Today’s Tech Sightings: Korean Robot Takes Home $2 Million Prize in DARPA Challenge A South Korean team won this weekend’s DARPA Robotics Challenge to design robots for disaster aid, taking home two million dollars. The winning DRC-HUBO robot completed all tasks in 45 minutes and was able to transform into a wheeled position to move faster. […]
Robots; Tech Diversity Race; War Crimes App; Apple’s WWDC
Lithuania’s IT Power; Facebook Sued; Android Drops in EU; Mac BIOS Flaw
Today’s Tech Sightings: The Rise of Lithuania’s IT Power Attracted by its infrastructure and tech-favorable environment, more IT companies are flocking to Lithuania to set up shop there. Lithuania is home to 13 of the Baltic region’s 20 biggest IT firms; and its population ranks 16th in the world for their Information and Communication Technology […]
Do You Know What Your Tech Toys Are Sharing About You?
Many PC and smartphone owners only use their devices for basic tasks like accessing email and the Internet, or playing a game, often unaware what apps are running in the background, possibly sharing their information. And yet many people gladly trade their privacy for convenience – a decision that makes raising awareness an uphill battle. […]
Digital Human Rights; Abuse Emojis; Google’s I/O Show; the Robot Wars
Today’s Tech Sightings: UN Report: Encryption is Important to Human Rights The United Nation’s Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights said digital security and privacy are essential for freedom of expression around the world. A new U.N. report said encryption and anonymity tools help “provide the privacy and security necessary for the exercise of […]
Mobile vs. PCs; ‘Chucky’ the Teddy Bear; Smartphone Cold Wars
Today’s Tech Sightings: Mobile Isn’t Killing the Desktop Internet The PC is dead? No, wait, it’s not dead – yet. Pundits have been going on for years about how mobile is killing the desktop PC and how people are increasingly using their mobile phones to get online. But according to comScore, mobile use might not […]
Gaza Hacks VoIP; Postcards From North Korea; Java Turns 20; 3-D Printing
Today’s Tech Sightings: Stuck in Gaza, Hackers Open Lines to the World Tech-savvy Gazans isolated from the rest of the world by an Israeli and Egyptian blockade are now using Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) hacking to rout international calls for a fee. The practice requires dedicated servers to collect as many IP addresses as […]
Smartphones Detect Cancer; Venom Fixed; Apple Watch Flaw
Today’s Tech Sightings: Smartphones Can Detect Eye Cancer Believe it or not, smartphones can actually diagnose Retinoblastoma, a rare type of aggressive eye cancer that develops as a tumor in the retina and almost exclusively affects children. Those suffering from this disease often have a white glow around their pupils that shows up when photographed with […]
Hacking to Aid Nepal; ‘Venom’ Bug; Unforgettable Searches; ‘Bleep’ Goes Live
Today’s Tech Sightings: Nepal’s Aid System Is Broken. So These Lifesavers Hacked It As Nepal’s government and NGOs struggle to cope with the devastation of the country’s second major earthquake in less than a month, a group of young people armed with Facebook, open source mapping technology and a lot of nerve have come together […]
UAVs Aid Nepal; ‘Renaissance’ Games; Microsoft Embraces Android, iOS
Today’s Tech Sightings: Drones Help Nepal Earthquake Relief Effort As the death toll from Nepal’s massive earthquake surpassed 5,000, experts from Ontario-based GlobalMedic are using Unmanned Aerial Vehicles to map disaster areas. The survey helps provide a better picture of needs on the ground and identify flooded areas, blocked roads, damaged infrastructure and population movements. […]