Wild but wired? The construction of society and technology in rural Strathclyde.

This study critically examines the co-construction of society and technology in rural Strathclyde during the late 1990s. A range of uses of information and communications technology (ICT) - spanning employment, community development and education – is accounted for, in a variety of highly localised settings on the islands of Arran, Islay and Jura and the Kintyre peninsula. Explanation is offered as to why certain outcomes have been arrived at. The reflexive relationship between technology and society is then highlighted, as it is shown that the challenge of introducing ICT to the region has affected change in local governance structures, catalysing new partnerships while challenging existing power relations. Building upon recent work in rural studies relating to the post-productivist countryside, theories derived from the sociology of science (specifically Social Construction of Technology and Actor Network Theory approaches) are employed in an attempt to heighten understanding of local sensitivity to 'globalising' technologies. A qualitative methodology is employed, consisting of depth interviews conducted with leading local actors throughout 1997 and 1998. The narratives give insight into these actors' beliefs and motivation as they have attempted to guide the innovation, diffusion and application of ICT in the region. Critical insight is sought as to how their frequently conflicting understanding of rural needs acts as a constraint upon the contingency of technical development locally, prompting certain courses of action to be favoured above others. The study draws more generally upon the experiences of rural Strathclyde to build a model of local sensitivity to technical change in the countryside. It is argued that the power to act rests in many hands and that those local actors who possess the necessary skills and resources to act as 'conduits' - linking local and 'global' circuits of production and consumption - do not always behave in ways that optimise local outcomes. Only under certain conditions can the effective deployment of ICT enable 'powerful' localities to act competitively 'at a distance' in seeking new trade and investment. It is argued that failure to appreciate the diversity of possible local responses to the provision of ICT has sometimes left policy-makers with exaggerated expectations for technically driven rural restructuring

Desenvolvimento de um modelo de segurança no gerenciamento de contabilidade baseado na arquitetura TINA

Dissertação (mestrado) - Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Centro Tecnológico. Programa de Pós-Graduação em Ciência da Computação.O contínuo crescimento das redes de telecomunicações e das aplicações multimídia para a internet tem despertado interesse não só de pesquisadores, como também de profissionais da área de redes de computadores e de usuários em geral. Neste cenário, os fornecedores necessitam de mecanismos para se assegurarem que irão receber pelos serviços que estão disponibilizando, e os usuários também precisam ter a garantia de que pagarão exatamente pelo que solicitaram. Todos estes serviços e informações podem ser alvos de ataques, e estes ataques podem ser provenientes de dentro da própria rede ou por indivíduos externos a esta rede. Neste contexto, o TINAC (Telecommunications Information Networking Architecture Consortium) desenvolveu uma arquitetura detalhada para as redes de comunicação multi-serviço que permite o acesso às informações entre provedores e usuários em tempo-real, dentro de um ambiente seguro e confiável. Neste trabalho, será discutido as características e os requisitos de contabilidade e segurança dentro do contexto do gerenciamento de contabilidade. Um modelo para a segurança da contabilidade TINA é proposto utilizando os conceitos de segurança multilateral, o qual permite o estabelecimento de relações seguras entre os diversos participantes TINA. Por fim, um protótipo será implementado para validar os conceitos apresentados

Virtual Reality and Reality: The East Asian NICS and the Global Trading System

In this study, the GATT/WTO system will first be distinguished from the actual global trade regime as it developed in the context of the emerging East Asian economies. Next will follow a brief narrative history of the rise of the East. Asian NICs from a less than idealistic perspective. With the historical context in place, the article then delves into the concept of fairness and the WTO dispute settlement mechanism, placing the rules embodied in the procedure in situational context vis-a-vis developing countries. The changing center of gravity within the system is then illustrated by discussion of the WTO\u27s shift in policy towards intellectual property and services. Finally, the article concludes with an analysis of the recent East Asian economic crisis and its effect on the global trading order