Technology

What 2017 Holds For Technology News

5:16pm January 02, 2017

Technology was front and center in many of 2016's biggest stories; 2017 is likely to hold more of the same. NPR's tech reporters discuss Facebook, data hacks and automation, and other top issues.

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Yes, This Is A Thing: A Self-Tying Shoe

5:16pm January 02, 2017

A "lace engine" is the key technology behind Nike's new product.

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On A Scale Of 1 to 5, How Autonomous Is Your Car?

5:09pm January 01, 2017

With the rise of self-driving cars, there's a need to define the "five levels of autonomy," referring to the gradual change from driver-assisted to fully automated cars.

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For many people, constant connection has become a part of modern life. But a new law in France suggests this shouldn't be the norm.

World News

French Law Giving Workers 'The Right To Disconnect' Goes Into Effect

5:02pm December 31, 2016

by Maggie Penman

As of Jan. 1, French companies with more than 50 workers will be obligated to allow their employees to ignore work emails outside of work hours.

The Last of Us is as much about the bonds between Joel and his surrogate daughter Ellie as it is about their post-fungal-apocalypse world.

Arts

Reading The Game: 'The Last Of Us'

10:01am December 31, 2016

by Jason Sheehan

Our occasional series on storytelling in video games continues with a look at The Last of Us. Set in a world undone by a fungal apocalypse, it follows a grizzled smuggler and his surrogate daughter.

National

Amazon Echo Murder Case Renews Privacy Questions Prompted By Our Digital Footprints

7:41am December 31, 2016

Smart devices like the Amazon Echo record snippets of conversation when they're being used. NPR's Scott Simon asks Scott Stein of CNET to explain what happens to the data that is collected.

U.S. Cyberwarfare: Its Powerful Tools, Its Unseen Tactics

4:51pm December 30, 2016

NPR's Ari Shapiro talks to cybersecurity expert Robert Knake on what tools the U.S. has to retaliate against Russia in cyberspace.

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Walter Schaub Jr. is the director of the U.S. Office of Government Ethics, which tweeted last month about President-elect Donald Trump's conflicts of interest.

U.S. Ethics Chief Was Behind Those Tweets About Trump, Records Show

4:51pm December 30, 2016

by Alina Selyukh

Trump-style tweets from the Office of Government Ethics urging divestitures made many suspect a hack of this typically staid agency. New records shared with NPR show the author was the agency chief.

How long do Americans, on average, keep a phone before buying a new one?

QUIZ: Test Your Knowledge Of NPR's Tech Stories From 2016

11:06am December 30, 2016

by Alina Selyukh

A bar owner who wants patrons to put away their phones, Internet users tracking down a vandal, a project to analyze hundreds of Rembrandt paintings — can you remember (or guess) what happened?

What Hashtagged In 2016? Women's Rights, Pollution And Pokemon Go

5:01pm December 29, 2016

by Maanvi Singh

They were used to clap back at a racist cartoon and express grief for the Syrian war. The world in 2016, captured in hashtags.