News and Notes Roundup: Feb. 23

For the first time in seemingly forever, we are back with an on-time, regularly scheduled Monday edition of the NDItech News and Notes Roundup. As you debate the merits of last night’s Oscar winners, losers and snubs around the water cooler or in-office kegerator today, feel free to sprinkle in some conversation about the Roundup’s hot links in tech, democracy, and development. And as always, feel free to tweet or email us (@nditech or [email protected]) with any tips.

This week’s look into “Tech History” starts out by acknowledging the February 26th anniversary of the release of the world’s first web browser. WorldWideWeb, later renamed Nexus, was released into the public domain in 1991. We should also mentioned that this Sunday, March 1st marks 39 years since the legendary Steve Wozniak completed the basic design for a circuit board that became the bases of the Apple 1 computer.

Now, time for the links:

Popular Tech News:

• Are cars the next industry Apple is going to take over?

• Cyberwarfare increases between Iran and the United States

• California plans on building a 'hydrogen highway'

• Applying big data to combat benefits fraud

• An isolated vault could store our data on DNA for 2 million years

ICT and Development:

• Cote D’Ivoire supports move to close the digital divide among its citizens

• The UN to unveil a plan for a 'breakthrough' technology bank geared towards LDC's

• How online courses are shaping youth in the developing world

• Interesting breakdown of the ‘triple helix’ of social tech innovation

• A visualization of how ICT affects development

Mobiles:

• India is using mobile phones to allow citizens to report criminal activity

• The current state of Kenya's mobile financial services terrain

• How Microsoft plans to use mobile e-readers to boost innovation in Sub-Saharan Africa

• What will happen to the 120 million refurbished smartphones in the world?

• Rwanda's policy on smart phones is giving them an edge