The Obama Principle

Salam Taki editorial congratulates Senator Barack Obama upon being logically elected the 44th president of the United States of America.

In an age where our lives are so fused and shaped by the internet, information and communications systems, and an invisible economy in social networks, the editorial of Salam Taki makes a special recognition here that Senator Barack Obama is President-Elect because he was the more information age strategist candidate for the presidency of the United States of America.

In an age in which effects of racism, ethnicity, tribalism, and religious fanaticisms are still rearing ugly heads, in an age where geographical boundaries should no longer be explicitly verified, and in an age when systems and logic should prevail, Senator Barack Obama is president elect because he was transcendous.

A discipline / principle Salam Taki would term "The Obama Principle" should be a cutting edge principle for success in an information age.

He is President-Elect of US. Me and You!

Congratulations people of the United States of America.

PICTURE Africa! Ugandan Bloggers and the Danish Factor

PICTURE Africa
PICTURE Africa is an acronym for Poverty and Information and Communication Technology in Urban and Rural East Africa. PICTURE Africa is a three year study in Kenya, Uganda, Tanzania, and Rwanda. It is being funded by the IDRC. On Monday the 23rd April 2007, I met Kathleen Diga, from the International Development Research Centre IDRC. Katheen is the person behind the blog Picture Africa. Discussions were centred on issues regarding a communication strategy for the PICTURE Africa Project. We, later attended a joint meeting of teams from PICTURE Africa Project and Research ICT Africa (RIA) before finalising with PICTURE Africa Country team members. True! A Communication strategy has to be developed and implemented! Some pictorials at her post.

Ugandan bloggers
On Sunday, I had the chance to meet some faces behind the Ugandan blogsphere and the Danish students doing a documentary on Ugandan bloggers. Thanks to Dennis Matanda of the Call for the African Recolonisation fame.
Dennis was the idea behind the romantic atmosphere at Joglo, paid all the swine meat bills and accompanyment! A big thank you Dennis! Bloggers! Hips don't lie! Ugandan bloggers, FDC and UPC bloggers inclusive - I don't see the NRM bloggers!, love their bottle, love to flirt, have fun, chat, smoke and locate the g' spot! A blogger is about to fix or marry another in Uganda! A Ugandan tribe is being developed! Ugandan bloggers shall be a force to reckon with!

I left early. I had to! I had to babies sit! And now I say bye bye to the Danes. Come back again! The documentary! Thank you Ugandan bloggers who were there: S.A.G.E , Country boyi, I have left Copenhagen for Uganda! Feed me, love me, never leave me Carlo All sweetening hats who came Rumbling and Rubbish, you should also meet this Robert Mugabe's Zimbabwean Dennis Matanda!

Borrowed Civilisations

ICT is the way to go! ICT!? Yes ICT. Information and Communication Technologies or Information Communications Technology aka Information Technology. ICT, the cousin to Informatics, Information Systems, Information Science, Information Engineering, Computer Science, and all the hype around it! However, ICTs are foreign to the bulk that make African cultures. True! Africa must not only adopt, absorb, concot phrases to refer to ICTs and related concepts but also be prepared to embrace and use ICTs in everyday businesses and activities.

Absorbing a foreign technology is like borrowing a leaf from a foreign civilisation! It can not be easy.This is the context I dwell in. The Information Age version of Uganda, Southern Sudan and indeed Africa. I therefore feel the following skills are badly needed in order for Africa to benefit from this borrowed civilisation called ICT: Information Literacy and then Computer /ICT literacy. I conquer with the following definitions from the National Forum on Information Literacy:

"Information Literacy is the ability to know when there is a need for information, to be able to identify, locate, evaluate, and effectively use that information for the issue or problem at hand. "

Information Literacy is primarily my training in Library and Information Science.

"Computer Literacy: The ability to use a computer and its software to accomplish practical tasks."

Computer Literacy is a vital component of my primary training. I use computers to accomplish my information literacy tasks. To me, this is Informatics! Informatics is achieving an Information service task using a computer.

Were I to combine my Informatics with some training in an information domain such as the health domain to accomplish a health service task, then I would be into Health Informatics!

I wish somebody could throw some light on these borrowed civilisations called ICTs, Informatics and Information Sciences!

Confused in the Information Age

Two things can never be the same! Information Science and Informatics can not be the same! The avalanche of information and terminologies in the Information Society, Information Age and related academic university offerings could have created a mist in understanding the development of the age! What is what!?

I, be but one information professional, feel that Information Science and Informatics is one such mist! I sought some answers from a colleague a colleague, fellow collegian and professional and a friend working as the Librarian at the Institute of Infectious Disease. What is the difference between Informatics and Information Science? Can the task of all librarians at a Medical instute be termed Health Informatics?

From the Wiki Answers, I begged for an answer! I paused a question to the WikiAnswer thus: What is the difference between Information Sciences and Informatics!

Please Answer this question by clicking the New Wiki Question generated! Anselm thanks for your in put!