Gurteen Knowledge Cafe 28 April 2009

Attended Gurteen's Knowledge Cafe at the BCS yesterday evening. Theme was new knowledge technologies. Chris Yapp reckoned we are nowhere near an effective retrieval system for the world's knowledge - how can human consciousness be replicated? There is evidence that people raised on connection to IT devices have a shorter attention span. I joined conversations at 3 tables. Ideas were: how can Google find stuff when it only searches a fraction of websites. Clouds will compare speeches by Busha and Obama by counting words such as freedom. Everything we write, photograph, have a recording of, can be miniaturised into a portable device - our whole life experience. But what a job tagging that lot with metadata! Concerns were raised in plenary about privacy and identity in a fully digitised and connected future. A good meeting, a bit crowded, but as usual great for networking and hearing latest trends.

Wikis on international development and relief

Have been consulting Wikiindex.org to find wikis on the concerns of development NGOs. There is one on the Millennium Development Goals, but little else. And the only disaster relief and management wiki is one on the Tsunami which has not been modified since 2006.