Mosquito-Packed Drones Are Taking On the Zika Virus
Every year, mosquito-related diseases kill several million people, according to the World Health Organization. Brazil, in particular, was hit with the Zika epidemic in 2015 and 2016. The virus manifests itself by creating birth defects in babies. To combat this growing threat, scientists are releasing sterile mosquitoes into the environment, theorizing that, eventually, the Zika […]
In Light of Recent Backlash, Facebook Revenue Surges
Although new information keeps popping up about the Cambridge Analytica scandal involving Facebook’s data, the social media giant’s profits are surging. Facebook’s Faltering… Or Is It? Recently, it came to light that Facebook signed a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) with Aleksandr Kogan. Kogan, the data scientist and app developer involved in the Cambridge Analytica scandal, spilled […]
Companies like Spotify and Dropbox Are Changing the I.P.O. Landscape
Companies like Dropbox and Spotify are changing what initial public offerings (IPOs) mean for Silicon Valley and the U.S. economy. With Snapchat and Blue Apron hitting IPO status and seeing quickly-dropped share prices, startups who find success with private funding are no longer guaranteed the same results when it comes time for a public investment. […]
Data Will Decide the Future of Self-Driving Cars
You’ve probably heard the following saying: “Data is the new oil.” Not too long ago, numerous news outlets reported that extrapolating insight from numbers had officially become worth more than the fossil fuel. This certainly seems to be the case with self-driving cars. There’s a race right now to build an autonomous vehicle that drives […]
Meet Apple’s New iPhone Recycling Robot
These days, it’s trendy for tech companies to emphasize their empathy for the environment. With large data warehouses utilizing vast amounts of energy to keep Google running at top speed and Amazon’s footprint on Earth magnified with their cardboard boxes, green initiatives are warmly welcomed by most audiences. In the spirit of Earth Day this […]
Amazon Is Now Allowing Anyone to Create Custom Alexa Commands
We’ve all seen voice assistants in movies responding back to their users with personalized answers and inside jokes. Well, we’re one step closer to that reality with Amazon’s Alexa Blueprints. The new software allows Alexa owners to put together their own custom Alexa responses or skills. No need to be an expert IoT developer or coder. […]
Do App Permissions Tell Us All We Need to Know?
Granting an app a half-dozen permissions it doesn’t seemingly need is a huge problem for users on Apple and Android devices. You might have noticed, for example, how Pokemon Go requested access to see and modify nearly all information in its players’ Google accounts. Why does it need to be able to edit our information? […]
James Comey Says Apple and Google’s Encryptions ‘Drove Me Crazy’
The U.S. government is in an internal war; the White House and the FBI are pitted against each other by accusations, conspiracy theories, and Russian election meddling suspicions. Besides all of this, the U.S. government is also having a tough time getting along with many tech titans and developers in San Francisco. Recently, Mark Zuckerberg […]
California Blocks FCC’s Net Neutrality Decision With Its Own Bill
About a week ago, we wrote about California’s new net neutrality bill, its importance for the nation, and our unwavering support of net neutrality and the new state bill. As is often the case with politics, sometimes citizens don’t get their voices heard. With net neutrality repealed in late 2017, almost every consumer and developer […]
All You Need to Know About the State of the App Economy in 2018
Due to the seamless convenience they offer, we often take smartphones for granted. But you can’t deny this fact: the device you pick up and use dozens of times a day is one of the most sophisticated pieces of technology that’s ever graced human hands. The Association for Competitive Technology (ACT), also known as the […]