Wired writer Mat Honan recently lost just about everything he had stored on his computer and in the cloud. He literally watched while a malicious hacker wiped out his digital world.
This NPR story suggests five things you can do to avoid his fate.
Mat’s Wired article describes the hacker attack in detail.
Was Bob Dylan a creative genius or a thief? What about Steve Jobs? Or that kid down the block who posts cut-and-paste videos on YouTube? In this entertaining short TED talk, Kirby Ferguson argues that every creation is, to some degree, a remix. Do our intellectual property laws need to change to embrace, rather than outlaw, remixes?
ted.com/talks/kirby_ferguson_embrace_the_remix.html
http://news.cnet.com/8301-1023_3-57485559-93/facebook-touts-relaunched-facebook-stories/
If you’ve ever asked—or been asked—that question, you might be interested in facebookstories.com, a web site designed to provide answers through stories about how Facebook changes lives. This CNet story provides an overview and a link to the site.
Most of us inhabit two worlds: the analog world where our physical bodies live and the digital world where our minds spend hours every day. As our digital reality demands more and more of our time and attention, how do our brains change? This sobering Newsweek article summarizes the latest research about the impact of the Internet on the human brain. After you read it, you may want to switch off your smart phone and go for a walk with a friend in the woods….
thedailybeast.com/newsweek/2012/07/08/is-the-internet-making-us-crazy-what-the-new-research-says.html
good.is/post/burritob0t-a-3d-tex-mex-printer-of-hangover-helpers
3D printers are used to create plastic prototypes and parts for machines, among other things. But this is the first burrito printer we’ve seen. How long will it be until the global taco chains replace people with printers?
ted.com/talks/don_tapscott_four_principles_for_the_open_world_1.html
It’s easy to get lost in the details of our increasingly netcentric lives and forget about the big picture. In this inspiring TED talk, Don Tapscott explains with concrete examples and beautiful analogies how the Internet is helping create a new age of openness and collective intelligence.
wired.com/gadgetlab/2012/06/opinion-apple-retina-displa
Apple’s latest laptop announcements offer consumers a clear choice. According to this Wired opinion piece, consumers will be choosing between cool and green, and the choices they make may have profound environmental implications.
forbes.com/sites/parmyolson/2012/06/14/cyber-security-and-the-rise-of-the-silicon-based-life-form
If we think of digital technology as another life form, how does that change the way we think about, and interact with, that technology? This Forbes editorial suggests that it might improve the way we handle computer security.
thedailyshow.com/watch/mon-june-18-2012/parmy-olson
The secret global Internet subculture known as Anonymous has generated plenty of headlines, but most people don’t know much about it. Journalist Parmy Olson’s book, “We Are Anonymous”, reveals how the organization works and how it is evolving. In this light-hearted interview with Jon Stewart on the Daily Show she talks about what she learned writing the book.
Personal robots are coming. This fascinating NPR story gives an audio peek inside the labs that are working hard to bring robots to everyday people.
wbur.org/npr/155278207/you-know-you-want-one-personal-robots-not-ready-for-you-yet