Technology

What works (or doesn't work) to get more women into tech jobs?

Why Aren't There More Women In Tech? A Tour Of Silicon Valley's Leaky Pipeline

6:25pm December 21, 2016

We start at an after-school program for middle-schoolers and end at tech companies that try to be front-runners on diversity. Where do girls and women drop out from the tech talent pipeline?

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Students: Colleges Are Tracking You Online. It Can Help You Graduate

6:03am December 21, 2016

by Eric Westervelt

Some campuses are testing new tools that give professors access to real-time data on student engagement and performance.

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Privacy groups have filed a complaint about My Friend Cayla dolls to the Federal Trade Commission, arguing that they spy on children.

National

This Doll May Be Recording What Children Say, Privacy Groups Charge

4:12pm December 20, 2016

by Brian Naylor

Privacy advocates have filed a complaint with U.S. regulators about the Internet-connected doll called My Friend Cayla. They say the toy can record and transmit everything children say to it.

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A team at the University of Toronto Computer Science Department, has been teaching a computer to write sing-along music. They're calling it "neural karaoke."

Music & Culture

Warning: This Christmas Carol May Haunt Your Dreams

10:24am December 20, 2016

by NPR Staff

A team of scientists at the University of Toronto has taught a computer to compose and perform its own Christmas song — one perhaps destined to be on a Westworld soundtrack.

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National

Privacy Advocates Claim Interactive Doll Spies On Children

6:24pm December 19, 2016

by Brian Naylor

Could the toys under your Christmas tree be spying on you? Consumer groups point to an interactive doll they say encourages children to give up personal data, in violation of the law.

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National

Smartphone Strategies For Families Just In Time For The Holidays

4:39pm December 19, 2016

Kids and iPhones — it's a complicated world. For All Tech Considered, NPR's Robert Siegel talks with Amanda Lenhart, who studies how children and families use technology, to help navigate this in time for gift giving.

A tiny radio receiver built from components the size of two atoms. It emits a signal as red light, which is then converted into an electrical current and can be broadcast as sound by a speaker or headphone.

This Christmas Song Brought To You By The World's Tiniest Radio Receiver

2:01pm December 19, 2016

by Rebecca Hersher

Engineers made a radio receiver with building blocks the size of two atoms. One benefit of a radio so small you can barely see it: The machine works at extremely high temperatures.

How One Couple Fought For The Legal Right To Leave A Bad Yelp Review

9:19am December 19, 2016

by Alexi Horowitz-Ghazi

The lawsuit was one of the cases that inspired the new law — the Consumer Review Fairness Act — that aims to curb one avenue businesses have used to sue customers for posting negative online reviews.

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World News

Jonathan Puckey's Radio Garden Knows No Borders

8:34am December 18, 2016

A new website called Radio Garden allows users to spin a virtual globe and click on live radio around the world. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with the site's designer Jonathan Puckey.

National

Employing Third Party Fact-Checking, Facebook Unveils New Plan To Curb Fake News Stories

8:29am December 18, 2016

Facebook says it will work with third party fact checkers to weed out fake news on its site. NPR's Ailsa Chang speaks with Alexios Mantzarlis of the Poynter Institute, a partner in this effort.