Recommended from Around the Web (Week Ending August 16, 2013)
Don’t You Dare Say “Disruptive” It’s the Most Pernicious Cliché of Our Time
The unintended, and disruptive, consequences of one of Silicon Valley’s favorite buzzwords.
—Will Knight, online editor
Genetically Modified Crops Pass Benefits to Weeds
Nature news reports on a study suggesting that genetically modified crops can pass on pesticide resistance to wild and weedy relatives, making the non-crops more competitive, even in the absence of pesticide.
—Susan Young, biomedicine editor
How a “Deviant” Philosopher Built Palantir, a CIA-Funded Data-Mining Juggernaut
This is a great story about Palantir, whose data-mining software can help with all kinds of analysis-related efforts, such as thwarting terrorist attacks. Special attention is given to CEO Alex Karp, who apparently must have a bodyguard with him at all times to protect against death threats.
—Rachel Metz, IT editor
Intermittent Nature of Green Power Is Challenge for Utilities
Grid operators, uncomfortable about the unpredictability of wind power, may by shutting down wind farms more than necessary, and instead relying on dirty diesel power plants.
—Kevin Bullis, senior energy editor
Facebook Is Indeed a Downer, Another Study Suggests
Too much FB is not good for you.
—J. Juniper Friedman, editorial assistant
The Killing Machines
Mark Bowden at The Atlantic reflects on what it means to live in a world of “push-button warfare.”
—Aviva Hope Rutkin, editorial intern
Meet the Hackers Who Want to Jailbreak the Internet
A group of Internet pioneers trying to make the Web more focused on people than corporations.
—Tom Simonite, senior IT editor
The Surprisingly Large Energy Footprint of the Digital Economy
This piece from Time builds on an analyst report to discuss how much energy is drained by digitizing everything.
—Brian Bergstein, deputy editor
LG Ships Retro TV with Rotary Dials
Time to get up from your couch to change that channel. LG’s new TV brings back the rotary dials on its latest television set.
—Brent Turner, chief digital officer
Couple Builds Home in New York City Out of Shipping Containers
A video story about a couple who built their home in New York City out of shipping containers “and how it changed the world.”
—David Sweeney, marketing manager
Keep Reading
Most Popular
Geoffrey Hinton tells us why he’s now scared of the tech he helped build
“I have suddenly switched my views on whether these things are going to be more intelligent than us.”
Deep learning pioneer Geoffrey Hinton has quit Google
Hinton will be speaking at EmTech Digital on Wednesday.
Video: Geoffrey Hinton talks about the “existential threat” of AI
Watch Hinton speak with Will Douglas Heaven, MIT Technology Review’s senior editor for AI, at EmTech Digital.
Doctors have performed brain surgery on a fetus in one of the first operations of its kind
A baby girl who developed a life-threatening brain condition was successfully treated before she was born—and is now a healthy seven-week-old.
Stay connected
Get the latest updates from
MIT Technology Review
Discover special offers, top stories, upcoming events, and more.