This Box Keeps Information Flowing During a Crisis
The creators of Ushahidi, a crisis mapping platform, have developed hardware that keeps wireless communication going in the midst of chaos.
Contributors
David Talbot
Follow @twitterapiChief Correspondent
I’m MIT Technology Review's chief correspondent, keeping an eye most often on the world of information and communication technologies—and asking my kids when I don’t understand what’s going on. Recent projects have taken me to Kenya to write about mobile-phone-based health initiatives, and Germany to explore how they’ll ramp up renewable power while closing down nuclear plants. My 2008 feature on the Obama campaign’s social-networking operation was selected for The Best Technology Writing 2009.
David Talbot's Stories
African Bus Routes Redrawn Using Cell-Phone Data
The largest-ever release of mobile-phone data yields a model for fixing bus routes.
Google Fiber’s Ripple Effect
The threat of superfast Google Fiber is causing other Internet providers to crank up their own offerings.
Preventing Misinformation from Spreading through Social Media
New platforms for fact-checking and reputation scoring aim to better channel social media’s power in the wake of a disaster.
Big Data from Cheap Phones
Collecting and analyzing information from simple cell phones can provide surprising insights into how people move about and behave—and even help us understand the spread of diseases.
Building a Picture of the Bomb Suspects through Social Network Analysis
Police can obtain huge quantities of social network data but must sort out the junk to glean useful information.
A Smarter Algorithm Could Cut Energy Use in Data Centers by 35 Percent
Storing video and other files more intelligently reduces the demand on servers in a data center.
AT&T Researchers Set a Long-Haul Data Record
New optical technology paves the way for more efficient ocean-spanning transmissions.
Facebook’s Real “Home” May Be the Developing World
The new Facebook-centric Android app for smartphones builds on other efforts to court mobile users internationally.
"Massive" Cyberattack Wasn't Really So Massive
A decade-old fix could have easily stopped this weekend’s attack on an anti-spam company, but the truth is many Web companies simply ignore such fixes.
