Geneva, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) – Solutions are within reach, but they are becoming increasingly urgent for the problem of what to do with the growing number of cell phones, televisions, computers and other electronic devices and their waste. A report issued this week by Unep, the United Nations environmental body, draws a gloomy picture, but it says there is hope if action is taken quickly.
”Many developing countries face the spectre of hazardous e-waste mountains with serious consequences for the environment and public health,” according to “”Recycling – from E-Waste to Resources,” published 21 February 2010.
”One person’s waste can be another’s raw material,” says Konrad Osterwalder, of UNU (United Nations University). “The challenge of dealing with e-waste represents an important step in the transition to a green economy. This report outlines smart new technologies and mechanisms which, combined with national and international policies, can transform waste into assets, creating new businesses with decent green jobs.”
The report used data from what Unep calls 11 representative developing countries to estimate current and future e-waste generation: old and dilapidated desk and laptop computers, printers, mobile phones, pagers, digital photo and music devices, refrigerators, toys and televisions.
The Indian government’s crackdown on pre-paid cell phones in troubled Jammu and Kashmir has drawn ire as Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh reaches out to the region’s residents by withdrawing army troops from the region. Nearly 3 million subscribers, including army troops disconnected from their families, have been left without phone service, days after Singh visited the region 30 October.
The measure was introduced on security grounds, because vendors and service providers required only the simplest of identity checks, thus opening up the service to abuse by Islamist insurgents. Nearly 20,000 people in the region make their living selling airtime, and are now faced with destitution.
Militants hiding out in a cave in Kashmir were surprised when the cave’s owner, a bear, returned to his den. Two men were killed, and two injured, one seriously, when the bear attacked them in its den. Police later recovered the bodies and the men’s automatic weapons.
Bears have made a come-back in the region, as people turned in their weapons to security forces when the insurgency began, thus cutting down on poaching. BBC, KashmirLive, Reuters
University of Tokyo, Japan researchers have developed a paint that obstructs wifi signals by adding aluminum-iron oxide particles that resonate at the same frequency as wifi signals, around 2.4 Gigaherz. The paint can block signals at up to 100 GHz. Painting the outside of your house will seal it against neighbours who use your wifi. Theatres and concert halls are interested in the technology to block cellphone signals during performances. BBC,Yahoo News
Map detail, photo Sean Ecker
Bern, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Swisstopo, the Swiss Federal Office of Topography announced that maps of Switzerland at 1:25,000 and 1:100,000 detail are available for cell phones with the Windows mobile and Symbian S60 operating systems. Mobile telephones equipped with a GPS receiver and the Swiss Map mobile software will never get lost again. The software works much as Google maps does, but with the cartographic details of the Swiss maps. The addition of the two mobile platforms means that Swiss Map mobile now exists for the the iPhone, Sony-Ericsson and Nokia smartphones, as well as Windows mobile phones.
US research on the dangers of driving while using a cell phone are finally coming to light, six years after a federal agency in the US decided not to publish them, in 2003, and the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration opted not to do further research, reports the New York Times, which is making the full report available on its web site after two consumer groups, led by consumer advocacy group Public Citizen, publish it 21 July. The data was withheld, it appears, largely out of concern over angering Congress, in an American-style state versus federal power lawmaking clash.
US President Barack Obama, while maintaining the trade embargo with Cuba, has eased some restrictions that particularly affect Cuban-American families: cell phone companies and television broadcasts to the island will be allowed and US citizens will be allowed to make unlimited family visits to the island and provide unlimited financial aid to their families. NPR
Some will love it and some will hate it but no matter what your opinion, cell phones are now being used on airplanes. CNN video
One charger, using a USB plug: some 750 of the world’s leading cell phone makers have pledged that their new cell phones will accept the universal charger by 2012. The announcement was made at the Mobile World Congress taking place in Barcelona, Spain. CNN
Waiting in line for iPhones the day they went on sale in Switzerland (2008)
Lausanne, Switzerland (GenevaLunch) - Comparis, the online Swiss consumer price comparison group, argues in its latest press release that the Swiss are spending CHF2 million more than they need to on mobile phones, without any interest in switching to cheaper deals.
