The British public (and perhaps a few other folk with creative IP addresses) have selected resistance to antibiotics as the scientific challenge at the heart of a $16 million prize fund. As we covered recently, it’s part of the Longitude prize, a modern take on an 18th century government contest to find a way to […]
The Norwegian government says it will not repeat experiments with online voting. It said there wasn’t enough guarantee of security and a secret vote. The country used online voting as an option in 12 cities and towns as an experiment in 2011 and 2013 and has now reported on the experience. In the 2013 experiment, […]
YouTube is adding a host of new features including 60 frames per second content, user-submitted subtitles and a virtual tip jar. The payment scheme, known as YouTube Fan Funding, will allow users to contribute towards the production costs of videos or simply make a payment as a way of thanks. There aren’t too many details […]
Work to reconstruct one of the earliest computers has been boosted by the discovery of the original circuit diagrams. The EDSAC project had previously relied on photographs to put together components. As we covered a couple of years ago, the Electronic Delay Storage Automatic Calculator was arguably the first completed and fully operational machine to […]
The Supreme Court has made two key rulings on tech-related cases today. It’s ruled against Aereo, an online service that thought it found a loophole in broadcasting laws. And it’s ruled that the police do not generally have a right to search cellphones during a warrantless arrest. Aereo allows paying customers to access over-the-air broadcasts […]
A British police official says around half the calls (incidents) with front-line officers involve comments made over social media. The revelation came from Alex Marshall (pictured), the head of the College of Policing, which oversees training of new officers. He was speaking on the BBC’s Law In Action radio show. According to Marshall, According to […]
Figures from the New York Attorney General show a sharp fall in iPhone thefts correlating with Apple introducing a “kill switch” feature. The news comes as both Microsoft and Google say they’ll put such a feature into their operating systems. Several manufacturers and carriers had already committed to releasing or supporting software to remotely disable […]
Two British organizations are offering $16 million to the person who can best solve a scientific challenge. And it wants the public to vote on which of six challenges most needs a solution. The Longitude Prize is being funded by the Technology Strategy Board (a semi-independent government agency) and organized by Nesta (a charity.) It […]
The US government is to allow mapping sites to use more detailed satellite images. It could lead to more disputes about personal and corporate privacy and national security. Until now, companies using satellites could only publish pictures at a resolution that meant items or features had to be at least 50 centimeters across to be […]
For many video game players, one of the elements that creates a fully immersive environment into these fantastical worlds is the music that accompanies you along the journey. Many of us can pinpoint our favorite story arcs by the score that played in the background. The composers and musicians behind these games provide a crucial element […]