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The Digital Agency for International Development

Entries for January 2010

Lopad: high speed collaborative text editing over low bandwidths

There's a demand (e.g. from staff at UNFAO and users in Rwanda) for a related service, tuned for low bandwidth environments, that lets users easily collaborate over a text file. I like to think of this as the first addition to the lo* (pronounced lo-star) family of products: lopad. Think of it as a super-lightweight Google Docs with no registration, instant visibilty of other user's changes and fast performane on all internet connections....

By tariq on 30 January 2010

Getting Ready for Crisis Camp London - Day 2

We're getting ready for the second Crisis Camp London day, this Saturday, at the London Knowledge Lab. Considering how quickly last Saturday was put together we had a great turn out. We're hoping for, and expecting, an even larger turn out this time. If you are technical (eg. an IT project manager, a coder, a user experience person) or have relief experience and want to help Crisis Camp London support Haiti, then please come along. More details and a link to the registration inside...

By Alan Jackson on 28 January 2010

Video: Introducing Crisis Camp London #1

On Saturday 23rd of January, Aptivate were out in force at Crisis Camp London which was kindly hosted by the London Knowledge Lab. Björn had a chance to grab some footage on the day and put together a short video explaining what Crisis Camp is all about, what it's like in London and what you might expect if you come along. Crisis Camp London will be a regular event for the next few weeks, one which is going to grow in size and impact.

By tariq on 25 January 2010

Simulating low bandwidths: how to make sure your apps work in the field

I'm going to write about four ways to simulate a slow internet connection and a bit of background about why you'd want to do it. Simulation is great but I'll say this now: there's no substitute for testing stuff in the field. However, before you release to the team on the ground or grab your bag and hop on a plane, read this.

By tariq on 23 January 2010

Technology decisions in organisations great and small

Ken Banks often writes about Social Mobile's Long tail - it's a really helpful concept; one that I find myself frequently using when explaining our work to others. Personally, I'm really interested in working with medium-sized organisations trying to make better use of technology. I probably have similar conversations 2-3 times a month. I think there are some common characteristics and challenges for these organisations...

By tariq on 21 January 2010

Large Wireless Networks

I saw an interesting request on the AfNOG mailing list:

How does one determine the number of users,  a wireless network can support. I need to buy a wireless router ...

By Chris Wilson on 05 January 2010