WTP 194: Satellites Aid Burma and Kenya, Cell Phones Aid Ghanian Doctors, and the Deep End of the Platypus Gene Pool

Here we go:

WTP 194

Here’s the line-up: The venerable Sigue Sigue Sputnik blasts us into the past and the podcast this week.  We’ve got two items on satellites; the first looks at how the UN’s Rapid Mapping Unit is using satellite images to assess damage in Burma.  The second looks at how satellites are aiding conservation in Kenya.  Then a podcast exclusive interview with Dr. Brian Levine, who is helping to connect Ghanian doctors to one another, for free, via cell phones.  And we’ll end by dipping our toes into the genetic quagmire that is the platypus.

 

 

Estonia Uses GPS and Google Earth to Organize Nationwide Trash Pick-Up!

On yesterday’s program, our man in the Baltics, Cyrus Farivar, filed a piece on Estonia’s first national trash pick-up day.  They used GPS and Google Earth to note where the trash piles were, for easy pick-up over the weekend!

Estonia clean-up

This was the answer to yesterday’s Geo-Quiz segment, so that’s why we’re giving clues at the top of the piece.  Anyway, Cyrus has got some great Flickr photos of the clean-up here.

WTP 193: Global Online Freedom Act, OLPC Update, Afrigadget, and Rise and Shine

All right.  Down to the wire here.  Must go pick up my lovely daughter, Anna Sofia, from day care.  Podcast is up:

WTP 193

This week’s ‘cast takes a look at a new bill making its way through the US Congress called The Global Online Freedom Act.  Then, another update on the One Laptop Per Child project.  Also, the latest Afrigadget segment, followed by a look at an online outfit called Rise and Shine that turns the news into music, and fast.  Finally, the Old Bailey gets grisly online.

One funny note on the power of social networking.  I got Jonathan Zittrain of Oxford University into the piece on the Global Online Freedom Act today because I follow him on Twitter.  He sent a tweet saying he was delayed at Heathrow, so I tweeted back — so, got five minutes to talk?  This stuff is not just fun, but can be damn useful to journalists if we use it well. 

I’m at http://www.twitter.com/worldstechpod if you’re interested

Standout items from The World — 4/30/08 episode

Yesterday’s show was what we call “a keeper.”  Full of good, interesting stuff.  But for my money, here are some highlights:

American farmers and food prices – The World’s Jeb Sharp reports on how the global food crisis and the rise in oil prices are affecting American farmers.

Invisible Nation – Anchor Lisa Mullins speaks with The World’s Quil Lawrence about his new book, “Invisible Nation: How the Kurds’ Quest for Statehood is shaping Iraq and the Middle East.”

Olympic torch on Mt. Everest – The World’s Carol Hills reports on China’s preparations for taking the Olympic torch all the way to the summit of Mt. Everest. China’s state-run television began live broadcasts from the mountain today.

 

 

Satellite Imagery to track Kenya’s National Parks

From yesterday’s edition of The World, Julia Kumari Drapkin reports on how satellites are helping to keep an eye on Lake Nakuru National Park in Kenya:

Satellites and the environment

Here are some links:

NASA satellite images of Lake Nakuru National Park

EU’s Assessment of African Protected Areas

 

 

OLPC update

On yesterday’s edition of The World, we ran a piece by Cyrus Farivar on the One Laptop Per Child project:

One Laptop Per Child Update

 

Cyrus filed it before heading out on a reporting trip to the Baltics for us.  You can follow his blog updates here, and his tweets here.  He’s posting photos from Helsinki!

 

Ankle deep in the Amazon

My friend and colleague Alex Gallafent is currently in Manaus, Brazil on a major reporting trip for The World.  He’s providing what can only be called a multi-media extravaganza.  If you listened to WTP 192:

WTP 192: Mobile Gorilla Game, World Malaria Day, Alex Goes Amazon, and yes, Phorm

then you can hear my pre-interview with Alex before his trip.  It starts about about 9:05 into the file.  Alex talks about all the gear he’s taking with him, both in the interview and in this blog post.  It’s already paying off.  He’s blogging like crazy, and Twittering too!

My favorite Alex tweet from this AM — “rain in a rainforest. now that’s news…”  I told him we’d lead with that in today’s show.

New Podcast from PRI’s The World

To add to the recent excellent news that we’re podcasting the entire program…iTunes link is here.

The World’s Patrick Cox has launched a new weekly podcast on language and languages across the globe.  It’s called The World in Words, and you can subscribe to it with this feed.  To find out more, check out the short interview I did with Patrick earlier today.

Patrick Cox discusses The World in Words

Also, here’s the first episode!

The World in Words, Episode 1

Personally, it’s very satisfying to finally see so many folks at The World catching the podcast bug.  Hard to believe that the first tech podcast went out more than three years ago, February 11, 2005.

WTP 192: Mobile Gorilla Game, World Malaria Day, Alex Goes Amazon, and yes, Phorm

New ‘cast is up:

WTP 192: Mobile Gorilla Game, World Malaria Day, Alex Goes Amazon, and yes, Phorm

Two weeks out of the saddle, so I had about 40 minutes of podcast to share.  First, we hear about the re-release of a mobile phone-based video game called Silverback.  Then, to Zimbabwe to hear about FrontlineSMS.  We’ll have a studio talk with The World’s Alex Gallafent about his multimedia-laced trip to the Amazon, and a chat with Cyrus Farivar about his trip to the Baltics.  And somewhere in there, we’ll talk about a new social networking site designed to bring donors and malaria researchers in Africa together.  And yes, finally, a piece on Phorm.

But the best part was getting to use some great Donkey Kong sound effects at the top of the podcast.  Priceless.  While browsing for those effects via YouTube, I came across this.  Even…more…priceless.

Friday’s broadcast…

On Friday, The World led with a sequence on World Malaria Day. I have a piece in it, but I think it’s really worth listening to every part of the sequence.

World Malaria Day

Anchor Katy Clark gets two perspectives on the global battle against malaria. One view is that of Abdullahi Boru, a BBC correspondent who contracted malaria as a teenager. The other view is that of Nils Dauliere, of the group Global Health Council, which is dedicated to improving health worldwide.

Malaria Website

The World’s Clark Boyd reports on a new effort to help combat malaria in Africa by using the Internet. The work of Africa-based malaria researchers is often hampered by a lack of funds. Now, one entrepreneur has set up a website to directly connect donors anywhere in the world with malaria researchers in Africa.

Journey Into the Amazon

The World’s Alex Gallafent previews his upcoming trip to Brazil’s Amazon region. The anti-malarial drug Malarone makes an appearance. Follow Alex’s trip here.