ME and Ophelia

CRISTINA NETWORK - TOUCHING LIVES THROUGH TECHNOLOGY
Donate unwanted computer equipment for recycling

Visited Cerf's Up yesterday and looked into the National Cristina Foundation (NCF) where people can donate unwanted computer equipment for refurbishment and redistribution to people with disabilities, students at risk and economically disadvantaged persons. NCF excerpts:

NCF Special Friend - Vint Cerf, Co-Founder of the Internet

"NCF's programs bring connection and self-expression to people too long isolated from the world. I regularly receive messages from people whose various disabilities immobilize them in the real world, but who overcome these problems in cyberspace with the liberating click of a mouse on the Internet. Here's to NCF's own long life!" - Vint Cerf, Internet Pioneer.

"Every day, across America and around the world, National Cristina Foundation is working to ensure that used computer technology resources that no longer meet an enterprise's or an individual's needs are given a second productive life as a tool for developing human potential."

Vinton G. Cerf is partially deaf and does a lot of work for disabled people. As co-founder of the Internet and promoter of recycled computer equipment for the disabled and disadvantaged, he regularly receives messages of appreciation. It is easy for me to understand why.

Bloggers too bring so much interest, education, social interaction and fun. Many probably do not even realise the difference they make to the lives of countless people who are housebound.

Here, in my little world by the seaside, the hours whiz by as I get engrossed visiting blogs in Britain, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, Switzerland, India, China and Korea.

Most days I pop over to America and look in on Harvard Law School to see what's new at Dave Winer's and BloggerCon.

In Dave's World, I find great blogs like Jim Moore's, laden with food for thought on web activism, meditation and the immune system, and news of the class of law students he has organised into 'posses' of three with assignments to start a blog for exploring specific issues over the next twelve weeks.

Then onto Japan to visit Joi Ito's Web to read fascinating stuff about blogging, mobile blogging, video and communications technology and thoughts concerning less fortunate 'global citizens'.

Here, where I live, it may take years before British Telecom activates broadband for this small coastal town. There are alternatives to broadband but at greater expense.

Maintaining my laptop, printer and telephone already costs around £50 per month, including Internet access, landline calls and value added tax.

Every so often my mobile phone needs topping up at £50 a time. If I started mobile blogging to send pictures to my weblog, I would incur further expenses.

This makes me wonder how it could be that the millions of 'global citizens', living on or under $1 a day, will ever get to enjoy the same privileges.

Fortunately, things have progressed and most 'global citizens' today, living in remote areas, can find ways to access television and radio sets, citizen band radios, audio and video cassette players.

But it is sad to think about how many more years or decades will pass before such poverty stricken 'global citizens' will be able to add their voice to the blogosphere and enjoy 24/7 access.

Recently Joi Ito blogged about Geekcorps and WITNESS - Human Rights Advocacy with Video and IT, and some thoughts about video communications technology, another of his fascinating topics to look forward to and follow.

Here is an e-prayer that I found at Cerf's Up, via PatchWorx and Connecting To You.

The authorship is lost in cyberspace, but they wanted to share it with their readers.

Hope they do not mind me sharing it here.

E-PRAYER

Every single evening
As I'm lying here in bed,
This tiny little prayer
Keeps running through my head.
God bless all my family
Wherever they may be,
Keep them warm and safe from harm
For they're so close to me.
And God, there is one more thing
I wish that You could do.
(Hope you don't mind me asking)
Bless my computer too.
--Now I know that it's not normal
To bless a mother board,
But listen just a second
While I explain to you, my Lord.
You see, that little metal box
Holds more than odds and ends.
Inside those small compartments
Rest so many of my Friends.
I know so much about them
By the kindness that they give
And this little scrap of metal
Takes me to where they live.
By faith is how I know them
Much the same as You
We share in what life brings us
And from that our friendship grew.
Please take an extra minute
From your duties up above
To bless those in my address book
That's filled with so much love!
Wherever else this prayer may reach
To each and every friend,
bless each e-mail Inbox
And the person who hits Send
When you update your heavenly list
On your own CD-Rom
Remember each who've said this prayer, Sent up to God.com.
Amen.