the.world.is.flat-第89节

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They　are　actually　creating　better　lives　for　some　of　the　poor　citizens　of　the　world。〃　
Four　years　after　starting　up；　Digital　Divide　Data　now　has　170　employees　in　three　
offices：　Phnom　Penh；　Battambang；　the　second…largest　city　in　Cambodia；　and　a　new　office　
in　Vientiane；　Laos。　〃We　recruited　our　first　two　managers　in　Phnom　Penh　and　sent　them　
to　India　to　get　trained　in　data　entry；　and　then；　when　we　opened　the　Laos　office；　we　
recruited　two　managers　who　were　trained　by　our　staff　in　the　Phnom　Penh　office；〃　
Hockenstein　said。　
This　tree　has　scattered　all　kinds　of　seeds。　Besides　the　Harvard　Crimson；　one　of　the　
biggest　sources　of　data…entry　work　was　NGOs；　which　wanted　the　results　of　their　surveys　
about　health　or　families　or　labor　conditions　digitized。　So　some　of　the　first　wave　
of　Digital　Divide　Data's　Cambodian　workers　left　the　company　and　spun　off　their　own　
firm　to　design　databases　for　NGOs　that　want　to　do　surveys！　Why？　Because　while　they　
were　working　for　Digital　Divide　Data；　said　Hockenstein；　they　kept　getting　survey　work　
from　NGOs　that　needed　to　be　digitized；　but　because　the　NGOs　had　not　done　enough　work　
in　advance　to　standardize　all　the　data　they　were　collecting；　it　was　very　hard　to　
digitize　in　any　efficient　manner。　So　these　Cambodian　workers　realized　that　there　was　
value　earlier　in　the　supply　chain　and　that　they　could　get　paid　more　for　it…not　for　
typing　but　for　designing　standardized　formats　for　NGOs　to　collect　survey　
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data；　which　would　make　the　surveys　easier　and　cheaper　to　digitize；　collate；　and　
manipulate。　So　they　started　their　own　company　to　do　just　that…out　of　Cambodia。　
Hockenstein　argued　that　none　of　the　jobs　being　done　in　Cambodia　came　from　the　United　
States。　This　sort　of　basic　data…entry　work　got　outsourced　to　India　and　the　Caribbean　
a　long　time　ago；　and；　if　anywhere；　that　is　where　the　jobs　were　taken　from。　But　none　
of　this　would　have　been　possible　to　set　up　in　Cambodia　a　decade　ago。　It　all　came　


together　in　just　the　last　few　years。　
〃My　partner　is　a　Cambodian；〃　said　Hockenstein。　〃His　name　is　Sophary；　and　until　1992　
he　was　living　in　a　refugee　camp　on　the　Cambodia…Thai　border　while　I　was　living　in　
Harvard　Square　as　an　un…dergrad。　We　were　worlds　apart。　After　the　UN　peace　treaty　＇in　
Cambodia＇；　he　walked　home　ten　days　to　his　village；　and　now　today　he　lives　in　Phnom　
Penh　running　Digital　Divide　Data's　office。〃　They　now　instant…message　each　other　each　
night　to　collaborate　in　the　delivery　of　services　to　people　and　companies　around　the　
world。　The　type　of　collaboration　that　is　possible　today　〃allows　us　to　be　partners　
and　equals；〃　said　Hockenstein。　〃It　is　not　one　of　us　dominating　the　other；　it　is　real　
collaboration　that　is　creating　better　futures　for　the　people　at　the　bottom　and　the　
top。　It　is　making　my　life　more　meaningful　and　creating　concrete　opportunities　for　
people　living　on　a　dollar　or　two　a　day　。　。　。　We　see　the　self…respect　and　confidence　
that　blossoms　in　people　who　never　before　would　have　had　an　on…ramp　into　the　global　
economy。〃　
So　Hockenstein　and　his　partners　are　getting　calls　now　from　Mongolia；　Pakistan；　Iran；　
and　Jordan　from　people　who　want　to　provide　IT　services　to　the　world　and　are　wondering　
how　they　can　get　started。　In　mid…2004；　a　client　approached　Digital　Divide　Data　to　
digitize　an　English…Arabic　dictionary。　Around　the　same　time；　Hockenstein's　office　
received　an　unsolicited　e…mail　from　a　company　in　Iran　that　was　running　a　data…entry　
firm　there。　〃They　found　us　through　a　Google　search　in　trying　to　find　ways　of　expanding　
their　local　data…entry　business　beyond　the　borders　of　Iran；〃　said　Hockenstein。　So　
Hockenstein　asked　the　Iranians　whether　they　could　do　an　English…Arabic　dictionary；　
even　though　the　language　of　Iran　is　Farsi；　which　uses　some　but　not　all　of　the　same　
letters　as　Arabic。　〃He　said　

they　could；〃　said　Hockenstein；　〃so　we　partnered　on　a　joint　project　for　this　client　
to　digitize　an　Arabic　dictionary。〃　What　I　like　most　about　the　story；　and　why　it　is　
so　telling　of　the　flat　world；　is　Hockenstein's　kicker：　〃I　still　have　never　met　the　
guy　＇in　Iran＇。　We　did　the　whole　deal　over　Yahoo！　instant　messenger　and　e…mail。　We　
wired　him　the　money　through　Cambodia　。。。　I　invited　him　to　my　wedding；　but　he　wasn't　
able　to　come。〃　

：：：：：Geopolitics　and　the　Flat　World　

：：：：：　ELEVEN　
The　Vnflat　World　
No　Guns　or　Cell　Phones　Allowed　
To　build　may　have　to　be　the　slow　and　laborious　task　of　years。　To　destroy　can　be　the　
thoughtless　act　of　a　single　day。　…Sir　Winston　Churchill　
On　a　trip　back　home　to　Minnesota　in　the　winter　of　2004；　I　was　having　lunch　with　my　
friends　Ken　and　Jill　Greer　at　Perkins　pancake　house　when　Jill　mentioned　that　the　state　
had　recently　passed　a　new　gun　law。　The　conceal　and　carry　law；　passed　on　May　28；　2003；　
established　that　local　sheriffs　had　to　issue　permits　for　anyone…other　than　those　with　
felony　records　or　declared　mentally　ill…who　requested　to　carry　concealed　firearms　


to　work　（unless　the　person's　employer　explicitly　restricted　that　right）。　This　law　
is　supposed　to　deter　criminals；　because　if　they　try　to　hold　you　up；　they　can't　be　
sure　that　you　too　are　not　packing　a　weapon。　The　law；　though；　contained　a　provision　
to　allow　business　owners　to　prevent　nonemployees　from　bringing　concealed　weapons　into　
a　place　of　business；　like　a　restaurant　or　health　club。　It　said　that　any　business　could　
ban　concealed　handguns　on　its　premises　if　it　posted　a　sign　at　each　entrance　indicating　
that　guns　were　not　allowed　there。　（This　reportedly　led　to　some　very　creative　signage；　
with　one　church　suingthe　state　for　the　right　to　use　a　biblical　quote　as　its　gun…banning　
sign　and　a　restaurant　using　a　picture　of　a　woman　in　a　cooking　apron　toting　a　machine　
gun。）　The　reason　this　all　came　up　at　our　lunch　was　that　Jill　mentioned　that　at　health　
clubs　around　the　city；　where　she　
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played　tennis；　she　noticed　two　signs　now　popping　up　regularly；　one　right　after　the　
other。　At　their　tennis　club　in　Bloomington；　for　example；　there　is　a　sign　right　by　
the　front　door　that　says；　〃NoGuns　Allowed。〃　And　then　nearby；　outside　the　locker　rooms；　
is　another　sign：　〃No　Cell　Phones　Allowed。〃　
Hmrara。　No　guns　or　cell　phones　allowed？　Guns　I　understand；　I　said；　but　why　cell　phones？　
Silly　me。　It　was　because　some　people　were　bringing　cell　phones　with　cameras　intolocker　
rooms；　covertly　taking　pictures　of　naked　men　and　women　and　then　e…mailing　them　around　
the　world。　What　will　they　think　of　next？　Whatever　the　innovation；　people　will　find　
a　way　to　use　it　and　abuse　it。　
While　interviewing　Promod　Haque　at　Norwest　Venture　Partners　in　Palo　Alto；　I　was　helped　
by　the　firm's　public　relations　director；　Katie　Belding；　who　later　sent　me　this　e…mail：　
〃I　was　chatting　with　my　husband　about　your　meeting　with　Promod　the　other　day。。。　He　
is　a　history　teacher　at　a　high　school　in　San　Mateo。　I　asked　him；　'Where　were　you　when　
the　world　went　flat？'　He　said　it　just　happened　the　other　day　at　school　when　he　was　
in　a　faculty　meeting。　A　student　was　suspended　for　helping　another　student　cheat　on　
a　test…we're　not　talking　the　traditional　writing　answers　on　the　bottom　of　your　shoe　
or　passing　a　note；　though　。　。　。〃　Intrigued；　I　called　her　husband；　Brian；　and　he　picked　
up　the　story：　〃At　the　end　of　the　period；　when　all　of　the　tests　were　being　passed　up　
to　the　front　of　the　classroom；　this　student　very　quickly　and　slyly　pulled　out　his　
cell　phone　and　somehow　snapped　a　picture　of　some　test　questions；　and　instantly　
e…mailed　it　to　his　friend　who　was　taking　the　same　test　the　next　period。　His　friend　
also　had　a　cell　phone　with　a　digital　camera　and　e…mail　capabilities　and　was　apparently　
able　to　view　the　questions　before　the　next　period。　The　student　was　caught　by　another　
teacher　when　he　pulled　out　the　cell　phone　between　periods。　It　is　against　the　rules　
to　have　a　cell　phone　on　campus…even　though　we　know　that　all　the　kids　do…so　the　teacher　
confiscated　it　and　saw　that　the　kid　had　a　test　on　it。　So　the　dean　of　discipline；　at　
our　regular　faculty　meeting；　opened　by　saying；　'We　have　something　new　to　worry　about。'　
Essentially　he　said；　'Beware；　keep　your　
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eyes　open；　because　the　kids　are　so　far　ahead　of　us　in　terms　of　the　technology。'〃　
But　things　aren't　all　bad　with　this　new　technology；　noted　Brian：　〃I　went　to　a　Jimmy　
Buffett　concert　earlier　this　year。　Cameras　were　not　allowed；　but　cell　phones　were。　


So　then　the　concert　starts　and　everyone　suddenly　starts　holding　up　their　cell　phones　
and　taking　pictures　of　Jimmy　Buffett。　I've　got　one　right　on　my　wall。　We　were　sitting　
in　the　second　row　and　the　guy　next　to　us　held　up　his　cell　phone；　and　I　said；　'Hey；　
would　you　mind　e…mailing　me　some　of　those？　No　one　will　believe　we　sat　this　close。'　
He　said　'Sure；'　and　we　gave　him　a　card　with　our　e…mail　＇address＇。　We　didn't　really　
expect　to　see　any；　but　the　next　day　he　e…mailed　us　a　bunch。〃　
My　trip　to　Beijing　described　earlier　fell　right　after　the　fifteenth　anniversary　of　
the　Tiananmen　Square　massacre；　which　happened　on　June　4；　1989；　that　is；　6/4/89。　My　
colleagues　at　the　Times　bureau　informed　me　that　on　that　day　the　Chinese　government　
censors　were　blocking　SMS　messages　on　cell　phones　that　contained　any　reference　to　
Tiananmen　Square　or　e