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Story Archives of 'Computers'
Microsoft's Latest Gamble
By Virginia Prescott on Thursday, October 22, 2009.Break out the balloons: Windows 7 launches today. After the epic fail of Windows Vista, Microsoft is eager to release an operating system that actually works right off the bat.
And they’ve taken a major leap with Windows 7. It doesn’t come with an address book, a calendar, or even an email program. There’s no way to read a PDF document, chat online, or organize photos right out of the box. Instead, users can pick and choose which free apps they want to download from Microsoft.
Microsoft is celebrating the release with a series of house parties. Armed with an advanced copy of Windows 7, streamers, and balloons, PC users around the world are gathering up their friends to try out the new OS. Will Windows 7 be Microsoft’s saving grace or another embarassment for the software giant?
Here with more is Slate.com technology writer Farhad Manjoo, author of True Enough: Learning to Live in a Post-Fact Society.
The Economist: Clash of the clouds
CNET: Reporters' Roundtable: What Windows 7 means
New York Times: Windows 7 Keeps the Good, Tries to Fix Flaws
(Photo by kingdesmond1337 via Flickr/Creative Commons)
Volunteer Computing
By Virginia Prescott on Monday, August 31, 2009.
The term “volunteer computing” conjures an image of good-hearted people devoting hours to help those who can’t compute, or maybe populating spreadsheets for non-profits. Well, not quite. Volunteer computing lets you use your computer’s idle processing speed to do calculations for scientific research in everything from astronomy to climate change. Brady Carlson, Word of Mouth’s resident internet sherpa, is with us to explain.
Media Post: Intel Marries 'Volunteer Computing' To Facebook
A list of Volunteer Computing Projects
(Photo by Craig Rodway via Flickr/Creative Commons)
Technology In the Modern Library
By Virginia Prescott on Wednesday, August 5, 2009.
Walk into a public library today and you’ll see tradition battling technology. On one side there are the stacks: row upon row of leather bound, hardcover books arranged by the secret code of the Dewey Decimal system.
Across the aisle: a chain of humming computers with patrons queuing up to search for jobs, connect to Facebook and print travel itineraries. Librarian William Wisner sides with the books in this battle.
In a recent op-ed piece for the Christian Science Monitor Wisner argues that the goal for any library should be the noble pursuit of knowledge, not the rush to track information. He joins us from his library on the campus of Laredo Community College in Texas to tell us more.
Christian Science Monitor: Restore the noble purpose of libraries
(Photo by altopower via Flickr/Creative Commons)
Computing in the Cloud
By Virginia Prescott on Tuesday, August 4, 2009.
Google’s new operating system, Chrome, aims to move a lot of computing and storing of personal information from your own computer to be stored on the web, otherwise referred to as the cloud. Entrepreneurs and IT professionals see cloud computing as the next logical frontier, like going from answering machines to voicemail. If all of one’s information is stored in the cloud instead of on a hard drive, losing your laptop won’t be such a big deal.
Harvard Law professor Jonathan Zittrain says not so fast. He points to serious security and privacy concerns to computing in the cloud. He’s author of The Future of the Internet – And How To Stop It and he joins us to discuss some of those concerns.
New York Times: Lost in the Cloud
CIO: Zittrain's Cloud Missive Got it Wrong
Computer World: Zittrain Counters CIO.com Criticism
(Photo by mansikka via Flickr/Creative Commons)
Every Google Search Uses Energy
By The Environment... on Thursday, February 19, 2009.One industry that’s not suffering in the economic downturn is information technology. The demand for IT keeps growing.
But that worries some people. Our growing number of internet searches and data storage is using a lot of energy.
Reporter Julie Grant has the story of how some companies are making their IT more environmentally friendly.
Here's What's Awesome: Hybrid Boats, Crazy Signs
By Brady Carlson on Sunday, January 4, 2009.
Is it true that the first something of the year can set the tone for what's to come? If so, 2009's awesome links will be second to none, for Here's What's Awesome is kicking off the year in fine style.
If the Five Man Electrical Band could only see this
The Big Nerd Ranch
By Virginia Prescott on Thursday, December 4, 2008.
We all have different ideas about what makes a "good" vacation - a nice change of pace from the quotidian routine. For some, it’s a week in the tropics, lounging on a white sand beach. For others, it’s a ski trip out west.
While many of us look forward to the chance to unplug from technology, others just can’t wait to dig in. Independent producer Philip Graitcer reports on a place that lets them do just that.
Open Source Hardware
By Virginia Prescott on Wednesday, November 12, 2008.The Italian design firm Arduino makes one of the hottest circuit boards used by gadget builders today. Since mass production began two years ago, the company has sold about 50,000 units - not bad for a small start-up nestled in the medieval foothills of Milan.
But there’s something different about Arduino – their business model. They give everything away. On their Website you can download all the design plans, send them off to a Chinese factory, mass-produce the boards, and sell them yourself. There are no patents. You can pocket the change without paying Arduino a dime. Sounds crazy? It’s part of a new movement called open source hardware.
WIRED Magazine contributing editor Clive Thompson wrote about Arduino and this new trend in technology, and he joins Word of Mouth with more on how open source hardware makes sense as a business model.
(Photo by James Day)
Computers Can Read Your Mind
By Virginia Prescott on Monday, November 10, 2008.
Imagine being able to surf the Web, play video games, move prosthetic limbs or control a wheelchair using only your thoughts. The process is called brain-computer interface technology. And while it sounds like science fiction, labs across the globe are developing neural implants that allow users to do all these things.
It's related to neuroprosthetics, in which scientists are able to repair damaged human functions. Artificial retinas can restore eyesight, cochlear implants bring back hearing, and nano-fiber bristles serve as electrodes for stimulating or receiving neural signals for movement.
But what about uploading data into our brains? Gary Stix wrote the article "Jacking Into The Brain" for Scientific American, where he serves as senior editor. He joins Word of Mouth with more.
Watch a video of a monkey controlling a prosthetic arm using only its thoughts:
(Photo by Krischan Schallenberger)
