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Rewiring Our Digital World

Academic Ethan Zuckerman on why the internet has failed to connect us across cultures. Plus, refining weather forecasts in Rio de Janeiro and code-controlled NodeCopters that fly

Rewire: Ethan Zuckerman
Director of the MIT Center for Civic Media, Ethan Zuckerman, says the internet has failed to connect us across cultures. In his new book, Rewire, he explains his belief that even though we now live a networked world it has not necessarily made us all digital cosmopolitans. Gareth Mitchell asks him why this is the case when social networking has surely made it easier than ever for us to expand our friendship circles.

Deep Thunder for Rio
Rio de Janeiro suffered catastrophic mudslides in 2010 that left at least 100 people dead. The Mayor vowed that such a disaster should never happen again and put his faith in technology to ensure his vow. The forecasting Deep Thunder project, successfully employed in a number of cities, has been rolled out in Rio de Janeiro. It allows for better and more targeted weather forecasts. With the Brazil World Cup approaching, Rio is hoping for a solid defence. Colin Grant talks to Ulisses Mello, Director of IBM research in Brazil, about how big computing is deployed to guard against deadly mudslides.

Hacked: NodeCopters
More than 500 people recently attended Hacked at the O2 Arena in London - a two-day hacking event where attendees learn, build and share a wide variety of computer code-controlled applications. One of the projects available for people to work on was NodeCopter – flying quadcopters that can be controlled by pre-programmed code. Freelance software developer Andrew Nesbitt introduced one of his NodeCopters to Click’s Jen Whyntie.

(Photo: A man using a mobile phone and a laptop. Credit: AFP/Getty Images)

Available now

18 minutes

Last on

Wed 24 Jul 2013 08:32GMT

Chapters

  • Rewire: Ethan Zuckerman

    Ethan Zuckerman argues that the internet has failed to connect us across cultures.

    Duration: 04:06

  • Deep Thunder for Rio

    Colin Grant explores how big computing helps forecasters in Rio de Janeiro.

    Duration: 03:44

  • HACKED: NodeCopters

    Jen Whyntie reports on the flying NodeCopters at HACKED.

    Duration: 04:39

Broadcasts

  • Tue 23 Jul 2013 18:32GMT
  • Wed 24 Jul 2013 01:32GMT
  • Wed 24 Jul 2013 08:32GMT

Podcast