Children Use Minecraft to Redesign the Real World Block by Block, a partnership between the United Nations Human Settlements Program and Minecraft developer Mojang, is an initiative that allows young people to design and upgrade 300 public spaces by 2016. The program has yielded several pilot projects, the first of which is an informal settlement in […]
Is There a Future for Passwords?
Posted April 18th, 2014 at 2:34 pm (UTC-4)
Whether you go online to check your email, use social media, shop or play games, the odds are you have more passwords than you can keep straight in your head and even more scribbled on enough sticky notes to decorate an entire room. And they just keep getting longer and trickier as cyber attacks become […]
Tech Sightings, April 17, 2014
Posted April 17th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
‘Titanic’ Director Cameron’s Mini Robot Probes May Aid Malaysian Jet Quest Film director and deep-sea explorer James Cameron says robot probes used on the wreck of the Titanic could investigate debris from the missing Malaysian jet once it’s located. The miniaturized probes could help explore larger structures of the plane, if found. Singapore Broker Urges […]
Tech Sightings, April 16, 2014
Posted April 16th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
Mt. Gox Files for Liquidation Citing rehabilitation issues, Mt. Gox asked a Tokyo-based court for permission to close its doors, thereby abandoning any plans to rebuild its business under bankruptcy protection in Japan and the United States. A Kinder, Gentler Robot is Coming MIT’s Computer Science and Artificial Intelligence Laboratory is experimenting with the first […]
Tech Sightings, April 15, 2014
Posted April 15th, 2014 at 2:53 pm (UTC-4)
Are Touchscreens Melting Your Kid’s Brain? Touchscreens continue to proliferate, but researchers know very little about what effect they might have on children. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, kids under the age of two should not be using touchscreens, while older kids should limit use to two hours. Heartbleed Heartache: This Was Not […]
Women, Minorities Underrepresented in Silicon Valley, Other Tech Hubs
Posted April 11th, 2014 at 2:20 pm (UTC-4)
Silicon Valley is the global leader in technological wizardry, but it suffers from an image as a young, all-white, all-male club. The success of social media startups like Facebook that appeared in recent years and grew their ranks by hiring young people created the notion that “young college dropouts” can “make it big in Silicon […]
Technology Still Can’t Predict When Earthquakes Hit
Posted April 4th, 2014 at 2:42 pm (UTC-4)
These days, we can predict just about anything – from foreseeing political trends, forecasting the weather fairly accurately to tracking asteroids that might swing near the Earth. But for all of our technological savvy, we can’t predict when an earthquake like the one that just rocked Chile might occur. “We will probably not be able […]
Tech Sightings, April 3, 2014
Posted April 3rd, 2014 at 2:19 pm (UTC-4)
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 […]
Tech Sightings, April 2, 2014
Posted April 2nd, 2014 at 2:18 pm (UTC-4)
Giant Six-Legged Robot Crab to Walk Ocean Floor Developed by the Korean Institute of Ocean Science and Technology, the six-legged Crabster CR200 will undertake the most dangerous undersea exploration.The name comes from the robot’s architecture, which mimics the design of crabs and lobsters that live in stormy waters. Navy to Test Seafaring, Firefighting Robots This […]