it's day 77 and with the wings of mercury, i've hit 15 countries, taped 31 hours of video, and visited the only lasting ancient wonder of the world. despite my rants of trying to breaking bad habits, i am having a blast.

today, i received two refreshing emails... the first came from my mother who said "...do not misplace your faith" and the second came from an old friend who said "consider this your great adventure. don't start planning for another until you've finished this. experience this while you're living it. don't experience it in retrospect."

both emails came as a nice pleasant blow to my mental state of annoyance. maybe it's my present location that's affecting my head. the guest house where DigitalBridgeCamp is located is a former home for shell shocked WW I & II solders. it would be easy to dismiss my distraught thoughts on the ghost stories of war veterans, but my reality is that i'm trying to understand a gap that's enveloped me. i'm looking for a bridge to ride my painted pony into the 21 century.

today also contained another seminal moment. shortly after lunch, i found myself reiterating a presentation i made two days ago. with the help of a bottle of wine, some country liquor, and a good night of sleep, i sounded more like a scratchy record than fresh fruit juice. lucky for me, a few people disagreed with my viewpoint and it fired up my hungover brain cells into something tangible.

from DOTsub, rocketboom, alive in baghdad, make weekend projects, galacticast, jetset, the burg.tv - to - my name is bill, the tuxedo travelers, the yes men, not an alternative, drishti, video volunteers... i spent an hour or so talking about media and the power of making our own media.

with a camera, an idea, an internet connection and a tool kit, we can tell our own story. in the hands of underrepresented communities, the true face of the world comes into focus. just look at video volunteers and you will stare into the face of the global future.

(ed note, alive in baghdad is right now the creme de la creme of community video units. it's just so sad to watch.)

the following are just small list of organizations, projects and resources. i know my knowledge is limited. if you have any addendum, leave a comment.

video resources for social change

• witness - using video to document human rights
• global voices - a global perspective of online conversations
• drishti - an indian based video advocacy shop
• video volunteers - an exelent example of building local rural media outlets
• dot sub - translate your video into any language
• tactical tech (NGO in-a-box kits) - free tool kits
• ashoka asia
• taproot foundation's - non profit technology listing
• capaciteria
• Ideallist.org - tools for fundraising

NGO resources to understand digital technology

• tactical tech - best practices & tool kits for change
• NPO Groups - Rider's News & Rider's Tech
• mobileactive - social engagement with mobile phones
• NTEN - nonprofit technology network
• DotOrganize's report on non-profit's and NGOs
• tech soup - tools, forums and resources
• personal democracy fourm - online political engagement

("Mercury Rising" by flickr user xerones)