Movement building tech-knowledge-ies

I'm shamelessly promoting again, but this time for a great cause:

Ya'll should join mybloc. Think of it as the myspace for young organizers and activists of color. The official "what are we" says:

"BLOC is a national network of young people working in communities of color to build alliances and fundamentally transform society." see more here.

There's also Future 5000, a project run by the same wonderfully down and technologically savvy people at BLOC. Future 5000 is an online hub of (nearly) 5000 youth organizations throughout the country. Folks registered include activists, organizers, staff, members, admirers, etc. Their "about us" spiel goes as follows:

"Future 5000 reflects the best of youth organizing and movement building. With an active directory of over 600 youth organizations, Future 5000 creates a unique and dynamic webspace for organizers to share resources, build campaigns, and develop partnerships. Log on. Build power."

Both of these are part of an emerging effort toward "movement building technology", a movement premised on the belief that community and grassroots organizations, particularly those run by and working with communities of color, need to utilize and access technology in ways that make our communities stronger.

So there. Go. Join!

Conservative activism grows online

Today the LA Times reported on the emergence of Conservapedia, a right-wing creation modeled after the popular online encyclopedia Wikipedia.com. It began as a World History class project in New Jersey, and is now gaining momentum with a self-reported 12.3 million hits, a number appearing just beneath the daily bible verse.

From the Times:

Conservapedia defines environmentalists as "people who profess concern about the environment" and notes that some would want to impose legal limits on the use of toilet paper.

Femininity? The quality of being "childlike, gentle, pretty, willowy, submissive."

A hike in minimum wage is referred to as "a controversial manoeuvre that increases the incentive for young people to drop out of school."

And the state of the economy under President Bush? Much better than the "liberal media" would have you think: "For example, during his term Exxon Mobile has posted the largest profit of any company in a single year, and executive salaries have greatly increased as well."

Another one of my favorites: "Homosexuality is an immoral sexual lifestyle between members of the same sex. It is more than simply a sexual act, it is going beyond the boundaries that God has setup for marriage; one man and one woman."

Word. I guess the homie God don't like me.

The site boasts even more pitiful "definitions" and, of course, typos galore.

With fewer than 12,000 entries and typos galore (the misspelling of Mobil above; the mayor of L.A. is referred to as "Anthony Varigoso"), Conservapedia isn't about to supplant Wikipedia — which boasts 1.8 million articles in English alone.

Guess God didn't bless the conservatives with a firm grasp on the King's English.

Part of me didn't even want to post on this one on the simple principle of giving this type of trashiness more attention than it deserves. But as I began playing around on it, it humored me. Besides, it's always good to know what opposing ideologies you're up against.

Even though I might find Conservapedia hilarious, it's scary how serious this resurgence of conservative activism has become. It's no longer an issue that can be swept under the rug or cast aside as a "liberal/conservative" debate. This site is targeting high school students, who probably will watch the Simpson's movie and attend increasingly segregated schools. This is real, and folks from the Supreme Court to the schoolyard are steady waving that big banner of white supremacy with no holds barred. My questions is: what are we going to do about it?

Who Needs the Kwik-E-Mart?

Last weekend, 12 Seven-11 stores across the nation were converted into Kwik-E-Marts--a double-threat marketing campaign that simultaneously promotes the upcoming Simpson's movie (out 7.27.2007) and boosts those convenient store sales. I have to admit, it is pretty brilliant. On a weekend that also saw the public release of the iphone, shoppers and reporters alike were making brief comparisons between the two releases, the differences between the crazes, and the ingenuity of The Simpson's campaign. If you ask me, these real-life Kwik-E-Marts act as the peas to technology's carrots (or some other complimentary pair metaphor). What I mean to say is that the two campaigns are undoubtedly linked. I'm not sure about the corporate connections between Fox and Apple (though Apple.com does run the trailers and teasers for The Simpson's Movie, complete with downloadable ipod versions), but I'm more interested in the concepts.

Behold the new iphone: mobile camera phone, digital audio player, and Internet browser, all in one. It's the product that brings your virtual world together, to be accessed with the touch of one compact little screen.

The Kwik-E-Mart campaign seems like just the opposite, like "advertising outside the box." You know that virtual convenience store? The 2-D animation you've watched for almost two decades? Well, it's just become a temporary reality! For the first time, you can actually walk through the isles, touch those not-so-essential items and buy the products, as seen on TV.

Wait. Hold up. Is that the connection?? Do both products/campaigns play with conceptions of lived technology for the sake of consumerism???? I'm thinking yes.

The bustle of the Apple Store in Old Town Pasadena this past Sunday seemed akin to the rush for Kwik-E-products in news reports nation wide. I was trying to help my friend find a power cord for his ibook, but couldn't get much more than an uninterested nod from sales reps sporting "say hello to the iphone" t-shirts. They couldn't help unless we were ready to buy, buy, buy. Meanwhile sales and the Kwik-E-Marts doubled as customers bought boxes of Krusty-Os (I believe Bart choked on razor blades from that cereal in one episode) and 3 for the price of 3 hot dogs (which definitely gave Homer salmonella). Seeing the connection?

So I'd say the campaign is brilliant. Get people to buy things they don't need under the guise of bringing television to life...allowing the public to live out its wildest consumerist fantasy. And as long as the capitalist tenet of needless consumption drives the economy, we all need the Kwik-E-Mart. I just wish they carried iphones.

Is Google Evil?

A report issued this week by Privacy International ranked Google last in privacy for its customers. The reports calls the company's practices a "race to the bottom" in privacy standards, and the BBC reports:

Privacy International placed Google at the bottom of its ranking because of the sheer amount of data it gathers about users and their activities; because its privacy policies are incomplete and for its poor record of responding to complaints.

Daniel Hernandez adds:

It's a major slam, and a scary idea for people who use to Google for searches, RSS reading, email, maps, calendar -- basically to operate their entire virtual life. The Guardian's technology blog discusses the impact to Google, which is the same company that recently peeped into people's houses all over America with their new "Street View" feature. Now's a good time to reacquaint yourself with the Mother Jones piece from last year, "Is Google Evil?" and with Googlewatch.org. And, if you use Gmail like I do, to seriously consider making a switch.

Any suggestions?

iPhone.

I turned my phone off for the weekend and felt free again. Then I woke up this morning to the announcement that the much anticipated iPhone will be available for purchase on June 29th. No doubt that eager customers worldwide will line up to grab the latest trendy accessory put out by the world's leading brand marketer of post modern cultural aesthetics. (Un)fortunetly, I won't be one of them.

For a technology guru like myself, the features of the iPhone are undeniably appealing: a hand-held multimedia device that functions as phone, iPod and MacBook all rolled into one. I'm skeptical about whether it'll really pose stiff competition to such brands as Blackberry and Trio since the buisness world remains stoicly PC-based.

However, Apple's stiffest competition when it comes to marketing the new iPhone to a broader audience is itself. The company has done a genius job at marketing a lifestyle to a young, trendy, media-savvy audience. Yet that audience is a very exclusive, niche market, consisting mainly of people under the age of 35 and media-related professionals. This, of course, has its advanatages. The young consumer market is huge, and advertising to younger folks will inevitably lead to brand loyalty for years to come.

But there are pitfalls. Above all else, Apple sells an aesthetic. It's young, it's hip, it's urban. It's also white, hipster and yuppie . Apple products are just as closely associated with film and music production as they are with the aesthetics of gentrification. On any given day, my local Apple store is filled with working class black and brown youth lined up at free internet-equipped computers checking email and myspace accounts. On more than a few occassions , Apple store empoyees have stood to the side, mean muggin' and impatient with the kids' playful and defiant breach of private space. Products remain outrageously priced, so the employees' gripe's usually have to do with the idea that the kids are taking up space on products they have no intention of buying. The validity of that claim is open to debate, but there's a direct link between technology and gentrification. It usually has to do with who has access to what, and where. In an increasingly technological society, Apple sells products that value the private domain: the insular world of iPods, do-it-yourself movies and music. Working class communities of color often don't have access to the spaces, let alone the products, to control their representation. And since technology is the latest metaphorical reference to the globalized American apple pie, the extent to which you don't have access to it is one of the truest measures of powerlessness in our society.

So, back to the iPhone. It's chic and trendy, and at nearly $600 retail price, way too expensive for my tastes. It's undoubtedly a priviledge to actively choose not to be a part of something, I know that. My inner nerd can't deny the allure, but every racial justice activist bone in my body wants to resist this latest installment in multimedia colonization.Besides, I kinda like the idea of leading a life that's still somewhat free from the constant demands of being wired and accessible.