In The News

June 6, 2007
US authorities arrested a 27-year-old Seattle man, describing him as one of the world’s top 10 spammers, and charged him with 35 counts including mail fraud, aggravated identity theft and money laundering. Robert Soloway’s arrest marks the first time that officials have used identity-theft laws to prosecute a person for taking over another person’s internet domain name. “Prosecutors allege Mr....
Choe Sang-Hun June 6, 2007
Those embarking on traditional marriages in South Korea have rarely relied solely on the whims of parents in selecting spouses – and modern families can now turn to the research capabilities of the internet to locate the perfect mate. With South Korea enjoying higher incomes, combined with more work opportunities, young people are choosy about marriage partners. South Korean customs discourage...
Jeremy Manier May 11, 2007
“Constantly reconfiguring, morphing, decaying, the natural world is at once confounding, sublime, brutal and unspeakably elegant.” These words welcome viewers to a new online “Encyclopedia of Life” that will list and describe all species of life – 1.8 million known and some of the millions more yet unknown. Museums, universities, philanthropists and researchers from around the world are teaming...
Scott Kraft May 10, 2007
The word “outsourcing” may carry plenty of negative connotations in the US – but not when consumers are hunting for a good deal. Parents in the US, desperate to help their children achieve in an increasingly competitive global environment, seek tutoring services but don’t want to spend a lot of money. Using a voice-over-internet phone and an interactive computer “whiteboard,” a pupil in Beverly...
Noah Shachtman May 9, 2007
Since the invasion of Iraq, the US is managing the first war in which cell phones, laptops, e-mail connections and digital cameras are plentiful, allowing troops to send instant messages and images. With the war in its fifth year, the US Army has ordered troops to clear all blog and e-mail content with supervisors before sending. Failure to obtain supervision can result in court marital or...
Robert J. Shiller April 23, 2007
Fears about displacement caused by economic globalization have been at the forefront of the French presidential campaign, as Nicholas Sarkozy and Ségolène Royal head for the final election round in May. The sentiment expressed in candidate Nicolas Sarkozy’s call to end “speculative capitalism” finds resonance in many parts of the world, as governments attempt to interfere with global free trade...
Terence Chong April 20, 2007
Nation states should have more power than ever before in history. But global problems, from climate change to poverty, challenge the abilities of nation-states. Groups that despise nation-state control take advantage of any vacuum. Leaders of the nation-state no longer have exclusive control of mass communication, and the internet has shifted more power to anyone who can capture mass attention....