Hong Kong Protesters Turn to Mesh Networks to Evade China’s Censorship As tens of thousands of students fill Hong Kong Streets as part of the Umbrella Revolution, demanding democratic reform, Beijing blocked Hong Kong social media sites to keep mainland China in the dark. But the protesters are a step ahead with an app called […]
Tech Sightings, September 25, 2014
The Man on a Quest to Open-Source Cancer Research His name is Isaac Yonemoto. He is a chemist; and he is experimenting with open source software to make cancer research available to the world. The goal of his patent-free project, funded by the bitcoin cryptocurrency, aims to revive work on an anti-cancer compound called 9-deoxysibiromycin, […]
Tech Sightings, September 24, 2014
Taiwan Probes Xiaomi on Cybersecurity Taiwanese authorities launched an investigation into whether China’s leading smartphone maker, Xiaomi, poses a cybersecurity risk. The probe started following reports that some of Xiaomi’s phones automatically send user data to its servers in mainland China. The results of the investigation will be released in three months. Facebook to Start […]
Tech Sightings, September 23, 2014
Alibaba’s Jack Ma Rises to Top of China Rich List Alibaba executive chairman Jack Ma has become China’s richest man with an estimated fortune of $25 billion. According to Hurun Reports of China’s super-rich for this year, Ma has relegated to second place Wanda property group chief Wang Jianlin, whose fortune is estimated at $24.2 billion. […]
Mobile Device Makes Diagnostics accessible to Poor Areas
Harvard University researchers looking to provide some of the world’s poorest countries with affordable health care solutions have come up with a detector that runs diagnostics with the click of a button and uses a cellphone to transmit the results. The device costs about $25 per unit and probably less if mass-produced. Alex Nemiroski, postdoctoral […]
Tech Sightings, September 18, 2014
Make Peace, Not War The United Nations Alliance of Civilizations, the United Nations Development Program, and Build Up have teamed up to sponsor PEACEapp, a competition intended to showcase the work of game developers who create games to channel cultural dialogue and conflict management. October 15 is the deadline for entries. China’s Signal Hijacks Have […]
Tech Sightings, September 16, 2014
A Walkway for Slowpokes Staring at Their Smartphones? Getting tired of being stuck behind people walking while perusing their cellphones? China has an answer for that. The city of Chongqing is introducing the world’s first pedestrian slow lane for mobile users. Sensors Let Alzheimer’s Patients Stay Home, Safely Families with Alzheimer patients can now feel […]
Q&A: UNESCO Takes Literacy Fight to Mobile
Cellphones and mobile devices are opening up new avenues to improve people’s lives, particularly among the illiterate. And the United Nations Organization for Education, Science and Culture (UNESCO) has been working to harness that mobile power for its literacy programs. In a chat with TECHtonics, Fengchun Miao, Chief of UNESCO’s ICT Education Unit in Paris […]