Technology

National

In Reno, Nev., Homegrown Startups Fuel Tech Transformation

4:28pm July 03, 2017

by Arun Rath

Reno, Nev., is enjoying a tech boom. Giants like Apple, Google and Tesla are all there. The transformation is also being driven by some homegrown start-ups, but some worry Reno will become unaffordable.

Elise Tries purikura, the original Snapchat.

Video: Japan's 'Purikura' Photo Booths Offer Snapchat-Like Filters

1:59pm July 03, 2017

by Elise Hu

In NPR's Elise Tries series, correspondent Elise Hu tries out new experiences in East Asia. In Tokyo, she checks out Japanese purikura photo booths, which produce selfies to decorate and print out.

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A Tesla showroom in California. The company announced production of its long-awaited mass-market Model 3 car will begin Friday.

Tesla's Long-Awaited, Lower-Priced Model 3 To Arrive Friday

9:25am July 03, 2017

by Chris Benderev

The first of Tesla's significantly more affordable Model 3 cars should finish production by next weekend, CEO Elon Musk announced late Sunday.

"When we started on the game, fake news, the term that we know now, wasn't even in the vernacular."

To Test Your Fake News Judgment, Play This Game

9:17am July 03, 2017

by Tennessee Watson

The journalist who thought up this game says she saw the need before "fake news" was even in the vernacular.

World News

Germany Votes To Fine Social Media Companies For Failing To Remove Hate Speech

6:17pm June 30, 2017

by Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson

The German parliament has voted to impose fines of up to $57 million on social media companies that fail to remove "obviously illegal" hate speech within 24 hours of it being posted.

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Cash machines in a supermarket in Kiev weren't working on Wednesday after a cyberattack paralyzed computers in Ukraine and elsewhere. Victims included government offices, energy companies, banks and gas stations.

Economy

Ukraine Cyberattack Wasn't Really About Ransom, Security Experts Say

4:12pm June 30, 2017

by Kathy Goldgeier

Although the virus that spread through government and commercial computers Tuesday looked like ransomware, cyber experts say it was a "wiper" intended to erase data and disrupt business.

Politics & Government

Change My View On Reddit Helps People Challenge Their Own Opinions

4:31pm June 29, 2017

by Kenny Malone

Four years ago, a Scottish teenager set out to do the impossible: cordon off a space for measured, civil conversation between people who believe different things — on the Internet! Now there are over 300,000 members of the Change My View subreddit. The founder talks about the surprising rules he had to implement in order to make the space work, and a researcher tells us who discovered a kind of agree-to-disagree inflection point by studying the group.

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National

Shadow Brokers Group Leaks Stolen National Security Agency Hacking Tools

4:31pm June 29, 2017

Last August, hacking tools were stolen from the National Security Agency. Now, those tools are being used in a number of cyber attacks around the world, and there's mounting pressure on the NSA to do something. NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Nicole Perlroth, who has been covering this for The New York Times.

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Earlier this month, President Trump renominated former FCC Commissioner Jessica Rosenworcel (left), seen here in 2013 with current commissioners Mingon Clyburn (center) and Ajit Pai.

Trump Picks Republican Lawyer For FCC Commissioner Seat

4:00pm June 29, 2017

by James Doubek

President Trump will name former telecom attorney and current FCC lawyer Brendan Carr to serve as a commissioner. He is expected to back Chairman Ajit Pai's efforts to undo net neutrality rules.

A store manager shows off a Japanese pressing of The Beatles' Let It Be at the RECOfan music shop in Tokyo's Shibuya district. Demand for vinyl records is leading Sony to restart making vinyl records.

Music & Culture

Sony Will Start Making Vinyl Records Again In Japan, After A Nearly 30-Year Hiatus

1:04pm June 29, 2017

by Bill Chappell

Sony says it's meeting new demand from young people who buy records they've heard on streaming services. The company stopped pressing vinyl in 1989.