May 26 Watch 8:28 U.S. innovators dogged by money-grubbing ‘patent trolls’ By PBS News Hour The U.S. economy is driven by innovation, but unwelcome “patent trolls” are gunking up the system. Patent reform bills sit idle in Congress as the “trolls” set up companies for the sole purpose, critics say, of shaking down inventors while… Continue watching
May 21 The nation’s largest school districts are rushing to fill the coding gap By Michael D. Regan Only a quarter of America’s public schools are using a form of computer science in their classrooms, but that number is growing as schools create new coding programs. Continue reading
May 04 Watch 7:31 The drug-like effect of screen time on the teenage brain By PBS News Hour Teenagers today have never known a world without the internet, which may be why half of all adolescents say they’re addicted to their digital devices. In her new documentary “Screenagers,” Dr. Delaney Ruston explores why young people are so drawn… Continue watching
May 01 Can ‘smart gun’ technology make firearms safer? By Associated Press A so-called "smart gun" is a firearm that uses a ring with a chip in it to send a signal to a circuit board embedded in the firearm so that only an authorized user can fire the gun. Continue reading
Apr 21 Watch 6:51 This online pioneer sees a future where everything is internet By PBS News Hour In the 30 years since Steve Case co-founded AOL, the global tech landscape has seen immense growth and change. What new developments wait in the near future, and what does the rapidly expanding online world mean for human life? Case… Continue watching
Apr 20 In the age of the Panama Papers, is Bitcoin technology the future? By Vikram Mansharamani The Panama Papers raise an age-old debate on how to balance privacy and transparency. Is Bitcoin technology, known as "blockchain," the answer?… Continue reading
Apr 15 Watch 7:19 Microsoft sues DOJ over demands for access to customer data By PBS News Hour In the wake of the FBI’s showdown with Apple last month, a new tech giant is taking up arms against government oversight. Microsoft sued the Department of Justice Thursday, arguing that it is unconstitutional for the government to request access… Continue watching
Apr 06 5 ways to become a smaller target for ransomware hackers By Tami Abdollah, Associated Press WASHINGTON — Hacking for ransom is on the rise — on pace to beat out last year's figures — and hits people where it hurts, locking them out of files, photos and critical records until they pay hackers a bounty… Continue reading
Apr 06 Hackers broke into hospitals despite software flaw warnings By Tami Abdollah, Associated Press WASHINGTON — The hackers who seriously disrupted operations at a large hospital chain recently and held some data hostage broke into a computer server left vulnerable despite warnings since at least 2007 that it needed to be fixed with a… Continue reading
Apr 02 Watch 9:45 Unlocking justice? Breaking into iPhone may help find Louisiana killer, police say By Mori Rothman At half past eight on April 24th, Barbara Mills received a loving text message from her daughter, Brittney. A screen capture of the last text message Barbara Mills received from her daughter Brittney. Photo credit: NewsHour “I have… Continue watching