E-dinges technology event

Digital technologies, a collective term for technologies that are used to collect, store, process and transfer data by means of words, sounds and pictures, play an increasingly important role in all of our lives. Flanders, as many regions in the world, has turned into a information society, in which its people, wittingly or not, have to keep pace with the speed of bytes and bits, at work, in day-to-day relationships, in dealing with public services as well as in culture, entertainment, leisure and when participating in community and political dialogues.

In recent years, the Institute Society and Technology (IST) has set up several projects with a focus on the societal aspects of the growing computerization and digitization of our society. Each of those projects explored a specific issue (cyberbullying, privacy, e-democracy) and was directed towards a particular target group, such as teenagers and senior citizens or underprivileged people. With “E-dinges”, the IST wants to give a comprehensive survey of the digital society in Flanders, in the years to come. E-dinges is informative, participatory and constructive, three basic values characterizing each and every IST project.

E-dinges - Daily life in digital Flanders will take place in the Flemish Parliament from 18 to 20 November 2010. Hence, E-dinges is an initiative of the IST, in close collaboration with the Interdisciplinary Institute for Broadband Technology (IBBT) and Vlaams Steunpunt Nieuwe Geletterdheid (VSNG/LINC - Flemish Centre New Literacy). E-dinges takes place during the Belgian presidency of the European Union and the European Year against Poverty and Social Exclusion. E-dinges is the second major technology event that is being organized by the IST. From 9 to 11 November 2007, the IST has been organizing its first technology event about nanotechnology (NanoNu). The third day of E-dinges is a true festival day with a blunt mix of informative and entertaining activities for a heterogeneous group of people and taking place on a delimited place during a restricted period of time.

E-dinges not only encourages interactions between visitors and exhibitors and exhibits but also explicitly links together technological and social aspects. Lots of approaches will be adopted to show the technological and societal aspects of existing and emerging digital (r)evolutions as graphically as possible: interactive demonstrations, workshops, lectures, debates, interviews, artistic performances, contests, etcetera.
There will be five main themes:

*e-health & e-care
*e-learning & e-working
*e-culture & e-media
*e-economy & e-mobility
*e-government & e-democracy

E-dinges wants to bring together many aspects of the digital society: new ICT developments, scientific insights, practical witnesses and reflections on the societal impact of ICT in the near and not so near future in Flanders, and Flemish e-inclusion initiatives that offer a pleasant and meaningful use of ICT applications.

The E-dinges programme in a nutshell:

• On Thursday evening November 18, the E-dinges awards will take place. The E-dinges awards will focus on the matter of participation of all individuals and communities in all aspects of the information society, hence on the complex issues of digital divide and e-inclusion. It hereto highlights innovative Flemish projects that try to smooth away or to reduce the inequality as an effect of ICT. Representatives from the Flemish political and industrial world, from the civil society and the research institutes will be invited. Open by invitation only!

• On Friday November 19, individuals and organisations, which are professionally involved with groups within society that lack one or more digital skills in order to participate satisfactorily are invited. Open by invitation only!

• On Saturday November 20, the doors of the Flemish Parliament open for the broader public! E-dinges offers the visitors an opportunity to collect information on new ICT developments, to gather impressions of the impact of ICT, and to formulate and exchange opinions and concerns about the interaction between ICT and society and share them with other visitors and the exhibitors. Infotainment, interaction and respectful dialogue are key words here.

More information on the E-dinges Awards via www.e-dingesawards.be. The E-dinges website (www.e-dinges.be) will be fully available and interactive by the end of August 2010.

Through this link you can enter the NanoNu website.