Hi folks

New blog

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Wed, 12 Dec 2007 11:11:17 +0530

Hi folks (as it were), I've moved my blog to a new site and platform. Check it out at www.ccjrnl.com or www.chriscoldewey.com.

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Ning is the thing

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 16:04:18 +0530

I hadn't looked at Ning, a site for building your own social network, since they relaunched to much fanfare a few and a half months ago. Then I got the idea to build a site for my capoeira group in Mumbai, so I gave it another look. Wow! Built the site in less than 15 minutes -- it was as easy as creating a profile on a normal social network site. There were plenty of easy options to do things like add photos, videos, blog posts, and discussion boards, and integrate with Flickr and Youtube.

I ended up deleting the site since there is a large Indian capoeira group on Orkut where everyone's energy is invested -- and it's difficult to get people to switch en masse from something familiar. Not a big deal, since it was so easy to create in the first place. But Orkut! I haven't thought about that site since I set up a lonely profile in 2004 and no one from the entire United States joined me. But when in Rome...er, Mumbai...

Here's a screenshot of the short-lived Capoeira Mumbai site built with Ning:

Capoeira Mumbai site built with Ning

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Unintended consequences: donated mosquito net edition

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Mon, 24 Sep 2007 14:46:08 +0530

Ethan Zuckerman points to a Zambian blogger claiming donated mosquito nets are used by fishermen for destructive drag-netting in rivers and streams. A bit of googling turns up similar stories in Namibia and Rwanda. I wonder if these are marginal cases or if the practice is truly widespread, and if people who pay for mosquito nets are less likely to use them in this way.

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Earning interest with pre-paid mobile accounts

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Wed, 12 Sep 2007 13:47:22 +0530

O world wide web, a question:

There is a lot of talk in social enterprise circles about the need to encourage savings behavior and formalize the practice of saving among the BOP in India. At the same time, an astounding number of the urban and rural poor have individual pre-paid mobile phone accounts. While there is a lot of innovation happening internationally in the mobile-banking space, e.g., Wizzit, M-Pesa, etc., I'm curious why I haven't seen what seems like a pretty simple approach to encouraging savings behavior: earning interest on pre-paid mobile phone account balances.

It seems that the ability to earn basic interest on a mobile account would open up the practice of savings to a much larger market than currently exists. As the account would be tied to a SIM card, rather than a person, this could side-step a number of logistical and identity concerns that have confounded BOP banking efforts with the formal sector previously, e.g., required identity documentation which people often are unable to provide, the lack of ATM/branch access to the target population, etc. I could see operators incorporating the interest-earning benefits into their marketing tactics to compete for customers, and building useful cash reserves for themselves.

So, with the potential benefits to the consumer and the operator, why have we not seen interest-earning mobile accounts? Too many security concerns? Are banking regulators flat-out refusing to allow mobile operators to do this? An interest-earning account would certainly not solve all BOP banking concerns, and doesn't help facilitate mobile transactions, but it seems like a step some operator would be trying along the way. If this practice does indeed exist, please let me know!

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Busy Signal -- The Days

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 14:10:00 +0530

Excellent dancehall track on repeat here...

BUSY SIGNAL "THE DAYS" [Raw Version]

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Wonders of the World

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Tue, 11 Sep 2007 02:37:59 +0530

Fascinating interview on BLDGBLOG with the editor of The Wonders of the World series -- who knew archaeology and architecture could be so engaging? The Tomb of Agamemnon is going on my to-read list immediately.

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Time Pass

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Sat, 08 Sep 2007 13:11:22 +0530

I love the way this family has documented the passage of time through yearly photos -- I had seen their Arrow of Time project before, but was recently reminded of it...

Arrow of time

...when I saw the pattern of repeated elements over time echoed in reverse in this piece, Subtraction (Startling), by Tauba Auerbach (via Kottke). Fitting partners somehow.

SUBTRACTION (STARTLING)

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Financing Non-Profit Organizational Infrastructure

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Mon, 06 Aug 2007 12:57:37 +0530

Good to see the concept of supporting overall organizational development -- not just program development -- given some press in the NYT.

Killer quote: “Imagine an investor saying, ‘I want to buy 1,000 shares of FedEx but I want my money only to go into vans because I think they are the key to success,’ ” said J. B. Schramm, College Summit’s founder and chief executive. “That’s what foundations and donors do to nonprofits..."

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Is it me you're looking for?

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Fri, 03 Aug 2007 00:08:25 +0530

I was just checking out top 40 charts in the UK from the mid 80s (don't ask), and was reminded of the awesome force that was Lionel Richie at that time...

Classic LR video:

Lionel Richie - Hello

Recommended viewing to follow: The Hello Experiment, which explores a valid topic -- how did she make that head look so good??

via, via

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Disco Dancer

nobody@vox.com(Chris Coldewey) — Thu, 26 Jul 2007 13:58:39 +0530

My new mission in life is to get a hold of this 1982 Bollywood film on DVD. These clips are unbelievable. I think I'm in some kind of shock right now.

M.I.A covers the first track here pretty faithfully on her new album Kala.

Jimmy Adja

Disco Dancer - Jimmy Adja

I Am A Disco Dancer

I am a Disco Dancer

Hindi remake of "Video Killed the Radio Star"

Disco Dancer-The Bollywood Film-Adaptation of The Buggles

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