The tortoise and the flare: Calif. solar power projects confront habitat impact (via PBS News Hour)JUDY WOODRUFF: Now the challenges of combating climate change. This week, the European Union announced it was loosening its strict environmental regulations in the face of economic setbacks. In the U.S., renewable sources of energy like wind and solar…
How Elizabeth Blackwell became the first female doctor in the U.S. (via PBS News Hour)By: Dr. Howard Markel The pathway to medical careers for countless women in the United States became a little easier on Jan. 23, 1849, when Elizabeth Blackwell ascended a stage in New York and became the nation's first female doctor. Photo by Pali Rao…
What's the future of privacy in a big data world? (via PBS News Hour)JEFFREY BROWN: So how do we weigh the appeal of these devices against their potential to intrude into our lives? We're joined by Jules Polonetsky, executive director of the Future of Privacy Forum, a think tank that promotes responsible data practices…
Asia's new-style leaders: No talent for talent-spotting (via The Economist)IT IS always gratifying to be able to say you knew the famous and powerful long before many people had heard of them; less gratifying, however, to admit that you failed to spot their potential. In August 2005, when based in Delhi, I trekked out to a…
Motorola Moto G video review (via The Inquirer)AMERICAN PHONE MAKER Motorola's Moto G smartphone has jumped on the affordable Android smartphone bandwagon as it looks to challenge the Google Nexus 5. However, the Moto G doesn't have the most impressive specifications, although for £135 we shouldn…
The Apple Mac is 30 (via The Inquirer)HIPSTER COMPUTER the Apple Macintosh is thirty years old. During the third quarter of Superbowl XVIII on 22 January 1984, a groundbreaking TV advertisement showed an athlete smashing a screen in an Orwellian nightmare while a voiceover explained to…
Nokia X likely will be the name of the firm's first Android phone (via The Inquirer)FINNISH PHONE MAKER Nokia's rumoured Android phone, codenamed Nokia Normandy, is likely to be branded the Nokia X. That's according to @evleaks, which tweeted a brief message on Thursday revealing the name. Project Normandy = Nokia X — @evleaks (@…
Jordan Spieth schools Tiger Woods at Torrey Pines (via SB Nation)By Emily Kay on Jan 25 2014, 9:01a + It was Bizarro Tiger World at Torrey Pines on Friday, as the world No 1 played like a timid rookie while 2013 Rookie of the Year Jordan Spieth picked the North Course apart. Tiger Woods and Jordan Spieth began the…
Bieber's bad day in Miami (via Repost Video News)Pop star Jujstin Bieber spends several hours in jail following arrest in Miami Beach.
Super Bowl Live Auction has Manning jerseys, Chili Peppers drums for sale (via NJ.com)Peyton Manning's grass-stained jersey. Eli Manning's grass-stained jersey. Whatever your poison, the Super Bowl Live Auction has it. Now through Feb. 1, an auction preview and appraisal fair is ongoing at the NFL Shop at Super Bowl, located in Macy'…
'Dwarf planet' in deep space has water (via AFP)Ceres, a tiny planet in the asteroid belt, spouts water vapour, a finding that strengthens theories that life on Earth was kickstarted by a bombardment of space rocks, scientists said Wednesday. European astronomers reported they saw vapour spewing…
Nancy Grace: Justin Bieber could have killed someone (via CNN Video)HLN's Nancy Grace weighs in on the DUI arrest of singer Justin Bieber in Miami, Florida.
Three years before the vote, Clinton machine gears up (via AFP)With the news that America's largest liberal fundraising group is to back a Hillary Clinton presidential bid in 2016, a growing sense of inevitability is building around her prospective candidacy. The former secretary of state who once occupied the…
US judge orders pregnant woman taken off life-support (via AFP)A US judge ordered a Texas hospital Friday to pull the plug on a brain-dead, pregnant woman it had kept on life support against the family's wishes. Texas is among 12 US states that have adopted strict laws requiring that a woman be kept alive if pregnant…
Lenovo Acquires IBM Server Business (via slashdot)IBM will sell its lower-end server business to Lenovo for $2.3 billion. Under the terms of the agreement, Lenovo will acquire IBM’s x86 server portfolio (products in that line include the System x, BladeCenter, and Flex System blade servers and switches…
Microsoft tops expectations with record revenue (via AFP)Microsoft soared to record revenues in the last quarter the company said Thursday, confounding Wall Street forecasts on the back of strong demand for Xbox consoles, Surface tablets and Internet "cloud" services. The US-based technology titan reported…
Red rules on Globes red carpet (via AFP)Red ruled the Golden Globes red carpet as Hollywood's A-list stars bared their shoulders in eye-popping gowns for the first major awards show of the season. A sprinkler malfunction on Sunday almost rained on the fashion parade at the Beverly Hilton,…
Golden Globes 2014: Live Report (via AFP)0440 GMT: This concludes AFP's Live Report on the 71st annual Golden Globe awards. We'll be back for Oscar night on March 2, and for music fans, you can join us for all the action at the Grammys on January 26. 0410 GMT: For the big screen, it was an…
Hollywood to hit red carpet for Golden Globes (via AFP)Hollywood hits the red carpet Sunday for the 71st annual Golden Globes, with a packed cast of A-list nominees vying to win the first major honors of Tinseltown's annual awards season. Harrowing saga "12 Years a Slave" and crime caper "American Hustle…
Improved Electronic Energy Efficiency Thanks To New Laptop Adapter From MIT (via Clean Technica)Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) have created a new, novel circuit design that promises to greatly increase the energy efficiency of a number of widely used consumer electronic devices. To showcase the new circuit design…
How Is Reactive Different from Procedural Programming? (via slashdot)A recent post on Reactive Programming triggered discussions about what is and isn’t considered Reactive Logic. In fact, many have already discovered that Reactive Programming can help improve quality and transparency, reduce programming time and decrease…
What’s the state of smoking in America? (via PBS News Hour)HARI SREENIVASAN: This weekend marks the 50th anniversary of the landmark 1964 report by then Surgeon-General Luther Terry warning about the dangers of smoking. That report is widely credited with saving millions of lives. For more about the government…
Cats for people with allergies (via Pando Daily)By Adam L. Penenberg On January 12, 2014 Like about 10 percent of the American population, I’m allergic to cats. Just a few minutes in the company of a common tabby and my eyes swell shut and I get so congested I wheeze like an asthmatic three-pack…
Copyright Week launched to fight “biggest threat to the Internet you’ve never heard of” (via Pando Daily)By David Sirota On January 13, 2014At the same time the Obama administration may be trying to resurrect the controversial Stop Online Piracy Act (SOPA), the White House is now pushing another opaque acronym – TPP – that watchdog groups say represents…
Is income inequality as bad as Obama says? In many ways, yes. (+video) (via The Christian Science Monitor)As Washington returns to business this week, Democrats are primed to make income inequality their top campaign issue of 2014. President Obama is doing his part to push the issue to the top of the national agenda, too, recently calling it “the defining…
Mounting 'Bridgegate' Investigations Undercut Christie’s Clout (via NJSpotlight)Today, as embattled Gov. Chris Christie prepares to deliver his fourth State of the State speech to a packed Assembly Chamber, the state of the state is severely troubled, and the charismatic, hard-charging governor’s political clout and ability to…
California drought leaves state parched (via SFBay)While the East Coast and Midwest get slammed with an arctic blast from the North, the West is experiencing the driest year on record. A high pressure front along the Pacific Northwest is responsible for pushing water East that would normally travel…
Group Pushes GPS to Reduce Air Disasters (via slashdot)A Norwegian consortium is developing a system to use GPS data to reduce the number of airplanes and helicopters that crash after collisions with power lines, buildings and other easily avoidable obstacles. The system would be cheap, portable, easy to…
Group Pushes GPS to Reduce Air Disasters (via slashdot)A Norwegian consortium is developing a system to use GPS data to reduce the number of airplanes and helicopters that crash after collisions with power lines, buildings and other easily avoidable obstacles. The system would be cheap, portable, easy to…
Get Ready for “Smart Earbuds” (via slashdot)In a keynote appearance at this year’s Consumer Electronics Show (CES) in Las Vegas, Intel CEO Brian Krzanich discussed a range of wearable electronics he claimed would appear sometime this year. Those electronics included “smart earbuds” capable…
The robots are coming, the robots are coming. (via Pando Daily)By Adam L. Penenberg On January 7, 2014 Buried in this recent New York Times review of “Her” is this tidbit about casting the voice for the operating system Joaquin Phoenix’s character falls in love with: The role was initially voiced by the…
Keeping Asian carp out of the Great Lakes will cost billions and take decades (via PBS News Hour)By: News Desk The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers released a study Monday on how best to keep the invasive species Asian carp from overwhelming the Great Lakes and threatening the area's multi-billion dollar fishing industry. Ash-har Quraishi of WTTW Chicago…
Group Pushes GPS to Reduce Air Disasters (via slashdot)A Norwegian consortium is developing a system to use GPS data to reduce the number of airplanes and helicopters that crash after collisions with power lines, buildings and other easily avoidable obstacles. The system would be cheap, portable, easy to…
Group Pushes GPS to Reduce Air Disasters (via slashdot)A Norwegian consortium is developing a system to use GPS data to reduce the number of airplanes and helicopters that crash after collisions with power lines, buildings and other easily avoidable obstacles. The system would be cheap, portable, easy to…
At Consumer Electronics Show, 'smartphone revolution' spreads from car to closet (via PBS News Hour)JUDY WOODRUFF: Finally tonight, a future where your home can act a little smarter, your car starts with just the sound of your voice, and your clothes can measure your heart rate and other personal data. Those are just some of the possibilities…
Google teams up to create Android dashboards for cars (via The Christian Science Monitor)A smarter car – and driver – may not be far in the future. At International CES, Google announced a partnership between Audi, GM, Honda, Hyundai, and chip manufacturer Nvidia aimed at creating an Android chip for the cars of the future. “Common…
A workout tribe for city dwellers (via The Christian Science Monitor)It’s drizzling, cold, and dark. Yet in one Boston neighborhood there’s a steady stream of people in workout gear braving the weather to congregate at the top of the aptly named Summit Avenue – and it’s not even 6:15 a.m. The group forms a bouncing…
US stocks push higher helped by trade data (via AFP)US stocks opened higher Tuesday, helped by gains in Europe and Asia and a strong November trade report showing the US deficit at its narrowest point in four years. An hour into trade, the Dow Jones Industrial Average was up 114.86 points (0.70 percent…
Dennis Rodman gets fiery with CNN (via CNN Video)Former NBA player Dennis Rodman talks exclusively to CNN's Chris Cuomo from North Korea. More from CNN at http://www.cnn.com
Anna Hazare-inspired 'common man' party takes first step toward its Indian revolution (via GlobalPost)Enlarge Activist turned politician Arvind Kejriwal gestures at a rally of the "Aam Aadmi Party" (Common man party) in New Delhi. The party scored a surprise victory in Delhi elections, and now hopes to topple India's long-standing political order in…
Is Earth Weighed Down By Dark Matter? (via slashdot)There may be a giant ring of dark matter invisibly encircling the Earth, increasing its mass and pulling much harder on orbiting satellites than anything invisible should pull, according to preliminary research from a scientist specializing the physics…
AppTap raises $1.5M to prove that mobile app discovery isn’t broken (via Pando Daily)By Michael Carney On January 6, 2014 AppTap, an app discovery and advertising network, has raised $1.5 million in new funding, according to a new SEC filing. The round, which began in June of this year, consists of a combination of equity, debt, and…
New Market Report: Thailand Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2014 (via SBWire)Recently published research from Business Monitor International, "Thailand Consumer Electronics Report Q1 2014", is now available at Fast Market Research Boston, MA -- (SBWIRE) -- 01/06/2014 -- The Thai consumer electronics market is developing fast…
Leading VC: NSA's Activities Are 'Corroding Silicon Valley' (via Techdirt)Techdirt has already run a couple of stories about the longer-term damage the recently-revealed activities of the NSA are likely to have on the US computer industry. Bloomberg is reporting on how the growing distrust of US services is taking a new form…
Weekend Wrap-up: Snapchat Hacked; Apple vs. Samsung May Come to an End (via BestTechie)Good day, all, and welcome to this Sunday’s edition of the Weekend Wrap-up. We’re taking a look at some of the bigger tech stories from the past week to help you get all caught up, and we’ve even thrown in some video for good measure. Ready to…
Asian shares slip, Tokyo hit by strong yen (via AFP)Asia's markets fell on Monday in the first full day of trade in the new year, with Tokyo tumbling as the dollar and euro retreated from five-year highs against the yen. Investors were given a mixed lead from Wall Street after Federal Reserve chief Ben…
'Paper or plastic'? (via The Christian Science Monitor)“Paper or plastic?” grocery clerks often inquire of shoppers as they prepare to bag purchases. Yet the growing awareness of the environmental consequences of either choice may leave shoppers feeling on the horns of a dilemma. Is it better to choose…
Liz Cheney quits Senate campaign to oust Mike Enzi: cites “serious health issues” in family (via The Moderate Voice)Liz Cheney, the eldest daughter of former Vice President Dick Cheney, is dropping her bid to unseat Wyoming’s respected conservative Senator Mike Enzi in a primary challenge, citing “serious Serious health issues have recently arisen in our family…
