Sci&Tech History

What do we need for a better life? Do we need reminder in our hand phone to warn us on several appointment, FoodPhone (helping to fight obesity), the HygieneGuard (motivating people to wash their hands after using the toilet), and the EconoMeter (helping people to drive their cars more economically)? If we do that, do [...]

Does scientist has nationality? The Numb3rs serial I watched yesterday, triggered this question. In the episode, a colleague of Charlie Eppes (professor in Math) has been arrested since he sent a formula that can be used to alleviate poverty to Pakistan university. The conflict occur when the US federal agency arrest him with accusation sent [...]

This morning I received an email on Indonesian president and vice president candidate polling. How the survey agency interpret the numbers is quite interesting. Using multistage random sampling covered 3000 respondents, the survey analyzed that from the respondents answers Indonesian most crucial issue is economic crisis. While questions that directly related with the candidate shows [...]

Why people always care about ranking? In one side, ranking can stimulate competitiveness, but in the other hand, how can something different be treated equally? In university ranking case for example, people always debating on how Indonesian universities can enter the top 100. Almost all of the resources was dedicated to improve the rankings, but [...]

Which one do you belief more, ctrl+c and ctrl+v or a typed paper based on what you have listened? I guess, everyone will choose the first choice. Along with neutrality, technology become tools that we trust more than human. Does our humanity also imply betrayal? Why technology is more reliable than human? In controlling, in [...]

What do I actually hope from ICT? The question suddenly shocked me, I lost my orientation on ICT and development. I can show calculation on how open source software development can reduce national cost on ICT spending, but further, how can this development make change as stated over and over in ICT policy documents: to [...]

What is Information and Communication Technology (ICT), really? The Millennium Declaration of the United Nations (UN) sees ICT as a tool having the potential to achieve the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs) set by the historic UN 2000 Summit (Zhao, 2008). Further, UN Conference on Trade and Development (UNCTAD) stated that unlike most other technologies, ICT [...]

If you facing a lot of job, what would you prefer: going online or offline? In one hand, going online help you gain a lot idea through chaotic idea that cross over your eye, but on the same time, a lot of distraction made you unproductive, especially when you open social networks websites and chatting [...]

Currently, I’m working a paper on ICT for development. The study delivers me to ask about ICT and development relation: are we improving ICT for development or are we developing for ICT? Looking The Digital Divide Report launched by UNCTAD, ICT development tends to answer the second possibilities. Our success is represented by number of [...]

Yesterday afternoon, my colleague asking my facebook activity. He said based on a research, facebook (and maybe some other social network activities) is time-consuming and caused someone to be unproductive. Commenting on people status, change their profile, make some notes, request someone to join an online game are several out of many facilities offered on [...]