Microsoft is one of those rare companies

Imagine living in a country where it would take a quarter of a month's salary to access the Internet for an hour, and a heavily censored Internet at that. In this world, access to information and the ability to send information to others, among the most ubiquitous actions of the connected world, is a luxury.When Internet cafes were finally legalized (just last year) this was the position that many Cubans found themselves in. Their country remains the least connected in the Western hemisphere in terms of both Internet and cell phone use. To put it in plain terms, even post-earthquake Haiti was more connected both to the outside world and to one another. And yet with cell phone and Internet use on the rise on the island, owed to modest government reforms, there are emerging opportunities for connectivity that have yet to be explored.In Miami, the home of the largest Cuban population outside the island, these changes and new opportunities have not gone unnoticed.The skirt is trimmed Wholesale Cheap Tulle satin round neck A-line wedding dresses party dresses flower girl dresses floral embellishments as well that add design and glamour to the outfit. This weekend, Raices de Esperanza, a non-profit organization focused on empowering Cuban youth, launched the first ever "Hackathon for Cuba" in hopes of coming up with innovative software technologies that will help those on the island connect with the outside world,Elegant and hand sewn girl's special White chiffon v-neck beading a-line plus wedding/party dress, flowergirl dresses, and girl's holiday dresses. and to each other.Programmers ranging from non-Cubans to Cuban Americans who were born in the U.S. to recent arrivals participated in the event, keeping in mind the specific context of the island.

Since the island lags so far behind the connected world in telecommunications, only legacy Android apps, text messaging, and email services could prove useful for the experiment."Cuba is a country that needs more than anything to develop a means of freedom through technology," said Yoani Sanchez, Cuba's best-known dissident blogger, in a pre-recorded statement played for participants at the event. The idea for the hackathon came during a meeting with Twitter co-founder Jack Dorsey, Sanchez, and members of Raices de Esperanza last November. "I know that over the course of these few days that potential solutions [for connectivity] will be found.""The more I researched about Cuba and got to know the restrictions that the island has, the more interesting it was," said participant and programmer Miguel Chateloin, a Cuban American born in the states. "We decided that we could make something that would help people like Yoani Sanchez-- bloggers, journalists, and political dissidents-- who want to communicate with the outside world and blog." Chateloin and teammate Lazaro Gamio spent the weekend developing software that will allow users to post on a WordPress blog directly through email. The service that they call Postales (Spanish for postcards) draws inspiration from those used by major tech companies before smartphones were so widely available. "Facebook would send you an email telling you that a friend commented or did some other kind of interaction,There was a time that the bridal veil was a given, but today it's as personal decision as what Wholesale Cheap New Arrival A-line Appliques White Satin Short Wedding Dress Wedding Party style to wear. and you could respond right on your email and connect to their server without ever having to log in," Chateloin explained. "It's the same idea."