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Like past regimes, Sudan's government is trying to silence protests by periodically shutting off internet access. Activists have found a way to keep everyone informed, however, by launching the Abena Crowd Map. The tool sends SMS-based reports of demonstrations and other events to a crowdmapping platform where contributors verify, locate and post stories. Observers can both filter the report stream and get alerts when incidents take place within a given area. The map won't always help protesters on the ground, but it will share their ordeal with the outside world -- and prevent Sudan's rulers from controlling the narrative.
Filed under: Cellphones, Internet
Via: Vice
Source: Abena Crowd Map
Canon could be facing a costly drop in production of both its digital cameras and laser printers, following reports that widespread protests in China have forced it close most of its factories in that country. It's a similar story at Panasonic, which is said to have had one of its plants "sabotaged" by Chinese workers. The anti-Japan protests concern the status of disputed islands in the East China Sea and were triggered by the Japanese government's move to purchase some of the land in question -- check the More Coverage link below for a more detailed explanation.
Filed under: Cameras, Misc, Home Entertainment
Canon and Panasonic halt production in China amid anti-Japan protests originally appeared on Engadget on Mon, 17 Sep 2012 09:37:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Twitter has been building a modest reputation for siding with the little guy (or girl) when it comes to communication privacy, and it just demonstrated how far it's willing to go in a showdown with Manhattan's Criminal Court over a demand to hand over tweets from Occupy Wall Street protestor Malcolm Harris. The social network has been pushed into delivering the claimed evidence, but only as it faced a deadline and the threat of a fine -- it even tried one last request for a stay before producing hard copies of the messages. However much the handover affects Harris' chances at winning during trial, it emphasizes that public posts have serious consequences -- companies ultimately can't shield you from the law.
[Image credit: Paul Stein, Flickr]
Twitter hands over Occupy Wall Street protestor's updates under pressure originally appeared on Engadget on Fri, 14 Sep 2012 13:24:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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Ever get the feeling that you've seen it all before? University of Connecticut researcher Peter Turchin has, and he (along with Russian partners Sergey Nefedov and Andrey Korotayev) has even crafted an entire scientific theory around the idea. Cliodynamics, as it's called, works on the view that broad trends of history occur in predictable patterns based on common factors like government strength, population size and social inequality. The surprise to Turchin is that violence outside of wars, at least in the US, triggers roughly every 50 years like clockwork: people rebel against a social crisis, but their children stay out of the fray and lead to the conditions that ultimately trigger another outbreak, like the 1970s civil rights and peace movements. Don't set your watch to cliodynamics just yet. Many historians are still skeptical, and even supporters note that one-off events or major wars fall through the cracks. If the theory pans out, however, science could be used to help governments do the right thing before they're made to do it at gunpoint.
[Image credit: Steve Wilson, Flickr]
Filed under: Science
Theory of cliodynamics uses science to predict history, sees violence erupt in cycles originally appeared on Engadget on Thu, 02 Aug 2012 20:55:00 EDT. Please see our terms for use of feeds.
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