News and Notes Roundup: Feb. 18

One might assume that with Monday’s holiday and Tuesday’s D.C. “blizzard” the NDItech News and Notes Roundup might’ve just given up on this week. But of course, we all know what assuming does. Not only has the greatest roundup this side of the Potomac persevered through snow day and holiday, but it’s honored America’s Presidents during this holiday week with an extra special edition. As always, feel free to tweet or email us (@nditech/[email protected]) with any hot tips.

As we not so subtly hinted at in this roundup’s opening stanza, this week’s look into “Tech History” will focus on American Presidents. Unfortunately, not that much happened this week in history when it comes to Presidents and tech - so we’ll keep this section short this time around. Perhaps the only noteworthy item to mention is that February 22nd is the anniversary of the first Presidential radio address. On that date in 1924, Calvin Coolidge reached an audience of 5 million listeners with his speech from the White House.

Now, time for the links:

Popular Tech News:

• Internet pioneer warns our era could become the 'Digital Dark Ages'

• Harvard Innovation Challenge winner hopes to replace gaggles of DC interns with data-driven policy

• New map shows the world’s ecosystems in unprecedented detail

• 10 futuristic gadgets for the early adopter

• Should digital skills become core educational subjects?

ICT and Development:

• The school growing a digital forest in Rwanda

• How can we ethically provide access to cutting-edge technology?

• Bridging hacking & local activism in the rainforest - blog from Transparency Accountability Initiative

• How Jordan’s OurCity Facebook game drives youth towards engaged citizenship

• Remote sensing satellites and the regulation of violence in areas of limited statehood

Mobiles:

• How Nigeria became the world’s dual SIM-card superpower

• Mobile citizen reporting saving bananas from bacterial wilt in Uganda

• East African smallholder farmers to benefit from new mobile app

• Google faces Russia Android probe after Yandex protest

• TogoCel to launch 4G technology this year