Today’s Tech Sightings:
Her Code Got Humans on the Moon — and Invented Software
You might never have heard of Margaret Hamilton. In the 1960s, she landed a job as a programmer at MIT. But when the Apollo space program came along, she led an engineering feat that would land a man on the moon and invent the modern software concept.
The Tech Sector’s Best Innovations for the Syrian Refugee Crisis
A number of technology companies are trying to come up with solutions to help meet the needs of Syrian refugees heading for Europe, including donations, raising money on social media and housing credits. The most noteworthy, however, is a Kickstarter project backed by the United Nations Refugee Agency, which has raised more than $1.5 million.
Android Security Is ‘Market for Lemons’ That Leaves 87 Percent Vulnerable
New research from Britain’s Cambridge University reveals that up to 90 percent of Android devices are threatened by at least one critical vulnerability. Part of the problem is that even when Google fixes security bugs, it is unclear which Android vendors or third parties will apply the fix.
Amazon Commits $10M Over Five Years to Help Translate Books Into English
Amazon Publishing has already helped translate 200 titles in 19 languages. Now, the company has earmarked $10 million to increase the number of countries and translated languages and is launching a new portal for publishers, authors and agents to accept translation suggestions.
Apple Disables News in China
The long arm of China’s Internet censorship has extended to Apple News. Apple’s response has been to stop the service for customers in mainland China rather than censor certain content. But Pay4Bugs founder Larry Salibra said on Reddit that Apple is “censoring news content that I downloaded and stored on my device purchased in the USA, before I even enter China.”
Google Registers Two Delivery Drones for US Testing
U.S. Federal Aviation Administration documents show that Google has registered two unmanned aerial vehicles or drones for testing, probably for delivery services. Both are fixed-wing light aircraft. Google’s earlier plans for delivery drones did not fare well.
Pepsi Is Making Its Own Smartphone in China
Yes, Pepsi is in fact launching its own mobile phone. The mid-range device is called Pepsi P1, an Android mobile phone that will reportedly sell for $200 in China. Pepsi said it will be licensing production of its brand to a partner.
