technology

Paul Kemp-Robertson: Bitcoin. Sweat. Tide. Meet the future of branded currency.

"Currency -- the bills and coins you carry in your wallet and in your bank account -- is founded on marketing, on the belief that banks and governments are trustworthy. Now, Paul Kemp-Robertson walks us through a new generation of currency, supported by that same marketing … but on behalf of a private brand. From Nike Sweat Points to bottles of Tide (which are finding an unexpected use in illegal markets), meet the non-bank future of currencies." Continue reading →

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Bitcoin: Digital gold or ‘Harlem Shake of currency’?

"Created in the spirit of subversion by an anonymous developer calling himself Satoshi Nakamoto, Bitcoin is an electronic cash system based on an open source cryptographic protocol, with no central authority. Dismissed by some economists as a craze akin to the Dutch tulip bubble of the 1600s, Bitcoin is part of a gradual, technological shift in the way we think about money, whether we like it or not." Continue reading →

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Swiss researchers make microchips that imitate the brain

"Scientists at the University of Zurich and ETH Zurich, together with colleagues in Germany and the United States, created electronic systems comparable to a human brain both in size, speed and energy consumption, the university said in a statement late Monday. Just like the brain, their so-called neuromorphic chips are capable of processing and reacting to information in real-time, it said. Using neuromorphic chips as artificial neurons, the researchers built networks that can perform tasks requiring short-term memory and decision-making and analytical abilities, Indiveri said." Continue reading →

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The Dark Side of Technology

"Typically we paint a rosy picture of the future. We think technology will bring great prosperity to the world. The benefits of technology will far outweigh the perils and dangers that are so often the focus of people's mindset. However, it would be remiss of us not to delve into some of the potential dangers of technology. And thus in understanding the good that comes from tech, it's important to understand the darkness that also comes with breakthroughs and innovation. To paraphrase Churchill, don't run from it, confront these issues and you might have a part in making sure the future of our world sides with the good technology can bring, not the dark side." Continue reading →

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How to Safely Internationalize your Domain Name

"Purchasing the domain name for your international internet business is an important step, one which will help support your brand and identify your business to your customers. Much attention is paid to the first part of the domain name, because it is generally assumed that the domain name will end in .com. This is a terrible mistake. As I have written before, where you register your domain name may land you in jail. The US has used the fact that a US-based company acts as the administrator for all .com domains to claim jurisdiction over all websites ending in .com, regardless of where the actual website is located. Here is the good news." Continue reading →

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Internet Society Statement on the Importance of Open Global Dialogue Regarding Online Privacy

"The Internet Society has noted recent revelations regarding the apparent scope of U.S. government efforts to gather large amounts of end user information from U.S. Internet and telecom service providers for intelligence purposes. We are deeply concerned that the unwarranted collection, storage and potential correlation of user data will undermine many of the key principles and relationships of trust upon which the global Internet has been built. The Internet Society strongly believes that real security can only be realized within a broader context of trust and the respect of fundamental rights, such as privacy.." Continue reading →

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History of the Internet (Wikipedia)

"Since the mid-1990s, the Internet has had a revolutionary impact on culture and commerce, including the rise of near-instant communication by electronic mail, instant messaging, VoIP 'phone calls', two-way interactive video calls, and the World Wide Web with its discussion forums, blogs, social networking, and online shopping sites. The Internet's takeover over the global communication landscape was almost instant in historical terms: it only communicated 1% of the information flowing through two-way telecommunications networks in the year 1993, already 51% by 2000, and more than 97% of the telecommunicated information by 2007." Continue reading →

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Blind Man’s Bluff: Why the Surveillance State Is Doomed

"The bureaucrats' quest for omniscience and omnipotence will come to a well-deserved end, just as it did in the Soviet Union, and for the same reason. The state is inherently myopic: short-sighted. Computers make it blind. The state focuses on the short run. Computers overwhelm bureaucrats with short-run information. Let us not forget that the Internet was invented by DARPA: the military's research branch. It invented the Internet to protect the military's communications network from a nuclear attack by the USSR. Today, there is no USSR. There is the World Wide Web: the greatest technological enemy of the state since Gutenberg's printing press." Continue reading →

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Neuroscientists discover how to implant false memories in the brain

"Scientists have implanted a false memory in the brains of mice in an experiment that they hope will shed light on the well-documented phenomenon whereby people 'remember' events or experiences that have never happened. Susumu Tonagawa, a neuroscientist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and his team encoded memories in the brains of mice by manipulating individual neurons. As the technology develops, said Chris French, 'whatever means are used to implant false memories, we need to be very aware of the ethical issues raised by such procedures – the potential for abuse of such techniques cannot be overstated.'" Continue reading →

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Feds tell Web firms to turn over user account passwords

"The U.S. government has demanded that major Internet companies divulge users' stored passwords, according to two industry sources familiar with these orders, which represent an escalation in surveillance techniques that has not previously been disclosed. If the government is able to determine a person's password, which is typically stored in encrypted form, the credential could be used to log in to an account to peruse confidential correspondence or even impersonate the user. Obtaining it also would aid in deciphering encrypted devices in situations where passwords are reused." Continue reading →

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