BrightSource Solar Plant Sets Birds on Fire Federal investigators are urging a California company to put on hold its plans to expand an energy plant that concentrates solar energy to produce steam after watching birds caught between the plant’s mirrors and boilers ignite in mid air – on an average of one every two minutes. […]
Data-Sharing Apps Serious Threat to Mobile
Posted August 15th, 2014 at 2:07 pm (UTC-5)
When was the last time you checked the privacy terms before installing a free or paid app on your mobile device? A mapping app asking for your location might need that information, but if a flashlight app asks for your contacts – you should be concerned. The problem with data sharing on iOS and Android […]
Tech Sightings, August 13, 2014
Posted August 13th, 2014 at 2:06 pm (UTC-5)
Google Opens Up Classroom Tool for Teachers Worldwide Google’s Classroom Project, which just completed its first phase, is an online tool designed to encourage teachers to use its services to assign and collect work online. The service is now open for all Google Apps for Education users. Apple: Mostly Men, Mostly White Apple’s statistics on […]
Tech Sightings, August 7, 2014
Posted August 7th, 2014 at 2:15 pm (UTC-5)
Can an African Virtual SIM Gamble Pay Off? The New Delhi-based Bharti Airtel, in a deal with UK-based Movirtu, hopes to do away with handsets, which are often shared among family members in Africa. Using a technology called Movirtu Share, Airtel hopes that the shared family phone could benefit from its virtual SIM, which allows […]
Tech Sightings, August 5, 2014
Posted August 5th, 2014 at 2:13 pm (UTC-5)
Google Removes ‘Bomb Gaza’ Game from App Store An Android game called Bomb Gaza that let players use F16 fighters to “drop bombs and avoid killing civilians” in Gaza has been removed from the Google Play store in response to a public outcry. The game, which was downloaded up to 1,000 times since July 29, […]
Tech Sightings, July 16, 2014
Posted July 16th, 2014 at 2:02 pm (UTC-5)
South Korea to Create 10-year 3D Printing Roadmap South Korea’s government has asked its Ministry of Science, ICT and Future Planning and the Ministry of Trade, Industry and Energy to research the feasibility of a 10-year plan to develop 3D printing into a growth market and transform manufacturing. Hi-Tech System Brings Quick Storm Warnings to […]
Tech Sightings, July 15, 2014
Posted July 15th, 2014 at 2:01 pm (UTC-5)
Child-Selling Story Underlines Tension as China Opens Up to Video Games This is not the first story coming out of China about a couple selling their child to fund virtual items in free-to-play games. But the subject is touchy in a country that has tended to view video gaming as a cultural intrusion and might […]
Android L Improves Security, Raises New Concerns
Posted July 11th, 2014 at 2:26 pm (UTC-5)
Google’s Android upgrade, known as Android L, promises to address fragmentation and security issues that have long plagued its ubiquitous operating system while raising new concerns. Currently in developer preview mode, Android L brings speed to any platform it runs on, comes with optimized instructions and a lot of changes that expand Android’s reach to new […]
Tech Sightings, July 10, 2014
Posted July 10th, 2014 at 2:25 pm (UTC-5)
How a Paralyzed Man Moved His Fingers With His Mind Ian Burkhart, paralyzed from the elbows down since he broke his neck four years ago when diving into deceptively shallow water, was told that he would never use his arms again. But just last month, he moved his right hand just by thinking about it […]