Minecraft has ensnared millions of gamers in its textured, cubic world of gathering, mining and creative building — an exercise which autistic children find particularly alluring. But bullying on some servers led one developer to build a unique space for the autistic community to play in peace. “I know a lot of autism parents in […]
Tech Diversity; Wearable Computers; IoT Privacy Risks
Posted January 7th, 2015 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Intel Announces $300 Million Tech Diversity Initiative Given the bleak diversity numbers that keep coming out of Silicon Valley, Chip giant Intel has pledged $300 million over the next five years to increase diversity in its workforce to include more women and minorities. Intel CEO Brian Krzanich said in a speech at […]
Turning Sewage to Water; Sony CEO Speaks; Musk a Gaming Nerd?
Posted January 6th, 2015 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Bill Gates’ Plan to Help Developing World Profit From Sewage The OmniProcessor, designed by Janicki Bioenergy and funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, is a new low-cost waste treatment plant that transforms sewage into clean water. Elon Musk, Gaming Supernerd When he’s not stretching the limits of space exploration or […]
2014: A Wearable, Heartbleed, Sony-esque Kind of Year
Posted January 2nd, 2015 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
2014 saw Artificial Intelligence, 3-D printing and wearable technology expanding into new areas and new gadgets. It marked a turning point with increasingly sophisticated cyberattacks. It was a year of upheaval that cast doubt on the viability of cryptocurrencies even as new methods of digital payments were born. And 2014 continued the lack of diversity […]
Lizard Squad; Mt. Gox; Twitter; Killer Tech
Posted January 1st, 2015 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Activist plans to Air Drop ‘The Interview’ into North Korea South Korean activist Park Sang-hak reportedly plans to carpet bomb North Korea with DVD and USB copies of Sony Pictures Entertainment’s “The Interview.” But South Korean newspaper Chosun Ilbo notes that a North Korean three-star general and a dozen other officials have […]
2015 Gadgets; Mind-Controlled Robots; FireChat
Posted December 31st, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: Technology in 2015 – New Gadgets Coming Your Way Watch for improved mobile payments, connected cars, smarter everyday devices and better 3-D printing, among other technological wonders this coming year. The Halting Progress of Mind-Controlled Robot Tech It’s a work in progress, although some quadriplegics have already used their thoughts to operate […]
RoboSimians; IT Nightmares and the Great Firewall of China
Posted December 30th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: The Great Firewall of China is Nearly Complete Officially called the “Golden Shield,” China’s decade-old Internet firewall, which recently blocked Google Gmail and typically blocks Twitter, Facebook, YouTube and Google search, is the most effective in the world. The program restricts content deemed sensitive and blocks thousands of websites, including some Voice […]
Tracking Santa; the Eyes Have It; Death of Voicemail?
Posted December 24th, 2014 at 2:00 pm (UTC-5)
Today’s Tech Sightings: It’s Christmas Eve and the Battle of NORAD vs. Google Santa Trackers Has Begun! Santa and his reindeer are traveling somewhere around the world; and Google is racing to track his every movement ahead of Microsoft and its North American Aerospace Defense Command (NORAD) partner. You can find Google’s Santa Tracker here and […]