Technology Audio/Video - NPR

For this week's installment of All Tech Considered, host Melissa Block talks with Omar Gallaga, technology culture reporter for the Austin American-Statesman, about Verizon's Motorola Droid smart phone; what Dell is calling "the world's thinnest laptop"; and a new video game Disney is using to help reinvent its most beloved character.

The social networking Web site Tagged.com has adopted reforms after being accused of essentially stealing the e-mail addresses of some 60 million Internet users, New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo said. Cuomo had said the e-mail addresses in members' contact lists were used to send out more solicitation e-mails.

For two years, some of the biggest names in consumer technology have been trying to outdo Apple and its wildly popular iPhone. Reviewer Joshua Topolsky says the latest contender — the Droid — does a number of things better than the iPhone. But given a choice between the two, he says, the iPhone still has the edge.

At the 2009 International Genetically Engineered Machine competition, undergraduates from all over the world unveiled the living machines they'd created with snippets of DNA, from bacteria that change color when they detect pollutants to ones that secrete non-toxic superglue.

The state of New York is looking for ways to reduce the time the unemployed spend looking for jobs, and it's turning to a mathematical formula for help. Using an algorithm developed by a Boston technology company, the program directs resumes to the employers most likely to make a hire.

The Motorola Droid is an exercise in functionality. But does it really give the iPhone a run for its money?

October 29th marked the 40th anniversary of the Internet. We'll talk with Scott Fahlman, the computer researcher who invented the virtual smiley face, about how emoticons and abbreviations have changed electronic communication.

Computer chip giant Intel is the target of an antitrust suit filed by New York Attorney General Andrew Cuomo. Intel commands about 80 percent of the microprocessor market. An Intel spokesman denies the charges and says the company's sales practices were legitimate.

One reviewer uses it for e-mail; another for sushi. It's being called a timesaver — even "the greatest thing ever invented." It's the Laptop Steering Wheel Desk. Drivers certainly don't need another distraction — but people surfing around on Amazon certainly do.

As newspapers go under, the network newscasts lose viewers and the mainstream media in general see more and more of their audience shift online, are we as a society better or worse off? A panel of experts debates.

Google Voice, the phone management service offered by Google, is blocking customers' calls to about 100 phone numbers that were generating excessive long distance fees in the Midwest. Lawmakers and AT&T have cried foul, and the dispute is renewing focus on a controversial practice that lets some phone companies charge inflated fees.

The standard for domain names is shifting so that a URL can exist entirely in another language that's not based on the letters A to Z. That means Internet users won't have to switch their keyboard into a different language to navigate the Web.

With the job market still in the doldrums, people are trying to figure out ways to use Twitter to find jobs. Twitter can be used to post a job, ask around about one, learn more about a potential boss or keep your network of former co-workers and friends updated on your job hunt.

Media critic Ken Auletta tracks the development of Google from a search engine to the provider of all things Internet in his new book Googled: The End of the World As We Know It.

Forty years ago this past week, a message was sent across ARPANET, the computer network developed by the Defense Department's Advanced Projects Agency. Many people consider that the day the Internet was born. For our series "The Net at 40," Guy Raz profiles the people who worked to make that transmission happen, as well as the two university lab students who sent the first message. Their goal? Type the simple word "login."

Want to know where those stimulus dollars were spent? Consider turning your smart phone into a government watchdog — then all you'll have to do is take it for a walk.

In the 40 years since the birth of the Internet on Oct. 29, 1969, the Web has transformed how we live our lives. It has also spawned a new class of celebrity: the blogger. Three bloggers — one in London, one in Shanghai, China, and one in Mumbai, India — share their stories. Philip Reeves Louisa Lim, Vickie Barker

For gadget lovers, Halloween is more geeky than spooky. Mark Frauenfelder, editor-in-chief of Make Magazine, talks about the geekiest do-it-yourself Halloween costumes and decorations, from spray foam guts and singing pumpkins to a fortune-teller costume built on a Segway.

On Oct. 29, 1969, around 10:30 P.M., a message from one computer was sent over a modified phone line to another computer hundreds of miles away. Some say the Internet was born that day. UCLA computer scientist Leonard Kleinrock, who was there, gives his account.

By Eyder Peralta An iPhone costs you 199 bucks after the AT&T rebate right? A MyTouch 3G sets you back $149? Well, once you take into account the costs of service throughout the life of your two-year contract, you're looking at close to $3,000. Bi...

The City of Los Angeles has voted to overhaul its e-mail system, converting it all to Gmail. It's a victory for Google, which is trying to replace Microsoft applications in government cubicles everywhere. But some in L.A. are concerned about storing public data on Web-based servers.

In case you missed it, "All Things Considered" (or ATC) rolled a pair of interesting tech stories on Thursday's show.

When the first exchange over ARPANET took place on Oct. 29, 1969, the U.S. Supreme Court ordered Mississippi to desegregate its public schools and Sen. Ted Kennedy was in Congress debating the Vietnam-era draft law. Only a handful of people cared much about the first ARPANET exchange.

The Internet began with a whimper, not a bang. And not everyone agrees on when that whimper occurred. But 40 years ago Thursday, the first communication over a computer network called ARPANET was sent — a message that said simply "lo."

Information doesn't fade the way it used to. Records once forgotten in long-lost files are now searchable online — perhaps forever. Some computer researchers are looking for ways to give data a life span. But others think we should adapt to a new reality of data that will never die.

Reasonable people disagree about what exactly marks the beginning of the Internet. Forty years ago Thursday, two guys in California sent a five-letter message over a primitive computer network. Marking that anniversary, Morning Edition presents a short radio play with digital-themed dialogue that would've been gibberish just a few years ago.

On the Internet, it helps to be an omnivorous reader — like Tina Brown, who scours the Web for compelling, well-written articles. In an interview, Brown discusses three recent pieces that caught her eye. Among the topics: Vladimir Nabokov's last novel and Martin Scorsese's favorite scary movies.

Roadside bombs now account for nearly three-quarters of the American deaths in Afghanistan. The Pentagon is sending more equipment to detect these hidden killers and setting up special centers to sift through intelligence information. But Marines on the ground say much of the battle is still in their hands.

Verizon Wireless' answer to the iPhone — the Droid — will go on sale for $200 next week as the company taps into the growing appetite for smart phones that go far beyond making calls.

If you use a mobile phone, you're leaving a record of where you've been. But where does your phone say you are? If it relies on cell phone towers for that information, your location may be vague. GPS-enabled phones are more specific. The difference between the two can be miles wide.

Here, key moments that have shaped your privacy in the digital age.

The new service will be featured within a standard Google search: Plug in the band or musician's name, and bios, videos and images will pop up. The search results will point you to online music retailers Google has partnered with.

A growing number of companies are trawling social networks looking to scrape up data about you and your friends. For instance, that Facebook quiz you just took? It opened up your photos, political views —- even your sexual preference — to the stranger who wrote it.

Kinsey Wilson, of NPR digital media, responds to a comment on NPR.org from a reader concerned about the site's use of tracking cookies. According to Wilson, those bits of text stored on a user's computer improve site navigation while keeping the user anonymous.

Halloween is just around the corner. And while some look forward to the trick or treating and costume parties, others approach the day with the expectation of being offended by someone wearing a culturally insensitive costume. Guest host Jennifer Ludden speaks with Carmen Van Kerckhove, who blogs about race, parenting and pop culture. Kerckhove explains why good intentions don't always translate into good perceptions.

The president unveiled a $3.4 billion plan to transform the nation's electrical infrastructure to a "smart grid." The White House says the upgrade would save energy and promote renewable energy sources.

Rescue services are complaining that a new generation of GPS tracking devices are leading hikers and trackers to take risks they are unprepared for. Matt Scharper, who coordinates Search and Rescue operations for the state of California, offers his insight.

Bookseller Barnes & Noble announced a new electronic-reading device, adding a new device to a sector that is seeing stiff competition. Omar Gallaga, who covers technology culture for the Austin American-Statesman, says 3 million e-book readers could be sold this year.

Fans of Amazon.com's Kindle 2 and Sony's Reader say the new digital books are easier to read than earlier generations, with a more "booklike" experience. That's due in part to the technology the e-books use for display — a digital version of ink and paper.