Technology

Music & Culture

Apple May Test iPhone Users' Loyalty If It Dumps The Headphone Jack

7:14pm September 06, 2016

by Laura Sydell

The next iPhone, expected to be unveiled Wednesday, may be missing something familiar: the ubiquitous headphone jack. Usability experts say the change could really sit badly with Apple customers.

What does it take to build something from nothing?

Arts

Coming Soon: How I Built This

5:52pm September 06, 2016

On September 12, NPR launches a new podcast, How I Built This, hosted by Guy Raz. The show features innovators, entrepreneurs, idealists, and the stories behind the movements they built.

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Zia Simpson, a student and sales assistant in Cape Town, says even her father tells her to tame her Afro. "That generation fought against apartheid, but they still carry around the mentality that green eyes look better on a person, that straight hair look

Health & Safety

Decrying Hair Rule, South African Students Demand To Be 'Naturally Who We Are'

4:01pm September 06, 2016

by Alan Greenblatt

Pretoria High School for Girls has long banned certain hairstyles so that students would have a "neat" appearance. Now black students are pushing back.

National

Encore: In Omaha, A Library Without Books Offers Access To Technology

4:30pm September 05, 2016

by Bill Kelly

Do Space is a new "technology library" in Omaha, Neb., that has no books but offers access to computers, high-end software, 3-D printers and laser cutters.

National

White House Proposes Loosening Restrictions For Immigrant Entrepreneurs

4:29pm September 05, 2016

The Obama administration plans to make it easier for immigrants to start or scale up businesses in the U.S., which matters a lot to the tech industry. NPR's Audie Cornish speaks with Nitin Pachisia, co-founder of Unshackled Ventures, a venture capital firm that exclusively funds immigrant entrepreneurs.

A photo of apartment buildings near NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., that was run through the Prisma app's "wave" filter.

Arts

These Apps' Creations Sure Look Like Masterworks, But Is It Art?

2:07pm September 04, 2016

by Yvonne Muther

Prisma turns your photos into images that look like paintings and Artisto does the same for videos. Art experts say they are tools for artistic play, but the results aren't art in the purest sense.

The Galaxy Note 7 — shown at the IFA electronics trade fair in Berlin on Wednesday — is waterproof, as this demonstration was designed to highlight. But it turns out users might have another reason to drop it in water: Several dozen users have seen th

Samsung Recalls Galaxy Note 7 Over Exploding, Burning Batteries

10:11am September 02, 2016

by Camila Domonoske

After the device launched in early August, dozens of users reported that their waterproof smartphones caught fire or exploded. Samsung traced the problem to its battery and promises replacements.

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SpaceX Rocket And Its Cargo Explode On Launch Pad In Florida [VIDEO]

4:24pm September 01, 2016

by Bill Chappell

A "significant explosion" hit the SpaceX launch pad at Cape Canaveral early Thursday, destroying the unmanned rocket that was set to launch this weekend.

Chris Bettinger poses for a portrait with the edible battery his team designed at Carnegie Mellon University.

How An Edible Battery Could Power Medical Robots You Swallow

5:56pm August 31, 2016

by Mark H. Kim

Tiny devices sent into the human body for diagnosing and treating diseases run on batteries that may contain toxic materials. Researchers have come up with a safer battery made of natural pigments.

A sexual assault victim in India used this dragon Snapchat filter to protect her identity while telling her story to a journalist.

Health & Safety

How Snapchat Became A Virtual Confessional For Sexual Assault Victims

9:52am August 31, 2016

by Chhavi Sachdev

A journalist wanted to tell the stories of two rape victims while protecting their identities. How would he do it?