----------------------------Original message---------------------------- Because the Information Superhighway is of interest to all of us ... Debbie Lords Marriott Library University of Utah ****** START OF FORWARDED MESSAGE ****** Date: Tue, 29 Mar 1994 09:47:09 PST From: Susan Evoy <[log in to unmask]> Subject: Developing an Equitable and Open Information Infrastructure To: Multiple recipients of list ASIS-L <[log in to unmask]> Please distribute to interested colleagues. Developing an Equitable and Open Information Infrastructure DIAC-94 Sponsored by Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility (CPSR) April 23 - 24, 1994 Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Building 10-250 Cambridge, MA CPSR's Directions and Implications of Advanced Computing biannual conferences (DIAC) are explorations of the promises and threats stemming from computer technology. DIAC-94 is a two-day symposium dedicated to public interest issues related to the National Information Infrastructure (NII), the proposed next-generation "Information Superhighway." Academia, libraries, government agencies, media, and telecommunications companies, as well as public interest groups and the general public, all have a stake in the current development. The media coverage is glowing, but there are many unanswered questions: Will the NII be technology that we can all use? Who will control it? Corporations? The government? The public? And how much will it cost? KEYNOTE SPEAKER Benjamin Barber Author of Strong Democracy: Participatory Politics for a New Age Other Speakers Include: Herbert Schiller, author of Who Knows: Information in the Age of the Fortune 500 Tom Grundner, President, National Public Telecomputing Network (NPTN), Founder of the Free-Net movement PANEL DISCUSSIONS ***** The Promise and Problems of the NII ***** A small window of opportunity is now open for the public's input to the design process. This talk will give an overview of the issues at stake and the potential to influence NII development for the common good. Speaker: Beverly Hunter of Bolt, Beranek, and Newman (BBN) ***** Grassroots Initiatives in Community Networking ***** A look at independent computer network projects around the U.S. serving communities through freely accessible systems. Speakers: Tom Grundner, President of National Public Telecomputing Network Antonia Stone, Founder of Playing to Win Tony Lewis, Executive Director of The Alliance for Community Media Joyce Freeling, Founder of the Legacy Project ***** Perspectives on Technology and Information Content ***** The NII may allow for increased public access to communications. This could multiply the diversity of viewpoints in political discussion and improve the quality and variety of cultural offerings. Topics here include community cable TV, news in the future, and alternative wire services. Speakers: Herbert Schiller of the U. of California, San Diego Walter Bender, MIT Media Lab, News of the Future Group Jeff Chester, Co-Director of The Center for Media Education ***** Directing Technical and Social Change Through Public Policy ***** Communications technology is not autonomous, but is shaped by political and economic forces. Topics include the relationship between media ownership and editorial control, government regulation of communications, and libraries. Speakers: Marc Rotenberg of Computer Professionals for Social Responsibility Patrice McDermott, Policy Analyst of OMB Watch Stan Kugel, General Manager of Pilgrim Telephone Jamie Love, Director of Taxpayers Assets Project ***** Constituencies Speak Out ***** A cross-section of successes and disappointments experienced by K-12 educators, libraries, media, civic, and community organizations. WORKSHOPS The second day of the conference will feature over 25 workshops from a wide variety of community organizations, activists, and academics. There will be 6 - 8 concurrent workshops on a wide variety of topics. The preliminary list includes: Measuring the NII - Richard Civille and Ann Bishop Navigating the Net: A Non-profit Nightmare?? - Philippa Gamse Collaborative Information Retrieval: Combining Gopher and MUDs - Larry Masinter Policy and Public Services for the Global Information Infrastructure - Lee McKnight and William Drake No Free Lunch, Even in the Digital Age? - Richard Lynch Network Personality - Ted Gaiser Democracy in Cyberspace - Amy Bruckman "Serious" Uses of MUDS? - Amy Bruckman Empowerment and Intergenerational Bilingual Literacy: Parent-Child Partnerships in Long-Distance Networks - Dennis Sayers Culturally Appropriate Software - Bob Barbour A Post Modern View of National Information Infrastructure - Bob Barbour Defining Universal Service: Functions or Technologies? - Susan Hadden The Rhetorical History of NII - Steve Fuller The Political Rhetoric of NII - Steve Fuller Re-Imagining Information Infrastructure in Contemporary Everyday Life - David Levinger, Gender Gridlock on the Internet Superhighway - Christine Borgman, Sarah Douglas, Cheris Kramarae The NII and the Rest of Us - Jim Davis Decision Making via the Information Infrastructure - Craig Smilovitz Metaphors along the Information Highway - Mark Ackerman Introduction to the Internet - Michael Barrow NII: Public or private? Defining research parameters - Woody Dowling Nonprofits on the Net: A Missing Link - Philippa Gamse, Terry Grunwald Developing Computer Ethics Case Studies - Heinz C. Luegenbiehl Preservation of ethnic identity through electronic telecommunications - Louis Leroy The Internet and the Visually Impaired - Joseph J. Lazzaro, Brian K. Charlson Intellectual Freedom: Parks, Streets, Sidewalks and ...Cyberspace? Free Speech in the New Public Square - Anne Levinson Penway and Paul Vermouth Playing to Win and the Community Computing Center Movement - Antonia Stone and Peter Miller The Greater Boston Community-Wide Education and Information Services Organizing Project - Marlene Archer, The Boston Computer Society, et al MISANET: The Southern African Press on the Net - Philip Machanick, Ronnie Apteker, Philip Green, and Thomas McWalter Securing the Information Infrastructure: New Crimes, Criminals, and Liabilities in the Post-Hacker Era - Sanford Sherizen Public Access Television: A Model for Community Access to the Information Infrastructure - Rika Walsh, Abigail Norman, Susan Fleischmann PROCEEDINGS Proceedings from the conference will be included in the conference fee available for purchase from the CPSR National Office. CABLE BROADCAST DIAC-94 will be cablecast in the Boston area by Cambridge Community TV, and broadcast nationally by satellite. DIAC PROGRAM COMMITTEE Amy Bruckman, Nikki Draper, Harry Hoccheiser, Hans Klein, Dave Levinger, Matthew Marx, Aki Namioka, Andrew Oram, Marc Rotenberg, Doug Schuler, Barbara Simon, Craig Smilovitz, Paul Vermouth, Coralee Whitcomb REGISTRATION INFORMATION Registration begins each day at 8:30 AM. Members $50; Non-members $75; Low Income and Student $25. One day only: $40. Send check to: CPSR/Boston, P.O. Box 962, Cambridge, MA 02142. The member price is for members of CPSR and co-sponsors (see below). Name ____________________________________________________________ Affiliation _____________________________________________________ Address _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ _________________________________________________________ Phone __________________________ Fax ____________________________ E-Mail __________________________________________________________ If you are a member of a co-sponsoring organization, list it here: _________________________________________________________________ Co-sponsors: Apple Library at Apple Computer, Inc., Cambridge Community TV, Center for Media Education, The Internet Society, MIT Communication Forum, Morino Foundation, O'Reilly & Associates Endorsers: Access Media, American Library Association (Intellectual Freedom Committee), Benton Foundation, Boston Computer Society (Social Impact, Public Services, and Education Groups), Center for Art Research, Center for Civic Networking, Chester County Interlink, Citizens for Media Literacy, Civil Liberties Union of Massachusetts, Communications Workers of America (District 1), Consortium for School Networks, Freedom House, Loka Institute, M.I.T. Press, Massachusetts Teachers Association, MassCUE (Computer Using Educators), Massachusetts Cable Educational Television, National Public Telecomputing Network, New England Computers and Social Change Organizing Committee, OMB Watch, Playing to Win, Mayor Kenneth E. Reeves (City of Cambridge) Taxpayer Assets Project, Technology Education Council of Somerville/Somerville Community Computing Center For more information on the conference or if your organization would like to become a co-sponsor or endorser contact Coralee Whitcomb, 617-356-4309, [log in to unmask] or Hans Klein, [log in to unmask] OUT-OF-TOWNERS Accommodations: We recommend the use of Boston Reservations for overnight accommodations. They are able to arrange reservations anywhere from luxury hotels to Bed and Breakfasts for prices ranging from $180 - $60. They can be reached by phone: (617) 332-4199 Fax: (617) 332-5751. Directions from the Airport: Taxi fares will run from $20-$22. Limousine service is available to most downtown hotels for $7.50. Public Transportation Take the free Massport bus to the subway (T) station. Subway Fare $.85 Take the Blue line inbound toward Boston, 4 stops to the Government Center Station. Use the stairs to go up to the Green Line on the next level. On the WESTBOUND side of the platform, take any train 1 stop to Park Street Station. Change to the Red Line towards Alewife and get off in 2 stops at Kendall Square station. Driving Go through Sumner Tunnel after exiting the airport. Stay left in tunnel. Take the least sharp right upon exiting tunnel toward Storrow Drive. Exit at Storrow Drive/Cambridge staying left. Exit left at Longfellow Bridge and cross bridge. You are now in Kendall Square. DIRECTIONS TO 10-250 Anyone who has ever visited Boston or Cambridge knows that city planning was non-existent back in the early days of these cities. Finding your way to room 10-250 may prove to be a very typical Boston adventure. DON'T BE AFRAID TO ASK DIRECTIONS, it gives us a chance to show off. Coming from the T (subway) You will get off at the Kendall Square stop. Proceed to the side of Main St. ACROSS from the Marriott Hotel. Walk straight to the street behind the T station (Carleton St. but there is no sign). Proceed to the cross street (Amherst) and turn right to the cross street (Ames) and turn left to Memorial Drive. The river should be on your left. Proceed to Memorial Drive with MIT buildings on your right until you see a large open "court". Enter the building directly to the back of that "court". This is 10. Room 250 is across the hall. There will be big signs to guide you from the T entrance. By car Find a place to park - ha! The easiest directions are to enter the main entrance of MIT (the big, impressive staircase on Mass. Ave.). Proceed across the lobby and down what is known as the Infinite Corridor. Continue through the twists and turns until there are big windows looking out onto a "court" on the right. Room 250 should be on your left. There will be signs to guide you. Weather: Who knows! Usually it is cool and springlike in late April - but we're setting an alltime record for snowfall this year... ****** END OF FORWARDED MESSAGE ******