Digital Life

Journalist Brian Krebs spends time in the dark areas of the Internet, where hackers steal data off credit cards and sell the information in online underground stores. Krebs has learned computer code and how to get onto black market websites and cybercrime

The Hazards Of Probing The Internet's Dark Side

5:00pm July 08, 2014

Brian Krebs, who broke the Target security breach story last year, says cybercriminals are "some very bad people." He tells Terry Gross about how they have found creative ways to taunt him.

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By hijacking a user's computer, "bad" bots make it look as if she visits a website often, thus making the site more valuable to advertisers.

In A Battle For Web Traffic, Bad Bots Are Going After Grandma

11:05am July 07, 2014

by Laura Sydell

"Bad" Web bots are going after everyone they can, but why? Because by hijacking Grandma's computer, they make it look as if she visits a site often, thus making the site more valuable to advertisers.

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Arts

Do Feelings Compute? If Not, The Turing Test Doesn't Mean Much

4:20pm July 01, 2014

by Geoff Nunberg

For the first time, a computer passed the test for machines engaging in intelligent thought. Linguist Geoff Nunberg says the real test is whether computers can behave the same way thinking people do.

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Why 140 Characters, When One Will Do? Tracing The Emoji Evolution

7:01pm June 30, 2014

by NPR Staff

The smiley face and heart icons popular in text messages predate today's smartphones. To trace their roots, you have to go back to Japan in the mid-1990s, when pagers were all the rage with teens.

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Modern Video Games Go Beyond 'Jumping On Blocks'

12:35pm June 30, 2014

by NPR Staff

The creative director for BioShock Infinite, one of 2013's biggest video games, says as technology improves, so does the ability for games to tell complex stories with rich narrative structures.

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Take a break from catching up on social media and emails — even if it's only for a few days.

Digital Detox, Step 1: Step Away From The Phone

11:15am June 25, 2014

by NPR Staff

Summer vacation season has people thinking about how to sign off and escape from the Internet. Is it possible? All Things Considered wants to know about your attempt at a digital detox.

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On Display At Video Game Showcase: A Struggle For Diversity

6:19pm June 21, 2014

Over the years, the video game industry has been hammered by questions about a lack of diversity, disappointing narratives and ever-imminent virtual reality. To see how the industry is coming, NPR's Arun Rath takes a tour of E3: The Electronic Entertainment Expo.

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The Supreme Court will look at a case in its upcoming session dealing with what constitutes a "true threat" on Facebook.

Is A Threat On Facebook Real? Supreme Court Will Weigh In

10:48am June 21, 2014

by Aarti Shahani

The Supreme Court has agreed to hear a case involving perceived death threats on Facebook. The court and the company could have starkly different approaches to identifying credible threats.

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The company Proteus has developed a computer that attaches to a pill and tracks the pill's absorption into the body. The technology has passed clinical trials.

Health & Safety

Someday Soon You May Swallow A Computer With Your Pill

9:24am June 20, 2014

by Alexis Madrigal

Fresh Air tech contributor Alexis Madrigal explains how a tiny computer attaches to a pill you ingest to record how your body responds. It sounds crazy, he says, but it was approved by the FDA.

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Invisible Children co-founders Jason Russell, left, Bobby Bailey, center, and Laren Poole, record footage in Africa in 2007.

National

The 'Kony 2012' Effect: Recovering From A Viral Sensation

11:52pm June 14, 2014

by Sam Sanders

The group Invisible Children shot to fame after its video "Kony 2012" went viral. The success led to a backlash, and now the organization must redefine its mission and its future.

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