Digital Life

The tables are set in the State Dining Room of the White House for Friday's state dinner honoring visiting Chinese President Xi Jinping.

For China's President, An Evening Of Lobster, Lamb and Ne-Yo

5:11pm September 24, 2015

by Marilyn Geewax

President Obama is hosting Chinese leader Xi Jinping at a state dinner Friday. The menu features American favorites with "nuances of Chinese flavors." Ne-Yo, a part-Chinese R&B artist, will perform.

The International Monetary Fund says the U.S. and China have a combined annual gross domestic product of about $30 trillion.

U.S.-China Business Relationship Is, As Trump Might Say, Huge

2:11pm September 23, 2015

by Marilyn Geewax

Even U.S. companies that don't have close ties with China have to be concerned with its slowing growth. When China buys fewer goods and commodities, prices fall for producers everywhere.

Making College More Affordable, One Text At A Time

12:39pm September 23, 2015

by Owen Phillips

The right text or email message can help students get enrolled, find the right payment plan and remind them to pay, White House research shows.

Volkswagen Says 11 Million Cars Worldwide Have Emissions Cheating Software

9:24pm September 22, 2015

by Sonari Glinton

Volkswagen faces a growing scandal over how it used software to dodge clean air rules for diesel vehicles. The Justice Department opened a criminal probe and financial penalties are sure to follow.

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Texting gentle reminders on heart-healthy habits helped people make real changes.

Text Reminders Help People Lower Cholesterol, Blood Pressure

4:45pm September 22, 2015

by Lynne Shallcross

Plain old text messages — you know, the ones you don't need a smartphone to receive — helped people with heart disease make changes like smoking less and exercising more.

A person plays Candy Crush Saga on his tablet in Lille, northern France. This year, mobile games revenues are expected to fly past console games and hit more than $30 billion worldwide.

National

Apple TV, App Makers Try To Move Casual Gamers To Bigger Screen

1:05pm September 22, 2015

by Laura Sydell

In 2015, mobile games revenues are expected to hit more than $30 billion worldwide. Apple wants these casual gamers to play their mobile games on its streaming TV console.

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Coding Class, Then Naptime: Computer Science For The Kindergarten Set

3:58pm September 18, 2015

by Anya Kamenetz

New software introduces programming skills to pre-readers. Is this 21st century literacy? Or too much, too soon?

People can now contribute to presidential campaigns with just a few taps on a smartphone.

#Cashtag: Twitter To Allow Direct Campaign Contributions

2:51pm September 18, 2015

by Scott Detrow

The announcement is welcome news for political campaigns, which all want to make it as seamless as possible for supporters to turn over their money and personal information.

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Arts

Streamy Awards For Online Video Make Bid For More Respectability

2:33pm September 18, 2015

by Neda Ulaby

The Streamy Awards are the Oscars of online video. Even though highly produced web videos have major followings — with numbers, in some cases, that exceed television shows — this year, the awards are making a bid for more respectability. NPR spoke with the creators of the Streamies and offers a view of the evolving online video landscape.

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Jon Ronson speaking at TEDGlobal London in 2015.

Arts

How Can Our Real Lives Be Ruined By Our Digital Ones?

12:05pm September 18, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

Writer Jon Ronson says Internet commenters can behave like a mob — and believes it's time to rethink how we interact when we go online.

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