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November 15, 2005
Can't Stand the Heat? Get Out of the Expo
One thing a lot of people have been talking about at WSIS is the uneven distribution of air conditioning at the Kram Palexpo. For example, the ICT4All expo is divided into two areas, basically housed under giant circus tents. (I'll let someone else make a comment about the irony of that.) In one area, the air is cool and pleasant; in the other, it's stifling hot and uncomfortable.
For example, the TakingITGlobal Youth Hub is located near where the two areas intersect. Everyone working there is in a constant state of sweatiness. It's taking its toll on TakingITGlobal; less people are visiting the booth because it's so uncomfortable. Even worse, it seems like it's beginning to affect equipment: their DVD player kept freezing up at random, and Nick Moraitis and I feared it's because of the high temps.
I guess there are two ways of looking at this. On the one hand, NGOs and other exhibitors paid serious money for display space at WSIS, and having arbitrary cooling throughout the expo means that some of that money might as well have been flushed down a toilette. Clearly (and in this case, quite literally) the circus tent-like atmosphere in the Expo hall means that some groups are getting shafted while others stay comfy cozy.
On the other hand, isn't this just another manifestation of the digital divide? I've lost track of the number of telecentres I've visited that don't keep any lights on because it's already so damn hot. Air conditioning may seem like a pre-requisite for a community center, but that's just for us spoiled northerners. Try visiting a telecentre in rural Ghana or Bangladesh - I wouldn't count on A/C. For them, this means greater challenges in keeping equipment functional and visitors happy. It's so easy to assume that most telecentres have some kind of environmental control systems but I would guess the opposite is true. So for the next few days, at least, the hundreds of exhibitors will get to experience this rarely discussed aspect of the digital divide - those communities who can afford to live in cool comfort and those who have to deal with mother nature.... -andy
Posted by acarvin at November 15, 2005 5:26 PM
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