Emerging Tech

What Technology Should Be Un-Invented?

We asked 101 technology leaders what innovation they wish could go back in the box.

Modernization

The Apple Watch Isn't Even a Hit with Silicon Valley Insiders

In our poll of the industry, more than 70 percent said they hadn’t yet taken the plunge.

Digital Government

How the USGS Detects Earthquakes Using Twitter

And learned to separate background noise from the “wow, that was an earthquake!” tweet.

Modernization

Facebook Says It's Introducing a Dislike Button

The biggest social network might become a lot more negative.

Modernization

All the Ways the Government Can Use Your Phone to Watch You

If law enforcement officers want to surveil your cellphone, they have two ways to do it.

Cybersecurity

2 Easy Steps to Improve Privacy Policies

OK, they’re not so easy. But they would save us from the eternal amend-then-freak-out cycle

Digital Government

Hiring: The First Librarian of Congress for the Internet Age

Experts say a new librarian should digitize more works, raise more money—and use email.

Emerging Tech

Long-Range Iris Scanning Is Here

An engineering professor at Carnegie Mellon says he’s invented technology that can identify someone from across the room with the precision of a fingerprint.

Digital Government

What Good Is a Video You Can't See?

Police body cameras are meant to be a tool of public accountability. But even experts can't agree on how to make sure that happens.

Modernization

The Unbelievable Power of Amazon's Cloud

The company's Web Services—which undergird Netflix, Healthcare.gov, and Spotify—might be the single most important piece of technology to the modern tech boom.

Emerging Tech

A New Satellite for One of the Great U.S. Space Programs

Landsat 9 will launch in 2023, and promises the continuity of a critical, long-running database for imagery of the Earth's surface.

Emerging Tech

Space Coffee: Astronauts Getting Fancy New Espresso Machine

And they won’t have to sip coffee out of Capri Sun pouches any longer.

Digital Government

A New Global Swarm of Weather-Sensing Satellites

Armed with tiny orbiting sensors, a startup plans to build the world's largest database of private weather data.

Emerging Tech

This is What Happens When High Schoolers Build Robots

A tournament for tech leaders of the future is rooted in traditions of the past.

Digital Government

The Number of Works Licensed Under Creative Commons Will Surpass 1 Billion by 2015

The number of creations under open 'Creative Commons' licenses has doubled since 2010

Cybersecurity

Why NSA Surveillance Threatens Silicon Valley

A new study finds a vast majority of Americans trust neither the government nor tech companies with their personal data.

Digital Government

The Conservative Case for Net Neutrality

Even Justice Scalia has endorsed treating Internet-service providers as utilities.

Emerging Tech

Can Two Volunteers Really Put a Dent in Twitter Harassment?

The company has granted moderating superpowers to a tiny feminist nonprofit. But shouldn't it be taking more drastic steps to protect its users?