Author: The Conversation

From satellites, to autonomous solar-powered drones, or balloons, there have been plenty of ideas recently on how to connect up the world. Facebook, Google, large international organisations, national governments, even Bono, have laid out ideas of a near future in which we are all hooked into the network

The release of yet more of Edward Snowden’s leaked files reveals the still-astonishing scale and breadth of government surveillance after more than a year of revelations. These recent papers revealed to The Intercept website discuss a programme within Britain’s GCHQ known as Karma Police

Never shy of publicity or fearful of controversy, Silicon Valley’s app entrepreneur scene seems on course to establish a new low in ethical values and/or self-delusional thinking with the planned launch of the Peeple app – described as “Yelp for people”. Having reportedly raised US$7,6m from

The computing cloud we have created supports much of our day-to-day office and leisure activity, from office e-mail to online shopping and sharing holiday photos. Even health, social care and government functions are moving towards digital delivery over the Internet

Picture yourself as an explorer in a distant and dangerous place. Something goes wrong, and you and your team have to abandon the venture and head straight for home. But you get left behind, the rest of the team thinking you are dead, and you have no way to contact them

The tungsten lightbulb has served us well over the century or so since it was introduced, but its days are numbered now with the arrival of LED lighting, which consumes a tenth of the power of

Salty streaks have been discovered on Mars, which could be a sign that salt water seeps to the surface in the summers. Scientists have previously observed dark streaks (see image above) on the planet’s slopes which are thought to have resulted from seeps of water wetting surface dust. Evidence of salts left

After 15 years and several highly successful spin-offs, the incredibly popular crime drama series CSI: Crime Scene Investigation is ending. And it’s doing so in style, with a two-hour special on 27 September. CSI and its franchise has achieved something unique: it has made forensics glamorous and sexy

Changes to South Africa’s competition law have widened the scope for the country’s antitrust bodies to punish anticompetitive behaviour. But implementing the changes, which were passed into law five years ago, is proving to be fraught with difficulty. The Competition Amendment Act