Bishkek

So it's looking more and more like I'll be going to Kyrgystan this summer to do research. I was doing a little reading up on it and found a travel website that gives some handy hints, such as:

• "In general, people are friendly but unapologetically curious."
• On taxis: "You will definitely have to bargain. Make sure the driver isn't drunk and agree on a price before getting in. You may or may not be supplied with a seatbelt - and can expect an heart-felt protest if you try to find one."
• "Trolleybuses are the big electric busses. The are slow, dilapidated and their electric rods frequently become disconnected from the overhead lines forcing a squealing stop. Those who can afford it avoid trolleybuses. The best advice for trolleybuses is to stay well out of their way (and especially the path of their air horn)."
• Description of a restaurant: "Ordinary atmosphere but considered to have the best plov in town."

I can't wait to take a drunken unseatbelted taxi ride, opt instead for a screeching trolleybus, nosh on some plov, and chat with the curious locals.

It should be a fun adventure indeed.

The newest member of our family

Here he (or she?) is: a New Caledonian Crested Gecko.

Things I learned yesterday

1. Out of the world's population 26% of adults are illiterate, and 98% of those live in developing countries.
2. A woman named Afsa in Rwanda has a successful hair braiding business, which she attributes it's success in part to the fact she has a mobile phone.
3. 5 mice are better than 1 in rural classrooms in India.
4. Globalism can be seen as both a threat and opportunity to families living in the emerging middle class in India.
5. Text free interfaces are possible and appropriate.

I attended an amazing symposium sponsored by the Computer Science Dept at UW where 5 researchers from Microsoft Research in Bangalore, India presented some of their work.

You can learn more by checking out the abstracts and slides from the talks.

One of my collegues is off to MSR this summer to do an internship. She's going to be working with some very cool people doing important work.

The talks made me reflect on both the need and challenge of researching information and communication technologies in developing countries.

It looks more and more like I'll be heading to Kyrgyzstan this summer for work on the CAICT project. The talk yesterday reminded me of how much there is to learn from talking to and working with people within their own context, how important it is to listen and understand instead of placing the technology first.

The other thing I learned yesterday is that I'll still a pretty crappy bowler.