Keeping pace with technology: these African Americans keep up in step with emerging technologies.There is a widening gap between the information haves and have nots. Low-income earners, African Americans African American Multiculture A person having origins in any of the black racial groups of Africa. See Race. and other minority groups are skewed skewed curve of a usually unimodal distribution with one tail drawn out more than the other and the median will lie above or below the mean. skewed Epidemiology adjective Referring to an asymmetrical distribution of a population or of data largely in favor of upon the side of; favorable to; for the advantage of. See also: favor the have nots. Unless the gap in technological information and expertise is closed, these traditionally marginalized groups will be pushed even further to the sidelines--and any hope of their widespread future economic advancement dashed upon the shores of the tides of time. This vision drives many forward-thinking individuals to trumpet trumpet, brass wind musical instrument of part cylindrical, part conical bore, in the shape of a flattened loop and having three piston valves to regulate the pitch. the merits of computers and technology within their circle of friends and relatives. But this falls far short of spurring the masses of techno-illiterates to prepare for the future. Luckily, there are African Americans filling the technological knowledge gap between the haves and the have nots. The Conduit is a good example. A quarterly newsletter that seeks to bring African Americans up to speed with the technological revolution, it was created and published by Imhotech, a partnership between Ron Cadet, Joseph Mouzon, Scot Tumlin and Bill Haley Noun 1. Bill Haley - United States rock singer who was one of the first to popularize rock'n'roll music (1925-1981) Haley, William John Clifton Haley Jr. . The name Imhotech, a direct reference to Imhotep, the Egyptian father of modern medicine, was chosen to link the achievements of past Africans to today. They started the company after attending numerous conferences on emerging technologies where they typically found themselves the only African Americans in the room. "We decided that we needed to do something to familiarize African Americans with technology, and impress upon them how important it is to participate in this new medium, as soon as possible," says Mouzon. The partners recognized the best way to reach a technologically ill-informed population was through traditional means--hence the newsletter. The Conduit was launched in January 1995, after nearly a year of planning and preparation. It's an easy-to-understand guide to technology issues and terminology, with commentary on how this pertains to African Americans and other people of color Noun 1. people of color - a race with skin pigmentation different from the white race (especially Blacks) people of colour, colour, color race - people who are believed to belong to the same genetic stock; "some biologists doubt that there are important . The Conduit is available online via NetNoir and the World Wide Web (http://www.imhotech.com/conduit). The Web site will serve mainly as an archive for past issues of The Conduit, in addition to other pertinent PERTINENT, evidence. Those facts which tend to prove the allegations of the party offering them, are called pertinent; those which have no such tendency are called impertinent, 8 Toull. n. 22. By pertinent is also meant that which belongs. Willes, 319. information. For subscription details, write The Conduit, 1845 Steiner St., San Francisco San Francisco (săn frănsĭs`kō), city (1990 pop. 723,959), coextensive with San Francisco co., W Calif., on the tip of a peninsula between the Pacific Ocean and San Francisco Bay, which are connected by the strait known as the Golden , CA 94115; or call 415-563-2606. A yearly subscription is $12. Gina St. John addresses a similar need for television audiences. Co-host of C/NET Central, a half-hour, magazine-style program devoted to exploring the world of computers and digital technology, she is passionate about empowering people through information. "My job is to share the knowledge that I have regarding new products and technologies with those who don't have access to this type of information," she says. C/NET Central's coverage spans the realm of computer familiarly: from "techno techno electronic dance music that first appeared in the U.S. in the 1980s and became globally popular in the 1990s. It originated with Detroit deejay-producers who, inspired by European electro-pop, underlaid dreamy synthesizer melodies with rapid electronic rhythms. phobes" to "techno gurus." St. John's high visibility as an African American woman well-versed in technology helps others overcome lingering lin·ger v. lin·gered, lin·ger·ing, lin·gers v.intr. 1. To be slow in leaving, especially out of reluctance; tarry. See Synonyms at stay1. 2. doubts about entering the digital world. She receives loads of e-mail from members of various minority communities who wonder if the digital realm is for them. Still, St. John maintains, "At the core, it's not a race issue. It's about whether or not you want to have economic power in the coming digital economy or sit where you are and let the world pass you by." She tries to get this point across at her many speaking engagements. For African Americans, the need to embrace and understand technology is particularly pressing. "You will need a grasp of computers and technology in order to thrive in the future," asserts St. John. "African Americans have survived under the worst of conditions, but this technology will allow us to step ahead and become creators and masters in a new and open arena." C/NET Central airs on the USA Network USA Network is a popular American cable television network with about 89 million household subscribers as of 2005. The network shows a variety of original and second-run programming, from syndicated TV series to edited movies. and the Sci-Fi Channel. C/NET online is at http://www.cnet.com |
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