The Internet in Asia

Internet access through lamp posts?

As the Internet becomes more ubiquitous within our lives, a Singaporean company has taken this one step further by devising a plan that will enable residents of Cameroon to access the Internet through specially designed lampposts (Isn't that just amazing?).  The company plans to install WiFi,  on about 4000 lamps in Douala, providing Internet access even to some of the city's remote areas, some of which are too remote, making it unprofitable to lay down telecommunication cables there.

Raising money online

One thing was clear in the aftermath of the natural disasters that affected our world in 2005--The Internet is a great way to raise money!   For example, the American Red Cross alone raised $568m  through online donations for tsunami victims, and an even more impressive $1.85 billion for victims of Hurricane Katrina. There are several reasons that could have contributed to this phenomenon, mainly the ease of donating money online, the almost instantaneous ability to send out charity appeals afforded by the Internet and the geographical proximity of the countries most affected by the tsunami from the Western world.

Although the potential for raising money for the less fortunate in this way is tremendous, there are unfortunately an equally large number of fraudsters exploiting this resource for their own nefarious needs - benefiting themselves, instead of those in need, which is likely to result in turning the general public turning away from online donations in the long run.

English is a minority language on the Web

New research findings suggest that English may become a minority language on the Internet. More than two-thirds of netizens are non-native English speakers, and by the year 2010, at least 75% of netizens will be non-native English speakers as more Chinese, Russians and Brazilians join the online world. Based on this, experts suggest that English won't be the language of the  next Internet revolution.

Online gaming growing fast in China

Young people between the ages of 19 and 30 accounted for more than three-quarters of the estimated 20.3 million people playing games online in China. The World of Warcraft is the most popular game of the Chinese players. With millions of players logging on every day to play games, it is no surpise that Internet gaming is fast becoming a booming industry in China.

More Malaysian MP's embrace blogging

More Malaysian MPs are blogging to engage and communicate with the younger, Internet savvy generation. The interactiveness of blogs allow them to share their views,  interact , and attract voters.  Currently, opposition party members are the most active bloggers among this group - probably because they have less media coverage in the first place and blogs allow them direct access to voters. Only one ruling party member has his own blog, but its not updated actively and its posts mainly consist of press releases and news reports.

Chinese Internet Market Could Be World's Largest Within 5 Years

At present China is the second largest Internet market in the world with 100 million users in 2005.  In her keynote speech at the 2005 Asia Venture Conference which is held in Silicon Valley, California, Mary Meeker, the managing director of Morgan Stanley and Star analyst, also known in the industry as "The Queen of the Internet" commented  that the Chinese Internet Market could well become the World's largest within 5 years. She noted that the new focus of the Internet will be service-related industries such as, automobile, real estate and insurance.

Vietnam's top 10 ICT events for 2005

VietnamNet has announced its rankings of the top 10 ICT events in Vietnam for this year. Leading the list is the governments approval for an e-transaction law. Other interesting events that were included were the rise in popularity of online games and a more competitive mobile phone market.

Webcams in place to monitor Southern Thailand

The  Thai government will soon install closed-circuit television surveillance equipment (webcams)  at 9,000 locations across the four provinces of Songkhla, Pattani, Yala and Narathiwat, four areas that have been highlighted as potential trouble areas. These images will be broadcast live over the Internet so the general public can help monitor the situation. They are also thinking of installing similar equipment in the Thai capital, Bangkok.

Sex education to be introduced in Malaysian schools to help combat pornography

In an attempt to combat the negative effects of Internet pornography, Malaysia is planning to introduce sex education into its school syllabus. If approved by the cabinet, the subject will be included as early as February next year with the hope that Malaysians will be come more respectful of gender and sexuality. The topics will be addressed in ways appropriate to different age groups, ranging from pre-school children to adults.

Dr M promotes the use of alternative media for a more peaceful world

During his keynote address at the Perdana Global Peace Forum, former Malaysian Prime Minister Tun Dr Mahatir Mohammad promoted the use of alternative media, specifically the Internet to promote peace movements and publish the 'real' truth about why was are started and how they are fought. His full speech can be read here.