Magazine: Summer 2020 | Volume 26, No. 4
That is the reason why, for this issue of XRDS, we wanted to incorporate an inclusive vision on various processes, not only coming from the global North, but also rooted in Latin America. Knowing other people's processes is fundamental in countries such as Mexico, Costa Rica, Uruguay, and Argentina. The contributions that are part of this issue allow us to view sources in environments as diverse as an Argentinian prison and a feminist community in Costa Rica. From the defense of virtual territories of community radios to the inclusion of women biographies in the Spanish-language Wikipedia, we invite you to take a comprehensive view. Also within are processes derived from education, accessibility for non-sighted users, security applications usability, and the opening of genetic material.
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SECTION: Features
Democratizing AI?
The societal implications of computing are far-reaching. Whether it is building technologies that might save lives in the medical sector, intuitive apps that can transform personal routines at scale, or enterprise systems that ease and enhance the everyday experiences of workers, many are drawn to computing because of its potential to improve the human experience. This article considers the relationship between technology and societal transformation by looking at the topic of accessibility.
By Christine T. Wolf
View source
Can developers make communication software more usable for at-risk users they are never likely to meet?
By Mariel García-Montes
Bioleft
How can the ideals of the open source movement be applied to living, self-replicating organisms? Bioleft explores how to pursue a fair system for conserving, developing, and trading seeds working with public sector breeders and farmers hand in hand.
By Almendra Cremaschi, Patrick van Zwanenberg, Anabel Marin, Marcela Basch, Vanesa Lowenstein
"View source"
View source code is a statement about open access to knowledge. Even though you are not able to modify it, or even understand code, it is an invitation to learn and the key for balancing control and power among users and developers. In this article, we explore the potential of software to enable new practices and transform old ones.
By Lila Pagola
Libera Tu Radio
Just as corporations manage the media, large companies, such as Google, Amazon, Facebook, Apple, and Microsoft, dominate the internet. How can we liberate the digital territory? With this in mind, Red de Radios Comunitarias y Software Libre was born to offer radio stations a free and secure operating system distribution.
By Clara Elena Robayo Valencia
Sulá Batsú
How can solidarity shape technology? We explore the Costa Rican cooperative Sulá Batsú's feminist vision on technology, rooted in a politics of life based on care and solidarity with each other, our communities, and our planet.
By Firuzeh Shokooh Valle
Community and freedom
This article reflects on approaches to community making, recounting the experience of a group of activists running two workshops in a prison in Argentina, working from a free software and free culture perspective.
By Carolina D'Amelio, Federico Ternavasio, Martín Morales
Never again an internet without us
Wikipedia in its content, and as a community, remains highly masculine. Many women worldwide are working to reduce the gender gap. This article narrates one of the strategies that women of Latin America and Spain have been applying during the past five years to make this a reality.
By Carmen Alcázar
Gender, diversity, and inclusion in open source communities
Hidden social hierarchies keep the doors of open source closed for some. How do we overcome them?
By Mariana Fossatti