The U.N. Development Fund for Women has launched SayNotoViolence.org, an Internet-based campaign to fight violence against women.

To help increase the global awareness level of this campaign, Hollywood actress Nicole Kidman has agreed to be the Goodwill Ambassador.

“Say No to Violence against Women” campaign invites online users to show their support for change by adding their names to a “virtual book” in the website www.saynotoviolence.org.

According to UN’s facts and figures on violence against women, at least one out of every three women around the world has been beaten, coerced into sex, or otherwise abused in her lifetime — with the abuser usually someone known to her.

Moreover, the site is a good source of information about this very disturbing issue. The campaign will run until March 8, 2008, coinciding with the International Women’s Day.

I hope you will do your share as responsible netizens by adding your name and sharing this information to your family, friends, and professional colleagues.

Originally posted on November 27, 2007 @ 4:40 am

Similar with the clean-up campaign in China, the French government plans to put up a special anti-piracy agency in coordination with the entertainment industry and Internet service providers.

Aiming to stop illegal downloading and file sharing online of movies and music, the harsh penalty is suspension and even termination of Internet connection for the offenders.

In return, movie producers promised to shorten the lead time for the release of DVD movies online, from 7.5 months to 6 months. Moreover, local music producers will remove its digital rights management protection so it can be used in different players.

However, there are already some criticisms from consumer right experts and the general public. For now, one thing is sure – the whole world is watching if this bold initiative can really ward off piracy.

Originally posted on November 24, 2007 @ 3:28 pm

Just like any resources on earth, the Internet has its own limitations as well. With so many high-bandwidth applications such as VoIP, video streaming, file sharing, and multimedia downloads, the growing demand is projected to outpace the network capacity within the next 3 to 5 years.

According to the study of Nemertes Research, this will trigger Internet brownouts – interruption or slow down of many online applications like e-commerce stores, video-sharing, and downloads. To make matters worse, it can also hold back the pace of innovation.

In the U.S. alone, about $42 billion to $55 billion is required to bridge the gap between the demand and capacity. This is on top of the $72 billion service providers are planning to invest.

“We need to take steps now to ensure continued improvement of the broadband infrastructure in North America meets the projected demand. To encourage the necessary investment to ensure a positive user experience, it is important for the right tax, commercial and policy environment to be in place,” said Bruce Mehlman, co-chair of the Internet Innovation Alliance.

As expected, there are some analysts who do not believe in this study.

“I think it’s a little premature to suggest that at 2010 we’re going to hit a crossover point and all of sudden things are going to slow down. I think that significantly underestimates the capability of the market to introduce products and services to meet this growing demand,” said Carmi Levy, the senior vice-president of strategic consulting for AR Communications Inc, in a news article.

Originally posted on November 21, 2007 @ 10:40 am