70 centimeters I UNICEF's Digital Drum is designed to help rural communities in Uganda that have difficulty getting information about health, education and other issues. These solar-powered computer kiosks, which come loaded with educational content, are made of locally available metal oil drums and built to be durable against the elements. The first Digital Drum was installed in March at a youth center in the northern Ugandan city of Gulu, and UNICEF plans to deliver the devices to all parts of the nation. 70-70 THE FIRE-EXTINGUISHERWAND 70 CENTIMETERS I Enflama extinguioso! Though it's been described as a magic wand, the integral part of this device is an electrode designed to weaken and even eliminate flames. "It does not do magic," says Ludovico Cademartiri of Harvard's Whitesides Research Group, its developer. It does, however, create an electric field, which produces a flow of charged particles that can subdue a flame. It could limit the damage caused not only by a fire but also by the water used to extinguish it.
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