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Latest by Andrew Couts

flying jellyfish robot

It’s a bird! It’s a plane! It’s a … jellyfish?

A team from NYU has designed the first-ever flying robot that is inspired by something that doesn't even fly: A jellyfish.
90 percent of companies have been hacked survey shows computer hacking

Close that incognito tab! The NSA is logging the porn habits of ‘radicalizers’

The NSA collected information about the online porn habits of six individuals thought to be preaching extremist Muslim views, leaked documents show.
airlines allow cell phone calls planes how will we survive on

We don’t need inflight cell phone call bans, we need inflight manners

Airlines balk at the idea of allowing passengers to make inflight cell phone calls. Here's why they're wrong.
facebook kosovo country

Facebook updates Kosovo’s status from ‘It’s complicated’ to ‘country’

Facebook now recognizes the territory of Kosovo as a "country" – something the United Nations has yet to achieve.
Julian Assange (WikiLeaks)

WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange is likely off the hook in the US

WikiLeaks founder Juilan Assange is unlikely to face charges by the U.S. Department of Justice.
twitter acquires zipdial bid expand presence emerging markets timeline

Twitter gets serious about user privacy with added encryption

Twitter has updated its system with "perfect forward secrecy" encryption to better protect user privacy.
A 23andMe kit

FDA tells Google-backed DNA test startup 23andMe to halt sales

The FDA has ordered DNA testing startup 23andMe to stop selling its DNA Spit Kit until the agency gives it further approval.
Lulu Terms & Conditions

Terms & Conditions: Sorry gents, Lulu has you hanging by your data

Lulu, the social networking app where women rate the men in their lives, plays fast and hard with guys' data without ever asking them for permission.
iphone 5s features hot or not gold

Apple releases the unlocked, SIM-free iPhone 5S into the wild

Apple now offers the option to purchase an iPhone 5S completely unlocked with the option to buy it either SIM card-free, or with a T-Mobile SIM.
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Get your earplugs, FCC may let people make cell phone calls on planes

The FCC is expected to consider lifting its ban on in-flight cell phone calls at a meeting in December.
lg smart tv privacy issue fix 60la8600 led front on 1486x991

Your LG smart TV may have been ‘spying’ on you – but a fix is on the way

LG came under fire this week after an IT consultant discovered its privacy settings in its Smart TVs still let the company collect viewing data.
parrot ar drone 2 0 microsoft windows phone

Welcome to the drone club, Windows users! Quadrocopter maker partners with Microsoft

UAV maker Parrot has partnered with Microsoft to allow you to control the Parrot AR Drone 2.0 quadrocopter with your Windows machine.
think google glass cool x ray specs can see skin evena eyes on glasses

Think Google Glass is cool? These X-ray specs can see through your skin

Evena Medica's Eyes-On Glasses enable nurses to clearly see the veins beneath your skin.
fcc ip phone system tom wheeler

Say hello to landline video calls – the U.S. plans to upgrade its phone network

FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler announced plans this week to upgrade the US phone system from a copper-based network to a digital one.
mailru mycom mymail mychat mail ru dmitry grishin

The Russians are coming … with a suite of new mobile apps

Russian Web giant Mail.ru has officially launched its base in the U.S. with My.com, and mobile apps that include myMail, myChat, and myGames.
the circle dave eggers review main v2

‘Privacy is theft’ in the heavy-handed, social-media dystopia of ‘The Circle’

Dave Eggers' new, dystopian novel 'The Circle' takes our world of social networks and oversharing to its horrifying conclusion.
police able search phone without warrant supreme court

Supreme Court won’t say if NSA phone tracking is legal – yet

The U.S. Supreme Court will not hear a case brought forth by the Electronic Privacy Information Center that challenges the NSA's phone records collection activities.
facebook do not track kids act teen computer

Facebook won’t like this new teenager privacy bill

A new bill, the "Do Not Track Kids Act of 2013," arrives in Congress as Facebook updates its privacy policy once again.
fcc chairmans net neutrality revisions may enough silence dissent tom wheeler

Want to unlock your smartphone? The new FCC Chairman has your back

New FCC Chairman Tom Wheeler has told CTIA that its members must adopt new polices that allow customers to easily unlock their phones.
google book scan authors guild books

Like to read? Google wins the right to legally scan books for the Web

Google has won a victory against the Author's Guild that allows the Internet giant to continue operating Google Books.
3d-printed-gun-liberator

US gov’t video shows why 3D-printing your own gun is a bad idea

The Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives (ATF) tested a number of 3D-printed firearms, and found that some of them could explode.
morph airline seat concept 2

Airplane seat concept adjusts to your size, lets airlines nickel-and-dime you to death

Seymourpowell-designed Morph aircraft seat concept adjusts for different sized passengers – and lets airlines charge even more for seat upgrades.
motorola google patents throat tattoo microphone neck

Who needs Bluetooth headsets? Motorola patents ‘neck tattoo’ smartphone accessory

Motorola has patented an electronic neck tattoo that does the job of a Bluetooth headset.
hey kid want buy sandwich com yahoo sells url stash logo

Hey, kid, want to buy Sandwich.com? Yahoo sells off its URL stash

Yahoo is selling off 29 of its unused or under-used domains, like sandwich.com, which will cost you as little as $50,000.
hands whistle dog activity monitor feature

Going hands on and off-leash with Whistle, an activity tracker for your dog

Whistle activity tracker for dogs keeps tabs on how much exercise your pup receives each day, and looks good while doing it.
youtubes commenter uproar proves googles crystal ball is broken

YouTube’s commenter uproar proves Google’s crystal ball is broken

Google's integration of Google+ with YouTube comments has users grabbing their pitchforks. Give its wealth of data, how did Google get this so wrong?
openrov underwater drone

Shoot your own ‘Shark Week’ with this $850 underwater ‘drone’

OpenROV, an open-source remotely operated mini-submarine, lets anyone explore the ocean's depths like a pro.
cell phone airplane etiquette

Thanks to Gogo, the dream (nightmare) of in-flight calling and texting will soon be real

Gogo's forthcoming Text & Talk service will allow airlines passengers to make calls and send text messages from their smartphones while flying.
civilian drone

The drones are coming! This is how the FAA wants to deal with flying robots

The Federal Aviation Administration has released "roadmap" explaining what needs to happen before drones can safely fly in U.S. airspace.
youtube google plus jawed karim comment maxresdefault

Even YouTube’s co-founder hates the new Google+ commenting integration

Like many other people, YouTube co-founder Jawed Karim is not too happy about the new Google+ comment integration feature.
google mystery barges solved barge

Mystery solved! Google says barges will be ‘interactive space’ to show off new tech

Google has confirmed that it's behind the mystery barges in California and Maine. They also said that the structures will be used as "interactive spaces" to show off tech.
apple tim cook lunch big

Apple reveals gov’t requests for user data and takes jabs at Google, Facebook, NSA

Apple on Tuesday released its first-ever transparency report, which catalogs information about world government request for user data.
dark mail kickstarter ladar levison email

Want secure email? Edward Snowden’s former email provider has a solution

Ladar Levison, founder of the shuttered Lavabit email service, has launched a Kickstarter campaign for Dark Mail, an anti-NSA email protocol.
bittorrent sync beta api peer to

BitTorrent aims to make the Internet free from the NSA’s prying eyes

BitTorrent has released an API that allows developers to create encrypted peer-to-peer applications.