Tech News

Giving people the freedom -- but not too much freedom -- to express themselves may help designers build more interactive web portals and online communities, according to researchers.

Climate researchers are producing some of the fastest growing datasets in science. Five years ago, the amount of information generated for the Nobel Prize-winning United Nations International Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) Fourth Assessment Report was 35 terabytes —- equivalent to the amount of text in 35 million books, occupying a bookshelf 248 miles (399 km) long. By 2014, when the next IPCC report is published, experts predict that 2 petabytes of data will have been generated for it—that's a 580 percent increase in data production. Because thousands of researchers around the world contribute to the generation and analysis of new data, a reliable, high-speed network is needed to transport the torrent of information. Fortunately, the Department of Energy's (DOE) ESnet (Energy Sciences Network) has laid the foundation for such a network -- not just for climate research, but for all data-intensive science.

New York wants to outlaw anonymous comments to prevent cyberbullying and other online abuse. This criminologist examines why this plan, despite its controversy, may not be such a bad thing.

The "experts" are at it again and I feel that it's my duty to set 'em straight.

Satellite broadcaster clashes with US TV networks over a set-top box that strips ads out of recorded programmes

Surgeon Aimee Di Marco demonstrates how a digital cadaver on a touchscreen dissection table can be used to teach students and plan operations.

BASIC is to computer programming as QWERTY is to typing. - Seymour Papert

Being able to break security doesn’t make you a hacker anymore than being able to hotwire cars makes you an automotive engineer. - Eric Raymond