After work, I went with Kim to the last screening of Digital Compassion at the Substation garden, near Fat Frog’s. The films in general were not baaad, but I particularly liked Galen’s work for its depth as well as his effort in addressing the DC issue itself. Essentially, what is the relevance of technology, if people cannot feed themselves?
This was highlighted in East Timor, where a lucky few receive training in the digital arts. On the streets, children beg for food and people sleep in carts. Public telephones have no keypads to dial on. To quote the movie, technology there is something everybody wants, but nobody needs.
Conversely, in affluent New York, a videographer tells us how he sees technology as a means of communicating to the outside world what September 11 was like. In such a situation, a balance needs to be drawn between respect for the dead and freedom of information.
You can still catch the movies online at the Digital Compassion website.