Is technology “dumbing down” people? That’s probably a question for societies where it is ubiquitous and obsessive, not for places like Tanzania – an East African nation low on the human development index, where access to technology is limited. The question hardly matters. It only offers a glimpse into a different world. Ninety percent of […]
Developing Countries Put Limited Tech to Smarter Use
Posted August 26th, 2016 at 11:06 am (UTC-5)
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WhatsApp Turns Its Back on Privacy; Happy 25th Birthday, Linux
Posted August 25th, 2016 at 11:55 am (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: WhatsApp Is Going to Share Your Phone Number With Facebook So much for WhatsApp’s promise to protect the privacy of its one billion users! The global messaging service today announced users have a limited time to opt-out of sharing their information with Facebook. WhatsApp claims Facebook won’t post the telephone numbers online […]
Drones for Refugees; Tim Cook’s Apple, 5 Years Later
Posted August 24th, 2016 at 1:24 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: How a Former Refugee Uses Drones to Help Others Survive Dangerous Sea Crossings “Drones for Refugees” is a project designed to help rescue workers move swiftly to locate and rescue refugees making the treacherous crossing of the Aegean and Mediterranean seas to a better life. The project was founded by drone expert […]
‘Mobile Security Broken’ Without Concerted Effort for Change
Posted August 19th, 2016 at 10:51 am (UTC-5)
Does any of this sound familiar? A vulnerability or malware is discovered. A patch is released and the problem is fixed. But then a new threat pops up and the cat-and-mouse security cycle begins again with no winners in sight. And some security experts believe this approach will no longer be sustainable as more and […]
US to Cede Internet DNS Control; Window’s 10’s Data Mining Dilemma
Posted August 18th, 2016 at 12:40 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: US: We’re Now Ready to Give Up Governing the Internet The U.S. National Telecommunications & Information Administration says it is now ready to pass internet domain name (DNS) control to the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN), a California-based nonprofit organization. The move marks the end of a 20-year U.S. […]
Best Mobile Connectivity Is in Korea; Web Tracking Is on the Rise
Posted August 17th, 2016 at 12:11 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: OpenSignal: Koreans Enjoy Best Mobile Internet, Dutch Spend Most Time on Wi-Fi A new report from wireless signal mapping company OpenSignal places South Korea at the top of the list of countries enjoying 3G mobile connectivity 93 percent of the time, followed by Japan and Israel. The U.S. took 17th place with […]
Chesky’s Airbnb – From Bodybuilding to Tech; Linux Bug Hits Android
Posted August 16th, 2016 at 10:44 am (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: How a Former Bodybuilder Became One of America’s Richest Young Tech Founders His name is Brian Chesky. And the 34-year-old New Yorker and founder of Airbnb was in his younger days more interested in bodybuilding and hockey than in technology. But overbooked hotels triggered an idea and drove him to launch a […]
Going Outdoors? These Apps Might Help
Posted August 11th, 2016 at 12:03 pm (UTC-5)
If being outdoors is your thing, there are a few apps that can simplify your life, come to your rescue if need be, and help you share some of the memories you collected along the way. When traveling, Waze, a community-based app for Android and iOS, offers information about traffic and navigation, gridlocks, alternative routes, maps […]
Dealing With Augmented Reality Cities; Facebook Under Fire Over Ads
Posted August 11th, 2016 at 11:37 am (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Games Will Reshape Cities As the Pokemon GO craze continues unabated, many countries are restricting and zoning urban areas to prevent players from meandering into government sites and other sensitive areas to hunt Pokemon characters. Writer Geoff Manaugh argues that once this game is forgotten, new augmented reality games that place a […]