In mid-July 2009, in a twist of irony, online retailer Amazon unilaterally removed digital copies of George Orwell’s classic novel 1984 from a number of Kindle e-readers. Customers were outraged. If it wasn’t for the fact that it really happened, it would surely
Author: The Conversation
A new device, a biological sensor inside a nanochip that can detect bacterial infections in 10 to 15 minutes, will become available in 2016. Devised by a team of scientists from South Africa’s Stellenbosch University, the device is being patented and the Technology Innovation
The argument for the use of police body cameras is gaining momentum in South Africa, amid growing demand for greater police accountability, especially in the wake of the Marikana massacre. The cameras are typically worn on the chests of police officers. Their use is becoming
A US federal court has found that Apple infringed a patent held by the patenting arm of the University of…
The relationship between Russia and the West is becoming increasingly dangerous with potential flashpoints developing in both eastern Europe and Syria. After repeated incursions into Turkish airspace by Russian warplanes on bombing raids over Syria, Nato’s secretary general Jens
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