Technical Poverty

The following is a excerpt from an email to a wonderful married couple I know. It attempted to explain one wish. Unbeknown to many, there are people like Brian Dykes, Peter Dyett and Kenn Hyslop who in the little ways and unseen ways that try to keep the poor free of technical poverty. Their names should be mention in a little honor roll somewhere apart from a small online blog.

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Good to see you've survive those Eastern journeys except for the Montreal visit in a couple of days.

In reply to number 4. I am already a volunteer at one of those programs. They do go on under the radar. Out of the light of social scrutiny. My little contribution presently is at the Fred Victor Centre Computer Clubs under Brian Dykes. Thats exactly what we do. The club takes older computers, used computers, so that they are reasonably usable even for word processors. And they are quickly gobbled up.

The real problem is that a lot of whole systems in the social service centres are now reaching their maximum technical lifetime all at once. And used systems will not do. A used system costs the same amount to install and license.

Further, social service centres such as social services which did not have computer access to the internet find it difficult to allocate resources to install such now necessary systems. Street Haven last I heard was one of those places. Established systems, heavily used, very necessary computer systems such as found at the Good Neighbours Club are a decade old now.

Microsoft/Bill Gates did develop systems for students and some youth centres about five years ago. This was a great gesture. Those systems are now about 5 years old though which is about 66% effective technical lifetime.

Most of these systems were part of a fury of computerization and renovation in the years leading up to 2yk. Social services could then get a system on demand literally. It was a social effort. But that was 8 years ago. So all these systems are now, due for replacement. And almost all at once.

I quite understand the position of the social service agencies. Government spending on the homeless, under-housed, mental health, disabled, unemployed hasn't matched the increases in income or poverty level despite the oratory to the contrary. The priorities are Food, Shelter, Health, Clothing, Counseling, HARM, Abuse, Employment assistance. All those are extremely important priorities. Fred Victor Centre did maintain an operating budget on the computer services and there is a constant upgrade. Unfortunately for other service agencies they did not have the same foresight and quite understandably, they moved those budgeted funds to the more necessary priorities. But Peter is now knocking on the door "Hey Paul, Waddup?"

What I am concerned is that the multitude people trapped in such financial poverty, social class poverty may also be at the edge of another disadvantage and that is a technical poverty. Such an advent construes social catastrophe. So much of our modern society now totally depends on computers and the internet.

You see I was standing outside Queen's Park's MacDonald Block several years ago when the power failed in Ontario and New York. As a result all work stopped. I mean everything from traffic to the bureaucracy. They had no usable computers.

Ten years, just a decade before that, these same people would have gone back in and continued to work the government's gargantuan work. People were happy of course. It was late summer, and the weather was great. But all business ceased and a crush of quiet descended on an entire city.

People who have an income will now spend some small part of their labour's stipend on computers and the internet. It is necessary to keep their jobs. It is now necessary to get jobs. Its now essential to download music from the internet. Music stores are now closing left right and centre. In an other ten years music will all be downloaded.

So in one moment the poor are disadvantaged by a lack of proper nutrition, proper housing, proper health response. Now add on a lack of vital

As you can see, I am heavily involved in this but I have no contact with Bill Gates or no one important at all. I am not in his social circle or any other recognized social circle. I am very poor. Money means status. Had I such a contact with Bill Gates and government leaders, I would state the need, not only for Toronto but this has to be going on in every major municipality from coast to coast to coast. In Canada and the USA for that matter. I would say. Hey this is "your" idea. {All this} is happening.

But since I am not in that position, socially, financially, healthily, a complete social outcast in other words. I am afraid people like Mr. Dykes effort, and my effort will be lost. And it is going to be another wish unfulfilled.

On the other hand. Maybe the CBC can stereoize Toronto's CBC One. I don't know. Its an achievable thing. And necessary.