Today’s Tech Sightings: Social Media Is Killing Discourse Because It’s Too Much Like TV Writer Hossein Derakshan argues social media now represents the ascendance of television over other media. As video and graphic content replace text and hypertext, he says social media is recreating television, albeit with new problems. On social media, he argues, algorithms […]
Building the Bionic Man; Facebook Urged to Stop Racial Exclusion Ads
Posted November 2nd, 2016 at 12:34 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Building the Bionic Man It’s no longer science fiction. Replaceable body parts are already here. Now Swiss psychologist Bertolt Meyer, who has a prosthetic arm, is working to create a robot modeled after himself. The robot, Rex, is made of various prosthetic parts, has a circulatory system and a clunky body. Rex […]
Mobile Internet Sets Milestone; IoT Devices at Risk With New Malware
Posted November 1st, 2016 at 1:04 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Study: Mobile Internet Use Passes Desktop for the First Time The PC market has been struggling, largely due to the popularity of mobile devices. A new study from internet monitoring firm StatCounter found more people around the world are using mobile devices to access the Internet. In countries like India, mobile devices […]
White House Tackles AI Potential, Risks; Britain Unprepared for AI
Posted October 12th, 2016 at 12:39 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: White House: AI Has Potential to Be Major Driver of Economic Growth, Social Progress A study commissioned by the White House earlier this year to look into the potential impact of artificial intelligence has concluded the technology holds much promise. But the writers also caution that strong vigilance is needed, saying the […]
IoT Farmers Become Data Scientists; New York Curbs Free Wi-Fi
Posted September 15th, 2016 at 12:44 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: How IoT Is Creating ‘Precision Farming’ The Internet of Things (IoT) is slowly changing the way farmers work, turning them into data scientists to help them better manage their crops and livestock. Access to remote sensors and cloud services is enabling farmers to monitor the health of their livestock and make more […]
Qatar 3-D-prints World Cup Stadiums; Google’s ‘Autism Glass’ Project
Posted June 23rd, 2016 at 12:02 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Qatar Uses 3-D Printers to ‘Desert-proof’ World Cup Stadiums Scientists at Qatar University are experimenting with 3-D-printed models of football stadiums to address concerns about summer heat when the country hosts the 2022 World Cup tournament. The researchers hope to test the durability of the models against summer heat and sand and […]
Robot Joins Search for Loch Ness Monster; Facebook’s Bots Are Coming
Posted April 13th, 2016 at 12:57 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Robot Finds ‘Monster’ Film Prop In Loch Ness Munin, an underwater robot, has been making an in-depth exploration of Scotland’s famous Loch Ness. Scientists undertook the mission to investigate an underwater trench said to house the nest of the fabled Loch Ness monster. So far, it has managed to find some film […]
India’s Biometrics Raise Privacy Fears; Malware Slams Major Media Websites
Posted March 16th, 2016 at 12:32 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: India’s Billion-member Biometric Database Raises Privacy Fears Biometrics might prove to be one solution to cybersecurity intrusions, but it is a cause for concern, particularly in India. Citing national security interests, the country’s parliament is getting ready to pass a bill that would give government agencies access to the world’s largest biometrics […]
USBs Fight N. Korea’s Media Ban; Facebook’s Dilemma in India
Posted February 9th, 2016 at 11:07 am (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Old USB Drives Fight North Korea’s Media Ban The New York-based Human Rights Foundation and Silicon Valley nonprofit Forum 280 have launched a new initiative to collect USB flash drive donations and then ship them to the Koreas. Once activists in Seoul, such as the non-profit North Korean Strategy Center, receive the […]