Technology & Innovation

What is the Big Idea? The half-lit room smells strongly of hashish. On the screen, a woman wearing too much make up and a clingy, provocative outfit sways her hips […]

A new computer simulation out of the Sandia National Laboratories in Albuquerque, New Mexico, suggests that more energy can be taken from a system that is initially put in. 

Google versus Facebook. Silicon Valley versus Hollywood. Wall Street versus Main Street. Increasingly, the rivalries and alliances that define our lives have nothing to do with kings, queens, or Congress. What we’re witnessing is a fundamental shift in the way our society is organized.

Information is power. The Internet has made it possible to share and spread information faster than ever before. Unprecedented levels of access to information means that democracy is bound to take root and flower in even the most authoritarian corners of the world — right? Not necessarily, says MacKinnon.

What is the Big Idea? Best Buy, Pepsi, General Electric, Intel, Phillips and Nestle. What do these multinational companies have in common? They’ve all penetrated China’s retail market, but that […]

Would-be philosopher and founder of LinkedIn, Reid Hoffman realized at a young age that other people give meaning to life. He took up studying software and rest, as they say, is history. 

What is the Big Idea? Tacked on to the end of the lengthy Dodd-Frank Act, which imposed new government safeguards after the U.S. financial crisis, there is an unusual provision […]

What is the Big Idea? While Israel and Iran teeter on the brink of war, two Israeli graphic designers decided to reach out to Iranian citizens by creating a slogan […]

In a very public resignation, a senior investment analyst at Goldman Sachs has accused the company of cheating its clients. Does accumulating wealth actually make you a bad person? 

What is the Big Idea? While the British Parliament started its debate on legalizing gay marriage last week, ice cream maker Ben & Jerry’s changed the name of its apple […]

News of ongoing economic uncertainty surrounds us.  In delivering his semiannual monetary policy report to Congress recently in Washington, U.S. Chairman Ben Bernanke urged drastic reduction in the government’s long-term […]

Over the next few months, Google will roll out new semantic search technology that will have a deeper understanding of website content. The advance brings us closer to artificial intelligence. 

For those of you who missed last night’s debate on China vs. American capitalism hosted by Intelligence Squared U.S., here is the video. There was one decided winner with 85 […]

Hacking is about having a small group of individuals who are skilled enough to attack much larger prey. Thanks to their attack, future technological innovations flourish—for a time…

Smartphones are incredible education, business and entertainment devices but their ubiquity has otherwise normal people acting batty. Businesses must take the lead to restoring sanity.

What’s the Big Idea?  Some genius at marketing giant BBH decided to outfit 13 volunteer homeless people in Austin, Texas with 4G Wi-Fi transmitters, turning them into human Wi-Fi hotspots […]

A new mobile service uses location data, i.e. where you are, to create a social network with like-minded people in your immediate vicinity. Would you be willing to meet a stranger this way?

‘Personal clouds’ will replace the primacy of the PC by 2014, says the technology research firm Gartner. The future promises a world of decentralized computing across multiple devices.

Sharing so much information online may have knock on effects when its comes to government search and seizure law, expanding government power, says Yale’s Information Society Project.

As China’s economy grows, money is refining the Chinese palate and American products are flowing into Chinese markets like never before. Milk, soybeans, nuts—practically everything. 

A year after the Fukushima nuclear crisis, surveys show that more people around the world oppose nuclear power than ever before. Yet industry is pushing ahead. Who will prevail? 

Based on medical standards alone, female birth control should be made available over the counter, says author Virginia Postrel. Not to mention reducing American political invective. 

What’s the Big Idea? For corporations, growth is a quarterly concern — a hope maybe, but not a necessity. For small businesses and nonprofits, stagnation isn’t an option: it’s grow […]

In addition to in-house R&D, big businesses like Best Buy and Blue Cross Blue Shield are funding start ups to create new product lines and innovate the direction of the company. 

What is the Big Idea? Thanks to the power of social media, a new 29 minute video aimed at capturing an international criminal has been viewed more than 30 million […]

Using standard chip making parts, IBM has created a super-fast optical processing chip by drilling a series of holes through the back which allow light to pass into the core of the chip. 

Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy and Daniel Junge shined a spotlight on Pakistani women who endured the physical and emotional pain of acid attacks in the documentary Saving Face. The filmmakers followed Dr. […]

Using the power of a mobile Internet, individuals are increasingly sharing goods from business ties to children’s toys. The new collaborative consumption model is a cultural shift. 

Update: This interview has been rescheduled for April. You may still submit your questions below! Dylan Ratigan, the host of MSNBC’s highest rated non-primetime show, will be here in our […]

If artificial intelligence acquires something akin to human consciousness, it would be free to manipulate, seduce, bribe and blackmail. Computer scientists are working on solutions.