Cuba USA
I've come across a video and a short post that give a sense of what it is like to get Internet access in Cuba.
The short post describes a frustrating session at an Internet access centers. It reminded me immediately of a time I tried to exchange currency in Moscow during the Soviet Union days. I stood in line for about half an hour, and when I finally got to the front of the line, the woman behind the counter placed a "gone for lunch" sign in front of her window and walked away without a word.
The video, Redes.cu, shows three Internet users. The woman shown below is a blogger at a university and has Internet access as part of her job. The two men have a hard time getting online. In all three cases, we hear the alternating static/squeal sound of a dial-up modem handshake when they connect.
I've included screen shots of their working environments below. Note that the blogger has a laptop, which is docked to a computer display. It seems that she works from home. In another shot, we see that she also has a large, SLR camera for taking pictures.
The men are also working at home, and have large monitors. The one with the guitar on the wall is driving his with a laptop that seems to be running Excel. I suspect the monitors are TV sets with low resolution connections, since what looks like a spreadsheet with only about 6 columns fills the screen, but that is speculation. Note that it looks like there is a phone and tablet on the table behind him.
The other man repairs iPhones and it looks like his monitor may be connected to an iPhone in front of it. He also has what seems to be an Apple keyboard and a tablet. He speaks of jail-breaking and spoofing Apple -- I suspect one might find novel applications running on Cuban smart phones. Again, I am reminded of the past -- of riding in old cars, kept running by innovative part repair and fabrication. (Here is an example).
What could these people be doing if they had high speed access to the Internet?
- Can There Be A Uniquely Cuban Internet?
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- Home Connectivity Is Coming 4q 2014 And There Are 11,000 Nauta Accounts
EFE reports that ETECSA plans to offer home Internet connectivity in the fourth quarter of 2014. They also hinted that some mobile connectivity may be offered at that time. The connections will use DSL, not dial up, according to Jorge Legrá, Director...
- Two Videos Say Internet Access In Cuba Is Rare And Difficult -- Duh
Havana Times has a review of "Ojos que te miran: Entre redes" (Eyes That Look at You: Among the Networks), a 13 minute documentary on Internet access in Cuba. The documentary points out the well known limitations on Cuban Internet access and questions...
- Updated Cuban Ict Statistics
Cuba’s National Office of Statistics and Information (ONE) released their annual report on Information and Communication Technology in June, 2012. The Internet-related statistics shown here indicate relatively little change. let’s consider each of...
- Is This Man A Specialist In Cybernetic Counterintelligence?
Eduardo Fontes SuárezA 53 minute video of Eduardo Fontes Suárez giving a presentation on the US attempts at cyber war against Cuba was recently leaked and put online. I won't say more about that because you can read an excellent discussion...
Cuba USA
Young professionals online in Havana
I've come across a video and a short post that give a sense of what it is like to get Internet access in Cuba.
The short post describes a frustrating session at an Internet access centers. It reminded me immediately of a time I tried to exchange currency in Moscow during the Soviet Union days. I stood in line for about half an hour, and when I finally got to the front of the line, the woman behind the counter placed a "gone for lunch" sign in front of her window and walked away without a word.
The video, Redes.cu, shows three Internet users. The woman shown below is a blogger at a university and has Internet access as part of her job. The two men have a hard time getting online. In all three cases, we hear the alternating static/squeal sound of a dial-up modem handshake when they connect.
I've included screen shots of their working environments below. Note that the blogger has a laptop, which is docked to a computer display. It seems that she works from home. In another shot, we see that she also has a large, SLR camera for taking pictures.
The men are also working at home, and have large monitors. The one with the guitar on the wall is driving his with a laptop that seems to be running Excel. I suspect the monitors are TV sets with low resolution connections, since what looks like a spreadsheet with only about 6 columns fills the screen, but that is speculation. Note that it looks like there is a phone and tablet on the table behind him.
The other man repairs iPhones and it looks like his monitor may be connected to an iPhone in front of it. He also has what seems to be an Apple keyboard and a tablet. He speaks of jail-breaking and spoofing Apple -- I suspect one might find novel applications running on Cuban smart phones. Again, I am reminded of the past -- of riding in old cars, kept running by innovative part repair and fabrication. (Here is an example).
What could these people be doing if they had high speed access to the Internet?
- Can There Be A Uniquely Cuban Internet?
I don't criticize to knock the system down. On the contrary, I criticize to perfect the system. Cuban blogger Carlos Alberto Pérez The first instance of citizen journalism on the Internet was during the Soviet Coup attempt of 1991, where it was used...
- Home Connectivity Is Coming 4q 2014 And There Are 11,000 Nauta Accounts
EFE reports that ETECSA plans to offer home Internet connectivity in the fourth quarter of 2014. They also hinted that some mobile connectivity may be offered at that time. The connections will use DSL, not dial up, according to Jorge Legrá, Director...
- Two Videos Say Internet Access In Cuba Is Rare And Difficult -- Duh
Havana Times has a review of "Ojos que te miran: Entre redes" (Eyes That Look at You: Among the Networks), a 13 minute documentary on Internet access in Cuba. The documentary points out the well known limitations on Cuban Internet access and questions...
- Updated Cuban Ict Statistics
Cuba’s National Office of Statistics and Information (ONE) released their annual report on Information and Communication Technology in June, 2012. The Internet-related statistics shown here indicate relatively little change. let’s consider each of...
- Is This Man A Specialist In Cybernetic Counterintelligence?
Eduardo Fontes SuárezA 53 minute video of Eduardo Fontes Suárez giving a presentation on the US attempts at cyber war against Cuba was recently leaked and put online. I won't say more about that because you can read an excellent discussion...