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
Posted September 24th, 2014 at 2:08 pm (UTC-5)
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
Posted September 23rd, 2014 at 2:07 pm (UTC-5)
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
Posted September 19th, 2014 at 2:36 pm (UTC-5)
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
Posted September 18th, 2014 at 2:35 pm (UTC-5)
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
Posted September 16th, 2014 at 2:47 pm (UTC-5)
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
Posted September 12th, 2014 at 2:46 pm (UTC-5)
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 […]
Tech Sightings, September 11, 2014
Posted September 11th, 2014 at 2:46 pm (UTC-5)
Google Buys High-Tech Spoon Manufacturer It’s not an ordinary spoon. Lift Labs’s high-tech spoon accounts for tremors and makes it easier for people suffering from neurodegenerative disease to eat. The company, along with some of its employees, will join Goggle’s Life Sciences division. Bank of England Sees Bitcoin Fraud Risk, Deflation Danger The Bank of […]
Tech Sightings, September 10, 2014
Posted September 10th, 2014 at 2:45 pm (UTC-5)
Botnet Twists the Knife in iCloud Security After stealing pictures of nude celebrities from Apple’s iCloud accounts, hackers are now using a botnet – Kelihos botnet – to send their victims emails, purportedly from Apple, asking them for ID information to address alleged iTunes purchases . Printable Solar Panels May Be Coming to a Device […]