Tech Sightings, May 29, 2014

Posted May 29th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-4)
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Google Releases Its Diversity Numbers

Google says it has been shy about publicizing its employment numbers, but has now decided that it’s time to reverse that decision. And the company admits it is not where it wants to be, given the numbers – women at 30 percent, blacks at 2 percent, Hispanics at 3 percent, for example.

I Am Not an Angry Feminist. I’m a Furious One.

“I was buried deep in the Twitter hashtag #YesAllWomen, reading story after story of the aggression women face in their daily lives,” said Madeleine Davies, who writes about women’s issues. “Soon, it was early Tuesday morning and I was still awake, still reading …  What left me shaking in anger as I finally shut down my computer and tried to fall asleep … were the men who had decided to weigh-in on the #YesAllWomen conversation and dismantle it.”

3D-Printed San Francisco Is Next Great Tool in City Planning

Autodesk, a digital modeling software and tools company, and design firm Steelblue recently unveiled a 3D-printed model of San Francisco, thought to be the largest ever made this way. The project  showcases the potential of 3D printing for all kinds of purposes for a fraction of the cost and time required by traditional methods.

Intel Building Future of 3D-Printed Robots, Smart Shirts

Intel is planning to take wearable technology a step further with smart shirts and 3D-printed robots. So what does the smart shirt do? It has sensors that monitor heart rate and emotions, and then communicates the information to a smartphone app.

Harvard’s Swarming Robots Mimic Termites

Inspired by termites that build, rather than destroy, Harvard’s autonomous robots can be instructed to build structures such as towers, castles or pyramids out of foam bricks and navigate around them.

Ten Breakthrough Technologies of 2014

Compiled by the editors of the MIT Technology Review, this list includes 10 technology milestones that either help solve problems or create new ways of using technology in fields that range from agriculture to neuroscience.

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.

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