Digital Life

Law professor Lawrence Lessig, shown here in 2009, is suing an Australian record label for threatening to sue him over an alleged YouTube copyright violation.

Record Label Picks Copyright Fight — With The Wrong Guy

5:32pm September 27, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Lawrence Lessig was not pleased when Liberation Music persuaded YouTube to take down one of his online lectures because of an alleged copyright violation. So Lessig, one of the most famous copyright attorneys in the world, decided to take a stand against broad, intimidating takedown notices.

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BlackBerry: If You Don't Survive, May You Rest In Peace

4:45pm September 27, 2013

by Steve Henn

Over the course of its existence, BlackBerry sold smartphones to more than 200 million people. It became ubiquitous in places like Indonesia but it began with an invasion of Wall Street and Washington.

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Some reputation management companies required that its writers have a certain number of Yelp friends. Yelp says it welcomed the New York attorney general's crackdown on fake reviewers.

Fake Reviewers Get Zero Stars From New York Attorney General

12:04pm September 25, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Nineteen companies agreed to pay more than $350,000 in penalties to settle accusations that they wrote or bought phony online reviews of their products, services or restaurants.

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Alex Blaszczuk used Google Glass to shoot this self portait.

National

Accessible Designs Could Help Us All — But Only If Firms Bite

5:52pm September 24, 2013

by Steve Henn

Computer technology offers us abilities we could once only dream about. But many companies have yet to recognize the commercial opportunity in making products for the disabled. Some argue that ignoring accessibility issues completely is a multi-billion dollar mistake.

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Disney Experiments With 2-Screen Experience Involves iPads

5:35pm September 24, 2013

by Elizabeth Blair

The Little Mermaid Second Screen Live has opened in select theaters across the country. Children are encouraged to bring their iPad to the theater, and during the movie they become part of the story, play games and compete with the audience.

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The NSA says the site's location near Salt Lake City will simplify staffing and the largely treeless surroundings will make the center relatively easy to secure and monitor.

National

Booting Up: New NSA Data Farm Takes Root In Utah

8:38pm September 23, 2013

by Howard Berkes

Even as it continues to grapple with concerns about its data-gathering operations, the National Security Agency is poised to open a massive facility where cellphone, text message, email and landline data can be stored and analyzed.

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Edward Snowden's leaks about the NSA's secret surveillance program have pushed the agency to expedite planned reforms ahead of schedule, according to NSA officials.

The Effects Of The Snowden Leaks Aren't What He Intended

5:24pm September 20, 2013

by Tom Gjelten

Critics of the NSA's secret surveillance hoped the debate that followed Edward Snowden's leaks would prompt the NSA to rethink the operation. Instead, one of the most noticeable effects so far has been a diversion of resources away from intelligence missions toward assessing damage from the leaks.

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Apple's fingerprint technology is an effort to combat smartphone theft.

Dear Apple: Good Luck Against The Smartphone Black Market

2:09pm September 16, 2013

by Ilya Marritz

The new iPhone's fingerprint recognition technology is the company's first major effort to combat smartphone theft. But with an insatiable global appetite for the devices, will it really make a difference?

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Stickboy, Compressorhead's four-armed drummer rocks out in front of thousands of fans at the Big Day Out music festival.

Music & Culture

Musical Robots Take The Stage For Harmony, Not Domination

5:38pm September 15, 2013

by Priska Neely

When it comes to heavy metal, one group has claimed the title of "world's heaviest metal band." The humans tinkering with the robots say the goal isn't to replace human musicians.

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Security experts say the U.S. is ill-prepared to respond to cyberthreats. A new high school curriculum in Alabama aims to attract more young people to the field.

Army Looks To Schools To Find The Next Cyberwarriors

6:50pm September 11, 2013

by Dan Carsen

Security experts say the U.S. has a dearth of professionals qualified to take on cyberthreats like attacks on power grids or defense systems. A school district in Alabama and the U.S. Army Cyber Command have teamed up to help prepare a new generation for cyberwarfare careers.

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