Topic: Natural Disasters

Disaster Strikes Pennsylvania: A Very Special AT&T Doomsday Simulation

Today and tomorrow, AT&T will simulate a full-scale network disaster outside of Philly.READ»

Philippines Disaster Victims Get Drafted in UN Cash-for-Work Program

The World Food Programme is at it again, allowing workers to get paid via mobile for re-building their own homes and then cash in at banks...or pawnshops.READ»

Penn State's Geospatial Revolution Project: Where Are We, and How Did We Get Here?

Penn State University's new project isn't exactly existential, but it does answer some of life's big questions: Where are we? How did we get here? Where are we going? Turns out all those answers can be answered through GPS.READ»

Branded Virtual Goods and What Good They Can Do

Brands hope to use virtual goods to soak up any discretionary spending especially among the Web-savvy under-40 crowd. Analysts agree that the virtual goods market will be worth over $2 billion this year. This is just one way that brands are responding to a very real challenge--how to make themselves relevant, sharable, and likable within the social ecosystem.READ»

iFive: Hurricane Igor, Obama's Solar Snub, Nokia's Brain Drain, Google Quicksee, Facebook's Page Discoverer

While you laid down in bed, the rest of the world didn't rest its head. Here's what went on instead:READ»

8 of the Most Toxic Energy Projects on the Planet

BP's Deepwater Horizon disaster in the Gulf of Mexico served as a wake-up call for many of us who never before paid attention to the destructive energy projects happening all around the world. But while Deepwater Horizon may have attracted the lion's share of media attention this past Spring and Summer, there are a number of other toxic projects still going on. We look at some of the worst.READ»

Managing Data in the Pakistan Flood Crisis

When numbers get washed away, everything falls apart.READ»

85% of Natural Disaster-Related Fatalities Occur in Asia

Population density plays a role, but why do so many natural disasters occur in Asia in the first place?READ»

Wyclef Jean Leaves His Own NGO to Prep for Haitian Prez Run

Haitian-born musician Wyclef Jean has acknowledged officially that he'll run for president of Haiti, and he's leaving Yele Haiti, the NGO he created in 2005.READ»

Arcade Fire and YouTube Team Up for Free Live Concert Series

Not willing to drop $50 on Arcade Fire's upcoming tour? No worries--YouTube has you covered. Announced last night, YouTube will be presenting a five-part concert series called "Unstaged." Co-sponsored by American Express and ...READ»

IBM's Open-Source Approach to Disaster Management

Director, Corporate Responsibility, IBM Latin America São Paulo, Brazil Patricia Menezes, 52, oversaw IBM's recent relief efforts in Chile, using open-source software to find missing persons and helping start communities on ...READ»

• Fast Talk: James Eberhard
• Fast Talk: Jack and Carmen Barker
• Fast Talk: Claire Bonilla

How mGive Is Making Donations Mobile

Founder, Mobile Accord Denver Eberhard, 32, started Mobile Accord to help not-for-profits organize their mobile efforts. Its mGive platform -- which launched with 10 seconds of TV time during the 2008 Super Bowl -- has helped ...READ»

• Fast Talk: Jack and Carmen Barker
• Fast Talk: Claire Bonilla
• Fast Talk: Hocine Bouhabib

Hold Your Breath and Sell BP

Make sure your mutual fund does not include any BP stockREAD»

Is the Gulf Oil Spill Louisana's Next Katrina?

The recent BP oil spill in the Gulf is, simply put, a disaster. If you haven't been keeping track of the ultra-depressing news, here's what's happening: A BP rig exploded, caught fire, and sank. An oil spill ensued. Federal ...READ»

Google Maps Reveals Chinese Earthquake Devastation, Can Chinese Google Users See This?

The company prepares a disaster response similar to what it put in place after the Haitian earthquake.READ»

MIT Student Develops $3 Cutting-Edge Healing Device, Field Tested in Haiti

The new device could radically improve healing times for tens of millions, at a cost of $3.READ»

Is Haiti a Laboratory for New Urbanists? What the Country Really Needs Is Old Urbanism

Last Wednesday, Haitian president René Préval asked the international aid community for $3.8 billion to rebuild his shattered country after January’s devastating earthquake. In what amounted to a fund-raiser at the United ...READ»

New Floodplain Maps Cause Need for Homeowners to Add Flood Coverage

Thousands of Florida residents may have to pay more for their homeowner’s insurance. The federal government has just made changes to its floodplain map, causing many Florida homeowners to acquire flood insurance. A recent ...READ»

Tsunami Generator Helps Protect Against Future Tsunamis

It seems slightly counterintuitive: a tsunami generator that protects cities from future tsunamis. But that's exactly what the wave-generating machine located at University College London supposedly does. The machine, developed with ...READ»

Haiti Relief Project Update

Florence Vanleuven first started doing humanitarian work in Haiti as part of The Global Pioneers organization in 2009. Since the earthquake she has been at the forefront of gathering and shipping supplies to Haiti. Florence is also ...READ»

Konbit: A Skill-Indexing Communications Platform for Haitians

The recent earthquake in Haiti may not be at the forefront of our minds anymore, but the rebuilding process in Port-au-Prince and elsewhere has barely begun. Two students at MIT hope to move things along with Konbit, an interactive ...READ»

Lessons From Chile: Better Building Codes Work, so Why Don't We Have Them?

Chile's seismic construction codes saved lives in the latest quake, but what if the next Big One happens here?READ»

• Megacities Today, Rubble Tomorrow

The Boomer Market for Medicare: Opportunities Abound

In the news today, as I write this, a tsunami warning was issued all over the Pacific and especially Hawaii, to the deadly earthquake in Chile early this morning. I don't mean to minimize the horror of these catastrophes, but ...READ»

Social Media Responds to Chile's Earthquake: We Can Help

As Chilean and international rescue forces work through the rubble cause by the massive 8.8-magnitude earthquake that hit near Concepcion, Chile's second-largest city, users of social media the world over have undertaken their own ...READ»

Megacities Today, Rubble Tomorrow: Haiti, Chile as Architectural Wake-Up Call [UPDATE]

Disasters in Haiti and Chile show architecture is the problem--and the solution--for earthquake-prone cities.READ»