| |
Dr Joseph Ng -- Take The Next Step Toward An Ubiquitous Information Society
|
  |
Since 2002, when Japan changed her national policy from e-Japan to u-Japan (Ubiquitous Japan), some of us in Hong Kong has been pushing our government to make Hong Kong a ubiquitous information society to maintain our leading role in using ICT. The concept of ubiquitous society can be realized by the 5A model, that is, one can retrieve and utilize Any Data, through Any Network using Any Device, Anytime and Anywhere.
So it was encouraging to see that the government is finally taking the initiatives to catch up by rolling out the GovWiFi. GovWiFi
|
aims to provide free wireless Internet access services to all citizens by installing Wi-Fi facilities at designated government premises which include public libraries, cultural and recreational centres, community halls and public parks.
However, GovWiFi is at most a start. First of all, the government should take the lead and join forces with the wireless Internet service providers to weave a complete wireless network for Hong Kong. Second, having an infrastructure to provide Internet access is only enabling the possibility to build a ubiquitous society, one have to provide services, and in particular, location-based services to realize the power of ubiquitous computing. In this front, we have been pushing the government or a neutral body to host a easily accessible database that keeps track of the locations of the WLAN access points such that solution providers and application builders can rely on this database to provide useful location based services and killer applications for making Hong Kong a true ubiquitous society.
Although there are issues related to security and privacy that needs to be taken care of, we are confident that Hong Kong does have professionals and expertise that can overcome these challenges, and truly make Hong Kong a ubiquitous information society, at last.
Dr Joseph Ng
Professor, Dept of Computer Science,
Hong Kong Baptist University
Communications Association of Hong Kong 25th Anniversary Dinner
Organized by CAHK
Date: Friday June 27, 2008
Time: 7:45pm - 11:30pm
Venue: Chater Room, Club House, Hong Kong Jockey Club
Charge: $1,000 (Member), $1,200 (Non-Member)
Information: info@cahk.hk
Charles's First Facebook Friends Meeting
Date: Monday June 30, 2008
Time: 6:30pm - 8:30pm
Venue: People's Recreation Community, 1/F, 18 Russell Street, Causeway Bay
Signup: Click here
|
| Jul 1 (Tue) |
14:30 – |
July 1 March at Victoria Park
|
| Jul 2 (Wed) |
14:30 – |
Transport Advisory Committee meeting
|
| |
17:00 – |
2008 Seminar on Copyright Reforms in the Digital Age
Venue: Foundation Chamber, G/F, Eliot Hall, The University of Hong Kong
Details to be announced
|
| Jul 4 (Fri) |
12:00 – |
Fujitsu Solution Forum -- Session on "Green IT -- Cost vs. Environmental Consideration"
Venue: Grand Ballroom, JW Marriott
|
| Jul 7 (Mon) |
18:00 – |
Green IT -- An Inconvenient Truth for IT?
Venue: Tin Ka Ping Lecture Theatre (LT-1), 4/F, Academic Building, City University of Hong Kong
Details: http://www.hkaim.org/ITTALK/
|
|
From HKITF to HKISPA
I started working with IT industry organizations in 1995, when the infamous "ISP raid" took place. Internet service providers (ISPs) felt the need to gather and we formed the Hong Kong Internet Service Providers Association (HKISPA), with the support from the Hong Kong Information Technology Federation (HKITF)
|
HKITF press conference making IT policy recommendations to Government in Oct 2001
|
and its President, Anthony Au.
I was HKISPA's Founding Secretary, under the leadership of Daniel Ng (now President of HKITF). Later on, I became Chairman in 1998-2000, and our top concerns then were fair competition -- especially against predatory practices of the incumbent -- and the "digital divide" issue of the time -- the lowering of the PNETS charges for dialup Internet access.
In 2001, I succeeded Anthony as the President of HKITF. HKITF, founded in 1980, was among the oldest of IT trade association in Hong Kong. In my four years as Chairman, I focused on supporting Hong Kong's software and IT service industry, which forms the core of our IT sector. We undertook major initiatives to upgrade our core competency by conducting the first CMM promotion program, and externally coordinated campaigns to promote our IT outsourcing service companies to Mainland partners and clients in Europe, America and Japan.
We also implemented the IT Solution Directory with the support of the SME Development Fund, and collaborated with our counterparts in Guangzhou municipality to leverage on the Hong Kong version to develop a Mainland version. In 2003, in the aftermath of SARS, we were commissioned by the Government to "Do IT! Small Enterprise Support Scheme," and a series of study on the use of IT in the travel sector.
So for ten years, my colleagues and I worked on concrete industry issues, from 1995 to 2005. Somebody has to do the right things, and I am glad I have been in good company through the years.
Charles Mok
charlespmok@gmail.com
|
|
|
|
Keeping Our Edge In Infrastructure
|
Hong Kong owes our economic success to our excellent telecommunications infrastructure and liberalized regulatory regime. But crises are lurking underneath a calm surface.
Take an example -- Internet data
|
IDC/ISPs Meeting with Mr Nicholas Brooke, 2008.06.16 |
centers. Did you know that Hong Kong is out of usable data center space? As demands grow in Hong Kong, some IDC companies are beginning to have to turn customers away to Singapore!
Ironically, back in January 2001, it was proposed (initially by HKCS and later accepted by the Government) that Hong Kong should be positioned as a regional center for data centers, as part of the Government's action plan in response to China's 11th Five Years Plan. But nothing has even been done after the fanfare!
In February 2008, I arranged a meeting for ISPs and IDCs with the Innovation and Technology Commission and HKSTP. We told the Government that according to property consultants, there is simply no available spaces for IDCs that satisfy the conditions on the facilities. But the officials only promised to conduct their own consulting study, and then determine what to do next.
I was not satisfied with the outcome, so I contacted Mr Nicholas Brooke, the chairman of HKSTP, in escalation. On June 16, Mr Brooke told us a piece of good news. Apparently HKSTP has received clearance from the Secretary of Commerce and Economic Development and the Lands Department that HKSTP can do business with IDC companies, under certain reasonable business terms and arrangement. I am now liaising between the Government and the industry to make sure an open, transparent and fair scheme is offered for IDC companies.
This is just one story with a happy ending. But it is a warning sign to Hong Kong that we ought to plan more, better, and longer. It will no longer be competitive for us to fix things after they are broken.
Charles Mok
charlespmok@gmail.com
改善土地政策發展數據基建服務：http://charlesmok.blogspot.com/2008/06/blog-post_23.html
|
The Origin of Spam
Do you know why junk emails are called spam? Here's what started it all, the 1970 Monty Python sketch -- a must-see for IT people!
|
|
Respect -- Aretha Franklin
<click for YouTube video> |
 |
Somehow this week I keep thinking about this classic from 41 years ago -- Aretha Franklin's "Respect." We IT people in Hong Kong needs respect. But we must gain respect by first making integrity our priority. Act in honor and beyond reproach. R-E-S-P-E-C-T.
|
|
