cafebabel.com

French book attempts sex, loyalty, internet definition of 'generation y'

('Christopher N',) — Thu, 24 May 2012 10:33:01 -0000

Are they pretentious, or just ambitious? Unfaithful to their company, or just looking for a way to unite their professional and personal lives? Riddled with nuances, this is a portrait of generation Y as viewed from France

Shitstorm

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 22 May 2012 11:00:00 -0000

What do an elephant hunted by an outed Spanish king and a poem critical of Israel by a German nobel prizewinner have in common? The German internet world called them ‘shitstorms’ of current news situations, picking up on a stateside phrase whose usage doesn’t seem to have spread across the EU

Digital native 'stars' of Serbia, Belgium, Germany and France to watch

('Hades',) — Fri, 13 Apr 2012 16:00:00 -0000

Dude, where's my wi-fi code? They grew up with the internet and feel home at places where they can access the intenet directly. They are those nerds or hipsters who you imagine could spend almost twenty-four hours online. They are the talk show experts on all things web. Four famous European digital natives to watch

Polish youth, the ‘digital natives’ taking over in 2030

('Agata Jaskot',) — Thu, 12 Apr 2012 10:53:11 -0000

Who are the 'net generation'? What has pushed this ‘generation Y’ onto the streets to fight for their rights, and how unexpectedly? Edwin Bendyk, a Warsaw-based futurist on the impact of high tech on our civilisation and journalist with the popular Polish weekly magazine Polityka explains. His book The Network Protests (Bunt Sieci) was released on 4 April

A future post 'consumption', that deadly 21st century internet disease

('Kelly Burt',) — Thu, 01 Mar 2012 12:00:00 -0000

As the 'anti-counterfeiting trade agreement' (Acta) is discussed in public in the European parliament for the first time on 29 February, one Italian journalist imagines what it might be like if we have to pay for every online service. The consumer's copyright-protected future would be free no more

Anti-Putin protests continue in run-up to March 2012 elections

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 13 Feb 2012 15:00:09 -0000

Russia’s very public objection to electoral fraud after parliamentary elections in early December was largely forgotten by western media in January. One Brit takes the temperature of the feeling on the streets of Moscow

Isak Gerson, founder of kopimist church: 'File-sharing' is not 'stealing'

('Agata Jaskot',) — Fri, 03 Feb 2012 16:30:00 -0000

‘We don’t believe in god at all,’ says Isak Gerson. However, this was no obstacle for the 20-year-old Swedish philosophy student to establish the missionary church of kopimism (from ‘copy + me’) – a church without hierarchy, whose 6000 followers actively encourage internet users to share all kinds of files

Megaupload, FBI, anonymous: internet battle over copyright

('Annie Rutherford',) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 16:15:51 -0000

After a vast legal process in the American courts, the internet platform megaupload was closed down on 19 January. Is it a copyright struggle or the start of a third world war? One Frenchie looks for a more differentiated approach

Megaupload vs Sopa and Pipa: it'll be e-right on the night

('Adam Wyett',) — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 10:44:29 -0000

Act one: stop online piracy. Act two: protect international property. Act three: shut down a famous file-sharing site. Act four: anti-counterfeiting trade agreement. We call for a bit of order in the debate on internet freedom versus intellectual property rights which has kicked off 2012

Are you confiscating my ipod? EU citizens against ‘Acta’ treaty

('Matthieu Amar\xc3\xa9',) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 17:27:06 -0000

A proposed worldwide ‘anti-counterfeiting trade agreement’ (ACTA) would impose a legal framework on online intellectual property rights. The term 'internet' is not even mentioned once in the entire treaty, infuriating European citizens who fear for their freedoms and about censorship

Peace in 2011: 'solutions to conflicts do exist’

('Annie Rutherford',) — Wed, 21 Dec 2011 10:15:14 -0000

From democratic aspirations to the transformation of the media game, Cathy Van Dorslaer, a Belgian psychologist specialising in the prevention of conflicts, explains why she believes 2011 stood under the sign of peace

Paul Lewis: call him ‘special projects editor’

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 07 Dec 2011 12:05:22 -0000

At The Guardian, the award-winning British-Spanish journalist, 30, handles investigative news in an innovative method via social networks and micro-blogging sites – it even helped him crack stories about two murders. Interview

Elections 2012: glimpses of social network Putin-bashing

('Alexandra',) — Tue, 25 Oct 2011 12:15:13 -0000

On 7 October, the 59th birthday of Vladimir Putin, one pro-kremlin activist composed a couplet with a nod to a soviet-era poem, ending with the words ‘thanks for this Putin’. The rhyme provoked a deluge of tweeted criticism levelled at the Russian prime minister. Could this be the beginning of a protest wave?

Environment: the maggot in Steve Jobs’ apple

('ZoeBBee',) — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 12:25:40 -0000

While tributes to its CEO Steve Jobs flood the web, don't forget Apple’s lack of green credentials

From Breivik to Khaled Said: a digital revolution

('cbinns',) — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 11:53:17 -0000

The year 2011 showed us the force of new media in political debates, whether in the European protests, the Arab revolutions or the terrifying attack committed in Norway in July. Political engagement is now affordable for everyone, everywhere. Is this immediacy which now defines political engagement compatible with our democracies?

‘Webouting’ site publishes list of ten ‘gay’ politicians in Italy

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Fri, 23 Sep 2011 12:00:00 -0000

On 23 September, an Italian LGBT movement ‘outed’ ten homophobic politicians who they have esteemed have ‘ulterior motives’ for their overt phobia online. Is it a criminal action or justifiable revenge? 75% of the country’s gay community have agreed with the US-based blog's initiative

'Real democracy NOW!': #spanishrevolution becomes #europeanrevolution

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Mon, 23 May 2011 14:15:00 -0000

Spain’s so-called 15-M has become 29-M, referring to the dates of the sit-in protests of a Spain in May which saw local elections swinging to the favour of the opposition conservatives. The rage is sweeping Italy, Belgium and France

Censorship: EU vs Turkey's 138 internet domain name ban

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:06:11 -0000

Rated ‘partially free’ in the reporters without borders freedom index, Turkey is the European country with the highest amount of domain name bans. The Turkish telecommunications directorate list of 'expurgatorial words' - for example, you can't use the word for sister-in-law (Bildaz) - was sent to web hosting companies on 28 April. In the EU there are less amusing comparisons

Ukraine, Belarus, Egypt...free the online activist in you

('Ilona Nuk\xc5\xa1evica',) — Wed, 11 May 2011 15:03:17 -0000

Ukraine’s ‘Day of Wrath’ against its president on 14 May has been organised online. Belarus’ internet is the only escape from regime propaganda. The Arab world reported its transitions online. Amidst these examples, Peter Ludlow, cyber rights activist and philosophy professor at Northwestern University in Illinois, emphasies that politics can be influenced in bottom-up solutions. Interview

Social networking in Sarajevo: analyse this (over Bosnian coffee)

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Tue, 22 Mar 2011 16:48:15 -0000

Bosnia's capital wears its war wounds from the 1992-1995 war with Serbia honestly, the signs on its bomb-shelled buildings and pavements. What about its mental scars fifteen years on? Amidst a blaze of foreign healing initiatives, few private psychologists and one 'social networking internet cafe', this is a society which is resolved to solve its problems - globalised as they are - over coffee

Hungary media law: France journalism cases no better

('Carol Howard',) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 10:30:00 -0000

On 15 March tens of thousands of Hungarians protested against the government's planned media law. Even the European parliament's socialist, liberal, ecologist and far left politicians adopted a resolution asking for the suspension of the law, which 'needs re-examination'. Republication of an interview with a Rue89 journalist

Pure player

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Wed, 09 Mar 2011 10:29:39 -0000

Two English words swim around a country where anglicisms have managed to stay out of fashion. An era of internet business models is turning that counter-trend around, focussed mainly on the French and American e-media landscapes. Backgammon and ladies men have nothing to do with it (anymore). Phrase of the week

Google Books Ngram Viewer: scan ‘Europe’, ‘crisis’ and ‘unemployment’

('Naomi R',) — Mon, 24 Jan 2011 11:00:00 -0000

The new online search tool can trace the history of each of the 500 billion words words in google’s 5.2 million scanned books, dating back 500 years. As Europe’s medias select their words of the year, is it time to take a step back from the terms which defined 2010?

cafebabel.com Brussels at second EU prize for literature event

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 24 Nov 2010 13:19:32 -0000

Judging literature is difficult, but comparing writers of different languages, cultures and backgrounds is a fruitless task.On November 11, Europe’s literary elite gathered in Brussels to award some of today’s most up-and-coming fiction writers

Medicine’s new dot-com revolution

('Gary Finnegan',) — Mon, 22 Nov 2010 16:24:29 -0000

From clinical trial recruitment and virtual medical schools to online diagnosis and the use of cloud computing to store medical records, web 2.0 is throwing up some exciting and frightening possibilities, says Gary Finnegan

Caustic ‘Kataryna’ – outed ‘empress of Polish blogosphere’

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 08 Sep 2010 18:00:00 -0000

The Warsaw-based political blogger saw her identity revealed by warring ‘traditional’ journalists in 2009, some who accused her of having a ‘male’ view and of meddling in political scandals. Exclusive interview from the thirty-something NGO director, who has been blogging anonymously since 2004

Lithuania's female bloggers: cooking, sex and the city

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 19:11:53 -0000

Somewhere between the 200, 000 Lithuanians in the UK and the 3 million at home, bloggers are making their own female-shaped dent in the internet universe

Poland: Solidarnosc 30th anniversary through Hackers cinema keyhole

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 17:08:41 -0000

'I'm taking over the TV network'...When we Poles watch the cult movie Hackers (1995) featuring Angelina Jolie, one line from the movie's main character makes us feel good to remember that the real takeover of the Polish TV network took place ten years before

Birgitta Jonsdottir, Iceland's woman politician blogger

('English language version of cafebabel.com',) — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 10:30:00 -0000

The politician, blogger and Wikileaks ‘friend’ from Reykjavik, 43, proposed a law which aims to convert the island into a model of digital transparency and safe haven for journalists; it was passed in June. Interview with a mother-of-one who is ‘everything but your traditional politician’

Becoming an atheist? Renounce your religion online

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Wed, 11 Aug 2010 17:09:21 -0000

The internet transformed our relationship with organised religion; it could now become its downfall. In 2009, Irish website Countmeout.ie caused an international stir by offering a quick, simple way to leave the catholic church. Panorama on how Europe's muslims, christians and jews exchange faith for freedom of speech

Internet platform Wikileaks divides EU media

('eurotopics',) — Tue, 27 Jul 2010 14:20:24 -0000

On 25 July, the Sweden-based organisation co-operated with three major media sources to publish secret reports about the war in Afghanistan. The Austrian, British, Swiss and Estonian press disagree on this new transparency

EU expats: foreign fashion of cross-border mobile phone calls

('Nabeelah Shabbir',) — Thu, 01 Jul 2010 12:00:00 -0000

Pinch, punch, first of the month - though you'll now be feeling the pinch less. From 1 July, Europeans across the old continent will be saving four cents when they make or receive calls in the 27 member states. Travellers and businessmen aside, we expats have long since shunned using our mobiles

Polish elections: Jaroslaw Kaczynski, hamster candidate

('Katharina Kloss',) — Fri, 18 Jun 2010 16:34:15 -0000

A second Kaczynski mandate would be going back to the Middle Ages, warns Artur Kurasinski, owner of Polish new media agency Revolver Interactive. He brings politically incorrect 'hamsters' back to life on his 2005-launched website chomiks.com. The presidential elections take place on 20 June, after late incumbent Lech Kaczynski was killed in April

Chatroulette: Sodom and Gomorrah of web

('Jude Lister',) — Wed, 12 May 2010 20:00:00 -0000

'While you’re still young, test your strengths and practice in that which appears pointless and seems like pure verbiage to the common man. Without it, the truth will escape you,' Plato tells us in his famous dialogue Parmenides. The adage provides enough strength and reason to dive into the latest internet communications buzz. Two months on, we test it for you

Gogo Paris, go go digital? Ditching European travel guidebooks

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Wed, 12 May 2010 19:02:44 -0000

In Europe, we don’t go on city breaks any more. We ‘pop over’ to foreign capitals like we pop downstairs to get a pint of milk. So where does that leave the traditional travel guide? One Paris-based webzine is pioneering a new species of travel guide with Europe’s new jet-setting, PDF-ing urbanites in mind

Malviviendo vs Lisa Kudrow? The rise of EU web series

('James Friscia',) — Fri, 30 Apr 2010 15:56:06 -0000

On 21 April, the UK screened US web series 'Penelope Princess of Pets' on Channel 4, whilst the former Friends actress has found success via the internet. Since 2007, young filmmakers in Spain and elsewhere are exploring formats in the competitive audiovisual world, boasting a more innovative, transgressive spirit than their TV counterparts

AFP and the cruelties of web journalism

Thu, 29 Apr 2010 12:08:00 -0000

Heinz Fischer, prime minister of Hungary. On 24 April, a French press agency dispatch which wrongly earmarked the Austrian president as Hungarian PM made the rounds in the French-speaking media. We understand

Guide to Twitter tongue

('Nicola Potter',) — Thu, 08 Apr 2010 10:30:00 -0000

Tweet tweet. During both world wars carrier pigeons relayed short, sometimes vital messages, backwards and forwards when the electricity lines were out. Today, it’s Twitter’s 140 character posts which play the role of social network messenger…as long as you can master its language. So what are the basic ABCs of European Twitter?

Europarl TV: 'technology is more fast-paced than the institutions'

Wed, 10 Mar 2010 12:15:00 -0000

In September 2008, the TV channel started streaming parliamentary sessions and news features on MEPs and their speeches on the European parliament’s webpage. The challenge is to give the institutions a human face - press service chief Jean-Yves Loog tells us how

Women's day: Femibook, testosterone and internet

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Mon, 08 Mar 2010 09:30:00 -0000

100 years after the first international women's day was organised on 8 March in Copenhagen, a musing on where the woman's place rightfully is

Almost 50 journalists behind bars: 'all young Iranians are potential journalists'

('Jude Lister',) — Mon, 15 Feb 2010 10:00:00 -0000

On 11 February 2010, both opponents and supporters of Ahmadinejad were in the streets to celebrate the 31st anniversary of the Islamic revolution. We speak to the Iranian lawyer and 2003 nobel peace prize laureate Shirin Ebadi

Holocaust Polish boy speaks from the dead on Facebook

('Darren Thompson',) — Mon, 14 Dec 2009 10:49:14 -0000

'Winter’s here. Every Jew must write their name on the Star of David that is sewn on their clothes...' In the same way that Anne Frank documented her experience day after day in her journal, a young victim of the Holocaust is being virtually revived through Facebook, where he has 2, 279 'friends'

Domain names: internet puts accent on EU languages

('Sarah Truesdale',) — Thu, 10 Dec 2009 11:47:13 -0000

Typing европа.eu (europe.eu in Bulgarian) into an internet search bar is now possible. Special or non Latin characters can be used when using addresses ending with .eu. Many more nationalities will be able to express themselves on the net

Netaudio festival 2009: kick in the teeth for traditional record industry?

('Elaine Jordan',) — Fri, 20 Nov 2009 11:10:15 -0000

While traditional record labels plunge deeper and deeper into trouble, new formats for distributing music via the internet are basking in their success following a sell-out festival in Berlin

In favour of domain names in Latin characters

('Maira Cabrini',) — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 17:27:52 -0000

The organisation managing the domain name system will allow the use of every possible character from 16 November. With one hitch - there are over 100, 000! It may be a nice symbol for multipolarity, but a step backwards for effective communication between people

Spot.us: 'anarchist' American news website that will save journalism

('Alexandra Baxter',) — Wed, 28 Oct 2009 11:32:33 -0000

Only 11% of readers currently pay for online news sites. Of the remaining 89% who don’t pay, another 11% think that they would be able to start paying for their services within the next 12 months. A glance across the Atlantic at the community-funded journalism alternative set up by a young American

Internet: 'the great anarchist event' no longer ours to 'control'

('Tim Mac an Airchinnigh',) — Tue, 27 Oct 2009 11:10:44 -0000

When Irish telecommunications company Eircom blocked customer access to the Pirate Bay in September, you could almost hear a faint, sardonic chuckle erupt from internet users all over the world. As Britain and France impose their own legislation to cut off internet access for filesharing offenders, the EU parliament and commission hold talks to formalise their positions on 4 November

I quit Facebook - even Bill Gates did

('Astrid vW',) — Tue, 18 Aug 2009 12:14:15 -0000

More than 250 million people have registered themselves on Facebook. This spectacular number will soon be surpassed; the social network is growing at a rate of 5 million users a week. Nonetheless, the giant is not unstoppable. Its critics are also multiplying, and some are choosing to log off the network for the final time

'L’Européen': new French magazine breaks down concept of 'Europe'

('Aatish Pattni',) — Tue, 11 Aug 2009 10:00:00 -0000

It's defined by a 'French-speaking readership aged between 35-55 who travel at least once a year in Europe'. It launched as a print magazine before the European elections in June 2009, its cover gracing an image of Penelope Cruz amongst others. Now the English e-version of 'The European' is en route, offering you the chance to get ‘better acquainted’ with your EU neighbours. More from chief editor Renard de Chazoumes

Swedish Pirate Party MEP Christian Engström: ‘Europe is stronger than the US’

('Waldemar Ingdahl',) — Mon, 03 Aug 2009 11:43:53 -0000

The newly elected pirate MEP, 49, a former computer programmer from Stockholm, talks about the EU-US relationship, eyes turning towards Sweden again and Europe’s second wave of pirate parties. Part I in a special edition marking the six-month Swedish presidency of the EU