News and Notes Roundup: March 2
The ice is melting, warmer weather is coming (we hope) and the month of March is finally here. And of course, what goes better with the great late-winter thaw than another excellent edition of the NDItech News and Notes Roundup? Nothing - except for a new logo of course! In addition to another set of hot links to keep you going on these cold nights from the worlds of popular tech and tech4dem, this roundup is also the first to be sent out under NDItech’s new logo. If you haven’t seen it yet (which would be kinda hard to do if you’re reading this piece right now), be sure to check out our bold new look on Twitter, Facebook (we just switched pages, so help us pick up some likes), or the blog, which is now at nditech.org.
Now that all that self-promotion is over with, we can turn to “This Week in Tech History.” Perhaps the most notably anniversary from this week will occur on March 5th. That day will mark the 10th anniversary of the launch of Yahoo! on the internet. Also of note this week is 139th anniversary (feel free to check my math) of Alexander Graham Bell winning a patent for an “Improvement in Telegraphy” on March 7. This patent - U.S. Number 174,465 - later became known as the variable resistance telephone.
And now, the links:
Popular Tech News:
The war between American social media companies and ISIS
China is connecting its urban east coast with its rural west by creating a very long food chain
Apple's tough task of marketing their smartwatch to an uninterested public
Can new mobile chips help Intel rebound after a $4.2 billion loss last year?
WHO recommends cutting music listening to an hour per day - could you do it?
Why the Internet could be the next failed state
ICT and Development:
Does social media make the government listen?
Pioneering tech for grassroots development - a Q&A with mobile tech innovator Ken Banks
Mapping maternal and neonatal health in Ghana
Two Kenyan Tech groups help BBC reach larger audiences through social and digital platforms
3 ways to provide internet access to the developing world - Brookings Institute
Mobiles:
How text messages are changing local governance in the developing world
The World Bank summarizes the importance of mobile technology in development
Mobile technology as a lever for women’s empowerment
Furniture that can charge your smartphone
Google confirms plans to become a virtual mobile network