Accessibility links
Laura Sydell
Stories By

Laura Sydell

Monday

Blazing The Trail For Female Programmers

Ester Gerston and Gloria Ruth Gordon, early programmers working on the ENIAC computer in 1946. U.S. Army hide caption

toggle caption
U.S. Army

All Tech Considered

Blazing The Trail For Female Programmers

Only about 20 percent of all computer programmers are women, but one pioneering CEO is trying to change that. Blazing Cloud's Sarah Allen hopes that making women in the field more visible to each other will help young women see a path for themselves in this fast-growing profession.

Blazing The Trail For Female Programmers

Listen · 7:47
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/178810467/179763245" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Tuesday

Crowdsourcing Creativity At The Cinema

Twitter co-founder Biz Stone is one of five celebrity directors taking part in a Canon-sponsored experiment called Project Imaginat10n. His short film, the inspiration for which was crowdsourced via the Internet and social media, focuses on familial loss and the process of grieving. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

Movies

Crowdsourcing Creativity At The Cinema

The Canon-sponsored Project Imaginat10n used social media to crowdsource images and ideas to produce five short films. It's an idea director Ron Howard says other artists would be foolish to ignore.

Crowdsourcing Creativity At The Cinema

Listen · 5:00
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/176058058/176640336" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

'Bioshock Infinite': A First-Person Shooter, A Tragic Play

BioShock Infinite revolves around an Aristotelian tragedy with tragic heroes, grounded in a floating city set in 1912. Courtesy of Irrational Games/2K Games hide caption

toggle caption
Courtesy of Irrational Games/2K Games

All Tech Considered

'Bioshock Infinite': A First-Person Shooter, A Tragic Play

BioShock Infinite uses a mix of history and fantasy to create a world dominated by a racist fundamentalist Christian cult. The latest installment in the video game series drew praise from critics as proof that games could be more than just computer graphics. Can the genre really reach the heights of great art?

'Bioshock Infinite': A First-Person Shooter, A Tragic Play

Listen · 5:08
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/175911265/175956387" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Business

T-Mobile: Adds iPhone Ditches 2-Year Contracts

T-Mobile announced Tuesday that it's eliminating its two-year contracts in an effort to make its plans more transparent. Subscribers can pay off their phones in two years, and the cost of their plans will go down. T-Mobile is currently the No. 4 carrier.

T-Mobile: Adds iPhone Ditches 2-Year Contracts

Listen · 1:32
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/175438953/175439196" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Thursday

Egyptians use their mobile phones to record celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the popular revolt that drove Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011. Twitter was often used to record happenings during the Arab Spring.

Egyptians use their mobile phones to record celebrations in Cairo's Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the popular revolt that drove Hosni Mubarak from power in 2011. Twitter was often used to record happenings during the Arab Spring. Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

toggle caption
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images

All Tech Considered

On Its 7th Birthday, Is Twitter Still The 'Free Speech Party'?

The first tweet was posted seven years ago. Since then, the social media site has been used as a free speech platform to spread information, report on the Arab Spring and stay connected with millions worldwide. But critics say that as Twitter has grown, it has sometimes compromised its principles.

On Its 7th Birthday, Is Twitter Still The 'Free Speech Party'?

Listen · 5:56
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/174858681/174910410" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Friday

Arhoolie Records: 50 Years Of Digging For Down-Home Music

Strachwitz and Ry Cooder backstage at Arhoolie's 50th anniversary celebration. Mike Melnyk/Arhoolie Records hide caption

toggle caption
Mike Melnyk/Arhoolie Records

Music News

Arhoolie Records: 50 Years Of Digging For Down-Home Music

Founded by Chris Strachwitz, the California label has been recording and distributing hard-to-find blues, Cajun and Mexican-American music since the early 1960s.

Arhoolie Records: 50 Years Of Digging For Down-Home Music

Listen · 6:56
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/174452880/174481674" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Law

Reuters' Web Producer Indicted For Conspiring With Anonymous Hacking Group

A deputy editor for social media at Reuters has been indicted by the Justice Department for helping the hacker group Anonymous gain illegal access to the Tribune Company's servers. During the period in question, Matthew Keys had just been fired from a Tribune-owned TV station.

Reuters' Web Producer Indicted For Conspiring With Anonymous Hacking Group

Listen · 4:00
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/174443509/174445025" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Technology

3-D Printing, Cat Videos The Hot Topic At SXSW Interactive Conference

This week is the South by Southwest Interactive conference in Austin, Texas. It's where the big thinkers of the tech industry get together; this year's hot topics include 3-D printing and cat videos.

3-D Printing, Cat Videos The Hot Topic At SXSW Interactive Conference

Listen · 3:59
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/174043503/174044707" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript
Controlling Your Computer With A Wave Of Your Hand

Festival attendees experiment with Leap Motion technology. Elise Hu/NPR hide caption

toggle caption
Elise Hu/NPR

All Tech Considered

Controlling Your Computer With A Wave Of Your Hand

The Leap Motion Controller senses and tracks hand motions to allow users to browse the Web, play games and open documents. It represents another step in a goal of computer scientists: to make interactions with machines feel natural and easy, and to take away the barriers between humans and computers.

Controlling Your Computer With A Wave Of Your Hand

Listen · 3:55
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/173958670/173986206" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Technology

Tech Week Ahead: SXSW Interactive

Audie Cornish talks with Laura Sydell for a preview of South by Southwest Interactive. The tech event, one of the most popular showcases for tech startups and emerging technologies, starts later this week in Austin.

Tech Week Ahead: SXSW Interactive

Listen · 1:32
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/173455751/173455732" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Monday

Wednesday

Business

Law Change Makes It Harder To Unlock Cellphones

A copyright ruling from the Library of Congress covers whether people may buy a phone from one carrier and then use it with another. A recent change makes it illegal to unlock a phone, or untie it from the original carrier, without permission. But some people are petitioning the White House to undo that change.

Law Change Makes It Harder To Unlock Cellphones

Listen · 3:56
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/172466684/172470356" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript

Wednesday

Business

Comcast To Complete NBCUniversal Buyout Early

Comcast Corp. said Tuesday it will complete its buyout of NBCUniversal from GE for about $16.7 billion, ahead of schedule. Comcast, the nation's largest cable company, has owned 51 percent of NBCUniversal since their $28 billion merger in 2011.

Comcast To Complete NBCUniversal Buyout Early

Listen · 1:29
Transcript
  • Download
  • <iframe src="https://www.npr.org/player/embed/171878337/171878318" width="100%" height="290" frameborder="0" scrolling="no" title="NPR embedded audio player">
  • Transcript