Satellite Internet; Twitter’s Cultural Footprint; Windows 10

Posted October 6th, 2015 at 3:35 pm (UTC-4)
Leave a comment

Today’s Tech Sightings:

Zuckerberg: Facebook Will Deliver ‘Internet From Space’ to Africa

Facebook’s internet.org and satellite operator Eutelsat Communications will launch a satellite next year to deliver broadband Internet services to rural communities in Africa. Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg wrote in his blog that the company will work with local providers to help communities access the new Internet services.

Twitter’s Cultural Clout Crosses Borders

Facebook may have a larger subscriber base, but writer Laura Hautala argues that Twitter’s impact on our society in undeniable and unmatched. Twitter has essentially become ” the digital town crier of our generation,” according to Richard Koci Hernandez of the University of California at Berkeley.

Penn Study Finds Tweets Reveal Users’ Income Level, Social Status

A University of Pennsylvania study of more than 5,000 Twitter users and more than 10 million tweets found a close correlation between the language and emotion users put into 140-character tweets and their income level. Higher earners had more followers, for example, while users with lower incomes included more URLs in their tweets.

Cisco Security Researchers Disable Big Distributor of ‘Ransomware’

Investigators from Cisco’s Talos security unit have stopped a malicious ransomware from spreading. The Angler Exploit Kit, according to researchers, has infected up to 40 percent of its targeted victims in the past year, holding their data hostage in return for payment. Nearly half of the infected computers were connected to Limestone Networks, a Dallas, Texas provider hired by criminals.

Meet Moments, Twitter’s Most Important New Feature Ever

Twitter is launching a new feature called “Moments” – basically a collection of tweets and related multimedia that can be run in full screen and can change over time. The idea allows non-users to get a taste of Twitter and to make it easier for users to find the tweets they want and relate them to a conversation.

Facebook Embraces Universal Apps as Windows 10 Crosses 110 Million Installs

Microsoft announced Tuesday at a big event to launch new products that its Windows 10 operating system is now powering up to 110 million devices. Windows 10 adoption has slowed down significantly since it launched 10 weeks ago, but that hasn’t stopped Facebook from announcing a new universal Windows app for Instagram and Messenger that will run on all Windows devices.

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 *