In The News

US Secret Service Wants Sarcasm-Detection Tool for Twitter

Sophie Curtis June 23, 2014
Understanding the tone and trends of social media is essential in the modern world. The US Secret Service monitors the short, fast messages in search of security targets and has put out a request for proposals on a software system that can analyze social-media data with the ability to "detect sarcasm and false positives," reports Sophie Curtis for the Telegraph. “As well as detecting...

Ringside Seat at the Cutting Edge of Science

Priyamvada Natarajan and Ravi Sankrit June 12, 2014
In March, a team of physicists announced that data from the BICEP2 telescope, at the South Pole, offered evidence for cosmic inflation, thus confirming the Big Bang Theory. The event went viral online. Scientists around the globe weighed in, pointing out that the team may have underestimated the effects of space dust in measuring ripple waves that could be from the expansion of the universe. “The...

Twitter to Take India Election Innovations Global

Aditya Kalra June 3, 2014
Twitter became a key tool for politicians and media companies during the world’s largest democratic elections in India, and “Now, with polling due in countries such as Brazil, Indonesia and the United States later this year, the San Francisco-based company plans to take its India lessons abroad to expand its foothold in the political arena and increase its user base,” reports Aditya Kalra for...

Mumbai Restaurant Uses Drone to Deliver Pizza

May 28, 2014
A pizzeria in Mumbai conducted a test flight and delivered a pizza with an unmanned done in mid-May. The restaurant owners read about multinational Amazon’s plans for drone delivery and decided to give it a try with pizza. “A four-rotor drone took off with the order from its outlet in central Mumbai's Lower Parel area and delivered it to a high-rise building in adjacent Worli area,” reports...

China’s Cyberespionage Presents a 21st-Century Challenge

Fareed Zakaria May 23, 2014
China, with budget surpluses and plenty of cash, balances old and new strategies in foreign relations. Trade, energy deals, assertive territorial claims, aid, spying are all part of the mix, suggests Fareed Zakaria in an opinion essay for the Washington Post. The United States has charged five Chinese military personnel for economic cyberespionage conducted against US companies. Analysts suggest...

US Tech Firms Could Feel Backlash in China After Hacking Indictments

Paul Mozur and Carlos Tejada May 21, 2014
The United States indicted five Chinese military officers for cyber-espionage of major US companies. “The U.S. move on Monday adds to growing tensions between Washington and Beijing over cybersecurity issues that are creating obstacles for U.S. companies in the nearly $324 billion Chinese information technology market,” report Paul Mozur and Carlos Tejada for the Wall Street Journal. Chinese...

IT-Savvy Army Takes Modi’s Campaign to New Levels

Victor Mallet May 19, 2014
Candidates who gain the early support of young workers in the IT and finance industries can distribute their messages far and wide. High-tech projectors and satellite dishes allowed Narendra Modi, now India’s prime minister-designate, to address more than 100 simultaneous meetings each night. “The nationwide deployment of 10-foot high holograms of Mr Modi – requiring scores of shipping containers...