Mike Lovell of tintedgreen.net has posted a new update on the Lake Echo IT Greening Project.
This article is syndicated from http://tintedgreen.net/?page=article&id=16
Now that the pilot C@P site in Lake Echo has been running for a few months, I thought I would share some pictures of the results.
Computers old and really old running the latest version of Ubuntu.
The server has been running perfectly since it was first booted up. The virtual machine running the terminal services hasn't had any problems.
The server in its cabinet at the C@P site.
How easy is it to add a computer to this setup? All it requires is to turn on the computer, enter the bios setting, and changing the boot order so the computer boots from the network first.
Changing the boot order so boot to network is first.
Now the computer will automatically boot into Linux from the server.
That's it. It could not be easier. A person with enough knowledge to hook up the wiring could setup a new computer on this network. Also, no changes are made to the computer, so if you wanted to leave the computer's old operating system in place (just in case) you can. The user can always set it to boot from the hard drive again, if needed. This setup also allows the C@P program to take donations of computers that do no even have hard drives.
Now that we have this setup, we can maintain, backup, and fix the virtual machines running these computers remotely. From my office, in Halifax, I can see exactly what is happening on these machines.
Here are a couple more pictures. If you have any questions, feel free to contact us.
Running a Monty Python video flawlessly with sound.
Booted and ready to login.
Please call the branch, at 866-0124 for an appointment.
Topics include, absolute computer basics, email, internet, word processing, spreadsheets, digital photography, professional resume writing, social networking (i.e. Facebook, ) etc ...
The Halifax Regional C@P Association receives funding from many sources. In particular, many of our sites apply to the provincial SEP (Summer Employment Program) issued from the Dept of Economic & Rural Development.
This year, the Halifax Regional CAP Association has received three, formal, written complaints from our members, regarding how they are treated once they apply for this program. The complaints are very serious.
These three add to dozens we have received over the last few years.
We believe there is a solution, however, the program managers and division directors within Economic & Rural Development have systematically refused to meet with us regarding this.
It is position of the Halifax Regional CAP Association to no longer endorse this program to it's member sites.
Further, it is our position to advise any volunteer which encounters difficulty with the program staff to simply invoke a Personal Protection Order.
Community volunteers works very hard, and should be treated with dignity and respect, always.
Thank You
The Halifax Regional C@P Association
Dan Robichaud, Executive Director
a/s The Hub Halifax
1673 Barrington Street, 2nd Floor
Halifax, Nova Scotia
B3J 1Z9
Reception : 902.482.4729
Fax : 902.482.5014
Are you having the same issue?
If you are a community organization unrelated to CAP but have also had difficulties with this program WE WANT TO HEAR FROM YOU. We would like to ascertain exactly how widespread this problem is.
Please email us at admin@halifaxcap.ca
Syndicated from : http://anatoliygruzd.com/home/?p=87
Today, I participated in a stimulating panel discussion on “From Digital Third World to Digital Citizenship: the state of the internet and how Canada measures up“. The panel was organized by Dan Robichaud from the Halifax Regional CAP Association and it was part of Podcamp Halifax 2010. Below are some of my thoughts on this issue:
Is Internet Access a Fundamental Human Right?
There is really no debate that Internet access is an important part of modern life. We use the Internet to access government information, look for a job, learn, read news, write blogs, keep in touch with relatives, make purchases, and so on. But unfortunately, access to the Internet is not yet universal. Even in a country as developed as Canada, we are still debating on (1) how to connect as many people as possible to the Internet and (2) whether or not a government should guarantee a minimal Internet connection to its citizens. To address these issues, some European countries, such as Estonia, Finland and France have declared the Internet a human right. The question is should Canada follow these European countries and also legally declare that Internet access is a human right?
Personally I do not think that declaring Internet access to be a human right will lead to universal Internet access for all. And here is why:
- Even if Canada were to declare Internet access as a fundamental human right, it would still not necessarily guarantee that everybody in Canada will actually get Internet access. Without the accompanied political and financial commitment from the government and the private sectors, this new “human right” would be nothing but a “feel good” law that will only exist on paper.
- It is also unclear what the Internet as a “human right” would constitute. For example, in order to access the Internet, we need a computer or some other device. So does this mean that the government will now have to guarantee that everyone should have a right to a computer? And how much bandwidth should the government guarantee as part of this right? (Keep in mind that any minimal speed that the government would guarantee now is not likely to be adequate in just a year or two…)
- Also, once we declare that accessing the Internet is a human right, how do we legally keep online predators and other people who have committed severe cyber-crimes from accessing the Internet and not violate their human rights in the process?
- Finally, we tend to look at this issue as a technology only problem. But it would be naïve for us to assume that if Internet access is widely available, everybody would start using it right the way. This will not happen. According to Statistics Canada (2007), lack of access is only but one of many common reasons why some people still does not use the Internet.
In sum, I do see the Internet as an essential service and I agree that everyone should be able to have access to the Internet, but I do not think that it should be legally declared as a basic human right. I believe an effective solution should not be a simple top-down edict from the government, but instead we should pursue a more bottom-up approach to the problem of ensuring universal Internet access. By working closely with communities that still do not have access, we will have a better understanding of what their needs are and how they can best be met with Internet access.
Anatoliy Gruzd, PhD
Assistant Professor
School of Information Management
Dalhousie University
6100 University Avenue, Suite 4010
Halifax, Nova Scotia B3H 3J5
Canada
E-mail: gruzd [at] dal.ca
Homepage: http://anatoliygruzd.com
