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TechWeb's Internet Evolution Premiers Ground-Breaking Documentary, Highlighting the Critical Importance of the Internet in the Republic of Rwanda
Wednesday, December 03, 2008
NEW YORK, Dec. 3 /PRNewswire-FirstCall/ -- Last night at an
invitation-only screening at the Sony Wonder Technology Lab, TechWeb's
Internet Evolution (www.internetevolution.com), a Web 2.0 site dedicated to
investigating the future of the Internet, premiered a ground-breaking
documentary examining how the Republic of Rwanda is attempting to use the
Internet to re-invent its economy and lift its population out of poverty. The
video is part of Internet Evolution's ongoing "Web Wide World" global
documentary series that looks at how countries around the world use the
Internet to better their societies and the lives of their citizens.
"Rwanda is a place that's infamous for the appalling genocide that took
place there less than 15 years ago, but now it wants to be famous for
something else -- as the commercial hub of sub-Saharan Africa. And Rwanda's
government views the Internet as absolutely critical to making that happen,"
said Stephen Saunders, founder of Internet Evolution, and the documentary's
presenter. "This documentary provides a unique insight into its progress in
meeting its goals -- goals that are especially vital given the current events
in that region."
The documentary tells Rwanda's story through interviews with its
population, including a former commander of the FDLR, a notorious Hutu militia
that is currently embroiled in the fighting in the Democratic Republic of the
Congo, who is now attempting to rebuild his life by studying the Internet at
the Kigali Institute of Technology in the capital of Rwanda. The documentary
also looks at the growth of the cellphone-based Internet in the neighboring
Congo. And it features extraordinary footage of Rwanda's endangered mountain
gorillas -- including the moment when a 450-pound silverback gorilla charged
Saunders during the filming of the documentary.
An Internet entrepreneur and technology journalist, Saunders was the
co-founder, president, and CEO of Light Reading (www.lightreading.com), an
online startup, which was sold to United Business Media in 2005. Saunders has
received industry recognition for his work, including six Jesse H. Neal
Editorial Achievement Awards, and has also authored two books: The Data
Communications Gigabit Ethernet Handbook (McGraw-Hill, 1998) and The
McGraw-Hill High-Speed LANs Handbook (McGraw-Hill, 1995). Most recently,
Saunders has traveled the globe discovering how the Internet is changing
people and cultures. Through real-world examples and anecdotes garnered
through this epic journey, Saunders's program reveals how the Internet is as
varied as the countries using it and is playing a vital role in improving the
quality of life for the world's population. Saunders chronicles the use of the
Internet in an engaging, straightforward approach with an irreverent tone.
Previously, the "Web Wide World" video series traveled to Iceland, India,
London, and Warsaw. Following is background information and links to the
videos:
-- Rwanda: Internet Evolution examines Rwanda's progress to date in using
the Internet to move directly from an agrarian society to a knowledge-based
economy. (http://www.internetevolution.com/rwanda)
-- Iceland: Iceland wants to become the No. 1 destination for companies
to outsource their green IT data centers.
(http://www.internetevolution.com/document.asp?doc_id=161187)
-- India: Internet Evolution visits India, where the Internet is as
varied and exciting as the country itself.
(http://www.internetevolution.com/document.asp?doc_id=151766)
-- London: London, Europe's largest capital city, is home to a slew of
innovative Internet apps.
(http://www.internetevolution.com/document.asp?doc_id=134859)
-- Warsaw: The Internet's influence is strong in Poland's capital city --
with the significant growth of citizen journalism and ecommerce opportunities.
(http://www.internetevolution.com/document.asp?doc_id=141417)
Internet Evolution has been received enthusiastically by millions of
viewers. In addition to videos, Internet Evolution offers more than one
hundred world-famous Internet experts through its ThinkerNet blogosphere,
where they blog and interact with the site's audience via message boards.
Contributors include authors, entertainment executives, musicians, economists,
politicians, CIOs, investors, activists, and Internet entrepreneurs. Internet
Evolution also features investigative reports and user-generated content
facilitated via the latest Web 2.0 technology.
About Internet Evolution
Internet Evolution hosts more than 100 world-famous Internet experts --
such as Kevin Mitnick, once the most-wanted computer hacker in the world; Dr.
Lawrence Roberts, inventor of packet switching, and one of the world's
foremost authorities on telecom network architectures; Vint Cerf, Vice
President and Chief Internet Evangelist for Google; Craig Newmark, the founder
of Craigslist.com; Paul Mockapetris, inventor of the Domain Name System (DNS);
Howard Schmidt, former White House cybersecurity adviser; and Andrew Keen,
author of Cult of the Amateur: How the Internet is killing our culture -- all
of whom are addressing today's critical socio-economic issues within the
site's ThinkerNet blogosphere. Internet Evolution also offers
broadcast-quality broadband video documentaries and interviews; investigative
reports; and user-generated content facilitated via the latest Web 2.0
technology.
About TechWeb
TechWeb, the global leader in business technology media, is an innovative
business focused on serving the needs of technology decision-makers and
marketers worldwide. TechWeb produces the most respected and consumed media
brands in the business technology market. Today, more than 13.3 million*
business technology professionals actively engage in our communities created
around our global face-to-face events Interop, Web 2.0, Black Hat and
VoiceCon; online resources such as the TechWeb Network, Light Reading,
Intelligent Enterprise, InformationWeek.com, bMighty.com, and The Financial
Technology Network; and the market leading, award-winning InformationWeek,
TechNet Magazine, MSDN Magazine, Wall Street & Technology magazines. TechWeb
also provides end-to-end services ranging from next-generation performance
marketing, integrated media, research, and analyst services.
*13.3 million business decision-makers: based on # of monthly connections
About United Business Media Limited (www.unitedbusinessmedia.com)
United Business Media Limited (UBM) is a global media and marketing
services company that informs markets and brings the world's buyers and
sellers together at events, online, in print, and with the information they
need to do business successfully. UBM serves professional and commercial
communities, from IT professionals to doctors, from journalists to jewelry
dealers, from farmers to pharmacists around the world. UBM employs more than
6,500 people in more than 30 countries. UBM's businesses operating in the US
include CMPMedica, Commonwealth Business Media, Everything Channel, PR
Newswire, RISI, TechInsights, TechWeb and Think Services. UBM is listed on the
London Stock Exchange (UBM.L) and has a market capitalization of $1.6 billion.
Contact
Alix Raine
United Business Media
516 562 7827
araine@ubm-us.com
SOURCE Internet Evolution
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