The Neuroscience-y Reason You Can’t Spot Your Own Typos Wondering why you missed that last typo? A University of Sheffield psychologist told Wired that people reading their own stuff look for meaning rather than the details that convey it. New Minecraft Mod Teaches You Code as You Play There’s always something that needs doing in […]
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 14, 2014
Posted August 14th, 2014 at 2:06 pm (UTC-5)
Tech CEOs join the Ice Bucket Challenge What’s the Ice Bucket Challenge, you ask? The idea is that people dump a bucket of ice-cold water over their head and challenge others to do the same – all in the interest of helping raise awareness of Lou Gehrig’s disease (ALS). This year’s challenge drew Facebook’s CEO […]
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 […]
Q&A: Machine-Dominated Future Poses Dilemma for Humans
Posted August 8th, 2014 at 2:16 pm (UTC-5)
Computers are getting smarter and faster as Artificial Intelligence development accelerates. And that is something that is worrying a lot of people. So much so that Tesla Motors and Space X chief Elon Musk went out of his way recently to tweet about the potential dangers of AI. We need to be super careful with […]
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 6, 2014
Posted August 6th, 2014 at 2:14 pm (UTC-5)
One-Size-Fits-All Textbooks Don’t Make Sense in the Digital Age A non-profit group based at Rice University is developing a new approach to learning. In the next two years, OpenStax will produce personalized interactive books that better match individual learning aptitudes. The Inspiration for ‘The Bionic Man’ Shares His Thoughts on the Future of Bionics Bertolt […]
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, […]
Q&A: World Short of Solutions As E-Waste Mounts
Posted August 1st, 2014 at 3:00 pm (UTC-5)
Technology is a wonderful thing. Occasionally, it has unfortunate byproducts. E-waste is one of them. Today’s tech-addicted world produces about 50 tons of e-waste every year, according to the United Nations University, a UN think tank. That ranges from cellphones to major appliances – anything with a plug, cartridge or battery. Industrialized countries generate part […]