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Monday July 25, 2016

The Big Internet Brands Of The '90s — Where Are They Now?

The original caption of this photo read: "The Netscape Navigator home page on the Internet's World Wide Web is seen Wednesday, Aug. 9, 1995." AP hide caption

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AP

The Industry

The Big Internet Brands Of The '90s — Where Are They Now?

July 25, 2016 • Verizon's purchase of Yahoo will close the book on one of the oldest Internet companies. What happened to the other famous '90s brands, like GeoCities, Netscape and CompuServe? A nerdy remembrance.

Friday July 22, 2016

Making The Cloud Green: Tech Firms Push For Renewable Energy Sources

A car drives by a Switch data center in Las Vegas on Sept. 9, 2015. In 2013, data centers consumed 2 percent of all U.S. power — triple what they used in 2000. John Locher/AP hide caption

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John Locher/AP

The Industry

Making The Cloud Green: Tech Firms Push For Renewable Energy Sources

Wyoming Public Radio

July 22, 2016 • Few people can demand what kind of electricity they get. But Microsoft and Facebook, which operate huge, power-hungry data centers, are trying to green up the electricity grid with their buying power.

Making The Cloud Green: Tech Firms Push For Renewable Energy Sources

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Thursday July 21, 2016

So Long, VCR. We Hardly Knew You (Were Still Around)

The last known VCR-maker in the world has announced that it will shut down its VCR production lines in August. Photo Illustration by Emily Bogle/NPR hide caption

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Photo Illustration by Emily Bogle/NPR

The Industry

So Long, VCR. We Hardly Knew You (Were Still Around)

July 21, 2016 • It's been a long time coming for the VCR. After beating out Betamax and LaserDisc for home viewing dominance in the 1980s, VHS players are going away for good.

Tuesday July 19, 2016

Why Some Diversity Thinkers Aren't Buying The Tech Industry's Excuses

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The Industry

Why Some Diversity Thinkers Aren't Buying The Tech Industry's Excuses

July 19, 2016 • Despite diversity efforts, Facebook and Google keep showing little change in the percentages of black, Latino and female workers. Facebook pins the problem on lack of talent in the education pipeline.

Saturday July 16, 2016

As Pokémon Go Evolves, Businesses Are Squeezing Themselves In

A Pokémon is found by a Pokémon Go player at Bayfront Park in downtown Miami. Businesses are looking for ways to profit from the 65 million Pokémon Go users in the United States alone. Alan Diaz/AP hide caption

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Alan Diaz/AP

The Industry

As Pokémon Go Evolves, Businesses Are Squeezing Themselves In

July 16, 2016 • A week after its launch, Pokemon Go already has 65 million users — more than even Twitter. Local stores and national corporations alike feel the lure, and see potential for big business.

Friday July 15, 2016

Comcast Joins Federal Effort To Bring Discounted Internet To Public Housing

Comcast's discounted program, called Internet Essentials, is expanding beyond families with schoolchildren. Justin Sullivan/Getty Images hide caption

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Justin Sullivan/Getty Images

The Industry

Comcast Joins Federal Effort To Bring Discounted Internet To Public Housing

July 15, 2016 • Will the Internet ever be free for families relying on housing assistance? HUD Secretary Julian Castro and Comcast's David Cohen weigh in on challenges of connecting public housing to the Internet.

Monday July 11, 2016

Firms Are Buying, Sharing Your Online Info. What Can You Do About It?

Data brokers collect information on how you use the Internet, from personal data you share on Facebook to online shopping. Bloomberg via Getty Images hide caption

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Bloomberg via Getty Images

The Industry

Firms Are Buying, Sharing Your Online Info. What Can You Do About It?

July 11, 2016 • Every time you visit a website, companies you've never heard of are collecting data about you and selling or sharing it with other companies. You can opt out, but few consumers are aware of that.

Firms Are Buying, Sharing Your Online Info. What Can You Do About It?

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Friday July 8, 2016

Bodybuilders Beef Over A Workout Supplement — And A Stanford Patent

Pump-Bol is a ThermoLife workout supplement containing arginine. Cameron Robert/NPR hide caption

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Cameron Robert/NPR

The Industry

Bodybuilders Beef Over A Workout Supplement — And A Stanford Patent

July 8, 2016 • Two bodybuilders go at it in a legal battle that reveals how university patents for federally funded research can end up in unexpected places.

Bodybuilders Beef Over A Workout Supplement — And A Stanford Patent

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Wednesday July 6, 2016

Saying Goodbye To BlackBerry's Iconic Original Keyboard

BlackBerry's Director of Marketing and Enterprise Jeff Gadway demonstrates the BlackBerry Classic during a news conference on Dec. 17, 2014. Bebeto Matthews/AP hide caption

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Bebeto Matthews/AP

The Industry

Saying Goodbye To BlackBerry's Iconic Original Keyboard

July 6, 2016 • BlackBerry says it's discontinuing the final model that has the traditional clickety keyboard and trackpad — darlings of government workers, businesspeople and early episodes of House of Cards.

Friday July 1, 2016

What Tesla And Google's Approaches Tell Us About Autonomous Driving

Carlos Osorio/AP

The Industry

What Tesla And Google's Approaches Tell Us About Autonomous Driving

July 1, 2016 • Virtually all major car and tech companies are pursuing self-driving technology as the future of transportation. But Tesla and Google are the earliest innovators, taking very different approaches.

Wednesday June 29, 2016

Facebook Shakes Up News Feed, But We Still Don't Know Exactly How It Works

Peter Macdiarmid/Getty Images

The Industry

Facebook Shakes Up News Feed, But We Still Don't Know Exactly How It Works

June 29, 2016 • It will now prioritize posts from friends and family — potentially bad news for media companies relying on Facebook for traffic. The company has been under pressure to defend its political neutrality.

A 24-Year-Old Designed A Self-Driving Minibus; Maker Built It In Weeks

Olli is an autonomous electric shuttle bus by Local Motors that is test-running at National Harbor, south of Washington, D.C. Local Motors hide caption

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Local Motors

The Industry

A 24-Year-Old Designed A Self-Driving Minibus; Maker Built It In Weeks

June 29, 2016 • What if cars weren't mass produced? Local Motors, a small-batch auto manufacturer, relies on an online design community and a "co-creation" business model to bring new vehicles to market, really fast.

Saturday June 25, 2016

How A New Texting Service Connects A Music Artist With His Fans

Musician Ryan Leslie says his SuperPhone app lets him manage conversations with fans from his phone. Courtesy of the artist hide caption

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Courtesy of the artist

The Industry

How A New Texting Service Connects A Music Artist With His Fans

June 25, 2016 • Ryan Leslie developed an app that lets him manage conversations with fans and colleagues from his phone. He says the engagement tool gives artists a stronger hand in the business of their music.

Friday June 24, 2016

After Brexit Vote, Britain Asks Google: 'What Is The EU?'

Searches for "what is the eu" and "what is brexit" spiked in the U.K. after polls closed. NPR Screen Grab/Google Trends hide caption

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NPR Screen Grab/Google Trends

The Industry

After Brexit Vote, Britain Asks Google: 'What Is The EU?'

June 24, 2016 • Google Trends shows that this was the second-searched EU-related question in the United Kingdom after polls closed. The first was "What does it mean to leave the EU?"

Friday June 17, 2016

Semi-Automatic Weapons Without A Background Check Can Be Just A Click Away

David Eads, Juan Elosua, Alyson Hurt and Brittany Mayes/NPR

The Industry

Semi-Automatic Weapons Without A Background Check Can Be Just A Click Away

June 17, 2016 • The Armslist website, and others like it, are coming under increased scrutiny by law enforcement, gun control advocates and researchers as debate over access to these kinds of weapons heats up.

Semi-Automatic Weapons Without A Background Check Can Be Just A Click Away

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