In The News

Kissinger, Huntsman – US and China Need Cyber Detente

Paul Eckert, Daniel Magnowski June 15, 2011
The US and China would both benefit from a treaty designating some areas as off limits from cyber-attacks, pointed out former US Secretary of State Henry Kissinger and former US Ambassador to China Jon Huntsman, who is also planning to run for the US presidency. In recent weeks, the International Monetary Fund, the US Senate and major corporations have been victims of hacking, and according to...

Wearing Coffee Beans on Your Sleeves

Victoria Jen June 9, 2011
Prompted in part by soaring prices of cotton and wool, some entrepreneurs look for substitute materials for natural fabrics. Coffee is a global beverage that fast gained popularity in the 17th century, and now a byproduct from the same plant may soon revolutionize the apparel industry. A company in Taiwan has invented a fabric based on used coffee beans, and now receives orders from major sport...

Measuring the Human Cost of an iPad Made in China

John Bussey June 6, 2011
Lower standards in workplace protections in China, along with the ample supply of low-cost labor, minimize manufacturing costs for Apple and other technology firms. Consumers demand low prices, companies pursue profits and the Chinese want jobs and economic growth. John Bussey of the Wall Street Journal describes how contract manufacturers satisfy those goals while shielding governments and...

The Social Era of the Web Starts Now

John Rennie, Glenn Zorpette June 3, 2011
Computers and the internet have evolved as social tools, and software developers compete to win an increasing number of supporters. “We are about to witness the next great conflict of the information age, a rich and complicated match on the scale of mainframes vs. micros, RISC vs. CISC, Windows vs. Unix,” write John Rennie and Glenn Zorpette for Spectrum of IEEE. “Like those battles, Google-...

Sony Chief Stringer Blindsided by Hackers Seeking Revenge

Cliff Edwards, Michael Riley, Joseph Galante June 1, 2011
Unpredictability and intrigue are the appeal of great video games, but Sony Corp. PlayStation Network customers are getting more delayed satisfaction than expected. Services were unavailable for nearly a month with more than 100 million accounts compromised worldwide, reports Bloomberg. The revenge hacking began after the corporation sued a 21-year-old customer for disassembling his PlayStation...

No Need for Speed

Charles Kenny May 27, 2011
Communication technologies, including cell phones and social media, increase awareness and connections to resources. A UN panel addressing broadband inclusion concluded that the technology is an essential infrastructure that could reduce poverty. Funding fiber-optic cable for broadband in developing nations may speed connections, but not be the fastest route to eliminating poverty, contends...

China Establishes New Internet Regulator

Michael Wines May 5, 2011
In China, a new agency will police that nation’s internet, punish abusers and oversee telecommunication firms that provide online access. “The mushrooming growth of China’s Internet business has spawned a sort of land rush for regulatory turf by government agencies that see in it a chance to gain more authority or more money, or both,” reports Michael Wines for the New York Times. China already...