Using the Internet is an easy way to feel omniscient. Enter a search term and the answers appear before your eyes. But at any moment you’re also just a few taps away from becoming an insufferable know-it-all. Searching for answers online gives people an inflated sense of their own knowledge, according to a study. It … Read more
YouTube has announced YouTube Music Key, a new premium music streaming service that will give users the ability to watch videos and listen to music without ads, whether online or off. In the announcement, YouTube claims its users have made it the biggest music service on the planet, saying that if a song exists, it … Read more
Internet access can make a big difference in peoples’ lives. It’s not just about Facebook; according to Toronto Chief Librarian Vickery Bowles, quoted in the Star, “People who lack broadband Internet access at home, they’re really at a disadvantage when it comes to employment, looking for a job or access to government services and education.” … Read more
Inexplicable presidential candidate Donald Trump has spoken loudly about his distaste for immigration, as well as the mass-deportation he would institute if elected. That puts him squarely at odds with much of the tech industry, which is pushing for immigration reform and a pathway for undocumented immigrants to gain citizenship. Now, lobby group FWD.us has released … Read more
The tech industry likes to talk a lot about a connected world, but just how many people are online, really? Most of them aren’t, unfortunately. The United Nations’ Broadband Commission has released a 2015 report which estimates that 57 percent of the human population (about 4.2 billion people) won’t have regular internet access by the … Read more
Like a lot of consumers tired of paying a hundred dollar monthly bill, I cancelled my cable subscription several years ago. Instead I rely on Netflix, Hulu, and Amazon Prime, all streamed directly to my TV via a tiny Roku. Is it perfect? No, I don’t have any sports access. And I can’t watch live … Read more
The robopocalypse for workers may be inevitable. In this vision of the future, super-smart machines will best humans in pretty much every task. A few of us will own the machines, a few will work a bit — perhaps providing “Made by Man” artisanal goods — while the rest will live off a government-provided income. … Read more
For April Fools’ Day, Google has launched a backwards version of its search engine at com.Google. Not only is the logo reversed, but all the text and images in the search results are reversed as well.
Where is the internet? This map might explain it better than any statistics could ever hope to: The red hot spots show where the most devices that can access the internet are located. This map was made on August 2 by John Matherly, the founder of Shodan, a search engine for internet-connected devices. Matherly, who … Read more
Internet Explorer is sputtering toward its miserable, embarrassing end. While the news leaked months ago on social media, Microsoft just made it real; they announced yesterday that starting to phase out the jalopy of a browser just before it hits its 20th birthday later this year. While some have said that the program is dead, that’s a … Read more