Found two interesting posts about how Twitter becomes a real-time news media and how it contributes to spread news all over the World despite telecommunication networks breakdown and/or government censorship.

Smart Mobs author Mark A.M Kramer asks if Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) could make humanity morally accountable ? Today, even with a very limited presence of the International community (politics, journalists as well as Aid workers) we continue to receive near real-time information from Myanmar through various multi-plateforms communication media such Twitter, SMS, RSS etc.

Ten days later, in China, an powerful earthquake shook the Sichuan province, information that Technology blogger Robert Scoble claimed that Twitter had the breaking news even before the United States Geological Survey, which provides early warnings of seismic events.

Is Twitter's slogan "What are you doing" should be now replaced by "What's going on" ?

Sources: SmartMobs, BBC

Few weeks ago we went to Sangklaburi, a small city near the border with Myanmar on western Thailand, about 240 kilometers from Kanchanaburi. A perfect place for photography with friendly inhabitants, great landscape and a superb wooden bride.

More photos on my Flickr dedicated set.

svgallery=sanglaburi

Myanmar is now nearly cute off from the Internet (at least for public access), as it seems clear that authorities want to crack down the outgoing flow of information regarding ongoing events.

How ever, Myanmar's Telecom officials blame a damaged submarine cable for the Internet breakdown.  

Any idea which culprit they will point out regarding numerous smashed  cellphone and cameras ?

Source: AFP