[sotd] Digital Dumping Ground -- Frontline [January 7, 2010]
- From: "Site of the Day" <amholm@xxxxxxxxxxx>
- To: sotd@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Thu, 07 Jan 2010 09:37:45 -0400
Site of the Day for Thursday, January 7, 2010
Digital Dumping Ground -- Frontline
Today's eye-opening site, from the PBS series Frontline, reveals one of the most
ignored aspects of the technological revolution as experienced in the affluent
West
-- what becomes of all the obsolete equipment and devices tossed aside for the
next
great thing. Gentle Subscribers, who may have acquired a few new gadgets over
the
holidays and are now faced with the prospect of disposing of the old, may find
the
information unveiled in this presentation of particular interest.
"As [the] digital television conversion makes tens of millions of analog TV's
obsolete, and Americans continue to trash old computers and cell phones at
alarming
rates, Frontline/World presents a global investigation into the dirty secret of
the
digital age -- the dumping of hundreds of millions of pounds of toxic electronic
waste across the developing world. The report also uncovers another dangerous
bi-product of a disposable culture ? data fraud, as thousands of old hard drives
are finding their way into criminal hands." - from the website
The exhibit opens with a 20 minute video of the original program, along with a
text
synopsis, accompanied by visitor comments. Additional elements in the
presentation
include an interactive map highlighting the global trade in electronic waste, an
FAQ with information on electronic recycling and a video featuring Jim Puckett,
one
of the early campaigners against "e-waste", responding to tough questions posed
from a group of university students. A slideshow provocatively entitled "Sodom
and
Gomorrah" focuses on the largest e-dump in Ghana and the children who pick over
the
toxic remains of electronic garbage from the West, while a concluding section
outlines current American law on e-waste.
Slip over to the site to discover what becomes of technological cast-offs at:
http://www.pbs.org/frontlineworld/stories/ghana804/
A.M. Holm
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