Technology & Inventions

Back in the olden days of Wi-Fi -- say, four years ago -- it looked as though free wireless Internet access would be a certainty, a municipal utility provided to citizens like water or electricity, only this time at no charge. But the promise of free Wi-Fi, like the dream of adorning every city with moving sidewalks, never materialized, and now looks as though it never will. more

Are the complex problems currently facing the business and financial markets ready for their biggest challenge: to be reduced to short Twitter-length bursts of info? more

March Madness is just as crazy as ever. But this year, it's gotten a little dangerous for the thousands of NCAA basketball fans who use social networking sites like Facebook to participate in betting pools. more

More proof that as social networks grow, people are finding higher-minded uses for them: Takes All Types, a non-profit, grassroots group that supports blood donation, is using Facebook to link people who want to give blood with the hospitals and blood donation centers that need it. more

On the Web, there are mashes, and then there are Monster Mashes. Montreal-based blogger Peter Deitz is more interested in the monster variety. more

Sometimes, you can’t get there from here – especially on public transportation. But a group of tech savvy commuters in San Francisco is enlisting the help of the Web and social media to make it easier to plan bus, train, subway, and ferry trips in the area. more

Google’s announcement this week that the mega-search company will give $25M to charity and launch Google.org is more than a feel-good project without a strategy. Like so many things that Google has done, Google.org is a reaction to buzz – in this case around ‘doing good’ in the online space. more

Computer scientist Luis von Ahn, creator of CAPTCHA (the distorted letters you type for security reasons to leave a comment on a blog or fill out a web form) has developed a new use for CAPTCHA: digitizing books. more