In The News

Why Keep Downloads on the Down-Low?

Victor Keegan June 20, 2006
Less than one percent of the information contained in the archives of the British Library has been digitized because of concerns about digital rights, reports Author Victor Keegan, and he points out how much more information could be available to the world. To Keegan, the current temerity in the digital rights arena is the true “digital scandal.” While businesses operating under the traditional...

The Dirt Road to the Information Superhighway

Jens Glüsing June 15, 2006
Admittedly, Microsoft’s inexpensive, pay-as-you-go “Flexgo” personal computers might not be the most efficient way to introduce computer technology to the developing world. However, as evidenced by the explosion of mobile phones in such areas, affordable technology can always find a vast market in developing and underdeveloped regions. As US economist C.K Prahalad pragmatically puts it, “the...

Borders Fall for These Doctors

Arin Gencer June 13, 2006
Services emerge that connect physicians across the globe. Currently, medical outsourcing is limited to radiology, particularly employing physicians through an agency called NightHawk Radiology Services, based in Idaho, as well as other agencies in Switzerland, France, the UK and the Middle East. Doctors work at night in one nation and send images for analysis by alert radiologists based in other...

Muslims Craft Their Own Video Games

Rhonda Roumani June 7, 2006
Syrian video-game pioneer Afkar Media is committed to a positive portrayal of Islam through new video games that feature Muslims and Arabs as heroes instead of villains. Their most recent release, named “Al-Quraysh” for the tribe of the Prophet Muhammad, is a strategy video game that follows the history of Islam from the viewpoint of the Bedouins, Arabs, Persians, or Romans. Instead of being...

Transcript of “An Interview With N.R. Narayana Murthy”

June 5, 2006
The following is a transcript of Nayan Chanda’s interview with Infosys founder, N.R. Narayana Murthy, conducted on April 28, 2006. Murthy analyzes factors required for success in the global market. He founded Infosys in 1981 with six software professionals, and now serves as the chairman and chief mentor for the firm. Since 1981, the firm has become one of the most innovative in the world,...

India’s Secret Weapon

Richard Wilder May 25, 2006
Individuals have more reason to innovate when their governments carefully guard intellectual property rights. Authors Richard Wilder and Pravid Anand argue that India is more innovative than China, largely because of moves to protect intellectual property. The software industry is growing rapidly, not so much because of low costs and outsourcing, but because of innovations that are protected by...

Google in China: The Big Disconnect

Clive Thompson May 11, 2006
The Chinese are fascinated with the possibilities of the internet. When the head of operations for Google in China gave a lecture at one Chinese university, thousands attended and scalpers sold tickets. Despite strict government controls, the internet and search engines foster learning and a free exchange of ideas – including even China’s long-neglected rural population. Despite censorship, young...