Call Me: Why Backchannels Matter
What are backchannels with foreign nations for? And can they be abused?
Technology
The Internet's First Amendment: The New Fight For Net Neutrality
The head of the Federal Communications Commission plans to change the rules on Net Neutrality. But consumer advocates say the move would largely leave the industry to police itself. How do we keep the internet open, free AND competitive?
Activists Build Human Rights Abuse Cases With Help From Cellphone Videos
A human rights group finds itself with an interesting problem — an overwhelming number of videos to catalog as it builds legal cases. Computer scientists are creating tools to analyze the videos.
British Airways IT Meltdown Leaves Passengers Stranded
NPR's Robert Siegel speaks with Robert Wall of The Wall Street Journal about the British Airways software issue which required cancelling flights.
For Video Soundtracks, Computers Are The New Composers
In some cases, the job of composer might be going the way of typewriter repairman and bowling pinsetter as software creates music more cheaply and quickly than humans. Can you hear the difference?
Flipbooks Help Prisoners Stay Connected To Their Loved Ones
For people in prison, rules limiting access to technology make seeing video of their kids' first steps difficult. But a Colorado woman is using a 19th century solution for this 21st century problem.
On Day 3 Of Cancellation Chaos, British Airways Edges Closer To Recovery
A "catastrophic" IT systems failure has disrupted roughly 75,000 British Airways passengers' flights since it struck the company Saturday morning. "We profusely apologize," the airline's CEO said.
In The Age Of Digital Medicine, The Humble Reflex Hammer Hangs On
Nearly 130 years since its inception, a modest knob of rubber with a metal handle is still invaluable in diagnosing disease and avoiding expensive testing. But its history is anything but simple.
How A Gene Editing Tool Went From Labs To A Middle-School Classroom
Some compare the democratization of personal computing in the 1970s to the current changes in access to genetic engineering tools, in part thanks to the CRISPR gene editing tool.
U.K.'s Anti-Terrorism Programs Under Scrutiny
Some of the U.K. government's responses to terrorism have been controversial. Scott Simon speaks with Clive Walker of the University of Leeds, part of a team of independent policy reviewers.