internet

November 3, 2011

OpenNet Initiative releases research on Internet filtering

http://opennet.net/research contains country profiles and eight regional overviews on Internet censorship, filtering, etc. Useful for those involved in Internet-based ministries (e.g. Internet evangelism, discipleship, awareness, etc) or Internet-enabled ministries (e.g. missions or churches that use Internet-based tools for communication and collaboration).

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July 27, 2011

Indonesian Internet users prefer it to other media

Here’s a new study from Yahoo and TNS that reveals Indonesian Internet users are now spending more time on the Internet than they do reading newspapers or listening to the radio.

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July 22, 2011

Technology in North Africa

Technology, and most particularly the Internet in its very social incarnations (e.g. Facebook, Google+, Twitter, etc.), were all the rage during the uprisings in the Muslim world (and elsewhere) of 2009 and after. Yet there are distinct limitations to the power of technology which we would do well to remember. In this post we’ll look at the influx of technology, where it has been useful, and where hard non-technological work remains. 1. Internet usage is growing explosively in the region, and will continue to do so. a) In the early part of the 2000s, Internet usage was available but not [...]

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July 22, 2011

If you want to evangelize the Internet, better speak Mandarin

A new infographic from visual.ly charts the rise of Mandarin on the Internet. China gained 36 million new Internet users in 2011, reaching over 440 million users in the country–more than the population of the United States. Some speak English but most speak Mandarin. A high percentage of people in English speaking countries are already using the Internet–but China’s 440 million users only represent about half of the total Mandarin-speaking population. China’s got a lot more people it could add. What doesn’t show up on the chart: India (because of course it’s broken down into a lot more languages, obviously). [...]

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July 18, 2011

Kevin Kelly & The Technium: The Internet Is My Religion

The Technium: The Internet Is My Religion. Kevin Kelly is a Christian who thinks very broadly. Here he links to a video of Jim Gilliam, a former Christian evangelical who “has faith in people, God has real, and the internet is my religion.” In this essay Kelly looks at the future impact of the Internet and technology on religion. Missionary researchers would probably refer to this as “neoreligions” or “New Religionists.” Undoubtedly the Internet will have a significant impact on religious thinking and religious affiliation, especially on the fringes. I’m not sure that I see these new religions competing with, [...]

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July 12, 2011

The smartphone as primary net connection

Ars Technica writes: 28% of US smartphone owners use them as primary ‘Net connection. Interesting: in the choice between (a) large window, powerful processor and (b) small window, enough-processor, always-with-us, at least a quarter of the US seems to be choosing the always-on-if-smaller connection.

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October 11, 2010

2010 Podcast No. 10: John Edmiston & the future of Internet & ministry

A friend of mine sent me a copy of a Powerpoint entitled “The Future of Internet Ministry” recently created by John Edmiston of Cybermissions. You can view the powerpoint here (that’s the original PPT format; we also have a copy here on JustinLong.org in PPT2007/2010 format). John and I spoke on the phone for today’s podcast. He talks about: how our offline world is becoming connected to our online world to such a degree that the online validates the offline; for example, over 80% of people will check out a church on the Internet before ever going to it (just like you [...]

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April 22, 2010

Internet testing limits of debate in Indonesia

The New York Times notes how Indonesia is trying to regulate content on the Internet and a scrap is developing between it and Indonesia’s news media.

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March 9, 2010

Web-savvy refugees in Kenya

Fast Company reports how Samasource is bringing digital economy jobs to camp dwellers in Kenya’s Dadaab refugee camp (pop. 300,000).

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March 4, 2010

From 1995: why the Internet will fail

A failed prediction: “No online database will replace your daily newspaper, no CD-ROM can take the place of a competent teacher and no computer network will change the way government works.” – Clifford Stoll, Newsweek, Feb 27, 1995

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March 3, 2010

Using the Internet to evangelize World A

1 in 4 Facebook Users Come From Asia or the Middle East. Once I wrote it was unlikely the Internet could be used successfully to reach unreached peoples. Perhaps the day that proves me wrong is close, if not already at hand.

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March 3, 2010

Structure of Sin: Botnets

Spanish police have arrested three men responsible for one of the world’s biggest networks of virus-infected computers. On BBC.

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March 3, 2010

The future of web browsing?

A stunning new technology for surfing numeric and contextual data and deriving insights from it shown on TED.com.

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February 2, 1999

The impact of the Internet on Asia

In the May 1999 issue of Wired magazine, a large article was devoted to Richard Li, the second son of Li Ka-Shing and heir to $10 billion fortune. Through a joint venture with Intel, Li developing and marketing a TV-interface which will enable anyone in Asia with a television to access the Internet, using a web browser and voice mail features to sell products and access distance education. Li’s first business venture was STAR TV, a pan-Asian satellite television network which beamed MTV and soap operas to 50 Asian countries. Begun with an investment of $62.5 million, he sold it [...]

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July 1, 1996

Using the Internet to evangelize World A?

The idea of using the Internet to evangelize has been bandied about for some time, but these are for the most part only affecting people who have already heard the Gospel.

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