A decade after it launched, a look at Napster’s legacy

Twitter Network Critical for Disaster Recovery Operations
     A Twitter network helped Dr. Maurice Ramirez (ER physician and disaster preparedness consultant) and his partners (Red Cross and Loews Emergency Response Team) find supplies like water, gasoline, food, and electricity.  During Hurricane Ike, they also used Twitter to warn workers in Galveston that they needed to evacuate.  Now, he’s looking to set up a private network on either CollectiveX or Ning where agencies can post problems and solutions for one another. 

Finding Medical Care in Argentina
     Fellow Twitterers offered advice for an American woman living in Argentina whose husband became so sick he was unresponsive.  She learned that for $15, a doctor will make a house call, and that your follow up visit to the hospital will be easier with that doctor’s referral.

Finding Veterinary Care in Beirut

     A dog owner living in Beirut was able to connect with a vet who was able to advise her that the dog was having a seizure, needed to be in a dark room, and should be spoken to soothingly. 

Finding Raincoats for the Homeless
   Around 150 homeless people were waiting outside a shelter in California and it was about to rain.  A volunteer used Twitter to find out where he could get a bulk rate (immediately) on raincoats.  While he was on his way to the store, a follower blogged about the cause and raised $453 dollars – enough for over 100 raincoats.

Lawyers Using Social Media
Click here to read our previous story about how lawyers can user social networking sites.

Source: Mashable

Apple Planning to Introduce Affordable iPhone
-Financial Times

LPGA Golfers Won’t be Twittering From the Course
-Mashable

DOJ Admits Evidence Withheld in Alaska Corruption Cases
-Blog of Legal Times
-NPR

With the most recent airline tragedy still puzzling officials from around the globe, analysts in the U.S. are looking towards options that will make this type of occurrence easier to handle and even more rare. The possibility of replacing the relatively ancient radar systems with satellite controlled GPS devices is hardly a new topic as the U.S. government has been considering the switch for over a decade. In the past, the $35 billion initial investment caused the Federal Aviation Administration to drag their feet but the renewed concern over planes making the Trans-Atlantic, or worse, Pacific, flight might be enough to make them move more quickly.

With the radar in place now, the same system used during WWII, planes can only be tracked when they are within 200 miles of the coast, leaving them virtually alone as they cross vast expanses of water. With the proposed integration of GPS, not only would airlines be able to save valuable time and money currently spent on the necessarily indirect routes, but pilots would also benefit from improved notification of storms or other possible obstructions. Even if the GPS was unable to stop a plane from going down, the information it would transport back to air traffic controllers would be invaluable in determining where to look and what happened.

Many are questioning how it is possible that GPS systems are being used on a individual basis but still have not been incorporated into the world of aviation. Criticism before this week focused on wasted fuel and money but safety is now becoming the prime motivation for making the switch. While the accident did not involve an American airline, the possibility of wrongful death suits that could come out against AirFrance as they have in the past, may be enough for the U.S. to implement GPS systems sooner than anticipated.

Source: MSNBC, Associated Press