Here's a photo of a directional antenna that can transmit Wi-Fi Internet several miles. Anyone can build one with materials from a hardware store; you can even download the blueprint online for free. Over the past 18 months or so, the antennas have been appearing around Jalalabad, a former Taliban stronghold in Afghanistan. Of the ways in which it differs from a traditional wireless access point, the most profound is that it lacks an electronics company logo. It wasn't created by a government either, but it could become the new symbol of infrastructure rebuilding in Afghanistan and around the world.

The organization behind the antennas is Fab Lab, an international network of community workshops. Fab Lab helps residents install the antennas and, even more importantly, learn how to use them. These may not be the most sophisticated antennas, but they work. They're inexpensive and easy to repair, qualities more important in Afghanistan than a good warranty.

Originally an MIT project with a modest National Science Foundation grant, Fab Labs are becoming important resources in some of the most troubled communities on the planet. Individuals can come to Fab Labs to pick up computer and production skills in order to make themselves more employable or start their own businesses. Through projects like the Wi-Fi antennas, Fab Labs empower citizens to play an active role in building and rebuilding their communities. In this great TED Talk, Neil Gershenfeld summarizes the history of Fab Lab and suggests that the labs are democratizing technology by turning consumers into creators. I've been aware of Fab Lab for a few months now and I'm enamored.

In Afghanistan, the lab is actually part of a growing network of loosely-affiliated organizations and individuals taking a do-it-yourself approach to rebuilding. These people make up in creativity what they lack in institutional funding. Take, for example, the Taj, the only bar in Eastern Afghanistan (apparently a tiki bar, no less). A natural gathering point for military people, contractors, and NGOs, the Taj is an obvious place for people who might not otherwise meet to trade information. Dave Warner had the idea to set up a simple 1 TB hard drive in the bar for storing and sharing data. Now, the "Beer for Data" program has grown into a major source of information and collaboration for NGOs. In this talk, Warner explains how the program made it possible for a worldwide network of NGOs and activists to work together to monitor Afghanistan's 2009 election.

Vinay Gupta asked activist Smari McCarthy about Fab Lab, Beer for Data, and other innovations in an excellent long interview earlier this year. A question that comes up again and again is why these sorts of projects can't find more funding (Fab Lab Jalalabad's monthly expenses are a mere $1500). McCarthy posits that governments won't support Fab Lab because it makes too much sense, a joke with more than a hint of truth.

I find it inspiring to read about organizations doing profoundly important work with next to no budget. Technology in particular is an area in which it's sometimes hard to see past the price tag. But some projects don't require a grant or a large tech allotment; sometimes you just need a good idea and a trip to the hardware store.

Check out this short interview Kim Hart of The Hill conducted with TechSoup CEO Marnie Webb. Marnie's been in Washington this week talking about how best to leverage the new broadband stimulus grants on behalf of underserved populations.

... Webb admits she is naive to the ways of Washington. As she meets with non-governmental organizations and agency officials, she has to stress that she is not looking for financial help. TechSoup did not apply for any money in the first round of stimulus grants. She's thought of talking to the staff of her district's representative, who happens to be House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, but she knows she'll have a hard time getting an audience.

"I have to say, 'No really, I'm not asking for money - this is not a sneaky way of asking for more funds,'" she said over coffee this morning.

Webb says she essentially wants to offer TechSoup's services to help stretch the $7 billion in stimulus grant money as far as it will go.

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TechSoup Global has been rapidly expanding over the course of the past few years, with new nonprofit partners launched in 32 countries around the world (and many others on the way!)

Our partner in New Zealand participated in a party hosted by Microsoft New Zealand to celebrate their first anniversary of being part of the TechSoup Global Network. Microsoft helped support their launch and product donation program throughout organizations across New Zealand. You can read more about the event here. They created a great video that features some of the charities and social benefit organizations which have benefited from the donation program (and support) so far. Check out the clip from YouTube below the fold.

Barbara has blogged here before about the new TechSoup Limited offerings available to nonprofits and libraries on a limited basis. It was just brought to my attention that there are four TS Limited products that organizations and libraries are allowed to re-distribute to their constituents, members, and individual supporters.

Our donor partner, PC Tools has made their Internet Security, Registry Mechanic, Spyware Doctor, and famous Spyware Doctor with Antivirus broadly available to nonprofits and libraries — and now to your members and users as well. 

Each of the three products includes 3 licences that can be installed on 3 different machines (for a total of 9 installations) so not only can your organization use their spyware, antivirus, and registry cleaning tools to keep your computers functioning well, but you can share them with the individuals you serve. According to the restrictions:

June marked the launch of two new international TechSoup partners: Japan and Kenya, bringing the total count of TechSoup Global Network partners to 24 (not including the original U.S. TechSoup).

TechSoup's Partner NGO in Japan is the Tokyo-based Japan NPO Center, which hosted a successful launch event at the Tokyo International Forum. Present were 48 representatives from Japanese nonprofit organizations, as well as representatives from Symantec Japan, Microsoft Japan, and Adobe Japan.

TechSoup Kenya is a collaborative effort by SANGONeT/NGO Pulse and Arid Lands Information Network (ALIN). The TechSoup Kenya donation program provides nonprofit organizations in Kenya with software for very low fees in conjunction with ICT donor partners, as well as by supporting NGOs to make the most of their ICT purchases and infrastructure.

Congratulations to all, and welcome to TechSoup Japan and TechSoup Kenya!

Check out this sweet pic of many representatives from our global partner organizations which participated in a recent Partner Summit here in San Francisco. Good people, good times.

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The start of June brought the official launch of TechSoup for Libraries, where librarians can find stories from the field, hear from experts on libraries and technology, stay up-to-date on the latest offerings from TechSoup, participate in online and offline events, and learn about a new TechSoup product each month.

While the site is intended for primarily for libraries and nonprofit friends of libraries, nonprofits just might want to check it out as well. Have questions or comments about the new site? Email bhough (at) techsoupglobal.org.

Join TechSoup and Microsoft Learning experts on Wednesday, June 10, 11:00 a.m. Pacific for Roadmap to Microsoft Training Resources for a virtual tour of resources to get the most of our using Microsoft applications.

Being a proficient computer user can save you hundreds of hours over the course of a year. But learning to be proficient is easier said than done. There is an abundance of free training resources out there, but navigating those sites and understanding how to find what you're looking for can be a challenge.

This webinar will walk you through several resources from Microsoft that will help you, your staff, or your constituents get the training they need to use Microsoft software more confidently.

There's an interesting discussion happening on MetaFilter about how to use the Web with bandwidth limitations. The user who started the discussion has only mobile broadband access, so he was trying to keep his costs down. But I think a lot of the recommendations would be equally useful for people with dial-up Internet access or other slower connections.

Here are some of my favorite suggestions:

• Rather than visiting all of the Web sites you need to see every day, start using RSS feeds.
• Most Web browsers allow you to disable all images: they'll simply appear as rectangles. When you need to see an image, you can have the browser load them automatically. Similarly, Flashblock lets you choose when to load Flash elements.
• Firefox Throttle is a Firefox plug-in that monitors your bandwidth usage. If you're paying for mobile access by the megabyte, then something like this is essential.
• But on the other hand, your Web browser isn't the only program that hogs your Internet access. Use Comodo Internet Security to control when and how other applications are going online.
• Disable prefetch. Firefox has an engine that preloads the most popular pages on a site when you first visit that site. I've had marked improvements in performance after disabling prefetch, even on a fast connection.

Photo: Cindy Seigle, CC license

Update: Donations of Encarta are still available at TechSoup Stock for qualifying nonprofits and public libraries, but they must be processed by May 27. The electronic encyclopedia is available either as a standalone product or packaged with Microsoft Student. Either donation is available for an administrative fee of three dollars.

Geekdad reports that Microsoft will discontinue Encarta at the end of 2009. Some people have responded to the news with little more than bemusement that Encarta lasted as long as it did, and many have pointed to Wikipedia as Encarta's killer and successor.

Encarta itself has a strange and fascinating history. Many of the original articles were purchased from Funk & Wagnalls Standard Encyclopedia under a non-exclusive contract. As Microsoft edited and refined the encyclopedia, they also wrote multiple versions of many articles to account for different countries' perspectives and priorities. According to a report (451 KB PDF) from the Kellogg School of Management at Northwestern University, Microsoft had originally approached Encyclopædia Britannica with the concept, but Britannica felt that a CD-ROM version would diminish the demand for the much-more-expensive print version. The report goes on to explain how Britannica finally implemented a CD-ROM version in 1994, just one year after Encarta's launch: first as an add-on to the print version, then for just under $1000, and finally for only $200. But by then, it was too late: Encarta had completely cornered the market. It's interesting to wonder how Encarta's history would have played out differently had it partnered with Britannica instead of Funk & Wagnalls.

The National Cyber Security Alliance (NCVA), a nonprofit that serves to promote online security awareness and education, just launched their new initiative at the RSA 2009 conference. Named C-SAVE, for Cyber Security Awareness Volunteer Education Program, it is a program "to encourage and support security and IT professionals as well as other knowledgeable about cyber security to put their knowledge and expertise to work in local schools."

In their featured session, Executive Director Michael Kaiser outlined the importance of not only educating young people about online best practices, but also gave examples of the impact on their families and communities as more people become better informed. We sometimes forget the fact that many of us learn about computers, networks, and security as adults. Although many of our children are more adept with technology overall, they are not as informed about privacy and security implications, and school districts need our help too. We hope that nonprofits and public libraries too can get involved in such an important mission that affects our future generation.