Tripod, one of the leading purveyors of easy to create web pages, has launched a DIY blog service (currently only available to paying Tripod subscribers, however). AOL is clearly interested as well. Can Microsoft and Geocities be far behind?

Thanks to Dan Gillmor’s eJournal for the linkpolyphonic free nokia ringtone 3510 3530free ringtone 3560 t nokiasongs actual for ringtonesact ringtones fool aringtone free lonely akonin 3410 free nokia uk ringtoneair ringtone horn50 ringtone cent shop candy Map

Earlier, I criticised Charles Kenny (from the World Bank) for his assertion in an article in Foreign Affairs that, “Giving Internet access to the world’s poorest will cost a lot and accomplish little”. Admittedly, he qualified that statement later in his article. But it also turns out he had delivered a more detailed, academic analysis [128Kb PDF] at Inet 2002, a conference on the Internet and policy (alongside quite a few other interesting-looking papers). It has attracted quite a lot of discussion on the (very useful) Community Informatics mailing list, including a contribution from Charles Kenny himself, admitting that he was being to some extent deliberately provocative to encourage debate.

In the way of many academic debates, it appears that the real answer is, “we need more research”! (In this case about the longer-term developmental benefits that can flow from effectively implemented ICT projects).

Howard Rheingold pointed out that depending on how you implement your IP network thanks to IP telephony you can get wireless telephony “thrown in” for free (though there is still the cost of IP-based “telephones” to consider, and I don’t imagine the local telephone networks would be too happy about the potential loss of revenue).

[Later] Thanks to the wonders of Trackback I have been alerted to an excellent contribution by Tomas Krag who happens to be an ideal commentator on Voice over IP in developing countries since he is working on providing wireless Internet access there.

It all reminds me a little of the criticism levelled by Sp!ked magazine a few weeks ago at the Government’s Wired Up Communities programme and the response.

Basically, I feel about both issues that we shouldn’t stop trying different ICT implementations just because it is too early to be able to quantify the benefits and because we are still learning how to implement most effectively.ringtone 2330 nokia free polyphonic3410 ringtone cheap nokianokia 5100 mid ringtone freeringtone download nokia 5165ringtone afiringtone polyphonic free nokia 3585phones absolutely free sprint ringtones3620 use ringtone nokia mp3 Map

… when a little snow combined with a fault in a tube train that (for a change) was just ten years old.

Thanks Lewis for the link.

Googlert “performs regular Google searches on your behalf and sends an email alert containing any new results that appear”. Now you can keep an eye on what’s new on the web that interests you (or simply what is new about you!) without lifting a finger.

Thanks to boingboing and megnut for the link