Weekly Roundup 3/21/16

Happy Monday, readers! Not only was yesterday the first day of Spring, but it was also the International Day of Happiness! The International Day of Happiness is a United Nations recognized holiday which seeks to promote the pursuit of happiness and “the need for a more inclusive, equitable and balanced approach to economic growth that promotes sustainable development, poverty eradication, happiness and the well-being of all peoples.”

The International Day of Happiness has produced a series of fun impacts ranging from mass mediations in Bhutan, happy flash mobs in London, and even laughter yoga in Hong Kong. One event we found the most interesting was the hackathon for happiness or “The H(app)athon Project”. The H(app)athon Project is an international hackathon featuring hackers in New York, Indianapolis, San Francisco, Bogota, Tokyo, London and Oslo. The purpose of the H(app)athon was to use the latest technology to teach that happiness and overall well-being has far greater value than wealth. John Havens, the founder of the H(app)athon Project, said that "we want to create a personal happiness indicator that can teach people: You are worth more than money." Stay happy!

Tech News:

• Why is Google selling some of the coolest robots?

• Apple Watch takes a price drop

• 13 new innovative tools and apps streamline your whole life

• Update on Google’s artificial intelligence capabilities

• Drone Junkyard lets UAV owners exchange parts

• Twitter reveals demographic study on Presidential Campaign Followers  (While we’re on the platform: happy 10th, Twitter!)

Tech4Dem:

• India’s GreenSIM initiative increases farming efficiency and saves lives

• The Ultimate Guide to Data Collection in International Development

• Another look at the Digital Development Principles <deprecated website>

• Unused TV bandwidth could being over a billion people in rural India online

• Improving Digital Development Photography

Mobile News:

• Back to the future: Apple releases the new iPhone SE, built like the iPhone 5

• Review of the secure BlackPhone

• Vulnerabilities of iMessage found with iCloud Photos

• Motorola’s new X and G phones (In September, the higher-end Moto X Pure Edition is said to be one of the best Android phones on the market-Time will tell!)