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The Industry

Tuesday

Long Before 'WannaCry' Ransomware, Decades Of Cyber 'Wake-Up Calls'

In this photo dated Aug. 23, 2010, Iranian technicians work at the Bushehr nuclear power plant, where Iran had confirmed several personal laptops infected by Stuxnet malware. Ebrahim Norouzi/AP/International Iran Photo Agency hide caption

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Ebrahim Norouzi/AP/International Iran Photo Agency

The Industry

Long Before 'WannaCry' Ransomware, Decades Of Cyber 'Wake-Up Calls'

"The [WannaCry] attack is a wake-up call for all of us," Microsoft's president wrote about last week's incident. How many times have we heard cyberattacks described this way? Let's look back.

Monday

After Decades Covering It, Tech Still Amazes Walt Mossberg

Walt Mossberg has been reporting on technology since the 1990s. He plans to retire in June. Mike Kepka/Courtesy of Walt Mossberg hide caption

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Mike Kepka/Courtesy of Walt Mossberg

The Industry

After Decades Covering It, Tech Still Amazes Walt Mossberg

He began covering personal technology in the 1990s, when he says tech columns were written "by geeks for geeks." As he retires, Mossberg reflects on how tech has evolved, often in unexpected ways.

After Decades Covering It, Tech Still Amazes Walt Mossberg

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Friday

FCC Chief Makes Case For Tackling Net Neutrality Violations 'After The Fact'

Federal Communications Commission Chairman Ajit Pai has started the process to roll back Obama-era regulations for Internet service providers. Emily Bogle/NPR hide caption

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Emily Bogle/NPR

Policy

FCC Chief Makes Case For Tackling Net Neutrality Violations 'After The Fact'

FCC Chairman Ajit Pai is repealing Obama-era regulations for Internet providers. He tells NPR he prefers taking targeted action against actual harms, not preemptively regulating hypothetical ones.

FCC Chief Makes Case For Tackling Net Neutrality Violations 'After The Fact'

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Monday

Ride Hailing In Rural America: Like Uber With A Neighborly Feel

Shelia Mendoza says she's not looking for a livelihood out of Liberty Mobility, but a little extra cash and some new friends to talk to. M.L. Schultze/WKSU hide caption

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M.L. Schultze/WKSU

The Industry

Ride Hailing In Rural America: Like Uber With A Neighborly Feel

WKSU

A small startup called Liberty Mobility Now is staking itself as the Uber of rural America. But to find its niche there, it has had to adapt everything from its app to its driver training.

Ride Hailing In Rural America: Like Uber With A Neighborly Feel

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Friday

Online Video Producers Caught In Struggle Between Advertisers And YouTube

YouTube has changed the way it pays video creators. One says his earnings have recently "taken a huge nose dive." Danny Moloshok/AP hide caption

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Danny Moloshok/AP

The Industry

Online Video Producers Caught In Struggle Between Advertisers And YouTube

YouTube has tweaked algorithms to prevent ads from appearing next to objectionable and extremist videos. But the moves have left YouTube content creators earning less money.

Online Video Producers Caught In Struggle Between Advertisers And YouTube

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Wednesday

With Trump's Border Plans, Security And Surveillance Firms Eye Bigger Profits

Hiro Yazawa of Japan Cell displays a spotlight weapon that sells for $5,000 at the Border Security Expo in San Antonio on Tuesday. John Burnett/NPR hide caption

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John Burnett/NPR

The Industry

With Trump's Border Plans, Security And Surveillance Firms Eye Bigger Profits

Companies touting their wares at an annual border security conference in Texas are more upbeat than usual. The expo features cameras mounted on telescoping poles, spotlight weapons and lots of drones.

With Trump's Border Plans, Security And Surveillance Firms Eye Bigger Profits

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Monday

Has Apple Lost Its Innovation Mojo?
Mark Lennihan/AP

The Industry

Has Apple Lost Its Innovation Mojo?

Apple was once considered the most innovative company in the tech sector. But by some accounts, it's being shown up by products from Amazon, Microsoft and now Samsung.

Has Apple Lost Its Innovation Mojo?

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Sunday

Farmers Look For Ways To Circumvent Tractor Software Locks

Farmers are lobbying for the ability to buy software to fix their equipment, and some are hacking their way around the problem. Seth Perlman/AP hide caption

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Seth Perlman/AP

The Industry

Farmers Look For Ways To Circumvent Tractor Software Locks

Nebraska Public Media

Fixing a modern tractor takes more than the right parts, but also the right software. Farmers are lobbying for the ability to buy that software, and some are hacking their way around the problem.

Farmers Look For Ways To Circumvent Tractor Software Locks

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Wednesday

Yahoo And AOL Move In Together Under 'Oath,' Verizon's New Digital Arm

AOL CEO Tim Armstrong will take the same position at the head of Verizon's Oath. Mary Altaffer/AP hide caption

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Mary Altaffer/AP

The Industry

Yahoo And AOL Move In Together Under 'Oath,' Verizon's New Digital Arm

The digital content mashup of Internet oldsters will be led by Tim Armstrong, AOL's CEO. Though the Yahoo deal was widely panned, it gives Verizon a vast subscriber base appealing to advertisers.

Yahoo And AOL Move In Together Under 'Oath,' Verizon's New Digital Arm

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Monday

Pittsburgh Offers Driving Lessons For Uber's Autonomous Cars

Each autonomous vehicle has two Uber exployees in the front seat; one is ready to grab the wheel and apply a foot to the brake pedal, the other in the passenger seat, has a computer screen showing what the car's rooftop laser-bouncing radar is seeing. Art Silverman/NPR hide caption

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Art Silverman/NPR

The Industry

Pittsburgh Offers Driving Lessons For Uber's Autonomous Cars

Uber has been testing driverless cars in the city for the past six months. Local officials are happy for the investment the experiment brings and for the boost to the city's reputation as a tech hub.

Pittsburgh Offers Driving Lessons For Uber's Autonomous Cars

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Self-Driving Cars Raise Questions About Who Carries Insurance

Google self-driving cars are shown outside the Computer History Museum in Mountain View, Calif., in May 2014. Eric Risberg/AP hide caption

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Eric Risberg/AP

The Industry

Self-Driving Cars Raise Questions About Who Carries Insurance

Currently, insurance rates are calculated based on drivers' claims histories and driving records. Driverless cars are expected to shift the liability toward carmakers. But it won't happen all at once.

Self-Driving Cars Raise Questions About Who Carries Insurance

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Monday

Wang Fei, 35, from southwest China's Chongqing region, drove cars for Didi Chuxing, China's main ride-hailing service, from last July until January, when new local rules banned out-of-town cars and drivers, and Didi cut bonuses to drivers.

Wang Fei, 35, from southwest China's Chongqing region, drove cars for Didi Chuxing, China's main ride-hailing service, from last July until January, when new local rules banned out-of-town cars and drivers, and Didi cut bonuses to drivers. Anthony Kuhn/NPR hide caption

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Anthony Kuhn/NPR

All Tech Considered

In China, As In The U.S., The Fight Over Ride Hailing Is Local

Until recently, migrant workers lured by bonuses drove for China's largest Uber-like service. But some local governments banned out-of-town drivers, apparently to protect local jobs and curb growth.

In China, As In The U.S., The Fight Over Ride Hailing Is Local

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Friday

Can Arianna Huffington Save Uber?

Ariana Huffington speaks on stage during a conference in 2016 in New York City. She's taking a bigger role at Uber. Neilson Barnard/Getty Images hide caption

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Neilson Barnard/Getty Images

The Industry

Can Arianna Huffington Save Uber?

While Uber wades through crisis after crisis, media mogul Arianna Huffington, the sole woman on its board, is emerging as chief of culture change.

Can Arianna Huffington Save Uber?

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Saturday

Google Glass Didn't Disappear. You Can Find It On The Factory Floor

A factory worker in Jackson, Minn., uses Google Glass on the assembly line. Courtesy of AGCO hide caption

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Courtesy of AGCO

The Industry

Google Glass Didn't Disappear. You Can Find It On The Factory Floor

WABE

When it was introduced a few years ago, Google Glass was labeled as the next big thing. But it flopped. Now, it's finding new uses with workers in manufacturing and other industries.

Google Glass Didn't Disappear. You Can Find It On The Factory Floor

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Saturday

As Amazon Moves In, A Local Bookseller Hopes To Thrive With A Personal Touch

Peter Reynolds, owner of Blue Bunny Books in Dedham, Mass., says he hopes the unique atmosphere will keep customers coming to independent bookstores like his. Robin Lubbock/WBUR hide caption

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Robin Lubbock/WBUR

The Industry

As Amazon Moves In, A Local Bookseller Hopes To Thrive With A Personal Touch

WBUR

Amazon has opened its latest brick-and-mortar bookstore — the first on the East Coast. But an independent bookseller in the Boston suburb says: "I think that we're going to be OK."