technology

It’s Pretty Stunning How Many Billion-Dollar Startups There Are Now

"Venture capitalists and investors are continuing to pour money into startups. In fact, there is a vast number of startups that are worth billions, The New York Times' Quentin Hardy reports. 'An unprecedented number of high technology start-ups, easily 25 and possibly exceeding 40, are valued at $1 billion or more,' Hardy writes. 'Many employees are quietly getting rich, or at least building a big cushion against a crash, as they sell shares to outside investors.'" Continue reading →

Continue ReadingIt’s Pretty Stunning How Many Billion-Dollar Startups There Are Now

Britons with data on Amazon, Apple and Google cloud servers in America can be snooped on in secret by U.S. government

"Britons who store their data on cloud-based servers in America could have all their files rooted through in secret by the U.S. government, it emerged today. Campaigners say a renewed piece of American legislation will allow federal agencies to spy on foreign nationals without warning. The U.S. government granted itself the right to snoop after its secret rubber-stamping of the Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act (FISA). This means anyone abroad using the internet storage facilities provided by American companies like Amazon, Google, and Apple, open themselves up to investigation by the federal authorities - while Americans are protected because of their constitution." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingBritons with data on Amazon, Apple and Google cloud servers in America can be snooped on in secret by U.S. government

US Still ‘Warning’ Antigua That It Better Not Set Up Piracy Hub, Even As WTO Gives Approval

"The United States warned Antigua and Barbuda on Monday not to retaliate against U.S. restrictions on Internet gambling by suspending American copyrights or patents, a move it said would authorize the 'theft' of intellectual property like movies and music. 'The United States has urged Antigua to consider solutions that would benefit its broader economy. However, Antigua has repeatedly stymied these negotiations with certain unrealistic demands,' said Nkenge Harmon, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Still ‘Warning’ Antigua That It Better Not Set Up Piracy Hub, Even As WTO Gives Approval

US Still ‘Warning’ Antigua That It Better Not Set Up Piracy Hub, Even As WTO Gives Approval

"The United States warned Antigua and Barbuda on Monday not to retaliate against U.S. restrictions on Internet gambling by suspending American copyrights or patents, a move it said would authorize the 'theft' of intellectual property like movies and music. 'The United States has urged Antigua to consider solutions that would benefit its broader economy. However, Antigua has repeatedly stymied these negotiations with certain unrealistic demands,' said Nkenge Harmon, a spokeswoman for the U.S. Trade Representative's office." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Still ‘Warning’ Antigua That It Better Not Set Up Piracy Hub, Even As WTO Gives Approval

Robohand: How cheap 3D printers built a replacement hand for a five-year old boy

"Not too long ago, Liam had no fingers on his right hand. The South African five-year old was born with Amniotic Band Syndrome, which causes amputation of digits before birth. But since November, Liam has been using a series of prosthetic hands designed by two men living on opposite sides of the planet, using open source software and 3D-printing technology. Now, those two men—Ivan Owen in Bellingham, Washington and Richard Van As in South Africa—have published the design for Robohand, the mechanical hand prosthesis, on MakerBot'sThingiverse site as a digital file that can be used to produce its parts in a 3D printer." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingRobohand: How cheap 3D printers built a replacement hand for a five-year old boy

FCC chairman developing plan for free wireless Internet access

"The chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) is developing a set of proposals that would establish a public wifi network that blankets the country with a high powered signal anyone can access for free. Such a sweeping change would be years in the making, but companies lobbying for it say that universal Internet access could spark an explosion of innovation and help usher in a new age of prosperity. Networks of the type FCC Chairman Julius Genachowski is envisioning would enable cars to communicate with one another to avoid accidents, bring millions of new devices online and truly make the Internet an unavoidable, ubiquitous part of everyday life." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingFCC chairman developing plan for free wireless Internet access

Obama gets power to wage pre-emptive cyber warfare

"A secret internal review has concluded that President Barack Obama can lawfully engage in pre-emptive cyber attacks in the event that the U.S. faces an imminent threat, according to The New York Times. The legal guidance was key to rules the administration hopes to adopt in the coming weeks to govern cyber warfare operations. The Times added that those rules will classified similarly to the policies governing the nation’s drone warfare program. The president is only known to have launched one cyberwar operation, against Iran." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingObama gets power to wage pre-emptive cyber warfare

US Stem Cell Company Heads to Mexico After FDA Reprimand

"The attack on stem cell research has driven at least one regenerative medicine company to seek friendlier climes south of the border. Six months after the federal government forced it to stop its treatments, the Houston-based Celltex Therapeutics moved its operations to Mexico to avoid the long arm of the law. In moving to Mexico, Celltex enters a country where stem cell research is not as heavily regulated as in the U.S, though a facility is required to have an International Health Department Permit (COFEPRIS). The permit allocates the use of stem-cell types beyond those in the U.S." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingUS Stem Cell Company Heads to Mexico After FDA Reprimand

Massive espionage malware targeting governments undetected for 5 years

"Researchers have uncovered an ongoing, large-scale computer espionage network that's targeting hundreds of diplomatic, governmental, and scientific organizations in at least 39 countries, including the Russian Federation, Iran, and the United States. Operation Red October, as researchers from antivirus provider Kaspersky Lab have dubbed the highly coordinated campaign, has been active since 2007, raising the possibility it has already siphoned up hundreds of terabytes of sensitive information. The main purpose of the campaign is to gather classified information and geopolitical intelligence." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingMassive espionage malware targeting governments undetected for 5 years

Chinese Hackers Could Face Aggressive Action From U.S. Over Cyber Attacks

"The Obama administration is considering more assertive action against Beijing to combat a persistent cyber-espionage campaign it believes Chinese hackers are waging against U.S. companies and government agencies. As The New York Times and Wall Street Journal reported that their computer systems had been infiltrated by China-based hackers, cybersecurity experts said the U.S. government is eyeing more pointed diplomatic and trade measures. The U.S. itself has been named in one of the most prominent cyberattacks — Stuxnet — the computer worm that infiltrated an Iranian nuclear facility, shutting down thousands of centrifuges there in 2010." Continue reading →

Continue ReadingChinese Hackers Could Face Aggressive Action From U.S. Over Cyber Attacks