I just got the most heart-warming and thoughtful email from a young man living in Zimbabwe who is responding to my blog and the idea of the WITNESS web portal. I wont mention his name because it could cause him some serious problems in Zimbabwe these days. He says "I got excited by your idea of a video hub…this is a noble idea and would especially help people in these parts of the world." He goes on to ask some very good questions, specifically about whether the technical capacity in some of the key areas is available to make use of the hub, and what security precautions we will be taking. 

His concerns are right on point – the hub will allow for anonymous transmission of content although internet surveillence by governments is another matter altogether, and of course we are still facing a massive digital divide. Cell phones are increasingly ubiquitous, however, and we are hoping that costs for the hardware will continue to drop as new functionalities like photo, video and web access are integrated into the phones. And in places where there isn’t the bandwidth, the bet is that wireless will continue to expand its capacity for transmission. But there is no question that we are not there yet everywhere….More on this later.

I am running to a session on the Science of Out of Body experiences! You have to mix it up sometimes.
I just got the most heart-warming and thoughtful email from a young man living in Zimbabwe who is responding to my blog and the idea of the WITNESS web portal. I wont mention his name because it could cause him some serious problems in Zimbabwe these days. He says "I got excited by your idea of a video hub…this is a noble idea and would especially help people in these parts of the world." He goes on to ask some very good questions, specifically about whether the technical capacity in some of the key areas is available to make use of the hub, and what security precautions we will be taking. 

His concerns are right on point – the hub will allow for anonymous transmission of content although internet surveillence by governments is another matter altogether, and of course we are still facing a massive digital divide. Cell phones are increasingly ubiquitous, however, and we are hoping that costs for the hardware will continue to drop as new functionalities like photo, video and web access are integrated into the phones. And in places where there isn’t the bandwidth, the bet is that wireless will continue to expand its capacity for transmission. But there is no question that we are not there yet everywhere….More on this later.

I am running to a session on the Science of Out of Body experiences! You have to mix it up sometimes.
– Gillian Caldwell
Head of Witness, and a Schwab Foundation Social Entrepreneur