China-Malaysia can work towards successful industrialisation.

KUALA LUMPUR: China and Malaysia can cooperate towards successful industrialisation, specially for the small and medium enterprises (SMEs), says China's vice-minister of industry and information technology, Xi Guohua.

China, he said, is in the process of promoting industrialisation and information-based economy, to strengthen its competitiveness and set the foundation for building an affluent society.

Xi said he met with officers from the Ministry of International Trade and Industry (MITI) yesterday regarding China's industrial restructuring and improvements in scientific innovation.

He was in Kuala Lumpur to attend the 10th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers' Meeting, which ended today. China is one of Asean's Dialogue Partners.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Xi said Malaysia had shown great interest in how, China promotes the future of industrialisation and information, in the middle and western parts of the country.

China and Malaysia, he added, can share experiences and methods as both countries are on the industrialisation path to economic growth.

"China and Malaysia are two countries which have a long-standing relationship. Malaysia is the largest trading partner of China, among all the Asean countries.

"Therefore, the discussion of cooperation in the industrial sector, especially for the SMEs, will exert great impact on our future development," Xi said.

He also highlighted that the China-Malaysia bilateral trade volume is expected to reach US$50 billion in 2010. The bilateral trade between countries in 2009 totalled US$36.34 billion.

According to Xi, MITI is also keen on cooperating with China to further strengthen the SME sector as its plays an important role in driving the economy of both countries.

"In China and Malaysia, the SMEs are contributing between 50-60 per cent of the gross domestic product (GDP).In China, 80 per cent of the employment opportunities are created by SMEs," he said.

Xi also invited Malaysian businessman to the China International SME Fair in Guangzhou and China-Asean Expo in Nanning, to explore business opportunities in the country as well as boost trade and investment.

On the 10th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers' Meeting, Xi said information and communication technology (ICT), is an important driver of industrialisation.

"As high energy consumption will not sustain in the future, we have to employ high-tech applications, and ICT can play a role in transforming and upgrading the traditional industry," he noted.

ICT, he said, can help improve corporate governance and the sales system by connecting users with cutting-edge technologies while the internet will increase
operating efficiency.

"SMEs in China are lagging in this regard and the government has to do a lot to help them, for example, building a public service platform for them," he added.

Xi said ICT development, especially for the SMEs, is important for the economic development of not only China, but also the Asean member countries to benefit regional socio-economic development.

China, he said, is committed to cooperating with Asean to enhance ICT development by focusing on six areas. Among these are are human resources and broadband development.

Xi said the proposed Asean "Super Digital Corridor", similar to China's Information Super-Highway concept, will promote the socio-economic development of Asean-China, if the two ideas are combined. --BERNAMA

Sources : New Straits Times

 

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Microsoft and SME Corp join forces.

COOPERATIVE EFFORT: Ananth (left) and Hafsah talking about a joint effort to help SMEs adopt information and communications technology for their daily operations.

KUALA LUMPUR: Microsoft Malaysia and SME Corp Malaysia have joined forces to help small and medium enterprises (SMEs) adopt information and communications technology for the day-to-day running of their businesses.

The objective of the partnership is to empower SMEs with the tools they need to succeed in both the domestic and international landscape.

Through this partnership, SMEs will be encouraged to adopt cloud-computing technologies by using the Microsoft Office 365 productivity suite.

"Microsoft is investing up to RM20.8mil for the first year (beginning this month) if Office 365 is adopted by 50,000 SMEs in the country," said Ananth Lazarus, managing director of Microsoft Malaysia.

"Microsoft will also reinvest RM41 a year for each Office 365 seat via SME Corp," he added.

According to Ananth, the suite will enable SMEs to more easily create, edit, store and share their ideas and work in the Cloud.

"Although SMEs can use open-source solutions for their businesses, most are already familiar with Microsoft products and value-added services.

"(With Office 365) there is no learning curve involved because users needn't learn to use new technology or new office-productivity tools," he said.

Furthermore, he added, by using familiar software, SMEs can bring their products and services quickly to market.

The Office 365 package offered to SMB Corp clients combines the power of Office web apps with enterprise-grade e-mail, shared documents, instant messaging, video and web conferencing (Exchange Online, SharePoint Online and Lync Online) in a cloud service.

To use the suite, SMEs just need to pay RM19 for each user, per month.

Microsoft will also be working with SME Corp to conduct training programmes, as well as provide an SME helpdesk at SME Corp headquarters to assist those using Office 365.

SME Corp chief executive officer Datuk Hafsah Hashim said SMEs will benefit from using Office 365, and encouraged them to find out more about how SME Corp and Microsoft can help them transform their businesses.

"We are working together to reach out to SMEs to help them adopt and use cloud-computing solutions to help drive their creativity and productivity," she said.

Sources : The Star.

Author    : Subashini Selvaratnam.

ICT is catalyst for innovation.

KUALA LUMPUR: Malaysia is an increasingly competitive nation in Asia Pacific and such development can be further accelerated through ICT (information and communications technology), said software giant Microsoft Malaysia.

"Exciting things are happening in Malaysia with the projects under the Economic Transformation Programme and ICT will be the catalyst for many of them," said Ananth Lazarus, Microsoft Malaysia managing director.

Microsoft, he said, will continue to support the country's innovative spirit through its many programmes and initiatives aimed at transforming lives, businesses, and the education sector.

To this end, the software vendor has launched various initiatives, such as organising the Imagine Cup competition to encourage students think up innovative ideas to solve the world's toughest problems.

It is also behind the BizSpark programme, which equips software startups with Microsoft development tools.

This has led to the setting up of local software companies, such as Israk Technology that is involved with online video production and Web Bytes which produces Xilnex, a cloud-based management software for the retail sector.

Microsoft has also equipped various non-governmental organisations with its software products under its Unlimited Potential programme.

This programme is targeted at narrowing the "digital divide" - the gap between the technology haves and have-nots.

Ananth was speaking at a press conference on the sidelines of the Microsoft Accelerating Asia Pacific Summit here. The event highlights how technology can be used to solve socio-economic problems in the region.

Parent company Microsoft Corp sees Asia Pacific as an epicentre of growth due to the region's growing number of talents and innovations. 

Sources : The Star.

Author : Jo Timboung.

Sabah starts petition against satellite dish ban.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah has launched a website to petition the Government to reverse its ban on the use of large parabolic satellite dishes.

The online petition will allow people from all over the country to vote in support of or against or take a neutral stand on the use of large parabolic satellite dishes.

It also allows people to give their comments on the current policy that bans large dishes.

Launching the website at http://freedom2info.com here yesterday, Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai urged the public to register and share their views on what was needed to be done on the policy to disallow the use of large parabolic dishes.

“I am doing this as a person who is in charge of information, communication and technology.

“It signifies the importance of freedom to access information, including the use of parabolic dishes,” said Dr Yee, who is also state Resource Development and Information Technology Minister.

Large parabolic satellite dishes, though illegal, are widely used in the interior areas of Sabah and Sarawak.

However, a recent move by the Customs Department in confiscating 183 parabolic dishes worth RM200,000 has sparked local public outcry.

Following the outcry over the seizure of the parabolic dishes, the state government, through Dr Yee, is seeking public opinion through the online petition for a change in the policy.

He said the ruling against the use of large parabolic dishes was frustrating the progress of the country and did not reflect the real progress of ICT in the country.

“The policy must be changed or better abolished,” he added.

Dr Yee said the current policy was only creating a monopoly and did not augur well in terms of competition and freedom of information.

He urged the public to give their say at the website, which would then be forwarded to the relevant authorities.

“I believe that the current rules are ridiculous,” he said.

Sources : The Star.

Sabah mulls amending law on satellite info services.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai said Saturday he would look into amending the law to enable the people to access information through satellite services.

Dr Yee, who is state resource development and information technology minister, said an opinion poll his ministry conducted showed that 99 percent of the people wanted freedom of access to information, especially through satellite services.

There was a growing need for the use of satellite services, through satellite dishes, in the remote areas of Sabah where telecommunications signals were weak, he told reporters after launching the "Siok Bah Broadband" carnival, here.

Earlier, at the event, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Datuk Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi said that as of Nov 30, the Internet broadband household penetration in Sabah was at 32.7 per cent while Internet broadband subscription reached 293,400.

"This year, 19 community broadband centres (CBC), 23 mini CBCs and 131 WiFi villages were successfully established in Sabah," he said.

The text of his speech was delivered by MCMC Service and Support Chief Officer Tengku Zaib Raja Ahmad delivered the text of his speech.

Mohamed Sharil also said that 246 telecommunications towers were built and about 60,000 laptops were distributed under the Netbook 1Malaysia Programme in Sabah. - Bernama.

Sources : The Star.

Seoul launches cyber security plan; experts urge global response.

SINGAPORE (Reuters) - South Korea said on Tuesday it was drawing up a cyber security master plan after a wave of hacking attacks against global agencies and companies but some other Asian governments appeared to have no blueprint for tackling the threat.

A woman uses a computer in an internet cafe at the centre of Shanghai January 13, 2010. South Korea said on Tuesday it was drawing up a cyber security master plan after a wave of hacking attacks against global agencies and companies but some other Asian governments appeared to have no blueprint for tackling the threat. (REUTERS/Nir Elias/Files)

Indonesia, a rapidly growing G20 country, warned that hackers could cause serious damage to its institutions.

Internet industry bodies and security experts in Asia said the borderless nature of the internet called for a coordinated international policy response.

Recent cyber attacks on multinational firms and institutions, from Google and Citigroup to the International Monetary Fund, have raised fears that governments and the private sector are ill-prepared to beat off hackers.

The latest high-profile target was the U.S. Senate's website, which was hacked over the weekend.

"Every day, not every month, but every day, we get 1.2 million hacker attacks in Indonesia, both from within the country and outside," said Gatot Dewa Broto, Indonesia's communication and information ministry spokesman.

"If we don't improve (our capabilities) we could face a possible public and commercial institutional collapse."

In Seoul, capital of the world's most wired country, a large government task force is working on tactics to address threats, and officials said on Tuesday they would allocate extra cash and manpower to toughen protection of national economic and industrial installations.

South Korea, still technically at war with North Korea, is vulnerable due to its high Internet penetration and as the likely target of its reclusive rival, officials said.

"Ensuring cyber security is no longer a matter of choice but is an issue of top priority that impacts national security," an official at the nation's communications watchdog said. The official asked for anonymity because he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Earlier this month, Internet giant Google pointed the finger at Chinese hackers for an attempt to access the Gmail accounts of assorted rights activists, officials and others.

China's government has denied involvement, and said it too is a victim of international hacking.

"China has also many times reiterated that we are willing to open up exchanges and cooperation with the international community about Internet security," Foreign Ministry spokesman Hong Lei said on Tuesday.

Entertainment giant Sony suffered serious damage to its reputation after hackers accessed the details of millions of PlayStation users, while Lockheed Martin and Citi also reported attempts to steal data.

A national government was the most likely culprit in the attack on the IMF, experts say, given the complexity of the assault and its targeting of the organisation's secrets.

In the Philippines, efforts to legislate against cyber threats have foundered because of a lack of urgency, said Trish Abejo, chief of staff of the head of the government's Commission on Information and Communications Technology.

"We have very limited laws so we're pushing for an anti-cyber crime bill in Congress (parliament), but it has been sleeping there and not given priority because it sounds very technical," Abejo said.

The perception that security of information is a technical problem, rather than an operational or strategic one, has until recently meant the issue has not been a government or corporate priority.

"What that means is the chief executive level is not getting visibility of the real problem and they are the people who own the risk," said Tim Scully, head of cyber security for BAE Systems Australia.

"There definitely needs to be a global, if not a regional, approach to cyber security."

COORDINATED POLICY NEEDED

India's top information technology bureaucrat, R. Chandrasekhar, said high-level cooperation between states was needed.

"Government to government contacts are there...(but) at the middle level," he said. "Concerted efforts are needed. We are yet to see the emergence of a clear organisational mechanism."

India's computer networks have frequently been attacked, with the hackers suspected to be from China and Pakistan.

A spokesman for Australia's Attorney-General Robert McClelland said cyber security would be a key issue at a meeting of attorneys-general from Australia, the United States, Canada, Britain and New Zealand in Sydney next month.

"Cyber security is an international issue that requires a coordinated response by all nations," the spokesman said.

World leaders should put cyber security on the agenda at forums such as the G20 and urge "slower-moving" nations to take a stand against hacking, the co-founder of a global industry body said.

Peter Coroneos, co-founder of the International Internet Industry Association and head of Australia's industry body, said such leadership by major powers could support and hasten early industry efforts to adopt global anti-hacking safeguards.

"Getting the issue elevated to a level like the G20 would be a good way to promote engagement with economies that might otherwise move a little slower," Coroneos said.

A Japanese official said government-affiliated organisations in Japan had managed to repel major cyber attacks, but added this was no reason for complacency.

"Rather than governments, private companies and research institutes seem to be taking the initiative," added Masashi Eto, senior researcher at Japan's National Institute of Information and Communication Technology.

Andrew Forrest, chief executive of Australia's third-largest iron ore miner, Fortescue Metals Group Ltd, said cyber hacking by states was a major concern for resource companies.

"Government to business espionage I think is below the belt, and I think all governments should stop it," Forrest told reporters at Australia's parliament on Tuesday.

(Reporting by Reuters bureaux; Editing by Dean Yates)

Copyright © 2011 Reuters

Sources : The Star.

Asean telecoms ministers call for national broadband plan.

NAY PYI TAW, Myanmar: Asean telecommunications ministers have recommended the creation of a national broadband plan in all member states, saying it is vital for providing a foundation for socio-economic development.

In a joint ministerial statement, the ministers said that through the innovative services that emerge from such networks, every citizen and all sectors could be engaged and be part of the information society.

The statement was issued at the end of the 11th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting yesterday. Malaysia was represented by Information Communication and Culture Minister Datuk Seri Dr Rais Yatim.

According to the statement, the ministers also regarded the importance of information security in the broadband network, and agreed to strenghten Asean cooperation in this matter.

On reducing international mobile roaming charges, they welcomed the adoption of the Addendum on Asean Telecommunication Regulators Council (ATRC), the Intra-Asean Mobile Roaming Rates to the Record of Intent by the 17th ATRC.

“We encourage all parties, especially the policy making and regulatory bodies, to consider this initiative seriously and to implement the addendum as soon as it is ready,” they said.

The ministers also announced the launch of Asean ICT Awards as a step to promote and reward innovation, and to recognise achievements in information and communications technology (ICT) innovation excellence.

The first award will be conferred at the next ministers’ meeting in Manila next year. — Bernama

Moving forward, the ministers would continue to focus on the six areas underlined in the Asean ICT Masterplan 2015, namely economic transformation, people empowerment and engagement, innovation, infrastructure development, human capital development, and bridging the digital divide.

The ministers also stressed they would work very closely with the dialogue partners to ensure that all corners of Asean will have adequate communication access.

The dialogue partners include Japan, China, South Korea, India, European Union and the International Telecommunication Union.

At the meeting, Japan contributed US$150,000 to the Asean-Japan ICT Cooperation Fund and proposed to expand the current cooperation to include ICT disaster counter-measure system.

Meanwhile, China and South Korea will further assist Asean in human resource development and create relevant policies and regulation for ICT development. — Bernama.

Sources : The Star.

Asean countries urged to collaborate to attract telecommunications investments.

NAY PYI TAW (Myanmar), Dec 6 (Bernama) Asean countries have been urged to collaborate to attract investments in Internet infrastructure so as to expedite the setting up of the Asean Broadband Corridor and Asean Internet Exchange.

In making the call, Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Senior Official Meeting (Telsom) outgoing chairman Datuk Seri Kamaruddin Siaraf said the investments would be for the regional grouping's own benefit and enable it to remain competitive with other regions.

"We have all come to realise that the longer we tarry with the provision of broadband access, the more difficult it will be for us to catch up with other connected nations and regions," he said in his opening remarks at the 12th Telsom meeting at the Myanmar International Convention Centre here today.

Ten senior officials, one each from the Asean countries Cambodia, Brunei, Myanmar, Malaysia, Laos, Indonesia, the Philippines, Singapore, Thailand and Vietnam attended the opening ceremony.

In January, at the 10th Asean Telecommunications and Information Technology Ministers Meeting (Telmin) in Kuala Lumpur, Asean telecommunications ministers launched the Asean ICT Masterplan 2015 (AIM 2015), a strategic document to bring the Asean ICT sector to a higher level and to reinforce the role of ICT for Asean integration.

They also agreed to work together in creating Asean's own Internet exchange and domain by 2015 that will enable the region to enjoy better Internet connectivity at an affordable cost.

An Internet exchange primarily functions as a point for networks to interconnect directly rather than through a third-party network.

With an Internet exchange, the cost to the consumer would be reduced and bandwidth speed increased.

Kamaruddin, who is also the secretary-general of the Malaysian Information, Communications and Culture Ministry, said the Asean dialogue partners namely Japan, Korea, China, India, the European Union (EU) and the International Telecommunications Union (ITU), would be the logical partners in the venture, as they have more experience, technology and expertise compared to the Asean countries.

Telsom meets at least once a year to share information and experiences in developing policies and management efficiency among its members.

This year's meeting with the theme "ICT: Engine for Growth in Asean" is held at Nay Pyi Taw, Myanmar's new administrative capital.

At today's meeting, Myanmar was elected as the 12th Telsom chairman, with the Philippines as the vice chairman.

The meeting will among others discuss the implementation progress of approved projects under AIM 2015 for 2010-2011, and other recommendations to further advance Asean ICT cooperation and integration based on the outcomes of Telsom project implementation since 2007.

It will also discuss and provide inputs to the Nay Pyi Taw statement draft for consideration and adoption by the 11th Telmin on Thursday. - BERNAMA

Sources : The Star. 

Sabah to amend law on satellite info services.

KOTA KINABALU: Sabah Deputy Chief Minister Datuk Dr Yee Moh Chai said today he would look into amending the law to enable the people access information through satellite services.

Dr Yee, who is state resource development and information technology minister, said an opinion poll his ministry conducted showed that 99 per cent of the people wanted freedom of access to information, especially through satellite services.

There is a growing need for the use of satellite services, through satellite dishes, in the remote areas of Sabah where telecommunications signals were weak,
he told reporters after launching the "Siok Bah Broadband" carnival, here.  

Earlier, at the event, Malaysian Communications and Multimedia Commission (MCMC) chairman Datuk Mohamed Sharil Tarmizi said that as of Nov 30, the
Internet broadband household penetration in Sabah was at 32.7 per cent while Internet broadband subscription reached 293,400.

"This year, 19 community broadband centres (CBC), 23 mini CBCs and 131 WiFi villages were successfully established in Sabah," he said. The text of his
speech was delivered by MCMC Service and Support Chief Officer Tengku Zaib Raja Ahmad delivered the text of his speech. 

Mohamed Sharil also said that 246 telecommunications towers were built and about 60,000 laptops were distributed under the Netbook 1Malaysia Programme in
Sabah. - Bernama

Sources : New Straits Times

Private sector vital to ICT-literate generation by 2020, says assemblyman.

KUCHING: The private sector plays an important role when it comes to training trainers in the field of information-communication technology (ICT).

Demak Laut assemblyman Dr Hazland Abang Hipni said since there were only eight years to 2020 when Malaysia becomes a developed nation, the private sector would help expedite training and enable trainers to create an ICT-proficient generation.

“We are fast approaching 2020 and it is clear that if we want an ICT literate society, we need to have teachers who are well-trained and equipped to pass on their knowledge.

ICT savvy: Dr Hazland (fourth left), Eduspec Holdings Berhad chief executive officer Lim Een Hong (left), Prof Mohd Fadzil (sixth left) and some of the winners of the 19th Dynabook National ICT Competition.

“These teachers need to have global mindsets and skilful too so that we are assured that we have a generation well-versed in ICT.

“These teachers are mostly in the private sector, which is why this sector is vital to our ICT development,” he said when closing the 19th Dynabook National ICT Competition at Universiti Malaysia Sarawak (Unimas) .

He was representing Welfare, Women and Family Development Minister Datuk Fatimah Abdullah.

Dr Hazland said it was not too late for Malaysia to achieve its goal towards having an ICT proficient society if the government had the support of the private sector.

As such, he said, the government always gave additional allocation for ICT education.

“We shouldn’t be easily satisfied. We need to constantly raise the bar because the world is getting more and more competitive. If we want to keep up, we need the keep on improving ourselves,” he said.

Earlier on, Unimas Deputy Vice-Chancellor Prof Mohd Fadzil Abdul Rahman said competition like this should be held frequently since not only does it promote ICT, it would even unearth talented individuals.

“Who knows, we might find the next Steve Jobs (Apple co-founder). After all the late Steve Jobs started in his backyard and so did Bill Gates (Microsoft co-founder). If these two great minds can make it, I don’t see why our children can’t do so too,” he said.

The event had 650 students from 61 primary schools nationwide participating and the competition encompasses computer drawing at the junior and senior levels, general knowledge and typing skill.

The winners are namely Lee Jia Yu from SJK (C) Yuk Kwan, Perak (general knowledge), Ching Jia Sing from Kong Min Pusat, Penang (junior drawing), Nigel Leong Zheng Hao from SJK (C) Chung Hwa, Sabah (senior drawing) and Oh Coyun from SJK (C) Chong Hwa Setapak KL (typing).

The event was held by Dynabook, a subsidiary of Eduspec Holdings Berhad, Unimas and the Federation of Kuching and the Youth Section of Samarahan Division Chinese Associations.

The 20th Dynabook National ICT Competition will be held in Malacca.

Sources : The Star.

Proposed IT Bill may be dropped.

PUTRAJAYA: If information technology (IT) professionals feel they do not need protection, the proposed Computing Professionals Bill 2011 could “end here”.

Deputy Science, Technology and Innovation Minister Datuk Fadillah Yusof said there was nothing “solid” yet and the ministry was still gathering views.

“That is why we had the open day.

“It is the first step and if industry players suddenly feel they need no protection or something to represent them, the initiative could just end here,” he said, adding that the Bill was aimed at uplifting the IT profession.

“It was mooted after a series of discussions with industry players who said they wished to see a body that represents and protects them,'' said Fadillah.

He likened it to bodies such as the Malaysian Medical Association and the Malaysian Institute of Architects.

“The ministry is just facilitating the process to set up such a body for IT professionals,” he told reporters after a memorandum of understanding signing ceremony with Saudi Arabia King Abdulaziz City for Science and Technology here.

Meanwhile, the MCA Young Professionals Bureau has warned that the proposed Bill could potentially force companies to relocate or shut down due to a lack of human capital.

Bureau chairman Datuk Chua Tee Yong said the formation of the Board of Computing Professionals Malaysia would stifle innovation and creativity.

“The Bill's enactment will be counter-productive and will significantly shrink the talent pool so greatly needed by the industry.

“We cannot support it and therefore seek the withdrawal of the proposed legislation,” he said after presenting the bureau's views and comments on the matter to the ministry here yesterday.

Chua, who is also Deputy Agriculture and Agro-based Industry Minister, said the proposed Bill was against the objective of developing the industry under the 10th Malaysia Plan in which information and communications technology was one of the 12 National Key Economic Areas.

Sources : The Star.

COMMENT: Technology: beyond the tangible.

What defines our conception of technology, asks the write?

From the McLuhanist perspective, Facebook resonates with the myth of Narcissus.

1 / 1

We are missing the message.  I have, on several occasions, spoken about technology — at times in relation to the media, at others, linking it to democracy and culture.

Recently, I spoke at a seminar themed Science and Values on the topic of human rights in digital and cyber space.

My discourse narrowed down to Man and technology. And my question is: how do we understand technology?

My concern is our affair with technology, and with technology as a built-environment.

Have we educated ourselves correctly on this “thing” called technology?  We are efficient consumers of technology. Some 59 per cent are Internet users and slightly more than 39 per cent of Malaysians have Facebook accounts (www.internetworldstats.com/asia.htm).

Technology is not only defined as inventions and innovations within the confines of Information Communications Technology. It is just about anything that aids us as human beings. And we are defective beings.

We are handicapped in our perfections.  A pair of spectacles extends and perfects our sight — for those long- or short-sighted.

Radio extends our ear. Television, the Hubble space telescope and Google extend our vision to the ends of the Earth and the frontiers of the physical universe.

Transportation — land, sea and air — extends our limbs. Technology is prosthetics.

But what is this “thing” that defines our conception of technology?

Marshall McLuhan termed it as the extension of Man,  our nervous and sensory systems.

The medium is the message, so I stated in my last column (New Sunday Times, Oct 30).

It was deliberately meant for Steve Job’s innovations as well as the keroncong.

I taught a Science, Technology and Media course centred on Canadian media theorist Marshall McLuhan more than a decade ago. McLuhan and technology were also central to the Graduate

Seminar course in Mass Communication during the same period.

And I would always emphasise that we are media/technology par excellence. And inherently, technology has contributed to the dynamics of human civilisation.

At different stages  the various media such as clay, papyrus, parchment and paper generated and  monopolised knowledge  which was used to build, and also destroy thoughts and ideas.

But those media need other technologies, perhaps more fundamental and portent. These are the alphabet, language and writing traditions.

The computer or the mobile telephone cannot function without language. How technology affects us and how we are affected by it lies in language — a technology and a tool determining who we are and how we think.  

In another dimension, language as technology  pulls together other ideational forms — of culture,  the intellect and aesthetics, extending ourselves.  Technology as the extension of Man, and the medium as the message.

These are print-based representations of information. A medium simply offers different ways of representing information. Each medium is different – not equal or superior to each other.

Using McLuhan’s analysis of technology and the modern media leads to an awareness of the media environment and provides an understanding of technology and social life.

McLuhan’s career can be divided into several periods: his early years as a traditional literary critic, ending with the publication of his first book, The Mechanical Bride: Folklore of Industrial Man (1951); a transitional phase in the 1950s during which he adapted the work and edited the journal Explorations; and the mature stage of the 1960s, when he published his theories in the

Gutenberg Galaxy in 1962 and Understanding Media two years later, followed by several lesser works.  

In McLuhan, we see form over content and form as content. Media empiricists and social scientists would frown at McLuhan.

His explanation of “pure information” as manifested by the electric light is the epitome of a “medium without a message”, and which can only have content when interrelated with another medium.

McLuhan comments in Understanding Media: “The electric light escapes attention as a communication medium just because it has no ‘content’ and this make(s) it an invaluable instance of how people fail to study media at all. The message of the electric light is like the message of electric power in industry, totally radical, pervasive and decentralised.

“For electric light and power are separate from their uses, yet they eliminate time and space factors in human association, exactly as do radio, telegraph, telephone and TV, creating involvement in depth (1964: pages 24-25).”

Those among the mainstream media and communication academic community with a fetish for content would want to pause and reappraise their approach to inquiry.

The “content” of any medium is always another medium; or the content of media is less important than the impact of each medium at social, psychological and sensory levels. McLuhan’s famous phrase, “the medium is the message”, refers to the change of scale, pace or pattern that it introduces into human affairs.

The effects of media technology occur not on the conscious level of opinion and concepts, but on the subliminal level of sense ratios and patterns of perceptions.  

I first studied McLuhan more than three decades ago. Then he was a pop-culture celebrity, popular among hippies and the counter-culture movement. He repeatedly referred to “numbness”,

“trance”, “subliminal state”, “somnambulism” and “narcosis” induced by the media as extension of Man.  The media, as he had described it, is psychedelic.

McLuhan’s argument falls back to the significance of the Greek myth of Narcissus.

In chapter four of his Understanding Media, titled The Gadget Lover, McLuhan refers to the youth Narcissus who mistook his own reflection in the water for another person.  “The extension of himself by mirror,” writes McLuhan, “numbed his perceptions until he became the servomechanism of himself and had chosen a close system.”

McLuhan, who graduated in Engineering and later completed a MA and a PhD in English Literature from Trinity College, Cambridge University, died on the last day of 1980.

Digital emergence and cyber cultures such as Facebook were just a metaphor back then.

From the McLuhanist perspective, Facebook resonates with the myth of Narcissus.

He should be re-read in the original, more so due to the deliberate obfuscation and lack of linearity in his writings. The prophecy of technology has arrived.

The spirit is in the medium, not the content.

Sources : New Straits Times

Challenge to take Malaysia further in IT indexes

 

BANGI: Malaysia aims to be among the top 10 in the information technology (IT) competitiveness index and top 20 in the digital economy index by 2020, in line with the national digital transformation plan.

Higher Education Minister Datuk Seri Mohamed Khaled Nordin said this was because information technology was now seen as the key element that would revolutionise and support the growth of many industries.

These include the healthcare, communication and biotechnology industries.

"Malaysia moved 11 places from 32 to 21 in the recent world IT competitiveness index.

"In the digital economy ranking conducted by The Economist and IBM, Malaysia is now 36th among 70 countries.

"Take this challenge to help the country move up to the top 10 in the IT competitiveness index and top 20 in the digital economy index," he said at the second International Conference on Visual Informatics (IVIC) 2011 here yesterday.

His speech was read by Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia  board of directors chairman, Tan Sri Dr Zulkefli A. Hassan.

The three-day seminar, attended by some 200 experts in the field of visual informatics from 15 countries, is hosted by UKM and jointly organised by 13 public and private universities in the country.

Themed "Visual Informatics: Sustainable Innovation towards Wealth Creation", the seminar is chaired by seven professors from renowned universities, including Cambridge University and Imperial College, London.

Present were IVIC chair Prof Datuk Dr Halimah Badioze Zaman and UKM deputy vice-chancellor (students and alumni affairs) Prof Ir Othman A. Karim.

Sources : New Straits Times

My first entry =D

Hye everyone.! Welcome to my blog... This blog  is about MGT300.. what is MGT300.? In simple word is  Information Technology In Bussiness..and the definition is the acquisition, processing, storage and dissemination of vocal, pictorial, textual and numerical information by a microelectronics-based combination of computing and telecommunications.The term in its modern sense first appeared in a 1958 article published in the Harvard Business Review, in which authors Leavitt and Whisler commented that "the new technology does not yet have a single established name. We shall call it information technology (IT). "Some of the modern and emerging fields of Information technology are next generation web technologies, bioinformatics, cloud computing, global information systems, large scale knowledgebases, etc.