Technology

If you hate your Internet Service Provider (ISPs), you’re definitely not alone. Not only are ISPs among the worst-rated companies when it comes to customer service, but they’re also often guilty of deliberate misdeeds like slowing your service and giving away your personal data. As Jordan Spencer Cunningham of Nerdology.org put it, “All ISPs are […]

What’s the best way to become a billionaire in the 21st century? Start a tech company in Silicon Valley, of course! Actually, it turns out that entrepreneurship is an unlikely road to riches for most. With famous Silicon Valley successes like Bill Gates and Steve Jobs now household names, it’s easy to imagine that starting […]

Computers have probably been around longer than you think. Charles Babbage began to theorize about computers in the early 1800s, imagining a machine that could automatically calculate basic arithmetic and print out the results. After reading about his “Analytical Engine,” Ada Lovelace not only wrote the very first computer program, but predicted the future of […]

In the 21st century, we’re used to having Internet access everywhere we go. Whether you’re driving down the road following directions on your smartphone, answering emails at a cafe, or googling trivia answers in a bar, there’s no longer a need to be chained to your desk in order to go online. Today there are literally […]

You’ve probably noticed that once you’re out of school, it can get a bit harder to make new friends. It turns out there’s a scientific reason for that. Researchers say there are three conditions required for a real friendship to form: proximity; repeated, unplanned interactions; and a setting where each person can let down their guard. […]

Does today’s technology ever make you feel like you’re living in the future? It’s true that the Internet has revolutionized the way we do a lot of things. From the comfort of your own home, you can buy groceries, manage your money without ever setting foot inside a bank, and talk to family and friends […]

This year, the Oxford English Dictionary has added a slew of new words to the dictionary, from “amazeballs” to “YOLO.” Cue the defenders of the English language, who take these “cray” new words to signal the dumbing-down and ultimate demise of the English language. But self-proclaimed defenders of language have been bemoaning its decline for […]

You know that panicked feeling you get when you go to reach for your cell phone—and can’t find it anywhere? (Until you realize it’s in your other hand…) You just might have nomophobia: the fear of being away from your cell phone. Coined as a part of a 2010 study on cell phone addiction, the […]

Most of the billions of people who go online every day do so to perform mundane tasks like checking email, shopping, banking, and using social media. The World Wide Web has made these everyday tasks so much more convenient, now that everything from bank accounts to baby monitors can be accessed online. Why drive to the […]

Facial recognition software has come a long way in the past few years. While early face recognition software needed human input at every step, it’s advanced enough today that it can compare a single face against millions of faces on record in just a few seconds. Thanks to facial recognition software like Face Unlock, the private date on your […]

The invention of the Internet has sparked a new age of global unity. More than ever before, people around the world can connect with each other regardless of physical location. Millions of people are no longer limited by what knowledge is available in their local library, but can now access information on any topic, freely […]

From Netflix to YouTube, and from Facebook to Twitter, people around the world enjoy content on the World Wide Web using sites that got their start—and make their electronic homes—in the United States. But few, if any, folks give serious consideration to the bustling, humming nerve centers that host this array of sites and content. […]

Space-age inventions and innovations have been a staple of futuristic entertainment since before The Jetsons. Flying cars and robot maids are still a ways off, but it might surprise you to learn that some of high-tech toys and tools from “the future” are actually already available today. If you’ve ever seen Disney’s Up, then you’re […]

Wearable technology is touted as the future of electronics, fashion, fitness, and business. As the industry expands, wearable tech devices will increasingly target specific aspects of work and lifestyle, with products designed for managing finances and schedules, or enjoying sports and music. In this sense, wearable tech reflects the functionality of the now mundane smartphone […]

The South by Southwest (SXSW) festival—an Austin, Texas tradition since 1987—draws big crowds every year with its unique blend of music, film, stars big and small, and technological innovation. The 2014 show was no exception, combining celebrity spectacle with high-profile speakers and high-tech gadgetry. SXSW has a well-earned reputation as an incubator of new musical […]