Technology

Owen Chilcoat hacking his tablet. "I am just messing around ... trying to break it," he says.

Education

Hacking Real Things Becomes Child's Play At This Camp

8:56am August 14, 2013

by Steve Henn

Armed with technology know-how, teens and preteens are learning to hack everyday items and find bugs for major tech giants. Their work can pay off, with companies offering rewards for fixes.

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Apple's Garage Band for the iPad and iPhone includes virtual instruments, such as piano and drums, you can play like the real thing.

Music & Culture

Question Of The Week: What Are The Best Apps For Making Music?

10:57am August 13, 2013

by Robin Hilton

Of course you can make music using a smartphone or tablet. But which apps give you the best results? Which ones are easiest to learn? Bob Boilen and Robin Hilton offer a few suggestions.

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National

Technology's Role In Romance Dates To The Telegraph

1:26pm August 12, 2013

Modern technology has enabled people to find love without the old fashioned rituals like meeting in person or talking on the phone. And the anonymity of social networks has also opened up opportunities for fraudsters and fakes. The movie and TV show Catfish have told versions of this story. But when tech journalist Clive Thompson recently rediscovered a novel from 1879, he found that people have been finding love and anonymity through technology at least as far back as the telegraph.

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On Monday, the Washington Post Co. announced the sale of its newspaper to Amazon CEO Jeff Bezos, a move that comes as the paper struggles to keep up revenue.

National

The Tricky Business Of Predicting Where Media Will Go Next

1:26pm August 12, 2013

by NPR Staff

One of journalism's most recognizable mastheads, The Washington Post, is entering a new era with a new owner. In 1992, the paper's managing editor urged it to get at the forefront of the upcoming digital revolution, but it so far has fallen short in a world of fast-paced BuzzFeeds.

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A Seamless sticker is displayed next to the menu in the window of a restaurant in New York's Times Square on Saturday. Rivals Seamless and GrubHub said Friday that they have completed their combination, creating an online takeout company covering about 25

Economy

Food Delivery Hits The Web, But Restaurants Pay The Price

8:56am August 12, 2013

by Ilya Marritz

If you're a takeout or delivery customer, websites like Seamless and Grubhub are a marvel. Just type, click your order and the food is on its way. But if you're a restaurant, this shift to the web may not sit so well with you.

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Science

TED Radio Hour: The Hackers

7:43am August 11, 2013

What if there were a way to hack into your brain and make your life better? Neurosurgeon Andres Lozano is doing just that. He told TED Radio Hour host Guy Raz how.

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Amber Alerts were issued as cellphone text messages in California this week.

National

New Digital Amber Alerts Could Create A Backlash

1:20pm August 09, 2013

by Steve Henn

Recent Amber Alerts startled millions of mobile phone owners and left them confused. The wireless emergency alert system just rolled out for mobile phones earlier this year. Some child advocates worry that the alerts' lack of context may cause people to turn them off.

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This week, several women in the U.K. went public about explicit abuse they received on Twitter.

World News

As Twitter Expands Reach, Abuse Policy Gets Added Scrutiny

12:26pm August 07, 2013

by Steve Henn

A series of threats and abusive messages aimed at prominent women in the U.K. have placed Twitter in an awkward spot. As the company gears up to go public and expand its brand around the world, it is increasingly running into cultural and legal hurdles that challenge Twitter's free speech ethos.

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Amazon said its new art marketplace will provide access to more than 40,000 works of art from at least 150 galleries and dealers.

Arts
Economy

Amazon Enters Art World; Galleries Say They Aren't Worried

11:35am August 07, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Will the local gallery go the way of the local bookstore or record store? In the past few years, there's been a growth in sites that sell fine art on the Internet. On Tuesday, Amazon joined that market.

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The U.S. Trade Representative has overturned a ban on the import of the iPhone 4 and the iPad 2.

Trade Case Puts Apple In Washington's Sights

7:08pm August 05, 2013

by Laura Sydell

Apple has been notoriously disinterested in Washington politics. But two recent decisions coming from the Obama administration — one involving iPhones, the other dealing with e-books — indicate that Washington is increasingly interested in Apple.

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