Today’s Tech Sightings: How IBM Watson Will Change the Fight Against Cancer IBM has announced a new Watson Genomics initiative that will allow clinicians to use the supercomputer’s data-crunching capabilities to sequence the genomes of cancerous tumors and then access relevant medical and treatment data to make appropriate recommendations to their patients. IBM’s Watson is […]
Watson Joins Cancer Fight; Tech Diversity; Linux Malware, Patch Tuesday
Reinventing Desktop PCs; New GPS; Rombertik; Smart Luggage
Today’s Tech Sightings: A Desktop Computer for Developing Countries? Mobile devices are prevalent in developing countries, particularly in remote areas with poor infrastructure and regions where power supplies are unpredictable. But the CEO of Endless Computers, Matt Dalio, has come up with a $169 desktop PC for emerging markets, equipped with app-based software and hardware […]
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. […]
Reaching Out to Nepal; Robots Rising; the Tweeting Pope; WordPress Woes
Today’s Tech Sightings: Earthquake Rocks Internet in Nepal The devastating earthquake that struck Nepal on Saturday claimed more than 4,000 lives and affected more than eight million people. It also took a toll on Internet connectivity. While international links survived, the same cannot be said for connectivity on the ground in areas where underground fiber […]
YouTube Turns 10; Video Sharing Wars; ‘Project Fi’; PC Graveyards
Today’s Tech Sightings: YouTube Marks 10 Years of Uploads With New Studios for Filmmakers A decade after its launch, YouTube still gets billions of views each day. To improve content, YouTube is investing in “YouTube Spaces,” or studios similar to what it has in Tokyo that give filmmakers access to everything they need to create […]
Facebook, YouTube Changes; Internet Trolls; Uganda’s Digital Migration
Today’s Tech Sightings: Facebook Shifts News Feed, Gives Priority to Friends Facebook has announced that it is reconfiguring its News Feed to help people learn more about what is happening to the friends they care about. Changes will decrease emphasis on sharing and referral traffic and show people only the content that matters to them. […]
Google’s New Algorithm; Robots; Drones; Apple’s ‘RootPipe’ Still Lives
Today’s Tech Sightings: Disaster Robots Slow to Gain Acceptance From Responders According to the Center for Robot-Assisted Search and Rescue, robots have been used in 43 disasters worldwide, although first responders have been slow to adopt them. But the center is working to change that. Drones, Data Fight New Battle Against Poachers South Africa’s iSimangaliso […]
Moore’s Law Turns 50; Killer Robots; Google vs. EU; Twitter Redesigned
Today’s Tech Sightings: Happy Birthday to Moore’s Law Moore’s Law turns 50 on Sunday. The concept, put forward in the 1960s by Intel’s Gordon Moore, proposed that the complexity of chips doubles every two years as components become smaller, faster and more energy-efficient. Many pundits thought the prediction would falter in a decade. But half-a-century […]
Braille Tutor; Google vs. EU; Coding Hype; Smartphone Aids Chess Cheat
Today’s Tech Sightings: Black Box Teaches Braille to Blind Children in India, Zambia Carnegie Mellon University’s Braille Tutor, part of a program called TechBridgeWorld, is a computerized machine that teaches Braille to elementary school children in poor countries around the world. The inexpensive machine is now in use on in India, Tanzania, and Zambia. GAO […]
The Future of VR; User-Aided Hack Attacks; Android’s ‘Trusted Voice’
Today’s Tech Sightings: Google Malaysia Service Disrupted by Hackers Users of Google’s Malaysia website got redirected Tuesday to a hacked site. A Google Malaysia spokesperson told Reuters the company has contacted the group that administers the domain name to address the issue. Likewise, Chinese hackers are said to be spying on governments in Southeast Asia […]