New media

Pakistan’s government likes to ban things. On New Year’s eve, it instituted bans on particular ways of using motorbikes. But that’s perhaps one of the milder bans. On several occasions this year, the government has banned the use of cell phones, social media and even motorbikes entirely.

A new teaching program in South Africa encourages reading and math skills using students’ cell phones.

In Haiti, where bank accounts are hard to come by, people have begun to store money using their cell phones.

Imagine if in addition to making calls and snapping photos, cell phones could measure air pollution or pollen levels.

New Year’s eve is more low key this year for many in Pakistan. In a place where millions use small motorbikes for transportation, the country has banned carrying passengers, riding without a muffler, and popping wheelies. But those are just the prohibitions for tonight. The Pakistani government has gone ‘ban-crazy’ recently, in the name of […]