Technology

World News

How Cellphone Use Can Help Determine A Person's Creditworthiness

8:19am August 04, 2015

by David Greene

In the developing world, where many people lack bank accounts or credit cards, banks may hesitate to loan them money. But researchers say cellphones can help determine people's creditworthiness.

Queue Listen Now

National

HitchBOT: When Bad Things Happen To Good Robots

12:10am August 04, 2015

HitchBOT, the robot that hitchhiked across Canada and Europe, was found vandalized beyond repair in Philadelphia on Saturday. Its makers hope people remember "all the joy" it brought.

Queue Listen Now

The Japanese supercomputer K, pictured in June 2012 at the RIKEN Advanced Institute for Computational Science in Kobe, western Japan. The K computer is currently ranked No. 3 on a list of the 500 fastest supercomputers.

Obama Orders Development Of Supercomputer To Rival China's 'Milky Way'

3:26pm August 03, 2015

by Scott Neuman

It is hoped that the new supercomputer, expected to go online by 2025, would be the first "exascale" machine — some 20 times faster than today's fastest machine, called Tianhe-2 (Milky Way-2).

As part of its U.S. travels, hitchBOT rode along with two boys who were heading to summer camp. But a week later, the robot was found to have been vandalized.

National

Group Offers To Help Revive HitchBOT That Was Vandalized In Philadelphia

12:44pm August 03, 2015

by Bill Chappell

A kid-sized robot that's built around a PVC bucket and sports a friendly face, the hitchBOT couldn't make it out of Philadelphia in one piece.

HitchBOT, a hitchhiking robot, sits with German tourists Sarah Strempel and Eric Vogel in the back seat of a vehicle as they and their companions prepare to leave Marblehead, Mass., after picking up hitchBot for its first ride on July 17.

A Hitchhiking Robot's Journey West Ends Early ... In Philadelphia

12:26pm August 03, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

The hitchBOT, as its creators named it, had already successfully traversed Canada and Germany. This summer, relying on the kindness of strangers, it wanted to travel from Massachusetts to California.

Arts

Despite Host Controversy, Amazon Takes A Chance On 'Top Gear'

7:53pm July 31, 2015

by Eric Deggans

The trio that made Top Gear the world's biggest car show will return to the small screen in a new show for Amazon Prime. The BBC canned one of its hosts last year after a fight with a producer.

Queue Listen Now

Narcissistic, Maybe. But Is There More To The Art Of The Selfie?

1:53pm July 31, 2015

by NPR Staff

Some say selfies are a mark of our narcissistic culture. But what about a little photoshopping? Is this further evidence of our vanity — or a platform for our personal brand and self-expression?

Queue Listen Now

Mcity's "downtown" is actually a silk-screen recreation of a street in Ann Arbor, Mich. Researchers have built the small fake city at the University of Michigan as a testing ground for autonomous vehicles.

National

In Michigan, A Testing Ground For A Future Of Driverless Cars

11:18am July 31, 2015

by Jason Margolis

Automakers and researchers are using a 32-acre fake city at the University of Michigan to simulate a real-world environment for autonomous vehicles. How will such cars affect urban planning?

Queue Listen Now

WikiLeaks Docs Purport To Show The U.S. Spied On Japan's Government

10:42am July 31, 2015

by Eyder Peralta

The documents also allege that the U.S. targeted Japanese banks and companies, including Mitsubishi.

"We have 21st-century medical treatments and drugs to treat cancer, but we still have 20th-century procedures and processes for diagnosis," says Jorge Soto.

What's A Better Way To Detect Cancer?

9:36am July 31, 2015

by NPR/TED Staff

We often discover cancer after it's too late to treat. Jorge Soto is in the process of creating a simple, fast and cheap method for early cancer detection and all it takes is a few drops of blood.

Queue Listen Now