Author Archive
Zach Wener-Fligner
Emerging Tech
15 Technologies NASA Is Funding to Make Science Fiction a Reality
Each year, the NASA Innovative Advanced Concepts program awards funding to a set of research projects on the bleeding edge of technology.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Emerging Tech
NASA Is Working on Super-Fast Spaceship Technology That Defies the Laws of Physics
The propulsion system, known as the EmDrive, was conceived around the turn of the millennium by a British engineer named Roger Shawyer.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Emerging Tech
NASA Scientists Say We'll Find Alien Life in Space in the Next 20 Years
Some of NASA’s top minds believe we’re not alone in the universe. And they think we’ll find out for sure soon.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Modernization
Microsoft Is Phasing Out Internet Explorer
Say goodbye to the outmoded browser.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Emerging Tech
British Police Are Going Robocop
British bobbies may soon be ditching caps and tunics for a striking new digital look that includes a robotic exoskeleton and Google Glass.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Emerging Tech
This Spacecraft is About to Make the First Visit to Pluto
Launched on a mission to Pluto in January 2006, New Horizons went into sleep mode for much of its eight-year journey out to the edge of our solar system.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Emerging Tech
Facebook Wants to Launch ‘At Work’ Version
The site will offer a suite of features for workers, including document collaboration, messaging and chat, and of course, networking.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Modernization
Your Smartphone Can Detect Ultra-High Energy Cosmic Rays. Here’s Why That Matters
When your smartphone detects a cosmic ray, it can share data with the researchers, allowing them to study the rays in more detail than ever before.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Digital Government
Secret Docs: US Argued Yahoo Couldn't Defend Users' Privacy
The documents offer insight into the legal maneuvers the US government has used to argue against any challenges to its right to surveil.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Cybersecurity
Was the Cyber-Sleuthing FBI Used to Track Down Silk Road’s Servers Legal?
Until recently, the FBI was vague about the investigation’s details.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Digital Government
Two Explosive Reminders That the US and China Are in a Hypersonic Arms Race
The test of a rocket-powered glider called the Advanced Hypersonic Weapon failed when US Army engineers ordered it to self-destruct after its launch went wrong.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Featured eBooks
Emerging Tech
People Like Being Bossed Around By Robots, Study Finds
Computers can figure out a near-optimal plan for allocating tasks among workers and robots in seconds.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Digital Government
Researchers Say You Can Surveil Everyone and See Only the Criminals
This potential solution uses “privacy-preserving” algorithms.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Cybersecurity
Pro-Russia Ukrainian Hackers Just Replaced Polish Sites with Images From a Holocaust Slaughter
Sites affected include those of the president of Poland and the Warsaw Stock Exchange.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Cybersecurity
This Emerging Malware Sends Secret Messages and Is Practically Impossible to Detect
As if computer malware that steals your data weren’t enough, now there’s a new kind to worry about.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Modernization
iPhones Have a Major Security Hole That Apple Installed on Purpose
If you use an iPhone or iPad, your photos, web history, and GPS logs are vulnerable to theft and surveillance via back-door protocols running on all iOS devices.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Digital Government
Last Wave of Net Neutrality Comments has Crashed the FCC’s Site Again
The proposal at issue would allow internet providers to charge content companies for more direct connections to their customers.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz
Digital Government
Here’s Why You May Never Be Truly Anonymous in a Big Data World
All de-identified data may not be so anonymous after all.
- By Zach Wener-Fligner, Quartz