Produced and hosted by Jon Gordon, a Minnesota Public Radio reporter based in Silicon Valley, this daily "journal of the Digital Age" airs during broadcasts of CBC's As It Happens and Minnesota Public Radio's Morning Edition.
No link between Internet, social isolation A new study by the Pew Internet and American Life Project finds that the Internet and mobile phones do not lead to social isolation, as some previous research suggested. In fact, there's plenty of evidence that people who spend a lot of time online have fuller social lives. (11/05/2009)
Open-sourcing the vote Activists working to develop an alternative American voting system have turned loose their first batch of software code for public review. The Open Source Digital Voting Foundation is spearheading a project to build new voting machines to replace proprietary systems currently in place. The group is in the second year of a an eight-year plan to produce a publicly-owned, open source election system. (11/04/2009)
Cyber war: Scary, or scare-mongery? The Obama administration, like the Bush team before it, have talked a great deal about the need to strengthen our ability to fend off attacks that target U.S. computers. How much should we worry, really?
Yesterday we heard from James Lewis at the Center for Strategic and International Studies. He's just written a new report that concludes there is no chance another country or terrorist group will launch a major cyber attack against the U.S. anytime in the near future. Still, Lewis believes U.S. defenses against an Internet-based attack on its military and government computers, power grids and financial system are weak and need to be shored up to guard against future threats. (11/03/2009)
Report: Zero threat of major cyber attack against U.S. There is no chance other countries or terrorist groups will launch an Internet-based attack against U.S. information systems in the near future, according to a new report from the Center for Strategic and International Studies.
Other countries have no political interesting in attacking the U.S. while terrorists don't likely possess the capability for a destructive cyber-war campaign, according to the Center's James Lewis. (11/02/2009)
Microsoft markets crud-free computers Microsoft has begun selling new PCs with no crapware, from the likes of Sony, HP and Dell. Of course, the machines will still come with plenty of Microsoft software that not everyone will want.
You can find these Microsoft Signature PCs at its new store in Scottsdale, Arizona and online.
Guest: Todd Bishop, TechFlash(10/30/2009)
Microsoft moves to commercialize SenseCam; memory augmentation is first market The SenseCam is a specialized digital camera that's been percolating in the labs of Microsoft Research U.K for about five years now. It's designed to be worn around the neck on a lanyard. The device takes still images throughout the day, when motion is sensed or when people come into view, as often as every 30 seconds.
The camera can be used for everything from a scrapbooking tool to a medical device for patients with impaired memories. Microsoft has been able to produced only about 500 SenseCams, so it's decided to license its technology to ramp up production.
U.K. company Vicon will begin selling the cameras, under the name Vicon Revue, to researchers this year and to the general public in 2010. (10/26/2009)
Warning: Security warnings often fake - Download MP3 - iTunes Rogue security software is a huge and growing problem, according to a new report from Symantec.... (10/22/2009)
Five best things about Windows 7 Windows 7 arrives this week. We asked Lance Ulanoff of PCMag.com to come up with a list of the five best things about the new Microsoft operating system. (10/19/2009)
Technology that's good enough We love MP3s even though they sound inferior to CDs. We can't get by without our mobile phones even though they've tended to sound worse than land lines. We're watching more TV shows and movies on our little computer screens, even as our big TVs sit idle in the next room. It's the Good Enough Revolution. (10/15/2009)
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