Patents were originally designed to encourage creativity, but in the digital world they may be having the opposite effect. This engaging episode of public radio’s This American Life takes us inside the trenches of the intellectual property wars.
People use eBay and other auction sites for C2C transactions involving material goods. TaskRabbit is a C2C clearinghouse for services. Need somebody to run an errand or put together your new desk? Ask TaskRabbit.
The Internet is a powerful tools for promoting democracy and freedom worldwide. But many governments severely restrict many Internet activities to maintain security and stability. In this powerful TED talk, Rebecca MacKinnon explores the question, “How do we make sure that the Internet evolves in a citizen-centered manner?”
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In this TED talk, Mikko Hypponen tells us about–and shows us–a variety of malware species, from the earliest PC viruses to today’s high-tech organized crime menace.
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Eric Whitacre’s virtual choir combines social networks and multimedia to create a unique and beautiful new work of collaborative art.
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Few people doubt that social media are changing our world, but what does that really mean? This animated video presents a rapid-fire sampler of facts and figures that drive home the point: It’s happening, and it’s happening fast.
We all know about the risks of credit card theft. But few of us know how it really works. This revealing, chilling report from NPR’s Planet Money takes you to an online marketplace for stolen numbers. It may change forever the way you see those plastic cards in your wallet. (A 4-minute NPR story includes excerpts from the longer podcast.)
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About Digital Planet
Digital Planet is about your future, starting today. The posts on these pages expand the horizons of Digital Planet with links to articles, videos, illustrations, quotations, discussions, and other interactive resources. Some of these posts cover events and inventions that surfaced after the book was printed; others expand on subjects or ideas presented in the book. Each post is cross-referenced to relevant chapters in Digital Planet, the book. If you have suggestions for future posts, please email your ideas to us.
—George and Ben Beekman
This year Watson, an IBM computer, beat two champions on TV’s Jeopardy. This PBS Nova program goes behind the scenes and explains how Watson’s creators pulled it off.
Within the span of a few days, Microsoft and Apple demonstrated radically different successors to their current operating systems: Apple’s Lion (OS X 10.7), coming in July, and Microsoft’s Windows 8, due in 2012. Both are departures from traditional desktop OSs, borrowing concepts popularized on phones and tablets. This Wall Street Journal article discusses the different approach these two companies are taking.