links for 2010-03-10

Submitted by EthanZuckermanBlog on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 18:04

Books overtake games as most numerous iPhone apps

Submitted by zunia on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 15:36

"In what is predicted to be a pivotal year for ebooks, with next month's iPad launch, the number of books available as iPhone apps now exceeds the number of games....."'It's a very exciting time,' agreed Penguin's digital publisher, Jeremy Ettinghausen. 'It's very exciting that people are using iPhones to read books.'...."A significant proportion of these apps are free downloads of out-of-copyright books, but according to Franklin the recent surge in book apps can also be attributed to improveme

Does the World Bank have a sense of humor?

Submitted by PSDBlog on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 14:36

Perhaps the title is a rhetorical question, but I felt obliged to ask it after seeing the latest parody of a World Bank initiative. If you've been ignoring CNN, you may have missed the news that the World Bank Institute recently launched a massively multiplayer game called Evoke designed to get people around the world to work collaboratively on pressing problems like food security, human rights, etc. Evoke builds a storyline based around a comic book (eh hem, sorry, graphic novel) to lay out a quest each week.

North Korean Defectors Describes Arms Export

Submitted by UNDispatch on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 14:32

A major South Korean newspaper ran an article today about North Korean arms exports. It’s a fascinating view of one of the scariest parts of a frightening economy.

A major South Korean newspaper ran an article today about North Korean arms exports, based on information they received from a North Korean defector. It’s a fascinating view of one of the scariest parts of a frightening economy. North Korea sells everything from small arms to warheads, and it has a whole set of structures set up to support the trade.

India: SKS to file for IPO in 3-4 weeks…

Submitted by MiFiReport on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 14:08

MUMBAI, March 8 (Reuters) – SKS Microfinance, an Indian firm that makes small loans to poor borrowers, plans to file application papers for an IPO in 3-4 weeks, three sources with knowledge of the deal said. The exact size and structure of the fundraising was not yet determined, with one source putting the figure at [...]

The XO Laptop with Handle Almost Removed [Flickr]

Submitted by OLPCNews.com on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 13:15

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

The XO Laptop with Handle Almost Removed

Read more at OLPC News

XO Laptop Repair Bench at OLPC Learning Club DC Meetup

Submitted by OLPCNews.com on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 13:15

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

XO Laptop Repair Bench at OLPC Learning Club DC Meetup

Read more at OLPC News

Now where is that little screw for the XO? [Flickr]

Submitted by OLPCNews.com on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 13:15

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

Now where is that little screw for the XO?

Read more at OLPC News

Just snap off the handle guard like this...

Submitted by OLPCNews.com on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 13:15

Wayan Vota posted a photo:

Just snap off the handle guard like this...

Read more at OLPC News

e-Participatory Budgeting: e-Democracy from theory to success?

Submitted by zunia on Wed, 03/10/2010 - 11:30

This paper concerns the use of Information and Communication Technologies (ICTs) as a strategy for reinforcing democratic processes - broadly defined as “electronic democracy” practices - and focuses on the use of ICTs in participatory democracy initiatives. By considering the experience of the e-Participatory Budgeting in the city of Belo Horizonte (Brazil), the aim is to understand some of the possible prospects and limitations offered by ICTs in participatory processes at the local level.This

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