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Twitter removed thousands more Chinese propaganda accounts
The company recently shut down another 3,465 accounts linked to state information campaigns.
DeepMind uses AI to track Serengeti wildlife with photos
DeepMind has joined the ranks of those using AI to save fragile wildlife populations, and it's doing that on a grand scale. The company is partnering with conservationists and ecologists on a project that uses machine learning to speedily detect and count animals in "millions" of photos taken over the past nine years in Tanzania's Serengeti National Park. Where it normally takes up to a year for volunteers to return labeled photos, DeepMind has developed a model that can label most animals at least as well as humans while shortening the process by up to nine months That's no small challenge when animals seldom cooperate with motion-sensitive cameras -- the AI can recognize out-of-focus cheetahs or fast-moving ostriches.
Drones and smartphones help fight malaria in Tanzania
The fight against malaria has been improving, but there's still lots more work to do. For one thing, anti-larval sprays are both expensive and time-consuming -- you can't always afford to spray an entire area. Thankfully, a mix of technology is making that mosquito battle more practical. Wales' Aberystwyth University and Tanzania's Zanzibar Malaria Elimination Programme have partnered on an initiative that uses drones to survey malaria hot zones and identify the water-laden areas where malaria-carrying mosquitoes are likely to breed.
Tanzania charges man with 'insulting' its leader on WhatsApp
Attempts to clamp down on free speech online aren't just limited to public social network posts. Tanzania has charged five men with insulting President John Magufuli on social networks, one of whom (lecturer Dennis Mtegwa) is accused of offending the country's leader in a WhatsApp discussion group. The other four have also been charged with using Facebook and WhatsApp posts to turn people against the police. All five have denied the charges and are currently free on bail.
Google partners with Jane Goodall to capture Tanzania's chimp heaven
Google has joined forces with the Jane Goodall Institute to bring Street Views of Gombe National Park and its numerous chimpanzees. Using portable Trekkers, Google's intrepid photogs captured thousands of 360-degree images in the jungles where Goodall first started her research. Some of the Institute's favorite highlights include a chimp called "Google" swinging on a vine (above), the slopes of Gombe, a group of chimpanzees fishing for termites and the interior of Jane's house. To head down the trails or up into the tree canopies yourself, hit the source -- there's a monkey around every corner.
Microsoft bringing white space internet, Windows 8 hardware to Tanzania
It's not just Bill Gates who has a benevolent eye turned towards Africa, as Microsoft has launched the second stage of its 4Afrika initiative in Tanzania. Redmond has teamed up with local provider UhuruOne to roll out white space broadband to the University of Dar es Salaam and is working with banks to help students get loans to buy Windows 8 hardware. Microsoft will also employ some students as on-campus support staff, offering training and qualifications to help them in the future. While the press release doesn't mention the discounted Huawei W1 that Microsoft is offering in Kenya, we can only assume Tanzanians will get the same offer -- fair's fair, after all. [Original image credit: Alexander Landfair / Wikimedia Commons]
Parasitologists fight disease in Africa using low-cost iPhone lens
In rural Tanzania, scientists have outfitted an iPhone with an $8 glass lens and an inexpensive flashlight to convert the device into an inexpensive field microscope. Fitted out in such a fashion, the unit enabled researchers to search stool samples for parasite eggs, including the hookworm and round worm. A press release reports: Though the iPhone microscope was not as sensitive as a light microscope -- the gold standard for detecting intestinal worms in stool samples -- the researchers believe that, with a few adjustments, it can come very close. According to the researchers, mobile phone microscopes could soon become a valuable diagnostic tool in poor, remote regions where intestinal worms are a serious health problem. My late father-in-law spent significant time in Africa working in parasitology. He would have been gratified to learn of developments like this latest one just published in the American Journal of Tropical Medicine and Hygiene. If this kind of development excites you, make sure to check out our related write-up on using the iPhone for urine analysis.
CCP Games conquers Mount Kilimanjaro, one step closer to world domination
CCP Games is a company with a singular lofty goal: World Domination. From their humble beginnings in a small office in Reykjavik, Iceland, they released an experimental sci-fi MMO into an untested market. Almost seven years down the line, EVE Online has been a consistent success and CCP as a company has expanded at an incredible rate. Now with additional offices in China, North America and the UK and two exciting new games on the way, they're well on their way to meeting that gargantuan goal. Last month, CCP took their plans to dominate the earth literally as they conquered Africa's highest peak. On March 1st 2010 at approximately 6:30AM, CCP developers "CCP Solomon", "CCP Diagoras" and "CCP Punkturis" from the company's Reykjavik office arrived at the summit of Mount Kilimanjaro in Tanzania. Along with a fourth friend named Sveinn Sveinsson, they completed an impressive 6 day trek to the peak through harsh conditions. On arrival, they literally planted the CCP flag at Uhuru peak, an incredible 5895 metres above sea level. [Via MMORPG.com]
