Sudan — Better Living Through Tech

Sudan, the third largest country in Africa, has an estimated 9.3 million Internet users as of 2016 — about 25% of its entire population. Needless to say, it’s quite clear that Sudan is not an African nation struggling to stay connected, which is why the startup community here has a different focus – health.
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What Does A Chief Diversity Officer Really Do?

Awareness of the lack of diversity in tech has grown, and many companies and organizations are now hiring chief diversity officers to help improve inclusivity, awareness and hiring practices. But what does a chief diversity officer really do? Are they really making a difference? I took questions from the Revision Path community and posed them to Tanya DePass: creator of #INeedDiverseGames, founder and EIC of the Fresh Out of Tokens podcast and newly appointed diversity liaison for GaymerX.
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Where’s Dorothy’s Poster? Black Glamour’s Absence in Merchandising

This past weekend, I watched Carmen Jones and Gentlemen Prefer Blondes. Both films contained landmark roles that put the sex appeal and immense talent of Dorothy Dandridge and Marilyn Monroe on total display, respectively. I was completely taken by how these two women performed.

Over 60 years later, Marilyn’s likeness and influence are pop culture staples all over the world. Andy Warhol’s famous screen print portrait of Marilyn Monroe is currently displayed at the MoMA and has been reprinted hundreds of times. MAC Cosmetics even created a line of makeup inspired by her beauty. Her image and brand are constantly emphasized and reimagined; her glamour and lure continue to captivate because she was a clever character design — a fantasy tailor-made for America.

But with Dorothy Dandridge, there is no officially licensed poster. There are no designer label t-shirts or custom makeup lines celebrating her image. Marilyn’s brand and the estate has an array of products for sale, including stand-ups, vintage movie posters, calendars, and coffee mugs featuring Monroe’s image.  In comparison, Dorothy has next to nothing in official memorabilia and or merchandising.

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Democratic Republic of Congo — Mining Opportunity from Conflict

The Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC) is Africa’s second largest country. Despite its size, DRC is among the least developed countries in the world. The International Monetary Fund has been working with the DRC government to help maintain financial stability after the 2009 economic recession. Political issues and war between rebel groups have been ongoing in DRC since the discovery of the richness that lies beneath its lands – cobalt, tantalum, zinc, copper, tin, niobium and other minerals with an estimated worth of $24 billion. This has resulted in mineral conflict; a situation which has heightened the troubles of the country.

Yet despite the risks and shaky economic system, DRC is a country open for business, as reported by Al Jazeera. With the increasing numbers in its annual GDP report, entrepreneurship is on the rise.

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Van Richardson: I’m never afraid to say ‘I don’t know’

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Van Richardson may be the poster child of success when it comes to learning by doing. With a background in business and over 20 years of experience in IT, Richardson is now the director of technical operations at GrubHub.

Richardson’s love of computers began when he was a child. Like a lot of kids in the 80s and 90s, he got his early introduction to technology courtesy of graphing calculators. “I started off on a Texas Instruments calculator,” Richardson said of how he fell in love with computers. “As a kid, I took a computer with me everywhere I went. It’s just been exciting because I’ve been able to expand.”

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