Cast-off Netbooks send home snapshots of 'afterlife' (photos)
MIT researchers set up cast-off Netbooks to send back pictures and location data from the computers' new owners in developing countries. The images are random windows into the everyday lives of people in Africa, South Asia, and Indonesia.
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.
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.
A new home in Kathmandu
One Netbook found a home in a shop in Kathmandu, Nepal.
Hello, world
Not every shot captured the computer's new owners unawares.
Unaware, self-conscious, or unconcerned?
Was she unaware, self-conscious, or unconcerned?
The shop in Nepal
The sign on the wall gives you a good picture of the shop.
Accra, Ghana
Another Netbook found a second life in a classroom in Accra, Ghana.
A classroom in Ghana
MIT collected the pictures and location data with the new owners' permission.
The Ghanaian flag on a classroom wall
A Netbook in Ghana snapped a photo of the Ghanaian flag on a classroom wall.
A moment in a Ghanaian student's day
A refurbished Netbook's camera captures a moment in a Ghanaian student's day.
Wandering attention?
Is this Ghanaian student's attention wandering?
Calcutta, India
A third cast-off Netbook's new life is in a home in Kolkata (Calcutta), India.
A home in India
The images provide a glimpse into the lives of computer users in developing countries.
An empty room
The Netbooks snapped pictures every 20 minutes, sometimes capturing empty rooms.
Random framing, beautiful image
Random framing sometimes results in beautiful images.
Intent on work in Calcutta
A computer user in Kolkata (Calcutta) seems intent on his work.
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