Tech Sightings, June 10, 2014

Posted June 10th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
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Facebook, Twitter Brace for World Cup Fever

Facebook is offering new features to help its huge soccer fanbase get the most out of the July 12 World Cup games in Brazil. Nearly 40 percent of the social media giant’s 1.28 billion users are football fans. The new features let football aficionados track their favorite players and teams and learn more about the games.

FIFA to Hold Man of the Match Votes on Twitter

FIFA, Football’s governing body, and official World Cup sponsor Budweiser, are taking this year’s World Cup Man of the Match vote to social media, hoping to increase the number of voters during the games. Voting will open on Twitter at the beginning of the second half of each game. Voters can register using hashtag #ManoftheMatch.

‘Smart’ Football Helmet May Help Detect Concussions

Riddell, the United States’ leading maker of football helmets, has come up with a way to better assess the severity of concussions when football players have collisions on the field. The new technology, which is embedded in football helmets, measures the force of collisions and sends alerts whenever a player’s health in at risk.

Nigerian Inventor Builds Solar-Powered Car

Segun Oyeyiola, a student at Obafemi Awolowo University, says building a solar-powered car in Nigeria can be challenging. Studying and working day and night, sometimes without electricity, finding the materials, text books, resources and funds were just some of the hurdles he had to overcome while creating his car.

Campaign to Pave American Roads With Solar Panels Passes $2 Million in Donations

Despite questions about cost and feasibility, Scott and Julie Brusaw’s plan to pave roadways with solar panels has received more than 40,000 donations worth more than $2 million, the most to ever be donated on crowdfunding site Indiegog. Donations come from all over the United States and 42 countries besides.

Race for a Better Bitcoin Is on – But Still May Miss the Point

Entrepreneurs are vying to create new cryptocurrencies that promise greater anonymity protection, while making transactions even less traceable. But the effort does little to address the real problems plaguing digital currencies.

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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