Comments on: Pop!Tech: Acceleration and managing AIDS http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/10/19/poptech-acceleration-and-managing-aids/ EthanZ's musings on Africa, media and international development Wed, 08 Feb 2012 20:45:31 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Joe McCarthy http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/10/19/poptech-acceleration-and-managing-aids/comment-page-1/#comment-2434477 Joe McCarthy Fri, 01 Apr 2011 01:15:38 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/10/19/poptech-acceleration-and-managing-aids/#comment-2434477 After reading Kentaro Toyama's recent article in The Atlantic about <a href="http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2011/03/technology-is-not-the-answer/73065/" rel="nofollow">Technology is not the Answer</a> to many international development challenges (at least in the absence of "right intent and capacity" in the people involved), I was reminded of Zinny and Krista's fabulously inspiring presentation at PopTech 2007, and their photos of broken kiosks and other examples of well-intentioned technology from wealthy nations failing to deliver results because it wasn't really designed with an understanding of the intended users' context. The presentation that immediately followed of the "rich-media, video-driven" Life Windows - which seemed to perfectly fit the very description of well-intentioned but failed technology - was one of the most significant instances of cognitive dissonance I've experienced at a conference (even now I shudder to remember it), and was made all the more striking by the PopTech context, which was [otherwise] all about connections vs. disconnects. Anyhow, I can't find any trace of Zinny and Krista's talk on the PopTech site ... and am wondering whether that is an intentional omission or an unintentional oversight. In any case, I was hoping to find corroboration of my memory here on this post, but perhaps I am misremembering [aspects of] the event. After reading Kentaro Toyama’s recent article in The Atlantic about Technology is not the Answer to many international development challenges (at least in the absence of “right intent and capacity” in the people involved), I was reminded of Zinny and Krista’s fabulously inspiring presentation at PopTech 2007, and their photos of broken kiosks and other examples of well-intentioned technology from wealthy nations failing to deliver results because it wasn’t really designed with an understanding of the intended users’ context.

The presentation that immediately followed of the “rich-media, video-driven” Life Windows – which seemed to perfectly fit the very description of well-intentioned but failed technology – was one of the most significant instances of cognitive dissonance I’ve experienced at a conference (even now I shudder to remember it), and was made all the more striking by the PopTech context, which was [otherwise] all about connections vs. disconnects.

Anyhow, I can’t find any trace of Zinny and Krista’s talk on the PopTech site … and am wondering whether that is an intentional omission or an unintentional oversight. In any case, I was hoping to find corroboration of my memory here on this post, but perhaps I am misremembering [aspects of] the event.

]]> By: El Oso » Archive » PopTech Innovation Fellows: From Conversation to Social Change http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/10/19/poptech-acceleration-and-managing-aids/comment-page-1/#comment-1253255 El Oso » Archive » PopTech Innovation Fellows: From Conversation to Social Change Wed, 22 Oct 2008 19:40:45 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/10/19/poptech-acceleration-and-managing-aids/#comment-1253255 [...] from stirring conversation to supporting social change is with its Accelerator program. As Ethan wrote last year when it was announced: Zolli wants to refocus Pop!Tech around a new project, the Pop!Tech accelerator. This is a project [...] [...] from stirring conversation to supporting social change is with its Accelerator program. As Ethan wrote last year when it was announced: Zolli wants to refocus Pop!Tech around a new project, the Pop!Tech accelerator. This is a project [...]

]]> By: Swaziland » Blog Archives » Stationery, free paper mill of email depapeteryfo http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/10/19/poptech-acceleration-and-managing-aids/comment-page-1/#comment-597175 Swaziland » Blog Archives » Stationery, free paper mill of email depapeteryfo Wed, 31 Oct 2007 17:59:38 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/10/19/poptech-acceleration-and-managing-aids/#comment-597175 [...] Pop!Tech: Acceleration and managing AIDS Is it enough to come together and talk about important scientific, social and technical issues? That’s a question that Andrew Zolli, curator of Pop!Tech has been wrestling with for the past few years. Conferences like Pop!Tech have the possibility of sparking collaborations - in a new phase of Pop!Tech, … [...] [...] Pop!Tech: Acceleration and managing AIDS Is it enough to come together and talk about important scientific, social and technical issues? That’s a question that Andrew Zolli, curator of Pop!Tech has been wrestling with for the past few years. Conferences like Pop!Tech have the possibility of sparking collaborations – in a new phase of Pop!Tech, … [...]

]]> By: jm123 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/10/19/poptech-acceleration-and-managing-aids/comment-page-1/#comment-583651 jm123 Fri, 19 Oct 2007 18:08:25 +0000 http://www.ethanzuckerman.com/blog/2007/10/19/poptech-acceleration-and-managing-aids/#comment-583651 The 'Third Wave' of the conference is a very ripe idea, nearly overdue. Glad to see it happening! jm The ‘Third Wave’ of the conference is a very ripe idea, nearly overdue. Glad to see it happening!

jm

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