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Here are a few of the countries that, according to watchdog Reporters Without Borders, currently enjoy greater press freedom than the United States: Ghana, South Africa, El Salvador, Niger, Mali, Jamaica, Slovakia, Uruguay, and virtually all of the developed world, from Western Europe to East Asia. Out of 179 countries, the U.S., which found independence and democracy on the back of the printing press, is now the 47th most free. Fortunately, we are still ranked ahead of Latvia and Haiti, though just barely. (via U.S. Press Freedom Fell 27 Places Last Year to 47th in the World - Max Fisher - International - The Atlantic)

Super Bowl XLVI host city Indianapolis has concocted a new way to deal with the madness that comes with managing the world’s biggest annual sporting event. The solution? The Super Bowl’s first-ever social media command center. A team of strategists, analysts and techies will monitor the digital fan conversation via Facebook, Twitter and other platforms from a 2,800-square-foot space downtown. The station will open on Monday and run through Super Bowl XLVI on Feb. 5. The team will tweet directions to fans in search of parking, direct visitors to Indianapolis’s best attractions, and stand by to provide information in case of a disaster. (via Super Bowl XLVI Gets a Social Media Command Center)

“Eventually, all the devices will be networked, and they’ll be able to find each other by proximity,” Torrone says. “So think about all the things we do on social networks today. Imagine if you could ‘Like’ someone’s bag when you see it across the street. Or if your jacket and someone else’s jacket could ‘friend’ each other. Instead of these little digital badges that pop up on websites, you could have electronic badges that could actually appear on your clothing, to show off your achievements. Or your skills, like in the Girl Scouts.” (via How Flora Makes ‘Wearable Computing’ Fun and Fashion-Forward | Gadget Lab | Wired.com)