Technology & Digital Life

3-D Printer Makes Life-Saving Splint For Baby Boy's Airway

Bill Chappell — Thu, 23 May 2013 17:53:00 +0000

A 3-D printer is being credited with helping to save an Ohio baby's life, after doctors "printed" a tube to support a weak airway that caused him to stop breathing. The innovative procedure has allowed Kaiba Gionfriddo, of Youngstown, Ohio, to stay off a ventilator for more than a year.

The splint that changed Kaiba's life was implanted in February of 2012, when he was 3 months old.

GIF Talk: Do You Say It With A G Or A J?

Mark Memmott — Wed, 22 May 2013 19:41:00 +0000

The kerfuffle Tuesday and today on Twitter about the "news" that the creator of the GIF gets annoyed if he hears someone use a hard "G" when pronouncing the name of his file format triggered our aging memory banks.

Hadn't we heard a while back that GIF creator Steve Wilhite and many other tech types insist it's supposed to be pronounced with a soft "J," like Jif peanut butter?

Yes we had.

How That 'Nigerian Email Scam' Got Started

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 17:58:00 +0000

You've probably seen it in your inbox before: Someone who claims to have come into a fortune needs your help. You can share in the profits — if you send along a deposit or your bank account number. Boston Globe correspondent Finn Brunton talks about the history of the "Nigerian prince" or "419" scam, which actually got its start long before email.

Microsoft Unveils Its new Xbox One

Laura Sydell — Wed, 22 May 2013 12:26:00 +0000

Transcript

LINDA WERTHEIMER, HOST:

The wait is over for many Xbox fans. Yesterday, Microsoft unveiled its next generation Xbox gaming console. It's called Xbox One. It's the first major revamp of the gaming system since 2005.

Quantum Or Not, New Supercomputer Is Certainly Something Else

editor — Wed, 22 May 2013 07:03:00 +0000

It's exactly the sort of futuristic thinking you'd expect from Google and NASA: Late last week, the organizations announced a partnership to build a Quantum Artificial Intelligence Lab at NASA's Ames Research Center.

But questions surround the new type of computer at the lab's core. D-Wave systems, the company that makes the machine, says it is a quantum computer — a machine that runs on the strange laws of quantum mechanics.

Apple CEO Defends Tax Practices At Senate Hearing

John Ydstie — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

From NPR News, this is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED. I'm Robert Siegel.

MELISSA BLOCK, HOST:

And I'm Melissa Block.

The top executives of Apple faced tough questions today on Capitol Hill. They came at a hearing about Apple's alleged avoidance of billions of dollars in U.S. income taxes.

'Reinventing The Register' May Take Time For Square

Zack Seward — Tue, 21 May 2013 21:43:00 +0000

Transcript

ROBERT SIEGEL, HOST:

Now, the cash register re-imagined. Paying for things online with your mobile phone can be as easy as paying with cash but digital payment companies, like PayPal and Square, think the big money for them is still at the register. So they're rushing head-long into brick-and-mortar retail, eager for new ways to make old-fashioned money.

From member station WHYY, Zack Seward has the story.

ZACK SEWARD, BYLINE: Federal Donuts in Philadelphia is a fusion restaurant - a fusion of donuts and fried chicken. For many customers, that is a first.

Microsoft Reveals New Xbox One Game System

Bill Chappell — Tue, 21 May 2013 20:32:00 +0000

Microsoft unveiled its new Xbox One Tuesday, displaying a device that takes new steps in game consoles' journey to becoming all-purpose entertainment and communication devices. The new console replaces the Xbox 360, which has been on the market for nearly eight years.

One of the new device's most striking features is the ability to run multiple apps at once — and to split a TV screen into different tasks.

'Arrested Development' Leads The Charge For Old Brands In New Media

Neda Ulaby — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:37:00 +0000

Arrested Development returning via Netflix? Just another old-media brand reviving itself on new media.

The TV show, which originally ran on Fox from 2003 to 2006 and unveils new episodes on Netflix next weekend, finds itself in splendid company. Radiohead, Louis C.K., Veronica Mars — all found their audiences with promotion and distribution from big studios and networks. Radiohead was signed to a major music label. Louis C.K. enjoyed HBO specials and TV shows.

Vertical 'Pinkhouses:' The Future Of Urban Farming?

editor — Tue, 21 May 2013 19:35:00 +0000

The idea of vertical farming is all the rage right now. Architects and engineers have come up with spectacular concepts for lofty buildings that could function as urban food centers of the future.

In Sweden, for example, they're planning a 177-foot skyscraper to farm leafy greens at the edge of each floor.