Digital Life

Aereo allows users to connect to a distant antenna — a tiny device that acts like an old set of rabbit ears — and watch broadcast TV channels on their computer, tablet or smartphone. Currently the service is available only in New York City, and it's e

Arts
Economy

Amid Lawsuits, Aereo Brings Broadcast TV To The Internet

5:52am February 21, 2013

by NPR Staff

Backed by broadcasting powerhouse Barry Diller, a new service picks up broadcast TV signals and makes them available over the Web — and the TV networks don't like that one bit. Currently available only in New York City, Aereo is planning to expand ... if it makes it through the legal challenges.

Queue Listen Now

A 3-D printed bust of Yoda is one of the more popular digital designs shared on Thingiverse.

National

As 3-D Printing Becomes More Accessible, Copyright Questions Arise

4:13pm February 19, 2013

by Steve Henn

A 3-D printer allows people to easily create Yoda busts, Tintin's rocket ship — and even NPR action figures. But as this technology gets cheaper, the budding industry could face the same intellectual property battles that upended the music business a decade ago.

Queue Listen Now

Older Tech Workers Oppose Overhauling H-1B Visas

3:45pm February 19, 2013

by Martin Kaste

Overhauling immigration is complicated and controversial. There's been a proposed increase in H-1B visas. Those are the visas that allow companies to bring in skilled foreign workers for jobs that can't be filled by Americans.

Queue Listen Now

Economy

Social Media And Work: Is It Ever OK To Complain Online?

2:52pm February 19, 2013

Many employees lost their jobs in recent years after posting negative comments about work on social media sites. A recent decision by the National Labor Relations Board may give workers more freedom to talk and complain about work on social media.

Queue Listen Now

Cyberbullying Law Shields Teachers From Student Tormentors

12:33pm February 19, 2013

by Lisa Miller

There's a new cyberbullying law in North Carolina — but it's not for students who torment other students. It's one of the first of its kind that punishes students who target teachers online. Teachers groups and free speech organizations are split on what the law hopes to accomplish.

Queue Listen Now

Cell phone communication can be hacked, tapped or otherwise tampered with. A new app aims to change that.

Want To Keep Your Messages Private? There's An App For That

8:46pm February 17, 2013

by NPR Staff

For a fee, Silent Circle erases messages from both the receiver and the sender's phones. The app's creators got the idea after hearing an all-too-familiar story: A friend of theirs inadvertently read a text meant for someone else.

Queue Listen Now

More than 550 people churned out 78 apps in one day as part of Fashion Week's "hackathon."

Arts
Economy

When It Comes To Fashion, Shouldn't There Be An App For That?

3:05am February 15, 2013

by NPR Staff

In fashion's first hackathon, developers had just 24 hours to build an app for the industry — the finalists will be presented on the runway at New York's Fashion Week. "Right now the industry could really use some innovation," says Decoded Fashion founder Liz Bacelar.

Queue Listen Now

A typical scene from Call of Duty: Black Ops 2, the latest in the series of wildly popular video games.

Arts

Video Game Violence: Why Do We Like It, And What's It Doing To Us?

9:57am February 12, 2013

by Sami Yenigun

As the gun-violence debate ratchets up to include mental health and violent pop culture, video games have become frequent targets of concern. But do violent games influence their players? Experts aren't clear, but violent games remain remarkably popular.

Queue Listen Now

Science

Tracking Privacy and Ownership In An Online World

1:03pm February 11, 2013

Your phone knows where you are. Social networks know who your friends are, and what you ate last night. How much of your personal data is really yours to control? Khaliah Barnes of the Electronic Privacy Information Center helps sort out the politics and policies of privacy.

Queue Listen Now

Big Op-Ed: When Private Comments Go Very Public

2:33pm February 06, 2013

After eating at Applebee's with a large group, St. Louis pastor Alois Bell — frustrated that gratuity was already included — wrote this comment on the receipt: "I give God 10%. Why do you get 18?" A sympathetic co-worker posted a picture of the receipt online, and it soon went viral.

Queue Listen Now