Zimbabwe
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Google lets you explore new heritage sites with help from the State Department
The US Department of State is making it easier for people to explore cultural heritage sites from around the world by partnering with Google Arts & Culture.
Zimbabwe government, Apple in joint education venture
The African nation of Zimbabwe has suffered greatly over the past due to the policies of president Robert Mugabe, but there's a glimmer of hope for the future of the country. Apple and the government of Zimbabwe have entered into a joint venture to distribute solar-powered iPads to rural schools in the country. The announcement was made by Zimbabwean minister of Education, Sport, Arts and Culture David Coltart, who met with Apple employees in Paris yesterday. In his Facebook post, he noted that he had a "Great meeting with Apple today in Paris -- unveiled a fascinating new 'School Box' which will take iPads to the most remote rural schools - using solar power and micro projectors we will be able to bring computerized teaching aids to the poorest schools." Coltart mentioned that the first pilot programs could start early in 2012. Coltart said "I am very excited that Zimbabwe is collaborating with Apple int his groundbreaking use of technology to advance educations in the most remote schools. If we can get it to work in Zimbabwe I am sure it will spread to poor schools throughout Africa - and beyond." As noted in Newsday Zimbabwe, most rural schools in the country lack even basic infrastructure. The Mugabe government had previously donated "several computers" to schools as part of a rural computerization project, but they have either been stolen or were never used due to the lack of electricity. Computerworld's Jonny Evans reported on the story today with some speculation the School Box (containing the iPads and solar charger) might act as a femtocell device, sharing a 3G broadband connection among students. Evans quotes analyst firm Gartner as stating that "Where the One Laptop Per Child [OLPC] and mini-notebook fell short in delivering true computer-aided curriculum, the media tablet can deliver if schools build them into a larger ecosystem emerging around digital textbooks." Between the idea of using solar power to reduce or eliminate electricity costs, replacing costly printed textbooks with electronic textbooks, and using the very popular iPad devices, perhaps Apple is hitting the education market in developing countries with the right product at the right time.
Gold Capped: Staying ahead of inflation
Every week, WoW Insider brings you Gold Capped, in which Fox Van Allen and Basil "Euripides" Berntsen aim to show you how to make money on the auction house. Feed Fox's ego by emailing him or tweeting him at @foxvanallen. Do you remember the moment you hit 1 gold for the first time? I do. I was killing mobs in Ashenvale, vendoring Light Feathers and other various trash drops. It was an epic moment. That first piece of gold felt like so much money. It wasn't a lot of money, of course -- it just felt like it. But still, it was worth a heck of a lot more than one piece of gold is worth today. The reason: Azeroth suffers from a constant state of hyperinflation. The purchasing power of 1g is always falling, and it's falling quickly. Thankfully, though, you don't have to stand by and be a victim.
Ask a Beta Tester: It's all about the money
We have a lot of profession questions today, but also a few about Achievements, the Beast Mastery 51-point talent, and what happens when you push Death Knights off a cliff:Riley asks...How is the Shaman Hex ability working? Does the target still have control of movement and does the PvP trinket work against it?Hex is a the crowd-control spell for Shamans referenced by the devs at the class panel here, and it's been tinkered with a lot since we first heard about it. It was originally meant to be more of an emergency-only, short-duration CC. In its present form, Hex's duration has been increased to 30 seconds and it doesn't necessarily break on damage. However, in PvP the target can control where they go, the PvP trinket does work (you can also shapeshift out of it as a Druid), and it's considered a curse and can be dispelled by Mages, Druids, and restoration Shamans (who will have the ability do dispel curses with a 31-point talent Cleanse Spirit). Think of it as a somewhat odd combination of Counterspell, Fear, and Polymorph.
