Sanaa Musa

FCC is planning a national broadband strategy to implement nationwide broadband in US. In order to develop this strategy, research and development is required to assess the various issues related to broadband deployment and develop their solutions.

In the article FCC Moving ‘Full Speed Ahead’ on Broadband Plan, Says Copps, Feinberg wrote, “To craft a plan, Copps said the FCC must first lay groundwork by doing research to “develop the record… do the mapping… and find the reality of the situation right now.”” Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) released the latest data on broadband access (press release). According to the statistics, US ranks 15th in broadband penetration among 30 countries with Denmark and Netherlands ranked first and second respectively. In order to increase the broadband penetration in US and provide access to the rural areas an extensive research is required to find the reasons for the low intake of broadband in rural areas and plans and campaigns that can be developed to increase the broadband awareness and intake in the areas with low broadband penetration.

Posted by smusa at 03:24 PM | Permalink

In his book Leonardo’s Laptop, Shneiderman talks about the difference between old computing and new computing. According to him, old computing focused on what the computers can do and new computing focuses on what people can do.

New computing is based on the human needs. There are various theories that characterize the human needs - Thomas Jefferson’s theory focuses on “life, liberty and happiness” while Maslow’s hierarchy of needs includes physiological, safety, love, affection, and belongingness, esteem and self-actualization (Shneiderman, 2002, p.78). Applications are being developed depending upon the user’s needs. The new computing involves developing applications for individuals as well as groups. Shneiderman says the developers should also consider the negative capabilities of their designs, the negative outcomes that may result from their products- “Therefore, responsible analyses of technology opportunities will consider positive and negative outcomes, thus amplifying the personal benefits to society” (Shneiderman, 2002, p.76-77). According to Shneiderman, the goal of the new computing is to develop products that are “usable, universal and useful.” This goal can be achieved through user-centered design.

Links:
HCIL presentations

Link to the powerpoints of Shneiderman's talk on Leonardo's Laptop: http://www.cs.umd.edu/hcil/pubs/presentations/LeonardosLaptop-Feb2005.ppt

Posted by smusa at 03:00 PM | Permalink

The idea of women leaders is not new. The world has seen many women leaders in history like Queen Hatshepsut and Cleopatra of Egypt, Empress Wu Zetian of China, Isabella of Castile, Queen Elizabeth I of England, Catherine the Great of Russia, and Maria Theresa of Austria. However, today there are less women leaders either in political or business world.

In When Women Rule, Nicholas D. Kristof gives his theory for fewer women leaders in politics today.

In monarchies, women who rose to the top dealt mostly with a narrow elite, so they could prove themselves and get on with governing. But in democracies in the television age, female leaders also have to navigate public prejudices — and these make democratic politics far more challenging for a woman than for a man (Kristof, 2008).

The leadership styles of men and women are different. According to a study by Caliper, a Princeton-based management consulting firm, “Women leaders are more assertive and persuasive, have a stronger need to get things done and are more willing to take risks than male leader.” The main findings of this study are as follows:

1. Women leaders are more persuasive than their male counterparts.
2. Feeling the sting of rejection, learning from adversity and carrying on with an “I’ll show you” attitude.
3. An inclusive, team-building leadership style of problem solving and decision making.
4. Women leaders are more likely to ignore rules and take risks (Caliper Corporation, 2005).

The success of women as leaders show that in order to lead, it is not necessary to adopt a command and control style or transactional style as most men do. Women can be successful leaders by following transformational or interactive styles of leadership or follow their own styles.

Posted by smusa at 12:03 PM | Permalink