Have you seen the Johnny Depp science fiction thriller Transcendence? If not, allow me to provide you with a quick summary. Johnny Depp plays a scientist who is driven by his interest in artificial intelligence. Depp’s character ultimately uploads his own consciousness to a computer program and that decision leads to dangerous implications. The concept …
Voice over Internet Protocol (VoIP) is a service that allows you to use the internet (a broadband connection) to make phone calls instead of the more traditional phone line method. VoIP calls can be made from a computer or telephone, and it can make calls to a computer or telephone. VoIP is often cheaper, and …
The Federal Trade Commission filed suit against AT & T in the U.S. District Court for the Northern District of California on October 28th for deceiving consumers with the phone service provider’s promise of an unlimited data plan. The FTC claims that while the consumers who purchase the “unlimited” data plan from AT & T …
The Federal Communications Commission (FCC) announced Friday that it is again postponing its planned Incentive Auction of low-frequency airwaves until early 2016. Similar auctions for the licenses of electromagnetic spectrum have been conducted by the FCC since 1994. The FCC has found that these spectrum auctions are an effective means of assigning licenses, by awarding …
Ebola has captured the nation’s attention over the past few weeks. Media speculation and fear have seemed to perpetuate this disease, mostly afflicting West African countries, into a supposed serious threat to Americans. Federal and state governments’ responses provide a patchwork of different regulations, as federal, state and agency level actions have attempted to squelch …
Warnings about texting while driving are everywhere. We see billboards along highways telling drivers to refrain from using their phones. We see television commercials and news stories reporting fatal accidents that have occurred as a result of a driver texting. State legislatures have recognized the dangers of texting while driving, and have responded by enacting …
A New York state law going into effect this Tuesday criminalizes the use of GPS devices by individuals to stalk one another. To clarify, “such conduct becomes a misdemeanor only after the target notifies the person responsible that such conduct is unwelcome.” That’s right. New Yorkers will soon be beginning their conversations by saying ‘before …
The hoverboard first glided glided onto the scene and into our hearts during 1989’s sci-fi comedy Back to the Future Part II. Despite the outrageously fashionable high-top sneakers attached, it was the board that audiences couldn’t help but fixate on. Enchanted by till then undreamed-of future wonders, many fans began to mark their calendars for …
Internet trolls in the U.K. could face up to two years in prison if proponents of a new proposal set for Parliament have their way. The proposal, put forth last Sunday, seeks to quadruple the current maximum penalty of six months. Its author, MP Angie Bray, says she decided the change was necessary “after one …
One in three American adults have gone online to figure out a medical condition. Consequently, social media is increasingly being adopted as a tool for promoting medical devices (e.g., Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.). Patients are starting internet support groups, rating devices on Yelp! and sharing photos on Reddit and YouTube. In contrast, medical professionals are …