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Digital Planet: Rewiring Our Digital World

Factual: Science & Nature

Man speaks on his mobile phone as he uses his laptop computer

23/07/2013

Rewiring Our Digital World

BBC World Service - Digital Planet, Rewiring Our Digital World

Academic Ethan Zuckerman on why the internet has failed to connect us across cultures

Academic Ethan Zuckerman on why the internet has failed to connect us across cultures. Plus, refining weather forecasts in Rio de Janeiro and code-controlled NodeCopters that fly

Rewire: Ethan Zuckerman
Director of the MIT Center for Civic Media, Ethan Zuckerman, says the internet has failed to connect us across cultures. In his new book, Rewire, he explains his belief that even though we now live a networked world it has not necessarily made us all digital cosmopolitans. Gareth Mitchell asks him why this is the case when social networking has surely made it easier than ever for us to expand our friendship circles. 

Deep Thunder for Rio
Rio de Janeiro suffered catastrophic mudslides in 2010 that left at least 100 people dead.  The Mayor vowed that such a disaster should never happen again and put his faith in technology to ensure his vow. The forecasting Deep Thunder project, successfully employed in a number of cities, has been rolled out in Rio de Janeiro. It allows for better and more targeted weather forecasts. With the Brazil World Cup approaching, Rio is hoping for a solid defence. Colin Grant talks to Ulisses Mello, Director of IBM research in Brazil, about how big computing is deployed to guard against deadly mudslides.

Hacked: NodeCopters
More than 500 people recently attended Hacked at the O2 Arena in London - a two-day hacking event where attendees learn, build and share a wide variety of computer code-controlled applications. One of the projects available for people to work on was NodeCopter – flying quadcopters that can be controlled by pre-programmed code.  Freelance software developer Andrew Nesbitt introduced one of his NodeCopters to Click’s Jen Whyntie.

(Photo: A man using a mobile phone and a laptop. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

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