheading projects in the real world. The small town of Salamanca (population 24,000) is the first city of the 21st century. The entire town is covered by a WiFi network (free wireless internet) and both young people and adults are receive training in how to use the internet (digital literacy courses). There are also plans to make digital infrastructure available at low cost and to a provide a blog to every citizen. Atina Chile is also at the head of a nationwide campaign to guarantee ultra-fast broadband internet access for all citizens. All this for a cost of $8,000 a month.

What did I learn from Jorge? He was very excited about Web 2.0 technologies that allow users to create web content instead of simply viewing it. However, Jorge stressed that technology is the means not the end. The goal is the same as for any other form of activism: to encourage active citizenship. Atina Chile tries to get people thinking about what bothers them and then help them figure out what they can do to change it. As Jorge said, "It's not about Excel or Power Point, it's about social change." According to the site's mission statement:

By participating in Atina Chile we change the country and we transform ourselves. We bring to life the leadership potential and creativity in all of us. We transform ourselves into agents that create history, rather than passive experts. To participate in Atina Chile means to live the fullest life possible and to take advantage of life's most challenging and beautiful possibilities. It means to measure our own worth by leaving behind us a different world: more united and inclusive, more democratic and varied, more innovative, poetic, and entrepreneurial. To make a difference is not to settle for "that which is," for the available standards, for calm resignation. A member of Atina Chile is committed to excellent work for the community, to excellence in personal relations, to innovate and to cultivate excellence in others.

Because Atina Chile empowers its members to effect change, it make sense that the project works through a non-hierarchical ("non-military," in Jorge's words) "citizen structure" that encourages participation and the free flow of information. Because Atina Chile keeps a low budget, it cannot afford to pay all the people that contribute to the site. However, a reciprocity exists. People volunteer to manage projects, and in return they receive technical assistance from Atina Chile staff (five in total) and the national recognition of being affiliated with the organization. Jorge's excitement was contagious, as was his vision. I left the meeting thinking that every country should have (at least) one organization like Atina Chile.

Why is this country such a hot-bed of internet-based activism? More importantly, how can the Chilean experience inform grassroots internet activism in other countries? First some background:

In the past few months, Chile has witnessed several instances of citizens using the internet, particularly blogs, to effect social change. The greatest example is that of the thousands of student protesters who demanded the removal of college entrance exam and bus fees and, after three weeks of protests, sit-ins, and strikes received a $200 million increase in the education budget and representation on an education council that is expected to propose broader reforms. Many high schools set up photoblogs to show their affiliation with the campaign and to disseminate information, such as the times and locations of rallies. The blogs shared a common format. Each homepage showed a graphic composed of the logos of the schools involved in the campaign along with the words "education is a right not a privilege, let's fight for better education" emblazoned across them.

There are other smaller examples. In Santiago, when a homeless poet was taken to a mental hospital against his will, the people in his neighborhood campaigned for his release by starting a blog. According to Rosario Lizana of Global Voices, the blog informed the public about the case, called for meetings and was used to organize a protest in front of the mental hospital where the man was being held. Supporters also used Flicker.com, a photo-sharing site, to post photos of the man, a who calls himself "the Antichristo." Two days later, the man was freed. Now his neighbors are organizing ways to provide on-going support, with the advice of a psychologist, of course.

And there are other examples: an online petition to keep the Santiago metro open until midnight, a citizens´anti-crime group that uses its site to post meeting details and testimonies of crime victims that receive dozens of comments... and the list goes on.
What has made Chile a society in which citizens see the internet as a tool for social change? When I find out, I'll let you know….

Un blog que postea artículos (a nivel global) que apoyan objetivos como las de gobierno responsable, transparente, justo y participativo para todos.