Tech Sightings, April 3, 2014

Posted April 3rd, 2014 at 2:19 pm (UTC-4)
Leave a comment

Cambodia’s Spectacular Angkor Temples Added to Street View

Google’s Street View has added Cambodia’s Angkor temple to its database. The move appears likely to boost the impoverished country’s tourism sector while helping to preserve the historic site.

Tech Industry’s Stance on Immigration Scrutinized

As comprehensive immigration legislation falters on Capitol Hill, there are concerns the technology industry’s push to pass a smaller bill to grant more visas for high-tech foreign workers could undermine broader legislation efforts if it clears Congress.

ICANN Chief: Russia, China Will Not Hijack Internet Oversight

The head of ICANN, the group that oversees Internet infrastructure has downplayed concerns that Russia, China or other countries could restrict the web’s openness once the U.S. government cedes oversight of the non-profit group.

Robots Go to Work on Solar Energy

A solar panel can lose 40 percent of its ability to collect energy if covered in dust. Hiring humans to do this is expensive. This is why in the Negev desert in Israel, robots go to work every evening to keep the panels clean.

Why Few Trust Facebook to Power the Future

If Facebook has its way, it will give up to a billion people all over the world Internet access, using drones and satellites. The problem with this scenario is that Facebook has a perception problem because it already controls huge amounts of data, and it seems to put more of an emphasis on advertising bucks and revenue than on helping people.

Survey: One Third of Wearable Device Owners Eventually Ditch Them

One-third of Americans who owned a wearable product stopped using it within six months, according to a study from research firm Endeavour Partners.

Bitcoin ATM Goes to Capitol Hill, Lawmakers Invited to Demo Next Week

Robocoin has invited members of Congress to test on April 8 the world’s first kiosk for buying and selling Bitcoin’s controversial digital currency. Bitcoin ATMs remain rare in the United States.

Aida Akl
Aida Akl is a journalist working on VOA's English Webdesk. She has written on a wide range of topics, although her more recent contributions have focused on technology. She has covered both domestic and international events since the mid-1980s as a VOA reporter and international broadcaster.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *