haiti

Cell phones spur 'Scientific Animations Without Borders'

Researchers at the University of Illinois may not be unveiling a major technological breakthrough, but their "Scientific Animations Without Borders" initiative could inspire a paradigm shift in the world of health and sustainable development education.

Currently, this kind of education outreach tends to be both expensive and time-consuming, with researchers often flying great distances for several weeks or months to teach, say, Haitians how to avoid cholera exposure, often with minimal follow-up.

So a team of extension educators in Champagne, Ill., is developing two-minute educational animations viewable on cell phones (see example here)--a tool that could save … Read more

Nokero solar bulb stands up to Canadian winter

The mercury reads 12 degrees outside, but it feels like minus 2 with the windchill. That's Fahrenheit--the numbers are depressingly lower in Celsius here in Canada. Still, when I hang Nokero's new N200 bulb on a tree, its solar cell recharges without a hitch.

Denver-based Nokero debuted last year with the N100 solar light bulb. It recently released an improved version, the N200, and I had a chance to try it out.

First off, the Nokero bulbs are designed to replace homemade kerosene lamps, not standard bulbs. They're aimed at hundreds of millions of people in developing … Read more

Gates backs cell phone banking for Haiti

The massive earthquake in Haiti in January destroyed a third or more of the country's banks and ATMs, but even before the quake fewer than 1 in 10 Haitians had ever used a traditional bank.

Aiming to broaden access to financial institutions and aid in the recovery, the Gates Foundation and the U.S. Agency for International Development announced Tuesday a plan to back up to $10 million in funding to spur the use of cell phone banking, an approach that has worked elsewhere to bring financing to the poor.

"Out of the ruins of Haiti's tragic … Read more

How Go shaped a crowdsourcing business career (Q&A)

After the devastating January earthquake in Haiti, which left hundreds of thousands dead, many more injured, and more than a million homeless, the country's infrastructure lay in ruins. But because Haiti's cell phone network inexplicably survived, text messaging quickly became a way for people to put out pleas for assistance.

Not long after the disaster, the country's largest cell network provider set up the shortcode 4636, allowing Haitians to text a call for help. But with thousands of texts flooding the system, and a need for many of them to be translated into English, relief workers needed … Read more

Chrysler auctions of a 300C for Haiti earthquake relief

Chrysler plans to auction off a 300C at the end of the month. The proceeds will go to the American Red Cross relief effort in Haiti.

Chrysler Brand President and CEO Olivier Francois talks about the auction in this Web video. The donated Chrysler 300C has been signed by about 300 celebrities. It will be auctioned on February 20 by Leake Car Auctions in Oklahoma City.

Week in review: Tablet time for Apple

Apple let the world in on the "secret" device that everyone already knew about, but perhaps the only real surprise was its awkward name.

After months of rumors and speculation about a slate-like device, Apple CEO Steve Jobs took the stage to unveil to the iPad --a tablet computer that looks like a larger version of Apple's iPod Touch. It sports a 9.7-inch LCD touch-screen display, which makes use of the same multitouch technology found on the iPhone, Apple's Magic Mouse, and its notebook trackpads.

Twitter reaction to the announcement was generally positive. Some seemed … Read more

A view from Microsoft's disaster central

REDMOND, Wash.--The ground-level conference room in Building 25 doesn't look much different than many others in buildings across Microsoft's sprawling campus.

It has a window, though most of the view is obscured by a large bush. It has the usual array of outlets and Ethernet jacks, screens, and projectors. During earthquakes and floods, hurricanes and tsunamis, though, this room is ground zero for Microsoft's emergency response effort.

Even then though, it can be hard to tell that somewhere halfway around the world, disaster has struck. That's because Microsoft's disaster team is a virtual one, … Read more

What a Microsoft rescue worker saw in Haiti

While many people have jobs at Microsoft that aim to avoid disasters, Gisli Olafsson's job is getting through them.

As a full-time disaster management specialist for the software maker, Olafsson works with the United Nations and other agencies to prepare before devastation hits and also to coordinate efforts once it does. Olafsson has been sent across the globe to deal with the aftermath of earthquakes and hurricanes, offering help in rebuilding the infrastructure that nature has wiped away.

But, that's only part of the reason Olafsson so often finds himself on the scene of natural calamities. A native … Read more

Reporters' Roundtable: Charity 2.0 (podcast)

This week: charity in a connected world. The January 12 earthquake and humanitarian disaster in Haiti had an important technological component: Through the text message giving program, the Red Cross raised $26 million in funds in just nine days. That's not just a large amount of money to be raised in a short time, it's an unprecedented level of participation. Was this a one-time outpouring of goodwill, or the beginning of a trend in global humanitarianism made possible by technology?

To talk about this and related issues on the Roundtable, I'm joined by Caroline McCarthy from our New York office. Caroline has been covering the online giving program for CNET. And from the Red Cross itself, we have Jonathan Aiken, director of media relations. Before joining the Red Cross, Aiken was a Washington correspondent and an anchor for CNN.

Subscribe with iTunes (audio) Subscribe with iTunes (video) Subscribe with RSS (audio) Subscribe with RSS (video) Reporters' Roundtable #17: Charity in a connected world… Read more

Haiti quake: How to help

Editors' note: This list was originally posted at CBS News, where you can find ongoing coverage of the Haiti crisis.

Seeking information on family members The FBI and the National Center for Disaster Fraud (NCDF) have established a telephone hot line to report suspected Haitian earthquake relief fraud. The number is 1-866-720-5721. The phone line is staffed by a live operator 24 hours a day, seven days a week. You can also e-mail information directly to disaster@leo.gov. The U.S. State Department says Americans seeking information about family members in Haiti should call 1-888-407-4747 or or 202-647-5225. Due … Read more