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TECHNOLOGY
The Internet Is Closing
Jonathan Zittrain 11/29/2008 12:00:00 AM
The Internet, perhaps the most important technological development of the past 30 years, succeeded unexpectedly. It started out in an experimental backwater, nurtured far from the mainstream. It was spawned with no business plan and with no CEO leading the charge. Instead, a group of researchers—nerds, really—had the very un-entrepreneurial idea to develop a set of free and open technical protocols to move data from one place to another. The PC, which I think of as a companion technology to the Internet, likewise groomed as the hobbyhorse of passionate nerds who (at least initially) shared their designs. Both the Internet and the PC were released unfinished, and because they were open technologies, businesses and inventors could use them as a springboard for innovation. New applications were deployed to use them without needing the permission of their vendors.
TECHTONIC SHIFTS
Good Vibrations
Sophie Grove 11/22/2008 12:00:00 AM
Anyone who thinks running on a treadmill in the gym is a futile exercise should talk to Steve Beeby. The British scientist, a microsystems expert at the Engineering and Sciences Research Council, hates to see all those potential watts go to waste. For nine years he has been working on ways of tapping kinetic energy—the energy from moving objects—to power electronic gadgets. His research team at the University of Southampton has developed a device that converts surplus vibrations from industrial machinery into electrical power. Now
TECHTONIC SHIFTS
Souring on Apple
Daniel Lyons 10/14/2008 12:00:00 AM
At the risk of sounding like a grumpy old crank, there must be others for whom the Apple shtick is wearing a bit thin. Today the Cupertino, Calif.-based company announced some upgrades to its notebook computers. That's it. Most PC makers would view this as an opportunity to issue a press release. Not Apple. No, that company last week sent out sexy invitations to a "special event" that was "invitation-only." And there, today, on the Apple campus, was the full dog-and-pony show, with CEO Steve Jobs, COO Tim Cook, Senior VP of Industrial Design Jon Ive and Senior VP of marketing Phil Schiller all trotted out to a stage to share with the world the profound news that the mighty brains and geniuses inside Apple have developed … some upgraded notebooks.
TECHNOLOGY
New Software Turns PC Into TiVo TV Recorder
9/29/2008 12:00:00 AM
R.I.P., Dear DVD
N’Gai Croal 9/13/2008 12:00:00 AM
There's nothing like having a new housemate (in this case, my sister, who's attending graduate school in New York) to motivate a proper apartment cleaning. My CDs will be sent off to iPodmeister.com, where you can exchange CDs for a new iPod (the site even converts your old discs to MP3 as a free bonus). As for my 600 or so DVDs, I've taken them out of their cases and stored them in a set of Case Logic binders. But I'd like to find an easy way to store them digitally, much like I'll be doing with the CDs.
One Bad Apple
Daniel Lyons 9/6/2008 12:00:00 AM
A former lieutenant of Steve Jobs's once told me something surprising about his ex-boss. "Steve is a monopolist at heart," he said. "He's just like Bill Gates. He just hasn't been as successful." Well, Jobs is getting there. This summer, Apple's market capitalization surged past Google's, making it the financial king of Silicon Valley. True, Apple still holds only 11 percent of the U.S. consumer PC market, according to researcher NPD, but its influence is far greater than that market share suggests. The iconic iPod dominates its market, and the iTunes music store has sold more than 5 billion songs, making it the No. 1 music retailer in America, ahead of Wal-Mart, according to IDC. Apple's iPhone is the No. 3 smart phone in the United States, according to NPD.