Comments on: How to fix the developing world for sixty million dollars http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726 Free science and engineering in the global public interest Sat, 11 Feb 2012 13:53:37 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Chris L http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726/comment-page-1#comment-4455 Chris L Wed, 23 Jul 2008 23:29:05 +0000 http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726#comment-4455 Yeah, I think the huge buckets of money is probably a good idea, if they can be found. If something like this is to be accomplished quickly and with good production values, the money could be necessary. Wikipedia has high standards, but some fixes take a while to get sorted, and some articles wind up being pretty hit-and-miss despite all the efforts. As has been mentioned, this can't afford to miss, and major production companies know what they're doing, for the most part. Keeping wikis going as an additional information base is of course essential, but a top-down approach can be the most effective for stuff like this (if not the most resource-efficient). Yeah, I think the huge buckets of money is probably a good idea, if they can be found. If something like this is to be accomplished quickly and with good production values, the money could be necessary. Wikipedia has high standards, but some fixes take a while to get sorted, and some articles wind up being pretty hit-and-miss despite all the efforts. As has been mentioned, this can’t afford to miss, and major production companies know what they’re doing, for the most part.

Keeping wikis going as an additional information base is of course essential, but a top-down approach can be the most effective for stuff like this (if not the most resource-efficient).

]]> By: Vinay Gupta http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726/comment-page-1#comment-4441 Vinay Gupta Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:43:32 +0000 http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726#comment-4441 Curt, absolutely agree that Appropedia is the Right Answer for textual content, although I'm severely doubting the ability of current-generation wiki infrastructure to handle three problems. 1> Omnitranslation of a given text into 60 languages. 2> Preparation of how-to guides (not *presentation* of how-to guides but actually doing things like field-testing an explanation, then rewriting based on study results.) This isn't a tech problem, but it's a question of how we fund field studies inside of a wiki context. For Wikipedia, the "cognitive surplus" was enough to write an encyclopedia. I'm not sure the same is true for AT resources. 3> Managing massive content files and versioning of things like video. In a lot of ways, I feel like what I'm suggesting is using a sledgehammer - **insanely huge buckets of money** and an industrial-age information production and dissemination medium - TV - to give people their last blast of Industrial-Style Information Production before they step fully into the post-industrial Appropedia-style world. Vinay Curt, absolutely agree that Appropedia is the Right Answer for textual content, although I’m severely doubting the ability of current-generation wiki infrastructure to handle three problems.

1> Omnitranslation of a given text into 60 languages.

2> Preparation of how-to guides (not *presentation* of how-to guides but actually doing things like field-testing an explanation, then rewriting based on study results.) This isn’t a tech problem, but it’s a question of how we fund field studies inside of a wiki context. For Wikipedia, the “cognitive surplus” was enough to write an encyclopedia. I’m not sure the same is true for AT resources.

3> Managing massive content files and versioning of things like video.

In a lot of ways, I feel like what I’m suggesting is using a sledgehammer – **insanely huge buckets of money** and an industrial-age information production and dissemination medium – TV – to give people their last blast of Industrial-Style Information Production before they step fully into the post-industrial Appropedia-style world.

Vinay

]]> By: Curt Beckmann http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726/comment-page-1#comment-4440 Curt Beckmann Sun, 20 Jul 2008 19:23:33 +0000 http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726#comment-4440 Thanks, Vinay, for mentioning Appropedia! I agree that one of the heavy lifting jobs at Appropedia is getting the mostly-English articles translated to the languages of the village users that our stuff is often aimed at. Fortunately we're beginning to engage translators at university foreign language departments. I think there's a tremendous synergy opportunity here. Video makers can look to Appropedia and other sites to find topics that would be good for the videos. Once videos are made, interested parties can learn more at Appropedia, or they can invent improvements or alternative approaches and post those at Appropedia as well. Another cool thing is that this kind of project is the right size for the Gates Foundation. Those souls are heavily burdened trying to find smart ways to spend $2B/yr. A good proposal with clear metrics, etc, might be a good start (tho Gates does not accept unsolicited proposals...there's a catch). In answer to Meryn's question about the cost of Wikipedia...much less than $60M. Up until a couple of years ago, the cost was well under $5M. Web hosting and servers are the main cost... and that's only because it's successful. All the content is donated by volunteers. It's a pretty inexpensive worldwide education project of its own. Okay, so who wants to partner with Vinay and Appropedia to make this video proposal real? And who might already be working on a similar idea? Thanks, Vinay, for mentioning Appropedia! I agree that one of the heavy lifting jobs at Appropedia is getting the mostly-English articles translated to the languages of the village users that our stuff is often aimed at. Fortunately we’re beginning to engage translators at university foreign language departments.

I think there’s a tremendous synergy opportunity here. Video makers can look to Appropedia and other sites to find topics that would be good for the videos. Once videos are made, interested parties can learn more at Appropedia, or they can invent improvements or alternative approaches and post those at Appropedia as well.

Another cool thing is that this kind of project is the right size for the Gates Foundation. Those souls are heavily burdened trying to find smart ways to spend $2B/yr. A good proposal with clear metrics, etc, might be a good start (tho Gates does not accept unsolicited proposals…there’s a catch).

In answer to Meryn’s question about the cost of Wikipedia…much less than $60M. Up until a couple of years ago, the cost was well under $5M. Web hosting and servers are the main cost… and that’s only because it’s successful. All the content is donated by volunteers. It’s a pretty inexpensive worldwide education project of its own.

Okay, so who wants to partner with Vinay and Appropedia to make this video proposal real? And who might already be working on a similar idea?

]]> By: Meryn Stol http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726/comment-page-1#comment-4433 Meryn Stol Fri, 18 Jul 2008 16:07:32 +0000 http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726#comment-4433 You may also like this video of Albert Bandura: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjIbKaSXM3A You may also like this video of Albert Bandura:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xjIbKaSXM3A

]]> By: Meryn Stol http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726/comment-page-1#comment-4432 Meryn Stol Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:56:08 +0000 http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726#comment-4432 What about creating a kind of "Teach for America" for this? That's volunteer-only I believe. http://www.teachforamerica.org/ What about creating a kind of “Teach for America” for this? That’s volunteer-only I believe.

http://www.teachforamerica.org/

]]> By: Meryn Stol http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726/comment-page-1#comment-4431 Meryn Stol Fri, 18 Jul 2008 15:54:28 +0000 http://vinay.howtolivewiki.com/blog/global/how-to-fix-the-developing-world-for-sixty-million-dollars-726#comment-4431 I really like you idea, but I wonder: Couldn't this be done by volunteers, just like Wikipedia? I mean: What would the price-tag of Wikipedia be? Have you read Shirky's essay about the "cognitive surplus"? http://www.shirky.com/herecomeseverybody/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.html I think the greatest challenge would be to provide easy tools to produce the content, and clear guidelines to make the small pieces fit together nicely. I really like you idea, but I wonder: Couldn’t this be done by volunteers, just like Wikipedia? I mean: What would the price-tag of Wikipedia be?

Have you read Shirky’s essay about the “cognitive surplus”?
http://www.shirky.com/herecomeseverybody/2008/04/looking-for-the-mouse.html

I think the greatest challenge would be to provide easy tools to produce the content, and clear guidelines to make the small pieces fit together nicely.

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