1 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
Kathmandu, Nepal
MIT researchers tracked cast-off Netbooks to find out what the "afterlives" of our electronic gadgets are like.
They sent refurbished Netbooks to people in developing countries. The researchers set up the computers to record location and take pictures, and send the data home to MIT. The Netbooks carried stickers explaining the project in the local language.
The ghostly images are random windows into the everyday lives of people in Africa, South Asia, and Indonesia. Here, we're traveling to Kathmandu, Nepal.
2 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
A new home in Kathmandu
One Netbook found a home in a shop in Kathmandu, Nepal.
3 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
Hello, world
Not every shot captured the computer's new owners unawares.
4 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
Unaware, self-conscious, or unconcerned?
Was she unaware, self-conscious, or unconcerned?
5 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
The shop in Nepal
The sign on the wall gives you a good picture of the shop.
6 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
Accra, Ghana
Another Netbook found a second life in a classroom in Accra, Ghana.
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A classroom in Ghana
MIT collected the pictures and location data with the new owners' permission.
8 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
The Ghanaian flag on a classroom wall
A Netbook in Ghana snapped a photo of the Ghanaian flag on a classroom wall.
9 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
A moment in a Ghanaian student's day
A refurbished Netbook's camera captures a moment in a Ghanaian student's day.
10 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
Wandering attention?
Is this Ghanaian student's attention wandering?
11 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
Calcutta, India
A third cast-off Netbook's new life is in a home in Kolkata (Calcutta), India.
12 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
A home in India
The images provide a glimpse into the lives of computer users in developing countries.
13 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
An empty room
The Netbooks snapped pictures every 20 minutes, sometimes capturing empty rooms.
14 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
Random framing, beautiful image
Random framing sometimes results in beautiful images.
15 of 15 MIT Senseable City Lab video; screenshot by Eric Smalley/CNET
Intent on work in Calcutta
A computer user in Kolkata (Calcutta) seems intent on his work.