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Watching Sudanese elections from your computer
John Moe Jan 6, 2011
The southern part of Sudan is holding a referendum on whether to separate from the North. There are concerns that the election could lead to violence and terrorism. Part of the international effort to monitor the election involves leveraging satellite technology and mapping software to let people all over the world -- including you -- watch what's going on.
Can the police search your cell phone without a warrant?
John Moe Jan 5, 2011
Can the police look at what's on your cell phone without a warrant? The California Supreme Court, in a 5-2 decision this week, said yes. Your phone, texts, emails, whatever is found on that phone, is fair game. It's a move that could have a big impact on issues of privacy and search & seizure. We look at the case and its implications.
Now you can draw state redistricting maps too
Jan 4, 2011
Congress begins a new session tomorrow. But some members of the House are wondering just how long they'll be keeping those seats. The process known as reapportionment is being taken up by legislatures in 18 states that will be gaining or losing congressional seats based on numbers in the 2010 census. We look at the technology that goes into guiding that process.
The coming conundrum of home DNA testing
Jan 4, 2011
Technology is always presenting us with situations where there is more known about us than we would perhaps like to be known. Don't believe me, go Google yourself and see what's out there. So as the field of direct to consumer genetic testing begins to really gain traction, we wonder what's it going to mean to our health and our society.
Susan Orlean's favorite apps of 2010
Nov 16, 2011
It wasn't that long ago that when you said "apps," people thought you were talking about, like, shrimp puffs or jalapeno poppers: appetizers. But now applications for mobile phones are just part of life for a lot of people who use them. Susan Orlean of The New Yorker magazine joins us to talk about the apps she loved most in 2010.
The travel industry war and you
Dec 28, 2010
Remember back before the internet when you'd have to call each airline on the phone to see what fares they were offering for that trip you were taking? You'd write everything down on paper. Recent battles between major airlines and travel websites might make you wonder if those days could soon be returning.
Are you part of an online psychology experiment?
Dec 28, 2010
Amazon.com is known for selling just about anything you might want. But it's also a place where you can make (usually small amounts of) money through their service called Mechanical Turk. You perform small online tasks and get paid. But one Harvard researcher sees Mechanical Turk as the perfect venue for psychological experiments.
The coming wave of augmented reality
Sep 22, 2011
There's this video going around, 2.5 million hits on YouTube. It's for a new app called Word Lens. You point your camera at words like on a sign and it translates them into a different language. You see Spanish words on your phone where English words are in real life. Kind of amazing. But it may become completely normal.
E. coli and the ability to program biological cells
John Moe Dec 13, 2010
Researchers at the University of California San Francisco have engineered E. coli with the "key molecular circuitry that will enable genetic...
What's next for the Dragon?
John Moe Dec 9, 2010
A Dragon flew to space, you guys. And came back! Well, a rocket called the Dragon anyway. Happened yesterday and it was the first privately funded...
