Web log

Compiled by JOHN COLLINS

I'm a Mac . . . and I've got a dirty secret

WATCH: The electronics industry, and Apple in particular, has been taking flak over conditions in the Chinese factories that produce their products, but as this video from the Enough Project shows, most consumer electronics contain "conflict minerals" from the Congo which are acquired at huge cost to human life. It's a spoof of Apple's 'I'm a Mac' ads which reveals that PCs and Macs have a dirty secret most of us never suspected.

[ http://bit.ly/9LOc2s ]

Tom Foremski on Silicon Valley's woes

READ: There's a lot of talk in Ireland these days about the need for Ireland to emulate Silicon Valley but, as veteran tech journo Tom Foremski bemoans in this ZDNet blog post, the tech mecca actually suffers from poor broadband and mobile phone coverage.

Foremski's conclusion: "The telcos hate Silicon Valley because it wouldn't take that much extra investment to make sure it's wired right."

http://bit.ly/bdLt71

For Facebook the movie

GET READY: Given its rapid rise, it was only a matter of time before film-makers turned their attention to the 21st-century phenomenon that is Facebook. This teaser trailer – ie you don't see any footage – suggests that the movie with the tagline "you don't get to 500 million friends without making a few enemies" will create a dramatic tale out of Mark Zuckerberg's success.

http://bit.ly/cVkTIf

Your iPhone photography

IMPROVE: The camera on the iPhone is probably the most criticised feature of the smartphone but freelance advertising creative and keen photographer Davy McDonald believes you can still capture great images with it. In the first of a series of blog posts, McDonald explains how the stripped down interface of the iPhone camera has helped him focus on the job at hand – capturing the best image possible.

http://bit.ly/9YbDlU