Digital Life

Slow-loading messages will appear on some of your favorite sites Wednesday as part of a protest for net neutrality. But the sites won't actually be loading slower — the banners will be displayed just to make a point.

National

Your Favorite Sites Will 'Slow Down' Today, For A Cause

10:41am September 16, 2014

by Elise Hu

Websites including Foursquare, Netflix and WordPress are taking part in Internet Slowdown Day to make a case for unfettered access to the Internet. The slowdown will only be symbolic, not real.

Apple CEO Tim Cook speaks in Cupertino, Calif., on Tuesday. The company unveiled a new mobile payment system called Apple Pay, which uses security built into the latest iPhones.

Economy

Apple Takes A Swipe At The Credit Card

10:40am September 16, 2014

by Tim Fitzsimons

Apple wants to change the way you pay for things. Credit card companies are embracing its new mobile payment system as a boost to security, but analysts say Apple could disrupt the payments industry.

Tech Week: The Internet 'Slowdown' And Apple's New Crop

10:57am September 13, 2014

by Elise Hu

In our weekly roundup, the battle against big cable showed up on many of our favorite websites. And Apple's new mobile payment system and watch announcement made it a big week for tech news.

National

Airline Social Media 'Command Centers' Direct Complaint Traffic

6:29pm September 10, 2014

by Lauren Silverman

Southwest Airlines has joined a growing number of airlines that are hiring social media "first responders" to help with customer relations.

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A video about the Apple Watch is shown during an Apple special event in Cupertino, Calif.

The Apple Watch Is Here And Another Tech Hype Cycle Commences

1:04pm September 10, 2014

by Elise Hu

Apple unveiled its first new product line since 2010, a wearable computing device called the Apple Watch. But is it a game changer? You can't trust all the hype.

Actor and typewriter aficionado Tom Hanks says typing on a typewriter "is only a softer version of chiseling words into stone."

Arts

In Tom Hanks' iPad App, Typewriters Make Triumphant Return (Ding!)

5:06pm September 03, 2014

by NPR Staff

For iPad users who are nostalgic for the clickety-clack of keystrokes and "ding!" of the carriage return, Hanks has created Hanx Writer, an app that simulates using a typewriter.

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Why Do We Blindly Sign Terms Of Service Agreements?

4:36pm September 01, 2014

Audie Cornish talks with University of Chicago Law School professor Omri Ben-Shahar about terms of service agreements for software and websites.

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Health & Safety

X Prize Competition Could Make 'Tricorder' A Reality

8:01pm August 31, 2014

Many Star Trek gadgets have made the journey from science fiction to real life. Arun Rath talks to Grant Campany about the X Prize Foundation's competition to bring the medical tricorder to life.

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The game Never Alone tells the story of a young Inupiaq girl, Nuna, and her companion, an Arctic fox, as they go on a quest to save her village.

Native Stories From Alaska Give Gamers Something To Play With

3:42pm August 25, 2014

by Heather Bryant

The video game Never Alone draws on a traditional Inupiaq story and the actual experiences of native Alaskan elders, storytellers and youth.

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San Francisco 49ers quarterback Colin Kaepernick is the only player in the newest edition of the Madden NFL video game franchise to have his signature tattoos faithfully rendered in the game.

Sports

For The First Time, Real Tattoos Make Their Madden Debut

7:13pm August 24, 2014

by Becky Sullivan

Fear of lawsuits had kept tattoos out of previous editions of the video game, but San Francisco quarterback Colin Kaepernick put those worries to rest when he secured the rights to his tattoos.

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