Horizon highlights 鈥� The stories behind OLPC, NASA shields, and where cellphones RIP
Our regular roundup of sci-tech stories from across the web includes: Can One Laptop per Child (OLPC) survive? What does cellphone heaven look like? And who's watching over American innovation? Let鈥檚 kick it off:
Space invaders 鈥�
"A computer virus is alive and well on the International Space Station (ISS). NASA has confirmed that laptops carried to the ISS in July were infected with a virus known as Gammima.AG." [via BBC]
Space defenders 鈥� Video:
"NASA's come up with two materials to protect returning astronauts. And one of them's been around for 40 years." [via LiveScience]
From the Monitor鈥檚 archive 鈥� Will US-Russia tensions extend to space?: 鈥淚nternational cooperation in human spaceflight may be facing its toughest test since the cold war. The immediate concern: Will US astronauts be able to ride Russian rockets between 2010, when the last shuttle is retired, and 2015, when the National Aeronautics and Space Administration expects to launch a replacement?鈥�
Gadgetry 鈥�
"More than half a billion cell phones were swapped for newer models in 2007, according to a study by the research firm Gartner. In the past, these phones might have been tossed in the garbage or just stashed in a drawer, but an increasing number of cellphone vendors are promoting take-back programs, which make recycling an easier option for consumers." [via Technology Review]
Backstory 鈥�
"Nearly every one of the original staff had abandoned the [One Laptop per Child] project by 2008, often in disgust. But Negroponte remains stalwart: 鈥楳y elephant skin is the thickness of steel,' he told me. Perhaps his resistance to criticism has been one of the project's fatal flaws." [via Gizmodo]
From the Monitor鈥檚 archive 鈥� More computer brands chase the 鈥�$100 laptop鈥� : So while some PCs continue to bulk up and tout their speed and raw power, others represent a new trend: slimming down. Way down. These smaller, simpler machines are aimed at a potentially lucrative market: the next 1 billion PC users around the planet.
Interview 鈥�
"Mitch Kapor, a pioneer of personal computing, says the position is vital given the growing importance of technology." [via Technology Review]
