Sonia Arrison
Business & Economics
The Scandalous Proposal of New York’s Anti-Tech Governor
In an effort to tackle New York’s nearly US$15 billion budget deficit, Governor David Paterson has proposed taxing downloads of software, music and other content, including pornography. This proposal comes at a time when the economy is in freefall and the so-called “stimulus” package is going to cost taxpayers much ...
Business & Economics
Calif.’s Fertility Flap and the Future of Reproductive Tech
The news of octuplets born recently near Los Angeles shocked many people, especially since the mother, Nadya Suleman, apparently already had six children and is reported to be jobless and living with her parents. Such rare stories certainly sell newspapers, but they can also lead to knee-jerk calls for overly ...
Business & Economics
Obama Set to Change Science and Tech
When Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States this week, he promised that his administration would “restore science to its rightful place.” Whether reality will fit the rhetoric remains to be seen, and there are reasons to be both optimistic and a little wary. ...
Business & Economics
Will 2009 Be the Year of Multiple Digital Identities?
Just days after microblogging company Twitter was hacked, a group of entrepreneurs and policy activists gathered at Facebook’s Palo Alto headquarters to discuss “Privacy 2009: The Year Ahead.” The discussion, cohosted by Tech Policy Central, demonstrated that the privacy debate is starting to mature. Instead of inflexible government dictates for ...
Business & Economics
Note to Obama: The FCC Needs Transparency
This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a report accusing Kevin Martin, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), of being deceptive and opaque in his management of the agency’s affairs. That a politician would pull such moves is no surprise, but the report should send a ...
Business & Economics
Where Are the Japanese Googles?
Last week, a select group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs traveled to Tokyo to learn about Japan’s tech sector and new opportunities. What they found was a country in transition, a few surprises, and a group of Japanese entrepreneurs itching to plunge headfirst into the international marketplace. The goal was to ...
Business & Economics
Technological Singularity: Utopia or Annihilation?
Some far-thinkers gathered at a recent Singularity Institute conference to ponder the possibility that machines might eventually develop a capacity for intelligence that could outstrip humanity’s. TechNewsWorld columnist Sonia Arrison, who attended the event, shares some of their provocative ideas on the subject of technological singularity. It’s been called the ...
Business & Economics
Cheer Up: There’s a Silver Lining for Tech
Chipmaker Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) said this week that despite its record US$10.2 billion in revenue for the third quarter, the company is worried that the global economic crisis will affect future performance. Despite such a general malaise across the industry, however, there is some very good news on the tech ...
Blackouts
Network Theory Can Explain US Credit Crunch
The financial crisis currently consuming the U.S. has led tech industry leaders, such as Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Steve Ballmer, to speak out in favor of quick Congressional action. Tech stocks, as well as general stocks, have plummeted, and there is confusion over why this crisis is happening and spreading so ...
Business & Economics
The Global Antitrust Arsenal
Earlier this week, European regulators said that they are investigating the online advertising deal between Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO), even though that deal affects only the U.S. and Canadian markets. Such a revelation is a disturbing sign of the globalization of government meddling and the out-of-control use ...
The Scandalous Proposal of New York’s Anti-Tech Governor
In an effort to tackle New York’s nearly US$15 billion budget deficit, Governor David Paterson has proposed taxing downloads of software, music and other content, including pornography. This proposal comes at a time when the economy is in freefall and the so-called “stimulus” package is going to cost taxpayers much ...
Calif.’s Fertility Flap and the Future of Reproductive Tech
The news of octuplets born recently near Los Angeles shocked many people, especially since the mother, Nadya Suleman, apparently already had six children and is reported to be jobless and living with her parents. Such rare stories certainly sell newspapers, but they can also lead to knee-jerk calls for overly ...
Obama Set to Change Science and Tech
When Barack Obama was sworn in as the 44th President of the United States this week, he promised that his administration would “restore science to its rightful place.” Whether reality will fit the rhetoric remains to be seen, and there are reasons to be both optimistic and a little wary. ...
Will 2009 Be the Year of Multiple Digital Identities?
Just days after microblogging company Twitter was hacked, a group of entrepreneurs and policy activists gathered at Facebook’s Palo Alto headquarters to discuss “Privacy 2009: The Year Ahead.” The discussion, cohosted by Tech Policy Central, demonstrated that the privacy debate is starting to mature. Instead of inflexible government dictates for ...
Note to Obama: The FCC Needs Transparency
This week, the House Energy and Commerce Committee released a report accusing Kevin Martin, the chairman of the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), of being deceptive and opaque in his management of the agency’s affairs. That a politician would pull such moves is no surprise, but the report should send a ...
Where Are the Japanese Googles?
Last week, a select group of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs traveled to Tokyo to learn about Japan’s tech sector and new opportunities. What they found was a country in transition, a few surprises, and a group of Japanese entrepreneurs itching to plunge headfirst into the international marketplace. The goal was to ...
Technological Singularity: Utopia or Annihilation?
Some far-thinkers gathered at a recent Singularity Institute conference to ponder the possibility that machines might eventually develop a capacity for intelligence that could outstrip humanity’s. TechNewsWorld columnist Sonia Arrison, who attended the event, shares some of their provocative ideas on the subject of technological singularity. It’s been called the ...
Cheer Up: There’s a Silver Lining for Tech
Chipmaker Intel (Nasdaq: INTC) said this week that despite its record US$10.2 billion in revenue for the third quarter, the company is worried that the global economic crisis will affect future performance. Despite such a general malaise across the industry, however, there is some very good news on the tech ...
Network Theory Can Explain US Credit Crunch
The financial crisis currently consuming the U.S. has led tech industry leaders, such as Microsoft’s (Nasdaq: MSFT) Steve Ballmer, to speak out in favor of quick Congressional action. Tech stocks, as well as general stocks, have plummeted, and there is confusion over why this crisis is happening and spreading so ...
The Global Antitrust Arsenal
Earlier this week, European regulators said that they are investigating the online advertising deal between Google (Nasdaq: GOOG) and Yahoo (Nasdaq: YHOO), even though that deal affects only the U.S. and Canadian markets. Such a revelation is a disturbing sign of the globalization of government meddling and the out-of-control use ...
