Tech Sightings, September 30, 2014

Posted September 30th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
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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 FireChat, which lets them bypass centralized cellular or Wi-Fi networks to communicate freely.

Can China’s Social Media Censorship Keep the Lid on Hong Kong Protests?

As China tightens its grip on Hong Kong social media, Weiboscope, a censorship monitoring project at the University of Hong Kong’s Journalism and Media Studies Center, found that “Hong Kong” is the most widely-deleted search term on Weibo. And there are indications that mainland China is still unaware of what is going on in the former British colony.

How Tech is Transforming Teaching in a South African Township

The African School of Excellence in South Africa aims to provide the country’s townships with affordable, world class schools. The school, the only one of its kind for now, is comprised of portable classrooms, although a permanent home is planned.

Microsoft’s Nadella Channels India Expat Ethos Shaping Tech

Anonymous sources at Microsoft say Satya Nadella, who was born in Hyderabad, India and later immigrated to the United States, has the modesty and equanimity to keep the backing of both managers and employees, despite recent layoffs and ongoing restructuring at the tech giant.

New Security Flaws Render Shellshock Patch Ineffective

Security researchers have discovered new flaws in the bash shell used in Unix and Linux that render earlier Red Hat fixes ineffective. The company has issued new fixes for the bug that was present for the last 22 years without being detected.

Apple iOS 8.0.2 Users Still Report Connectivity Issues, Other Glitches

Apple’s recent update to iOS 8 brought new features and fixed some glitches. But users are still complaining that even with the update, iOS 8.02, the operating system still suffers from bugs and other maladies such as losing connectivity or having poor Wi-Fi connectivity.

Coinbase Leads Move to Bring Bitcoin to Masses

Brian Armstrong and Fred Ehrsam, founders of a startup brokerage firm called Coinbase, are on a mission to convince the world that bitcoin is not a scam and to make it the currency of the land.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

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