Sunday, March 1, 2009

Inspiration #2: New Media and International Development

I had a wonderful meeting the other day with a number of Oxford friends, where we spent time discussing our interests in new media (blogs, journalism, the Internet, etc.) and international development and politics. The meeting was, above all, refreshing -- it served to remind us why we do the work we do, and what it means to us. Some of us were meeting each other for the first time, and presenting our work and explaining why we're passionate about it was extremely important.

Sometimes, as we work extremely hard on a specific detail of a major project, the reasons for the passion we have become lost. Taking a few hours once in a while to explain to someone why you care so much about a certain topic is often useful, and (as I saw today!) can increase your productivity.

... the meeting was also timely, as on Friday night, I ran into a very interesting development on Wikileaks.

Whether or not you agree with Wikileaks posting sensitive information online, what is interesting about this is that a military document was decrypted, posted online, and is now being discussed around the web. This is a testament to the power of the Internet nowadays, and where it will lead (politically, socially, etc.) over the next several years is definitely exciting.

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