How The VCR Began America's Love Of On-Demand Content
As the last VCR factory in Japan closes down production, we take a look at the rise and fall of the videocassette recorder and the culture it created.
Technology
The App That Aims To Gamify Biology Has Amateurs Discovering New Species
Not everyone outside staring into their phones is searching for Pokémon — some people are looking for actual wildlife. The app iNaturalist is bringing together urban biologists and curious citizens.
At This English Bar, An Old-School Solution To Rude Cellphones
A new bar in Sussex has lined its walls with foil to block phone signals. The owner, inspired by the Faraday cage, hopes people will talk to each other rather than stare at their smartphones.
Remembering A Thinker Who Thought About Thinking
Seymour Papert was a pioneer in artificial intelligence and learning with technology. He died this week at 88.
Should Teachers Ask Students To Check Their Devices At The Classroom Door?
Blogger Alva Noë says he doesn't feel that, as an instructor, he has a right to ask students to come to class without technology, "even when I think, even when I know, that it would be a good thing."
Despite Email Debacle, Prominent Cybersecurity Leaders Favor Clinton
They are political endorsements you might not expect.
Daily Fantasy Sports May Soon Be Coming Back To New York State
DraftKings and FanDuel suspended operations there after the state's attorney general argued they were essentially gambling sites. A new state law declares fantasy sports to be games of skill.
In This Museum, It's OK If The Displays Collect Dust
The Vacuum Cleaner Museum in St. James, Mo., houses more than 750 vacuums, including some that date back to just after the Civil War. Curator Tom Gasko is a former door-to-door vacuum salesman.
Cybersecurity Conference Includes 'Hackers For Hillary' Fundraiser
A Hillary Clinton fundraiser will take place at BlackHat in Las Vegas. Cybersecurity experts there say they support her over Donald Trump despite all the controversy over her email server.
Is There A Double Standard When Women CEOs In Tech Stumble?
Men CEOs fail all the time, but when someone like Yahoo's Marissa Mayer or Theranos' Elizabeth Holmes falls short of expectations it can feed stereotypes about women being unfit for leadership.