I have just finished mentoring a number of graduate teams at the University of Auckland, School of Development. Develop 701 Development Practice and Research. I found the diversity of students and their enthusiasm for the process of handling some big assignments, such as putting a large NGO tender together, inspiring. It makes me wonder if you can do this much in a single term, with students, what the untapped potential is to create many social businesses and NGO's in underserved regions and communities.

http://www.netsquared.org/blog/britt-bravo/oxfam-covers-g8-blog-flickr-a...

http://www.eyesondarfur.org/satellite.html

Google, as the internet search leader, is given the lowest "black mark" and placed on the botton of the heap of the worlds major internet companies, with a "hostile to privacy rating"  by Privacy International.

Ethics and Corporate accountability procedures seem to be ineffective, in the publics mind space. Silicon Valley companies must deal with "Privacy" issues. As the number one concern of citizens, tech corporations need to get out ahead of the issue, and regulations. The creation of a clear code of conduct and practise would be a good start. Otherwize they will loose the trust and good will they need to continue to thrive.

http://www.wsis-award.org

Lots of innovative new e-content and media for 2007.

Gala to be held in Venice. 

A couple of weeks ago, I attended the final project showcase of the Masters’ students at School of Information at UC Berkeley. The 15 projects, most of which entailed a software program of some form or another, spanned a wide variety of areas, reaching from more customer-friendly business registration services for the Californian government to several project to improve communication and evaluation within the university to a web-based collection browser for the Phoebe A. Hearst Museum of Anthropology at UCB to an online marketplace for the food industry.

Designing, with thoughtful intention, for all the worlds inhabitants.