Author: The Conversation

Self-driving cars are expected to revolutionise the automobile industry. Rapid advances have led to working prototypes faster than most people expected. The anticipated benefits of this emerging technology include safer, faster and more eco-friendly

Batteries are so ubiquitous today that they’re almost invisible to us. Yet they are a remarkable invention with a long and storied history, and an equally exciting future. A battery is essentially

There are thousands of satellites in Earth orbit, of varying age and usefulness. At some point they all reach the end of their lives and become floating junk. What do we do with them then? Most satellites are not designed

Many millions of people throughout the world will illegally download the fifth season of Game of Thrones, which began screening around the world, including in South Africa, this month. Legally

There are some specific words that are not particularly popular with the European Commission: “hi-tech”, “anticompetitive” and “bundling”, to name a few. Throw “US firms” into the mix, and the

In a music buying industry now dominated by iTunes and music streaming services such as Spotify, Napster, Pandora and Jay-Z’s recently released Tidal, the CD and physical music store are reportedly in sharp (and potentially terminal) decline. But a curious development

Microsoft has announced its intention to hire more autistic people – not as a charitable enterprise but because, as corporate vice-president Mary Ellen Smith says: “People with autism bring strengths that we need at Microsoft.” Employing autistic people makes good business

Within hours of the pre-order launch, not only had the cheapest Apple Watch Sport at US$349 sold out, but so had the Apple Watch Edition with a rose gold case and retailing at $17 000. And all of this for a watch that reviewers have given decidedly mixed reviews