Digital Life

Palmer Luckey, founder of Oculus VR, demonstrates the new Oculus Rift headset during the "Step Into The Rift" event in San Francisco in June 2015.

Virtual Reality Whiz Palmer Luckey: Future Will Be 'More Boring Than We Think'

3:55pm March 29, 2016

by NPR Staff

The 23-year-old founder of Oculus VR says sci-fi writers love to use virtual reality as a backdrop for conflict, but the future is "probably not going to be nearly as interesting."

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10 Seconds At A Time, A Teacher Tries Snapchat To Engage Students

9:31am March 29, 2016

by Jacquie Lee

With video of a girl balancing in a tutu and a crowd cheering at a soccer game, one college professor uses the social media app to personalize concepts for his psychology students.

Customers visit the Apple store at Grand Central Terminal in New York on March 1.

National

The FBI Has Successfully Unlocked The iPhone Without Apple's Help

9:37pm March 28, 2016

by Alina Selyukh

The Justice Department says it is withdrawing its legal action against Apple because it has been able to get data from a terrorist's phone. A spokeswoman says the FBI is reviewing the data.

Computer software GoGaurdian tracks students' web browsing and searches whenever they are using the computer, at home or at school.

Software Flags 'Suicidal' Students, Presenting Privacy Dilemma

5:07pm March 28, 2016

by Anya Kamenetz

School administrators increasingly have the power to track students' Web browsing on school-issued laptops, even when the students are at home. The implications are complicated.

Democratic presidential candidate Bernie Sanders smiles as a bird lands on his podium when he addresses the crowd during a rally at the Moda Center in Portland, Ore., Friday.

Politics & Government

Bird Visits Bernie Sanders Rally, Sparks Delight On Twitter

4:14pm March 26, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

In a case of life imitating sketch comedy, Portland, Ore., put a bird on it on Friday. And Twitter went wild.

The Trello page Brussels Missing has been able to help users keep track of those missing after Tuesday's terrorist attacks.

World News

The Work Productivity Tool Giving Hope To Belgium's Bereaved

10:52pm March 25, 2016

by Naomi LaChance

As people continue searching for their loved ones, they are turning to social media for help. One site, Trello, lets friends and family keep an active list of those who remain unaccounted for.

The Google Chrome extension is similar to a spell check function, except instead of flagging misspelled words, it identifies insults and hateful messages and then prompts the user to write something else.

World News

This New Chrome Extension 'Rewords' Hateful Online Messages

4:03pm March 24, 2016

by Laura Wagner

Aimed at preventing cyberbullying, the online tool, called Reword, flags insulting phrases and crosses them out with a red line. So far, the product is available for Google's Chrome web browser.

The Benicia Compliments page sprang up on Instagram as a platform for girls attending Benicia High School to tag each other in positive social media posts.

Teen Girls Flip The Negative Script On Social Media

5:38am March 24, 2016

by Stella Lau

Teen girls experience a lot of hate online. While parents and teachers try to address these problems from outside girl culture, teens have been coming up with their own social media solutions.

National

FBI Puts Standoff With Apple On Hold To Test New iPhone Hack

4:52pm March 22, 2016

by Aarti Shahani

The government now says it may have found a way to unlock a terrorist's phone without Apple's help. That announcement caused a judge to delay a highly anticipated hearing over the Justice Department's request to force Apple to unlock the phone used by Syed Rizwan Farook.

Fred Kaplan was a reporter for The Boston Globe for about 20 years. He is also the author of The Insurgents: David Petraeus and the Plot to Change the American Way of War.

From Reagan's Cyber Plan To Apple Vs. FBI: 'Everything Is Up For Grabs'

3:47pm March 22, 2016

Fred Kaplan, author of Dark Territory, traces the history of cyber defense into the current heated debate between the FBI and Apple over the encryption of the iPhone.

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