AltWeeklies Wire
Human-Animal Hybrids Could be Stem Cell Goldminesnew

Last week the British Parliament began the process of legalizing human-animal hybrid embryo cloning. While not explicitly illegal in the US, the process has been so criticized that most researchers have stayed away from it.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Annalee Newitz |
05-28-2008 |
Tech
Twitter Beat the U.S. Geological Survey to China Earthquake Infonew
Earthquakes are notoriously difficult to predict, but the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) does an admirable job of tracking tectonic activity across the world and providing early warnings for people in quake zones. The USGS was able to report on the Chinese event after only a few minutes. Still, it was no match for Twitter.
NOW Magazine |
Joseph Wilson |
05-27-2008 |
Tech
Paranoid Transit Agency Tries to Censor Bloggersnew
Southern California commuter-rail line Metrolink spends public money threatening critical websites.
L.A. Weekly |
Max Taves |
05-27-2008 |
Tech
Sports Blogs Fight for Respect ... and Accessnew

Over the past year, sports bloggers have been prying open the doors to press boxes, particularly within the NFL and the NBA. But amateur sportswriters have had little success winning over the gatekeepers of America's pastime -- at least here in the Bay Area.
Will Robots Take over the World and Eat Our Children?new
Our pitiful carbon bodies are evolving much more slowly than the silicon and steel gizmos we're inventing. And the guys in the lab coats and pocket protectors are starting to worry we've opened Pandora's hard drive.
Boston Phoenix |
Mike Miliard |
05-22-2008 |
Tech
Tags: robots, computers & technology
Inside the Internet Dystopianew
Increasing constraints on freedom to innovate with technology cloud the web's future, as Jonathan Zittrain points out his the new book The Future of the Internet and How to Stop It.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Annalee Newitz |
05-14-2008 |
Tech
It's Easy for Mobs to Crush Free Expression On the Webnew
Thanks to new, collaborative, social media networks, it's easier than ever for people to get together and destroy freedom of expression. They're going DIY from the bottom up -- instead of the way old-school censors used to do it, from the top down. Call it user-generated censorship.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Annalee Newitz |
04-30-2008 |
Tech
Internet Memez Taek Ovar Boston ... and This Headliennew

Cyberspace is all a-blog about ROFLCon, the two-day conference set for April 25th and 26th. Internet celebrities, academics and casual nerds will invade MIT for a group dissection of the internet, examining the history and future of online culture.
Dig Boston |
Nicole Jones |
04-24-2008 |
Tech
How the Web Has Changed Writingnew
Back in the 1990s, I taught writing using books and movies -- there was only one possible kind of output: linear narratives written on sheets of paper. When I recently returned to teaching writing, I couldn't imagine teaching writing using books and linear narratives. I taught writing by showing my students how different software applications could help them structure their writing.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Annalee Newitz |
04-23-2008 |
Tech
Tech Advice for Dissident Bloggersnew
Blogging is free speech's last frontier against government suppression. It's cheap (free), accessible (easy), and worldwide in seconds (bitchin!). Governments in need of control over information know this -- and they're pissed. So how do you get the word out?
Charleston City Paper |
Joshua Curry |
04-23-2008 |
Tech
Pittsburgh Couple Sues Google Over Street View Functionnew
In the suit, Christine and Aaron Boring contend that their privacy has been invaded and that the Google vehicle trespassed on their street. The suit says that "revealing this information has caused Plaintiffs mental suffering and diminished the value of their property."
Pittsburgh City Paper |
Melissa Meinzer |
04-21-2008 |
Tech
Growing a Greener Inboxnew
OK, you've ditched the bottled water habit, unplugged all your home electronics when they're not in use, and started a compost pile in your backyard. Pat yourself on the back for making the effort to get greener at home -- but don't forget that some of your biggest waste may actually be at work.
Jackson Free Press |
Kelly Bryan Smith |
04-21-2008 |
Tech
No Room for the Little Guy in Big Web?new
If Microsoft buys Yahoo to create what we'll call Microhoo, it means we'll have fewer options when it comes to online searches, using web mail, and just plain goofing around online.
San Francisco Bay Guardian |
Annalee Newitz |
04-16-2008 |
Tech
The Internet Generation Gains a Voice and Takes On Scientologynew
Want to understand why a group of college students and others call themselves Anonymous, wear Guy Fawkes masks and stand outside Church of Scientology centers in protest? Then you may want to visit Internet userboards like 420chan.org.
Tucson Weekly |
Mari Herreras |
04-10-2008 |
Tech
Tags: computers & technology
Insecurity Issuesnew
How private is your email and your web-surfing history?
Tucson Weekly |
Kelli Hart |
04-03-2008 |
Tech
Tags: computers & technology